Book Review: The Trouble with Texas Cowboys by Carolyn Brown
Media Type: Ebook (ARC)*Series: Burnt Boot #2
Author: Carolyn Brown
When Sawyer O’Donnell takes a ranch job on a whim, he lands smack dab in the middle of a Texas-sized feud! The Gallaghers and the Brennans are at each other’s throats to woo the red-headed spitfire, Jill Cleary, and stake a claim for the Fiddle Creek Ranch.
Jill makes Sawyer’s blood boil. They argue, they banter, but Sawyer soon goes from being driven crazy to crazy in love. Damned if he knows how that happened. But now that it has, how does he compete with two men that can give this cowgirl a lifestyle beyond her wildest dreams?
Let me start off by saying that cowboys are one of my favorite types of book boyfriends. I have a certain affection for those ranch muscles and a country accent. Needless to say that cover was all it took to get my attention.
This was my first endeavor into the writings of Carolyn Brown and while there were things I really enjoyed about this book, it wasn’t my favorite. Let’s start with the things I did enjoy: the feuding families and the rural, ranch filled settings. There is something hilarious about feuds that makes me giggle inside. The pranks, antics and downright craziness of two families intent on destroying each other makes for some great reading. The fact that some of it was self-inflicted just made it all the more entertaining!
Brown does a wonderful job laying out the setting and building the small town feel in this book. I thought it was great that there was an “off limits” area where the outlaws lived that all the main characters were afraid of. Quirky off the grid characters bring a lot to a story like this and I thought it was really well done.
The main thing that I didn’t connect with was the main characters. As far as characters go, they were just okay in my opinion, there wasn’t a lot of growth or revelation for them. I know the intent of including their inner monologue was to build some depth to them, but it really fell flat for me. The synopsis really built up this love triangle but I never really felt that tension at all.
If you’re a fan of other Carolyn Brown works, you will probably enjoy this new book. The supporting characters are full of spirit and a lot of drama which keep the story lively and fun.
