Bookish Thoughts: Blame It On the Cowboy by Delores Fossen

Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a book they are reading or thinking about reading soon. It is also where I share my first impressions about the book I am sharing.

Logan McCord hated two things: clowns and liars. Tonight, he saw both right in front of him on the antique desk in Langford's Interior Designs, and he knew his life had changed forever. He would never look at a red squeaky nose the same way again.

Every Tuesday, Jenn from Books And A Beat hosts Teaser Tuesdays at which time participants grab their current read, open to a random page, and share two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page while avoiding any spoilers.

Teaser from 4% (much longer than usual because I couldn't resist):

"What about an address?" Logan kept trying.

"I'm not really supposed to give that out--"

"She left something very expensive in the room, and I know she'll want it back."
The guy hemmed and hawed a little, but he finally rattled off, "221B Baker Street, London, England."

That was Sherlock Holmes's address.

Logan groaned and cursed. He didn't bother asking for a phone number because the one she left was probably for Hogwarts. 

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

My Review:

Blame It On the Cowboy (The McCord Brothers #3) by Delores Fossen
HQN, 2016

Romance; 384 pgs

One night stand scenarios that turn into love are not my favorite romance trope, but Delores Fossen won me over pretty quickly. Both rancher Logan McCord and chef Reese Stephens are both in crisis: Logan from finding his girlfriend having sex with another man just as he was hoping to propose to her, and Reese is fulfilling an item on her bucket list (to have sex with a "hot cowboy"), having just been diagnosed with a brain tumor, her death being imminent. The two meet in a bar and fall into bed shortly thereafter. No names are exchanged, not even identifying details. The morning after, Logan sees Reese slip something into his pocket. It turns out to be an antique pocket watch.

Months pass before their paths cross again. Reese's diagnosis had been a mistake, and she is as healthy as can be. She's slowly getting her life back together. The watch means everything to her, having once been her grandfather's. She sets out to find the "Hot Cowboy" based on very few clues. Logan is suspicious when he sees Reese again, sure she is up to no good. The two do not exactly get off to a good second start. He's from money. She's got a shady background and comes from the wrong side of the tracks. Neither of them are looking for love, but the attraction between them is undeniable. 

While Blame It On a Cowboy may appear to be a straight forward cowboy romance, Delores Fossen takes it to another level, adding intrigue and suspense that had me turning pages late into the night. I just had to know what was going to happen next. Reese's past catches up with her, and it's lucky she is in the small town of Spring Hill, Texas.

Reese and Logan are great characters. They both carry regret and guilt from their pasts, however misplaced. Reese doesn't imagine a guy like Logan could want anything to do with her, much less love her. She leads a transient lifestyle, moving from town to town, never settling down for long. I liked her resourcefulness. Reese is a strong woman, having had to overcome a lot, relying mostly on herself. She does have one friend who knows all about her sordid past, the sassy and beautiful Jimena. Although I imagine they look nothing alike, Jimena reminded me of Lula from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.

Logan definitely comes across as that hot cowboy, as Reese and Jimena call him. It was impossible not to feel terrible for him when he walks in on his girlfriend and the clown just at the moment he is about to propose. He's angry, upset and feeling betrayed. Running his family business has always been Logan's top priority next to his family, and he loses himself even more in his work after that incident. He doesn't trust anyone easily, but when he cares about someone, he will go to great lengths to protect them.

This novel has quite a few unexpected twists and turns. I admit to thinking there might have been too many as they just kept coming--but in the end, it worked, everyone getting what they deserved. Delores Fossen's novel has a little bit of everything: romance, suspense, comedy, a bit of action, and plenty of drama. Blame It On the Cowboy is the 3rd in the McCord series, and I will definitely be looking for the earlier books I've missed.

To learn more about Delores Fossen and her work, please visit the author's website. She can also be found on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter.

I hope you will check out what others had to say about Blame It On the Cowboy on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

---

© 2016, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.