Review: 3.75 stars-second chances and forbidden love
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 13, 2013
3.75 starsTEMPTING THE COWBOY is the first storyline in Elizabeth Otto's new Paint River Ranch contemporary adult series focusing on the Haywood Brothers and the women they love. This is Cole and Rylan's story-a story of forbidden love and second chances.The storyline follows Rylan as she begins working at the Haywood family ranch as a housekeeper and assistant for the Haywood matriarch who is having some difficulties caring for the household duties, feeding the ranch hands and looking after her granddaughter on a daily basis. Rylan is a strong female presence but one that is scarred down to her very soul. But Rylan has a few secrets and one in particular that will tear at her heart every time she looks at Cole's four year old daughter Birdy.Cole is a single father and works hard keeping the ranch profitable. But Cole made a mistake years before and he has made a promise to himself as well as his brothers that he would never put himself in that position again. But something about Rylan calls to Cole's inner soul and the sparks fly from the moment they met. As difficult as it is to be in the same room with Rylan, it is more difficult to be separated for any length of time.The relationship between Rylan and Cole begins under dubious circumstances when Rylan discovers that the drunken cowboy at the local bar is her new boss and owner at Haywood Ranch. Their subsequent encounters mask a building sexual attraction between each other and one that is not missed by Cole's brother and ailing mother. Both Rylan and Cole must overcome painful pasts that continue to affect their current situations and until one or both is able to forgive and forget, our couple are caught in a never ending loop of heartbreak and failure.The secondary characters are colorful but play only minor roles in this particular instalment. We are introduced to Cole's brother Tucker and there is mention of a brother who is serving in Afghanistan at the time.Elizabeth Otto pulls the reader into a storyline of forbidden love and a second chance at love. Cole is a man who has been burned by his past and Rylan is a woman whose life was sent spiraling out of control by a loss so devastating that she does not know if she will ever recover.Tempting the Cowboy is a wonderful story about struggling to move forward when all you want to do is runaway and hide. Elizabeth Otto has written a sweet storyline of second chances and letting go; loss and recovery; friendship and love. If you like a romantic storyline with a happily ever after, Tempting the Cowboy is the perfect Sunday afternoon read.Copy supplied by the author.