Book Review: Unbroken Cowboy

Author: Maisey Yates
Title: Unbroken Cowboy
Publisher: HQN
Publish Date: April 23, 2019
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: In Gold Valley, Oregon, forbidden love just might be the sweetest…

Dane Parker traded in his trailer-park roots for glory as a bull rider. But when a serious injury sidelines him for months, it’s the first time he can’t just pull himself up by his bootstraps. The last thing he wants to deal with is sweet family friend Bea treating him like one of her wounded animals—or the unexpected attraction that suddenly flares between them.

Beatrix Leighton has loved Dane for years, while he’s always seen her as another sister. When she enlists his help to start her animal sanctuary, she thinks it will give him purpose. Instead, it brings all the desire she feels for him to the boiling point. Bea’s father taught her early on that love means loss. But could her forbidden crush turn into a love that will last a lifetime?

Review:  I have mixed feelings about this book. For the most part, even with the sex between Beatrix and Dane that doesn't happen until halfway through the book, this is a sweet read. Bea is adorable, until she has sex with Dane.

Allow me to explain. She's a poor little rich girl with a lot of issues because of family stuff. (To say anymore would be a spoiler) She's crushed on Dane and is a 24 year old virgin as a result.

REALLY! WTF!

This is a trope I'm getting sick of.

Pine....pine...pine over one guy...never knowing or getting involved with anyone...because that one crush has just spoiled you for the whole world.

Uh...NO!

I can deal with the virginity thing if this were a Christian based novel..but nope..not that.

And Dane is a rodeo rider who got pretty messed up..and Bea is taking care of him because he's quasi- family. Her brother was married to his sister.....

Is your head spinning yet?

Dane has spent his life working to be something and to make something to prove that he's important to his dad, who he hasn't seen since he was 13.

There's a lot of Daddy issues in this book, did I mention that?

Dane is also pretty grumpy, but his situation warrants it really. He's in pain and he's fighting with himself over what he can actually do now that his career may be over.

But the two get together and things should be happy happy joy joy. Right?

No that's not how romance works..there must be conflict.

Only the conflict made me want to beat Bea with a stick or a crowbar or drop an anvil on her head.

These two characters both had a pity party theme about them that drove me a little bit nuts at times.  Bea was sweet though, and I loved that she was a caring animal lover. I adored Evan, the panty thieving, Cheerio eating raccoon. Even Dane, grumpy though he was, wasn't as bad boy as he might seem.

It was a good enough read, but definitely not something that stood out for me.

Rating: 3 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Christmastime Cowboy

About Christmastime Cowboy

• Series: Copper Ridge
• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: HQN Books (October 24, 2017)

It’s Christmas in Copper Ridge, and love is waiting to be unwrapped… 

Falling for a bad boy once is forgivable. Twice would just be foolish. When Sabrina Leighton first offered her teenage innocence to gorgeous, tattooed Liam Donnelly, he humiliated her, then left town. The hurt still lingers. But so does that crazy spark. And if they have to work together to set up her family winery’s new tasting room by Christmas, why not work him out of her system with a sizzling affair?

Thirteen years ago, Liam’s boss at the winery offered him a bribe—leave his teenage daughter alone and get a full ride at college. Convinced he wasn’t good enough for Sabrina, Liam took it. Now he’s back, as wealthy as sin and with a heart as cold as the Oregon snow. Or so he keeps telling himself. Because the girl he vowed to stay away from has become the only woman he needs, and this Christmas could be just the beginning of a lifetime together…

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: I'm a fan of Maisey Yates and Christmas romances. (I've been a sucker for Christmas romances since I was in high school)

I have some mixed feelings about this book, because it falls under a that "I never got over this guy in an insane number of years" thing going on, which is something that I've been having a huge problem with lately. The worst part was Sabrina holding on to her virginity for 13 years. I can't deal with 30 year old virgins. I just can't. That was a big issue for me with this book. It just didn't feel realistic for me.

That aside, Maisey delivers with character that you feel instantly connected to and that includes the secondary characters as well. (If you've read any of Copper Ridge series, you'll know Liam's brothers and their significant others). Liam''s brothers provide a lot of levity in this book, since there are so many things everyone seems to be going through.

I loved Liam. He was a bad boy and a bad boy with a real crappy childhood. Actually crappy is a pretty mild description for how bad he had it growing up.

I didn't feel the love that I wanted to feel for Sabrina. Even the way she treated her friend Olivia, who was having relationship woes of her own, made me want to give her a shake. I mean, I felt really sorry for Olivia.

