Rugged Glory by Cait Logan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An oldie but goodie with a cowboy who lives up to the rugged mantle. I love a good opposites attract romance. In this book, you have a cultured, intelligent school teacher from the city and an older, former rodeo man who is rich but still lives a simple life as a cowboy. Ben is definitely my cowboy book type. He's a bit grumpy and grumbly, but I can handle that. Long, tall, and fierce. He's met his match in Sami, a tiny, proper schoolteacher, that he hires to tutor his son so he can get his GED. Sami knows that she's taking a risk agreeing to work for Ben, a man who makes her feel things she wanted to forget, and in some ways reminds her of her big, brutal father. But the more she gets to know Ben, she realizes that he's the type to cherish a woman, never harm her. I love a hero in pursuit. My favorite kind. And Sami leads him a merry chase. He's really a romantic guy in his rough way.

This has plenty of atmosphere and although it's not that descriptive, the romance is steamy. It's a blast from the past as far as descriptions of clothing. I find that a bit amusing, even though I definitely don't miss the 80s fashions. I'm glad I listened to the urge to read this. It was a good little romance.

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The Bridal Price by Barbara Boswell

Bridal Price by Barbara Boswell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fun, well-written update of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew (actually one of my faves by him). In this case, Carling (Katarina) is an only child, the spoiled society princess of a Texas Congressman and wife, and Kane (Petruchio) is a principled, hardworking, focused rancher. If you don't like a heroine with a sharp mouth who isn't particularly nice to the hero, you might want to avoid this book. I was quite impressed with how Kane took many of the verbal darts from Carling cheerfully. I love a hero who doesn't give up on the woman he wants and shows honor in the pursuit. Yes, I love a bad boy, but not a sleazy guy. Kane is an earnest, strong-minded guy and that comes through in his actions and personality. He's not exactly domineering, but he definitely has his ideas about how things should go. I'm not into the whole "I want my wife to stay at home with our kids and just be my wife" type guy, but if that works for a woman, than Kane will definitely appeal. As it was, I still liked him and found him sexy and attractive in this book. He has a rugged, cowboy vibe that really works.

Carling has some growing up to do, but down deep, she is a decent, good-hearted woman, unfortunately a product of her shallow environment. But she has a lot to offer Kane as a wife, and I'm glad that he picked the right woman to pursue in the end. Their love connection made for a fun, sexy reread.

I'd recommend this book to folks who like the Taming of the Shrew dynamic, as well as modern western/ranch-set romances with sexy cowboy heroes.

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Rio: Man of Destiny by Cait London

Rio: Man of Destiny: The Blaylocks by Cait London
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was glad to come back for another visit with the Blaylocks. I love the atmosphere in this book. The modern Western feel. Small town life. Family and friends, and everything in between. The strong, tough Western hero. Rio might not make a habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve, but he feels deeply and woos Paloma with every bone in his body. Works for me! I felt the language was a bit repetitive at times, but I did love the physical and emotional bond between Rio and Paloma, and how Rio slowly showed Paloma that she could open up to him and have a home and family with him. With her sad childhood with a mother who used her and neglected her, she needed to be shown rather than told that she could be safe in a relationship with Rio. To know that she was worthy of being loved. I think he did that.

Although not a technically perfect book, there was enough substance here for me to say I really liked it. Paloma is a survivor, and strong enough to overcome demons of the past to believe in and invest in a future with Rio and in Jasmine, Wyoming. As for Rio, he was yummy. The song "Where have all the cowboys gone?" by Paula Cole comes to mind. If only he was real!

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