Monday 12 May 2014

Review - One Night With a Cowboy by Elizabeth Otto

 
 
Title: One Night With a Cowboy
Series: Paint River Ranch #2
Author: Elizabeth Otto
Release Date: May 12, 2014

 
One night is never enough...

Jobless, broke, and struggling to support herself and her invalid mother, paramedic Sophie Miller doesn’t have time or energy for a relationship. Especially with her mother’s clock ticking down. So when the sexy cowboy she meets at a carnival proposes a no-strings, one-night stand, she’s all over it. Until her one-night stand shows up again and turns out to be everything she’s ever wanted.

Tucker Haywood has his hands full running Paint River Ranch and trying to deal with all the changes pulling the rug out from under him. His past has taught him it’s better to keep women at arm’s length, for their sake. Stubborn and temperamental, Tucker doesn’t have a clue how to deal with a city girl who’s scared of squirrels and dirt.

So when Sophie gets under his skin, he has to do whatever it takes to push her away. Even if it means losing the part of himself he never thought he’d find.
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
4.5 cowboy stars

The chemistry oozed hotness all over, between Tucker and Sophie their story was panty dropping. The sexual tension from both, just made the story even more exciting. I love a book that has both character's points of view. It just makes sense that way. 

First encounter for both Sophie and Tucker was hot. I believe I just totally dropped my panty thinking about it.

"For your sake, I hope that's your only sib--." Sophie reached up on a tiptoe, pulled the toothpick from his mouth and tossed it. "Shut up and kiss me."
 
Sophie's not looking for a relationship since she thinks that she will be leaving the Paint River Ranch anytime soon. She's very hesitant to give this tension and pull towards Tucker. She fights these feelings, but how long will she keep fighting this pull and that it's obviously not one sided?
 
Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos  

Tucker's struggles to maintain control over his emotions, he had denied himself by having meaningless one night stands to numb the pain he is feeling. The anger he feels about his father cheating on his mother is what drove him to not comitting himself to anyone and to just have one night with a random warm body. He fights the urge to feel something for Fifi (he calls Sophie), turns into something more. Sophie and Tucker have fought throughout the entire book, but I loved it because they sort of made it forbidden in a way, because of their denial to their feelings, not allowing themselves to fall in love. 

The story is about opening up to someone and taking a risk. About moving forward and not live in the past because it will not get you anywhere. Sophie and Tucker ended this book in the sweetest way. I am looking forward to reading more of the Paint River Ranch Series.
 
~ Review by Kathleen



I was lucky enough to travel around the States some several years ago. One place I never made it to, but have read about a lot, is Montana. Seriously, I'm sure that 75% of cowboy/rancher books take place in Big Sky Country and every time I read one I think maybe I should relocate. It seems like a good idea because I get the impression that, aside from its beautiful landscape, Montana is famous for its hot, sexy, gruff, alpha male cowboys. That sounds like the kind of place I'd like to call home. One Night with a Cowboy features one of those cowboys and yep, I was kinda wondering how many boxes I'd need and how much the cross-country move would cost as I read it. I also considered buying cowboy boots, but that's just because I like shoes. A lot.

Sophie Miller has a lot of not-great stuff going on in her life. She's unemployed. Her beloved mother is dying. Her pain-in-the-ass older sister is making life miserable with her unreasonable demands and snide comments. What she needs is a break from everyday life. A chance to kick up her heels and let her hair down. One night of complete abandon. Tucker Haywood is stubborn, abrupt and definitely not looking for anything more than one night with a woman. His past experience has convinced him that no-strings attached is the only kind of relationship that's worth pursing...until Sophie. One hot night at the carnival and they're both trying to fight the attraction because neither of them need or can handle more but that doesn't stop them from wanting it.

I enjoyed this book except for the parts that I didn't. I know that's a twisted sentence, so bear with me... When it was good, it was very good. I loved the way this book was written. It was a very visual book for me and I can't say that about a lot of books. I had a clear picture in my mind of what the Paint River Ranch looked like, as well as the covered bridge and the gorgeous treehouse. In addition, Sophie was an awesome heroine. She was strong and didn't need or ask for Tucker's help. She didn't pander to him or simper, nor did she bow to his demands. Tucker was a typical alpha male character. He was rich, sexy, desirable - just the way I like my cowboys. I wish he talked more and thought less though. This book got bogged down in the middle because the characters - Tucker in particular - were overthinking everything. It was frustrating. Frustratingly effective, however, because when I put the book down for a period of time (not as a result of said frustration but because I thought it prudent to feed my kids), I kept thinking about it. I was eager to get back to it and see Sophie and Tucker figure it out. But then, the ending... Oh, that ending. It was fantastic until it just ended. Like Tucker, it was abrupt. Too abrupt. I was loving it, thinking that I was getting a wonderful payoff for the vacillating in the middle third and then those dreaded words: The End. It wasn't a cliffhanger - thank goodness - but it left me with that same huh? feeling of a cliffy. If there had been a short epilogue to wrap things up, I'd have already booked my ticket to Montana and bought my cowboy boots. Now I guess I'll wait for Levi's book instead. 

This is the second book in the Paint River Ranch series but can be read as a standalone, no cliffhanger.
 
 
~ Review by Beth
 


 
 

Elizabeth writes steamy contemporary and paranormal romance by day, and works as an Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate by night. The night shift provides never-ending fodder for plots, characters and story lines! When not creating characters or saving lives, she wrangles three demonic children and tends to her heirloom garden in the beautiful Midwest. 
 
 

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