Review: great contenporary cowboy romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 4, 2014
3.5 starsTempting the Cowboy is my first foray into romances written about cowboys as well as being the first time I have read books by Elizabeth Otto and what a nice foray it turned out to be. This is the first in The Paint River Ranch series which centres around, where else, but the Paint River Ranch, and the three sexy Haywood brothers who own it. In Tempting the Cowboy we meet Cole, the eldest of the Haywood brothers, who runs the Paint River Ranch after the passing of their father, with the help of his mother and one of his brothers, Tucker.Cole is the epitome of a hard-working cowboy, handsome, rugged, wickedly sexy and fiercely protective of his heart and his family, particularly his 4 year old daughter, Birdie. A very painful past experience has taught him to be guarded when it comes to women and he has a very dim view of relationship commitment. In walks Rylan as the new housekeeper and Cole suddenly finds himself wanting more than a quick roll in the hay.Rylan has painful experiences of her own, heartbreaking and traumatic, enough to make any woman gun-shy of getting involved too soon. She has come to Paint River Ranch for a change of pace, to get far away from the memories that still haunt her. However, when she walks into the main house ready for work, Birdie triggers wounds that she is covering up, Cole assaults her senses and she is thrown into turmoil, wondering how she can move past those memories.I really enjoyed this couple, their interactions with each other and with other characters in the book. Both have experienced pain, both are extremely wary of becoming involved in a serious relationship again, but both cannot deny the chemistry they have between them., Their love scenes are hot and steamy, romantic and heartfelt. I loved Rylan and I admired her strength to move forward and her giving personality. Cole, equally, was a great character, showing his own strength in raising Birdie and running the ranch, doing all that he can to give Birdie the life she deserves full of love.While there were a few anxious moments when the characters fought their feelings, overall this is a sweet, passionate love story of two people learning how to trust again and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series which is about Tucker.