Review: Gotta Love a Cowboy by Sandy Sullivan

Title: Gotta Love a Cowboy

Series: Want Ads, #1

Genres/Themes: contemporary romance, cowboy, broken hearts mend

Author: Sandy Sullivan

Quick Take:

An easy read, full of plenty of heat. Perhaps not a groundbreaking book, but the story has elements—such as the likeable characters and a comfortable setting—that make it a sweet and charming romance.

Book Description (via Goodreads):
Ann Marie needs a horse trainer to ready her prized stallion to run for the money. When hunky horseman Travis Brooks answers her ad, she knows he’s the man for the job. But is she willing to let go of her husband’s memory and open up her heart to Travis?
Travis Brooks knows horses. But women? He can take ‘em or leave ‘em—mostly leave ‘em—especially since his divorce. Ann Marie pushes all his buttons and he’s not quite sure what to do with her. Can a stubborn horseman and one feisty rancher find love in the heat of the Texas Plains?

Review:
So, this has been my first time reading a book in the sub-genre of contemporary cowboy/cowgirl-centered romance. And I must say, I had no idea cowboys could be so flippin´ awesome (read: steamin´) as romantic leads. Yum!

Gotta Love a Cowboy is by-and-large an easy read, the kind that one can finish in no time flat—not because of length, but because the premise is delightfully simple and the story is straightforward. The scope of the tale is pretty much limited to the goings-on of the fictional Double S Ranch. Likewise, the cast is very small, including only four individuals for the majority of the plot. This focus lends itself to a cozy, comfortable feel, furthering that aforementioned ease of reading.

The hero and heroine, Travis Brooks and Anne Marie Skolack, are very likeable protagonists. Together, they positively scorched the page. But each was still individually compelling, with background stories and life situations that endeared them to me quite a bit. I´m very much a character-focused reader, and I felt that the author developed them quite nicely.

There were a number of fits and stops in the progression of the plot. Days or weeks would often pass over the span of a paragraph, with a short description of some of the activities that took place over the time frame. It´s not really a big deal in terms of understanding of the story´s events, but it´s perhaps still worth a heads-up.

I was not the biggest fan of what felt to me like a swift change in tone and character actions. In particular, I didn´t quite get some of the behavioral leaps made by Travis. And the story went from intriguing romantic dilemma to gooey love fest in the blink of an eye.  I´m all about HEAs and people falling for each other, but there´s still something to be said for believability and . When characters suddenly—and I mean suddenly--begin to behave in a manner so unlike what they´ve been developed as, and when plot threads that took an entire book length to be developed are resolved with a few sentences, it takes some of the steam out of one´s enjoyment. It did that for my enjoyment, at least.

All told, this is indeed a sweet tale. I´m glad I read it, and will certainly be checking out some of the author´s works in the future, particularly those in this series.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

"I liked it!"

This has been a tour stop for Book Lovin' Bitches eBook Tours.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tours and a copy was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review nor was there an obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely mine and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.