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Her Lucky Cowboy
Montana Men #3
Jennifer Ryan
Releasing Aug 25th
Avon
Champion rodeo rider Dane Bowden is eight seconds from winning under the Vegas lights, one last hurrah before reluctantly returning to his family's Montana ranch. But his bull has other plans. When Dane wakes up, he's sure he's died and gone to heaven . . . because the doctor who comes to his aid is the same girl who saved his life and disappeared years ago.
Bell would do anything for Dane. He's the fantasy that always kept her going. A child genius hidden away by her family, Bell was the secret no one talked about, the girl no one wanted. Despite finding success as a young surgeon, she's still the awkward girl who's never had a boyfriend. So why does Dane, a notorious playboy and sizzling-hot cowboy, insist on taking her on a real date?Bell is the only woman in Dane's heart. When a rodeo rivalry turns deadly, it's his turn to save Bell's life—because he sure as hell won't lose his guardian angel again.
Bell would do anything for Dane. He's the fantasy that always kept her going. A child genius hidden away by her family, Bell was the secret no one talked about, the girl no one wanted. Despite finding success as a young surgeon, she's still the awkward girl who's never had a boyfriend. So why does Dane, a notorious playboy and sizzling-hot cowboy, insist on taking her on a real date?Bell is the only woman in Dane's heart. When a rodeo rivalry turns deadly, it's his turn to save Bell's life—because he sure as hell won't lose his guardian angel again.
Dane and Bell's story is sweet, but Bell's past is so sad. I loved that their story relay began when they were they were just teens, but didn't meet again until they were both adults. There relationship progressed slowly as Dane worked on convincing Bell that he'd left his rodeo lifestyle behind and wanted a real relationship with her. There is a little bit of danger from an old friend of Dane's who is out for revenge that adds a bit of suspense. It fits well with the previous books in the series and it was great seeing Dane's brothers and their wives families growing.
I received an ARC via Edelweiss for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
Opposites Attract
One
of my favorite tropes is opposites attract. I love the dynamics between two
people when they come from different worlds or have very different
personalities or beliefs. It’s so much fun to see how two people who seem so
different from each other find a way to overcome their differences and come
together and make it work. It just goes to show, love conquers all. At least in
a romance novel, right?
So
how does Dane, a rodeo champ with buckle bunnies riding his tail, convince
Bell, a woman who’s lived a sheltered life and never been on a date, to take a
chance on him?
It
starts with a phone call…
Excerpt:
“Bell, you make it damn
hard to get to know you. We’re just talking here. You tell me something. I tell
you something. It’s a conversation.”
“You haven’t told me
anything.” Why did she say that? She should just hang up. He’d called her under
false pretenses. No reason for her to carry on with this ridiculous
conversation, telling him things he didn’t need to know, or that mattered in
the first place. He’d get bored. See she was nothing like the other women he
knew, and he’d move on. A novelty in his life, he’d find someone more
interesting and forget about her.
“What do you want to
know?”
“Why you’re doing this?”
“I like you. I want to
know more about you. It’s that simple and that complicated, Bell. I know you
don’t get it. I’m not sure I do either at this point. I want to be your friend.
Is that so hard to believe?”
“Yes. It is.” She didn’t
realize she’d said the words out loud.
“Well, believe it.
Friends know things about each other. They talk about their day. Since I spent
most of mine with you, and we’ve caught up on our evening, I’m moving on to
things I don’t know about you. Like what’s your favorite color.”
This seemed ridiculous,
but she’d play along. For now. Because she’d never had a close friend, but
she’d always wanted one. “Blue.”
“Like your denim-blue
eyes?”
She smiled. People often
commented about her eyes and their contrast to her hair. She’d never heard them
described like that.
…
I can’t stop thinking
about you. I wish you were here.”
“I’m going to blame
those little gems on your meds.”
“Not the meds. Just you.
So, will you have dinner with me?”
“I don’t know if that’s
a good idea. You’re my patient.”
“Don’t make me get
another doctor just for a date?”
“That’s just it, Dane,
I’m not just a date. I’ll never be the woman who is just a date. Get some rest.
I’ll see you next week.”
Bell hung up and sighed,
staring at her cramped little room with the floor to ceiling books stacked so
tightly together she couldn’t see the walls. Her grandfather had hoarded the
books. She loved them as much as he did. She wanted to open another now and
lose herself in another world. Too bad, the only world she wanted to be a part
of was Dane’s.
Then
leads to a kiss…
“Bell, come here.” This
time, he reached for her, placing his hand on the back of her neck and drawing
her to him.
Their eyes locked. He
leaned in and brushed his lips to hers in a soft stroke that demanded nothing
and promised everything. He caressed his fingers over her short hair, let the
strands slide under his fingers. She sighed, leaned into his touch, and he
pressed his lips to hers again, tilting his head for a more intimate angle. She
watched him. He watched her. The surprise in her eyes turned to interest. He
swept his tongue out to slide over her lips. She sucked in a breath, and he
took advantage, sweeping his tongue in to glide against hers. Just a taste is
all it took to turn that interest in her eyes to smoldering heat.
He leaned back, just an
inch to stare down at her. “That’s chemistry, Bell. That warm feeling spreading
through you. The heat pooling in your belly. That need gnawing at your gut and
racing through your veins. Your heart pounding in your chest and in your ears.
That voice in your head saying, ‘Do it again.’”
“Do it again.” Her words
were softly spoken, but held no less than demand in her plea.
He drew her close again.
Maybe she pulled him in. Didn’t matter. All that mattered is that her mouth met
his in a kiss so shockingly erotic and sweet that he only knew her and the need
he unleashed at her command. He pressed his lips to hers and slid his tongue
deep into her mouth to taste and caress hers. She met his every move and took
him under her spell. He tried to keep things tame. He kept his hands on her
shoulders, his fingertips massaging her soft skin at her neck.
Bell tore her mouth from
his and stared at him wide-eyed. “This is kind of addictive.”
“You’re addictive.” He pulled her back in for
another long kiss. He loved that sweet sigh and sexy moan she made when she
settled into his arms. He wanted to make her do it again.
Of
course it ends with a happy ever after, but not before Dane and Bell discover
the one thing they have in common – neither of them have ever been in
love…until now.
What
about you? Did you fall for someone who is your opposite?
Jennifer Ryan is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted Series and The McBrides Series. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances featuring strong men and equally resilient women. Her stories are filled with love, family, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find.
Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home and in how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.
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