Review: Red's Hot Cowboy

Red's Hot Cowboy (Spikes & Spurs - Book 2) by Carolyn Brown

Publication Date: August 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Inc.
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Western
Pages: Paperback, 384pp
ISBN-13: 9781402253614
ISBN: 1402253613

(Received for an honest review from Sourcebooks)

Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Carolyn Brown on the WEB: website

Synopsis:

HE WASN'T LOOKING FOR TROUBLE...

Wil Marshall is only looking for a place to stay after a winter storm knocks out the power at his ranch. The sexy cowboy never imagined he'd get entangled in a murder investigation - or that events will ignite irresistible passion between Wil and the motel's fiery proprietress...

BUT TROUBLE WAS LOOKING FOR THEM BOTH...

Pearl Richland never expected to find herself in a middle-of-nowhere Texas town as owner of her great-aunt Pearlita's vintage motel. But in the midst of chaos, this spitfire is about to learn a thing or two about fate and love, the silent majority that always has the final say...

Thoughts:

Following on the heels of success with her book, Love Drunk Cowboy, Carolyn Brown brings readers the second book in her contemporary western romance series, Spikes & Spurs. Red's Hot Cowboy shows Brown's commanding lead in this off-shoot from the mainstream romance genre. With hunky cowboys and sassy cowgirls, and a little mystery thrown in, this is a great summer read, that will have you drinking sweet tea and listening to some country crooners!

Wil Marshall was looking for any port in a storm so to speak when a winter squall leaves him and his dog Digger needing a place to stay while the power is out at his ranch in Henrietta, Texas. What he doesn't expect to find is a sassy motel owner and a murder investigation. But as the case heats up so does Wil's attraction to Pearl. Pearl never expected herself to end up in small town Texas either, but a vintage motel in the sticks might be just where she needs to be. When she meets Wil she forgets about stiletto's and pencil skirts and starts thinking about how she fits in to her new world.

Carolyn Brown once again give readers what they want. Sexy heroes and spunky heroines in her latest addition to the Spikes & Spurs series. Red's Hot Cowboy is a combination mystery and romance with a western flair. When women generally think of sexy men, two things come to mind, rock stars and cowboys and Brown really know's how to write about the men of the west. When I think about cowboys I don't usually think of a contemporary setting. But Brown conveys to the reader that these men still exist. They ranch, they farm, they still have the Southern charm and swagger, the loyalty and honesty of the cowboys of the past and readers will definitely respond.

Brown has a knack for being able to show the appeal of the cowboy way, in a sense. Her hero in Red's Hot Cowboy, Wil, is handsome, intelligent, sexy and well able to take care of himself in any situation. But when he comes up against a sassy city girl who's transplanted to the country, it changes everything for him. It's almost as if Pearl wasn't a part of his plan, but when they got together the plan changed entirely. I liked the fact that he was able to see what she could add to his life and that he wanted her to be a part of it. He comes across as a solid, genuine man who knows what he wants when he sees it. Brown does a great job of showing the sex appeal that exudes from Wil and she focuses all that passion on Pearl.

Pearl is a great gal. She has guts, savvy and she isn't afraid of a challenge. Her great-aunt's motel was a little more than she bargained for though. She's out of her comfort zone and more than a little taken aback by life in a small town. It's not what she's used to but she definitely makes the best of it and when Wil comes into to her life, she isn't looking for something to make life tolerable, she just finds someone to share her new found acceptance with. I liked the fact that Brown allows Pearl to come into to her own and does not make her rely on anyone or anything to make her world OK. She's a strong woman, with a heart of gold and I felt like Wil was really privileged to find someone like her. The sex scenes between them are passionate and rugged, everything you would expect from a cowboy! Very fun to read.

Brown has once again shown why she is respected as a great western romance writer. She knows her stuff and it's easy to see that she enjoys her characters. She must have dreamed of falling in love with a cowboy for a long time, to be able to write with such clarity about them. I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it all my romance readers. It's steamy, it's tender and it's just hits the right spot when it comes to a great contemporary love story.

Red's Hot Cowboy is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!






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Carolyn Brown is an award-winning author with more than forty books published, and she credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. Her books include the cowboy trilogy Lucky in Love, One Lucky Cowboy, and Getting Luck; the Honky Tonk series I Love this Bar, Hell Yeah, Honky Tonk Christmas, and My Give a Damn's Busted, and Love Drunk Cowboy which kicked off the Spikes and Spurs series. She was born in Texas but grew up in southern Oklahoma where she and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, make their home. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.