I love the dialogue in Maisey's books. There's a scene with Liam and his brother's and they are talking about his love life, and it is just hilarious. This is what makes her books stand out. These guys sound real. Yes, there's the romantic fantasy, but there's a hearty dose of reality too. Except of course for that virginity thing. Grrr.

I liked that Maisey gave Sabrina some resolution with her father, though it seemed a little too easy coming.

This wasn't the usual Christmas romance. In fact, it didn't feel Christmasy at all to me. The holiday just seemed to be a backdrop for the new venture that brought Sabrina and Liam together.

I enjoyed this read, just not as much as I have others by Maisey.

Rating: 4 flowers

About Maisey Yates

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit.

In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard. She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

Connect with Maisey

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TLC Book Tours Book Review: Slow Burn Cowboy

Author: Maisey Yates
Title: Slow Burn Cowboy
Publisher: HQN
Publish Date: April 18, 2017
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: If Finn Donnelly makes a plan, he sticks to it. After his brothers left Copper Ridge, Finn stayed behind, determined to keep their ranch going by himself. And when he realized his feelings for Lane Jensen were more than platonic, he shoved that inconvenient desire away. It was easy…until it wasn't. Suddenly his brothers are coming home to claim their share of the property. And Lane is no longer just in his fantasies. She's in his arms, and their friendship is on the line…

He's been her buddy, her handyman, her rock. But until that one breathtaking kiss, Lane somehow overlooked the most important thing about Finn Donnelly—he's all man. They're right together, no matter how much his volatile past has bruised him. Finn wants to hold Lane's body, but he doesn't want to hold her heart. But Lane is falling fast and now she's got a plan of her own…to show Finn there's nothing hotter than friendship turned to slow-burning love.

Review: Maisey Yates is one of my favorite Harlequin authors, so I was super excited to read her latest book. (Oh and I'm a sucker for cowboys too)

I love the friends to lovers trope and that's what we've got here. However the story is a bit slow going, which is a bit of a shame because the characters are so great. Finn is a typical alpha male cowboy. You can tell Maisey writes Harlequin Presents novels. (That series is where the alpha male originated)

This is a wonderful mixture of the guy who wants the girl, but not commitment and the girl who wants a relationship.

Finn and Lane are wonderful and if the pacing of this story were just a little bit better this would be a perfect read.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Tour Book Review: The Last Di Sione Claims His Prize

Author:  Maisey Yates
Title: The Last Di Sione Claims His Prize
Publisher: Harlequin Presents
Publish Date: Jan 17, 2017
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: MLM in exchange for an honest review
Book Blurb: "I want that painting. It is my last Lost Mistress. My Lost Love."

Alessandro Di Sione is renowned for being cold and unsentimental, but even he can't deny his grandfather's dream of retrieving a painting steeped in royal scandal. Yet the key to its return is the outspoken Princess Gabriella.

While traveling together to Isola D'Oro to locate the mysterious painting, Gabby is drawn to the man tortured by guilt from his past. Her innocence makes her untouchable, as Alex is convinced his Di Sione blood is tainted. But could their passion be his salvation?

Review: Maisey Yates wrote the final chapter in the 8 book "The Billionaire Legacy" series for Harlequin Presents.  I read Caitlin Crews' book and was really impressed by the storyline of "the lost mistresses."

This book wraps everything up beautifully with Alessandro bringing back "The Lost Love" to his grandfather. In the process he meets Princess Gabriella a disposed royal from Isola D'Oro.

What makes this book so beautiful is the lack of alpha-male behavior from Alex. That's the one thing I never liked about Presents romances. Alex wasn't like that. He was a player, yes, but he had humor and heart.

The relationship that developed so quickly between Alex and Gabby is one that's actually quite believable. Its basically the bluestocking and the rake (for fans of historical novels). And this is actually mentioned in a conversation between the two. What makes this love believable is that there was a camaraderie that was there instantly. They teased each other and you can see that there's really more than just sexual attraction between the two, whether or not they want to admit it.

I'm not usually able to deal with the virgin heroine in stories like this, but here it didn't bother me, because Gabby was a royal, so it was easier to deal with.

The real story here though is "The Lost Love".  The painting is of Gabby's grandmother, the Queen and it holds many secrets about Alex's grandfather that really wrap up this series of books beautifully. So beautifully that you may even shed a few tears, because you get not one but two happily ever afters here.

