Review: Characters Are What Makes This Book
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 26, 2014
*Written By Jessica Bruner*A marriage of convenience, a woman with amnesia, a cowboy built like a Greek god riding a white horse. The only romance novel cliche that's missing is a secret baby. Kate Douglas puts together this collection of cliches and makes it work in a delightful romp in the hills of Colorado.Michelle Garrison is a romance novelist whose last few books have fallen flat. Her editor has convinced her to write a western, but when she turns in her manuscript it's painfully obvious that she knows nothing about cowboys. Her editor orders her to go to Columbine Camp, a dude ranch in Colorado.  He gives her a copy of a magazine that features Columbine Camp as well as the neighboring ranch, Double Eagle. She arrives in one of the worst storms of the season, gets in a car wreck, and hits her head. She finds herself walking in the rain dragging a small suitcase behind her wondering how she got there and thinking she's a professional barrel racer.  She knows she's headed to either Columbine Camp or Double Eagle Ranch, but can't remember which one or why.Taggart Martin runs the Double Eagle Ranch.  His grandmother owns the ranch and has promised to deed it over to him on one condition – that he gets married.  Tag has sworn himself to a life of bachelorhood, so the prospect of marriage is, shall we say, unwelcome.  His foreman, Coop, came up with the idea of staging a sham marriage to Tag's friend and neighbor Betsy Mae.  Betsy Mae had agreed until she fell in love and ran off with a rodeo clown.  Not to worry, though.  She's convinced a friend and fellow barrel racer to stand in for her for a price.  When the storm hits, the false bride is late getting to the ranch.  Coop goes out to find her, and comes across Michelle walking down the road.  He assumes she's the friend in question and takes her back to the ranch.  She goes along with the cockamamie scheme because she thinks that these people must know who she is and seem to expect her.While I'm normally turned off by overdone genre cliches, in this case it works.  There's a sort of meta awareness in the book of romance genre cliches, particularly since one of the main characters is a romance novelist.  It's always fun when works of fiction seem to be self-aware.  At least, I think so.  The characters are fun and the writing is descriptive and snappy.  The plot is constantly moving, keeping you engaged and not wanting to put it down.  The chemistry between Michelle and Tag sizzles on the page.Plot: 4 starsThere is a prologue, which can sometimes slow a story down, but in this case the back story is necessary for the reader to fully appreciate the action.  The first chapter gets right into the story, and it doesn't slow down.  The deliberate use of genre clilches makes this a fun read.Writing: 5 starsKate Douglas pulls you into the characters' heads.  The dialogue flows and is believable, even in vernacular, which can be difficult to pull off without being distracting.  She shows you what's going on instead of telling you.Cover: 3 starsI don't really get the connection to the title of the book and the story, even after reading it.  The cover fits with the theme of romance genre cliches, though.  The cowboy even has his hand in the woman's pocket.Characters: 4 starsThe characters are what make this book.  Michelle is confused, but likable.  Tag tries and fails to be tough and reserved.  Coop is the quintessential old ranch cowboy.  And Gramma Lenore is a spitfire.  What's not to love?