"LandepNews"
Judith's review of Darn Good Cowboy Christmas (Spikes & Spurs #3) by Carolyn Brown.
The author of the #1 bestselling Christmas romance in 2010 (Honky Tonk Christmas) creates a new installment in her sexy contemporary cowboy romance series that showcases her amazing Southern voice.
Born and raised in a traveling carnival, all Liz Hanson ever wanted for Christmas was a home that didn't have wheels. After she was old enough to date she added one more item: a sexy cowboy.
She's about given up on Santa ever bringing either one when her father dies and leaves her an ugly house and twenty acres in Texas. Then rancher Raylen O'Donnell walks onto her property...
It has been said that we are all children at Christmas--admittedly we all love receiving presents. Some have even conceived of adult Santa lists. Few have had requests as strange as Liz Hanson's as she moved into a new phase of her life. All she wanted for Christmas was a house that wasn't built on wheels and her very own cowboy. Her carnie family had a very hard time accepting her desire to separate herself from her life-long association with the carnival life. Her mom, her aunt, and all their family members thought she was crazy. With the exception, however, of her uncle who never accepted his "place" in the traditions of the carnival into which he was born. Now he has decided to deed his ranch over to Liz and it would appear that she has a chance to make this significant move away from the transient life. She still loves the carnival in many ways and as time goes on she misses parts of it--not being with her mom and others in her family her primary loss. Yet she knows that this is right for her and she just needs to prove this to those who love her.
Now for the cowboy for Christmas: she has had a crush on one of the O'Donnell boys since her early teens. Her shock comes when the now grown up Raylon appears at her door and the teen crush appears to be in danger of turning into something far more adult in nature.
Carolyn Brown fans will love this story. Crisp and clear character development, humorous, one-of-a-kind characters that form the background and context of the story, the on-going saga of the O'Donnells and their attempt to marry off their kids in order, and the delightful repartee that peppers and enlivens the dialogue throughout. It is such a fun read. Having read the first two books in this series and really liked them a lot, I was delighted to get this book for review. It was like meeting up with familiar characters that almost border on friends, yet their continuing story doesn't overshadow the new story and its action. It is a story that includes some pretty intense erotic loving--an attraction that seems to have the main characters falling into bed with each other fairly frequently. But unlike other novels embodying a similar attraction, the love story does not overtake the other aspects of the novel. Liz's family is unique and the objections of Raylon's family to Liz and her background make this story come across with a different impact. It isn't just about the sex. It really is about a relationship that Liz must fit into a life that is still in transition, fraught with challenges and struggles, especially those that are launched by well-meaning and loving family members.
This may be a novel that highlights the Christmas season as a significant part of the story context, but it is a love story that is timeless in the issues that impact the lives of these two main characters and the people who are an important part of their lives. It is the kind of story that will be a fun read, no matter what time of year. I highly recommend lovers of cowboy/Western romance to latch on to this one. It's just a really good book.
I give it a rating of 4 out of 5
You can read more from Judith at Dr J's Book Place.
This book is available from Sourcebooks Casablanca. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
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