This book can only be described as romantic perfection.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: A Christmas Vow Of Seduction

Author: Maisey Yates
Title: A Christmas Vow of Seduction
Publisher: Harlequin Presents
Publish Date: Oct 20, 2015
Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb: 

A Christmas present for the man who has everything… With one band of gold Prince Andres of Petras can erase his past—albeit pleasurable—sins. But his prospective bride is untamable Princess Zara, so the playboy prince must seduce her into compliance and crown her by Christmas! The wayward princess of Tirimia has spent years hiding her untouched heart, and her convenient husband-to-be seems determined to keep it that way. Yet his caresses promise a sensual awakening that's impossible to resist. But once Zara's given him her hand and her body, it won't be long before he has her heart…

Review:  This story was different from most of the presents novels that I read. Prince Andres didn't feel like the typical alpha male. Sure he was domineering, but he didn't have the arrogance that I'm used to with the heroes from this line of books.

One thing I wish I could say about this book was that I knew where the imaginary country of Petras was. I'm used to desert settings with these books, but that wasn't the case here, but Maisey never really explained the setting much. In fact, I found most of this book to be underdeveloped and a little hurried.

Zara is a princess from a neighboring country who had been raised by gypsies since the royal family was disposed. Prince Andres is told by his brother, the king that he must marry her for diplomatic reasons.

This story is set in modern times, so this doesn't click with me. I don't think arranged marriages are all that common these days. But then the story seemed to want to take a My Fair Lady spin, with Andres trying to tame her, but that doesn't really get off the ground.

There was so much baggage between the two characters, but it doesn't stop them from ending up in bed together and falling in love in a week.

I think that's what spoiled this for me. The true love found in 1 week didn't work for me, even though I really liked the characters, especially Andres, who really is the focal character. The reader is in his head more than Zara. At times you'll feel sorry for him and other times you'll want to hit him in the head, really hard.

This is part of a duet of novels and the next story will focus on Andres' brother and his wife Tabitha. I wish they would have had a bigger part in this book, but they were really in the background

This was a good enough read, but it didn't wow me.

Rating: 3 flowers

Maisey's playlist

I build a playlist for every book. Music is a really important part of my process. Now, I’m a huge country music fan, but country doesn’t exactly mesh with my Presents playlists so I have to do a little digging to find the right music for them.

These songs really embodied the story in A Christmas Vow of Seduction, because a lot of it is about being drawn to someone even though you know you shouldn’t be (The One That Got Away, Devil’s Backbone, Animals). Baptized and Bring Me to Life really capture the need to be made new by love, and Hurt Somebody is the perfect fall of the playboy song to me.

The Devil’s Backbone by The Civil Wars

Bad Blood by Taylor Swift

Unkiss Me by Maroon 5

Animals by Maroon 5

Counting Stars by One Republic

Bring Me to Life by Evanescence

Baptized by Daughtry

Hurt Somebody by Dierks Bentley

Shake it Out by Florence + the Machine

Stranded by Plumb

Fair Game by Sia

The One That Got Away by the Civil Wars

Book Review: Take Me

Author: Maisey Yates
Title: Take Me
Publisher: Harlequin Presents
Publish Date: June 1, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb: 

Where it all began…

As the son of a high-powered attorney, Travis Beringer has never wanted for anything…except the elusive Sydney Davis. But everything changes in an instant with the shocking death of her roommate, Sarah Michaels, and suddenly Sydney is in his arms, desperately seeking oblivion.

Encased within a sensual web of desire, Travis and Sydney delight in every erotic touch they've fought for so long. But what will happen when the dust has settled and the harsh light of day ushers in a reality neither is prepared to face?

Review: I wanted to read this short little prequel the Fifth Avenue trilogy before diving into the rest of the books. I'm glad I did in some ways, however after finishing this little teaser story (its only about 50 pages), I felt Syd and Travis deserved a longer story.

Here's what I loved about the story:

Syd and Travis are bff's. Its always great when the couple are friends first. Its a rich boy poor girl kinda thing too.

The sex is smoking hot. The naughty bits of this story are hotter than the average Presents love scene. In fact, they seemed to cross over into Blaze territory.

It really sets the stage for what's to come.

This is what I wasn't so keen on:

Sarah's death seemed to get pushed under the rug for all the naughty bits.

Your other bff commits suicide and you shag your best male friend? I just can't realistically believe that along with the love declaration after sex. Oye.

It is still a good bedside read leading up to the next three books.

Rating: 3 flowers