Monday, March 20, 2017

Review - - Hometown Cowboy


Hometown Cowboy
By Sara Richardson
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: February 28, 2017
Reviewed by Maria Lokken
    





If you’ve been dumped one time too many, you would probably be a bit apprehensive about jumping into another relationship. For Jessa May Love that means, no more men. Ever. Romance is off the table. But when ladies’ man Lance Cortez, the tall, dark and handsome bull-riding champion needs her help – well then, she’s got a problem.

Jessa runs the animal shelter in Topaz Falls, but the shelter is in need of money to continue its good works, and Lance needs help with his father Luis who is getting on in years. Jessa moves onto the ranch to help with Luis and that puts her within arms distance of Lance as he prepares for the World Rodeo Championship. And you guessed it – these two are destined to be in and out of love faster than a bull can throw his rider.

Jessa’s one desire in life is “to love someone wholly and truly, and to have them love her back.” That’s a tall order, especially for a cowboy who’s not sure he even knows how to love. Each comes to the on again, off again, hot steamy relationship with enough baggage to throw a wheel off a cart, and that dynamic is what makes Hometown Cowboy an interesting read.

This is a story of love lost and lessons learned and about the journey both Jessa and Lance go through to get to a place where love is what matters. The author creates a wonderful cast of secondary characters who help Jessa and Lance find their way to each other. For Jessa, it is the women from her book club. Each one is different from the next, but when her romance goes off the rails they are united in their support.

Lance has his father and two brothers, Levi and Lucas. And… well, what can I say, each one is tall, handsome and sexy - and that’s in addition to being brothers Lance can confide in and count on.

Every character in this book has a history, and that makes for good conflict that eventually gets resolved into a happily-ever-after. The journey on this one was fun.

My one major quibble with this story was the author’s description of the hero’s father. Luis Cortez, is a 67-year-old bull riding champion. While his glory days are long gone, he’s a well-known figure in the community. The author describes him as an old man. And while he has a situation, that I won’t give away, I’d like to point out that in the year 2017, 67-years-old is NOT OLD. A large majority of people are living well into their 90’s, and 100’s and many are still vital. Let’s face it, they invented Viagra for a reason. You’re not dead at 67. Whenever I read a book that describes people in their 50’s and 60’s as old, it throws me out of the story a bit, because in my opinion, 60 is the new 40.

In any event, I believe you’ll enjoy this contemporary romance, the women are smart, the men rugged, and there’s plenty of sigh worthy moments. This is the first in the Rocky Mountain Riders series. Each one will feature a different brother, and Lucas’ story is next.

What’s your cut off age for a hero and heroine in a romance?




10 comments:

  1. Thank you for the wonderful review! I agree...60 really is the new 40! I can see what you're saying about how I portrayed him, but don't worry. Luis has a great storyline in the second and third books. :)

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    1. Thanks for the update on Luis, Sara. As a young-thinking woman of 65, I appreciate that he has a great storyline ahead! :)

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  2. Thanks, Maria! I haven't read Richardson yet but your review makes me want to give this series a try.

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  3. I agree, normally 67 would be young. But, if someone has been a bull rider for any length of time, his body would have had many injuries including broken bones. Maybe that is what was being considered in his description.

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    1. Could be, Annette. I like that he has a great storyline to look forward to. :)

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  4. Will have to put this on my wish list.

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  5. I don't think there really is a cut off age. There is love and romance in people's lives until the day they die. An older couple may not have the mad physical relationship of younger people, but the romance and love are still there. In a way it focuses attention on what is really important in a loving relationship.

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    1. I agree with you, 60's are not old. I am a bit older than that and certainly don't consider my self old. I have meet people in their 40's and 50's who are "older" than I. They have lost their passion for life and love. They are missing so much.

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  6. This one sounds interesting, I'm always up for a good cowboy read. Yes I agree someone in their 60's isn't too old at all, just depends on how they are portrayed. Now I'm really intrigued, thanks for sharing!

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