Cowboy in my Pocket
by Kate Douglas
Synopsis:
If you like your cowboys sexy, your heroines forgetful and your marriages convenient, this gentle parody of cowboy romances will leave you with a smile on your face and a sigh on your lips. Discover romantic comedy at its best in this captivating tale of a woman who finds her one true love and the cowboy hero afraid to give his heart.
Romance author Michelle Garrison is on a mission to learn more about the American West. Her books are no longer selling and her editor has given her an ultimatum--learn what cowboys are really like, then write the next bestseller.
Tag Martin is desperate for a bride. If he doesn't marry before his 40th birthday, his grandmother will sign away the deed to the ranch he's worked and managed for his entire adult life.
Coop Jones has been Tag's sidekick since Tag was barely kicking. Almost 80, he's been pining for the love of Tag's grandmother since she was only 17. An avid romance fan, he's concocted a fantastic plan to stage an MOi-a marriage of convenience for the uninitiated--in order to save the ranch for Tag.
Lenore Martin at 78 is a widow with a mission. Get that grandson married and his hard-headed cowboy sidekick to realize she's not too old to romance. There's sizzle left in the old gal yet.
Add a little amnesia, a few white lies, a flop-eared dog, the requisite white stallion and a love too hot to handle, and you've got a rowdy romp on the wild side with COWBOY IN MY POCKET.
Romance author Michelle Garrison is on a mission to learn more about the American West. Her books are no longer selling and her editor has given her an ultimatum--learn what cowboys are really like, then write the next bestseller.
Tag Martin is desperate for a bride. If he doesn't marry before his 40th birthday, his grandmother will sign away the deed to the ranch he's worked and managed for his entire adult life.
Coop Jones has been Tag's sidekick since Tag was barely kicking. Almost 80, he's been pining for the love of Tag's grandmother since she was only 17. An avid romance fan, he's concocted a fantastic plan to stage an MOi-a marriage of convenience for the uninitiated--in order to save the ranch for Tag.
Lenore Martin at 78 is a widow with a mission. Get that grandson married and his hard-headed cowboy sidekick to realize she's not too old to romance. There's sizzle left in the old gal yet.
Add a little amnesia, a few white lies, a flop-eared dog, the requisite white stallion and a love too hot to handle, and you've got a rowdy romp on the wild side with COWBOY IN MY POCKET.
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Review:
"This story is dedicated, with much affection, to all romance authors, especially those whose editors have admonished them to 'write the book of your heart.' (With the caveat 'so long as it has a cowboy hero, an amnesiac bride, and a marriage of convenience. Oh, and a secret baby wouldn't hurt')." ~Cowboy in My Pocket 'Dedication'
Normally, I don't bother reading the dedication in books. Let's face it, I really don't care if an author wrote a book for their family, friends, or cats. I really care about the book itself. For some reason, I actually read this dedication before I read any of the book. I'm also guilty of not actually reading an entire synopsis before I decide to read a book, (If it catches me fast, I'm in, otherwise... eh!). Quite honestly, I was in the mood for a cowboy romance, so I picked a book on Netgalley.com that had cowboy in the name. I'm easy to please like that.
This dedication is a interesting bit of foreshadowing about the book that I didn't catch in the piece of the synopsis that I read. Reading the dedication, I giggled thinking, "How ridiculous would it be if an author actually put all this crap into one book?" I didn't actually expect the author to DO IT! Hah! And do it she did, with the small exception of no secret baby, **Gasp!** Although, I think that if there was the extra addition of a secret baby, the book would have gone from riding the line at "too much" to going way over the line and become more parody than romance.
I felt that the book was interesting. Oddly enough, I don't recall reading very many books that touch on amnesia, I can only think of one off the top of my head, so this really was a new experience to me. Unfortunately, I don't know much about amnesia, so I'm not really sure about the quality of this aspect. I did find it interesting and wildly amusing that she felt that she was a barrel racer just because of a magazine article that she read shortly before her accident.
The cowboy aspect seemed decently well done. I felt that there were some aspects of the story where the author may have been shoving her competence with ranching in my face, but hey! I never worked on a ranch, so maybe that's a bit normal. Although I did work on tobacco farms and I know my way around a horse, there just seemed to be parts where specifics were used when they really just seemed extraneous. Plus, I have to comment upon having sex on a horse. Now, I'm not saying in any way that it's not possible. I've never tried, but I've heard of having sex in much weirder places. Who'd want to though? No offense, but that just sounds a bit romanticized. Much like sex on a beach. Yes, it sounds hot and romantic, but who wants sand in their bits? Well, to me, the same goes with horsehair and the possibility of being stomped to death. =P I did roll with it though, and I loved the fact that the author added this part in with whimsy, making the couple laugh and have fun throughout the experience.
Now, marriage of convenience is something I've have a decent amount of experience with. These romances have always been my favourite, so when I realized this was also included in this romance, I was pretty excited. Much like the cowboy aspect, it was decently done. I feel that the "dying grandma" might have been a bit over the top, but hey, this book was written in a way for it to be funny as well as romantic, so again, I rolled with it.
Thank goodness there was no secret baby though! Although there really is a little bit of everything that is "hot" in romance these days included within these pages, none of it is really written in such a way that it's overly memorable, except in the aspect that it's ALL there. Singling out each different plot point, I won't remember this book as a great MoC, I won't remember it as a fun Cowboy Romance, I won't remember this as an amusing tale of amnesia. I'll remember it as the book that had it all. In this case, I think that there was much more quantity than quality, yet, I still enjoyed the read and had a fun time reading it.
I'd recommend this to those who don't take their romances very seriously, that don't mind a bit of whimsy in their day!
Normally, I don't bother reading the dedication in books. Let's face it, I really don't care if an author wrote a book for their family, friends, or cats. I really care about the book itself. For some reason, I actually read this dedication before I read any of the book. I'm also guilty of not actually reading an entire synopsis before I decide to read a book, (If it catches me fast, I'm in, otherwise... eh!). Quite honestly, I was in the mood for a cowboy romance, so I picked a book on Netgalley.com that had cowboy in the name. I'm easy to please like that.
This dedication is a interesting bit of foreshadowing about the book that I didn't catch in the piece of the synopsis that I read. Reading the dedication, I giggled thinking, "How ridiculous would it be if an author actually put all this crap into one book?" I didn't actually expect the author to DO IT! Hah! And do it she did, with the small exception of no secret baby, **Gasp!** Although, I think that if there was the extra addition of a secret baby, the book would have gone from riding the line at "too much" to going way over the line and become more parody than romance.
I felt that the book was interesting. Oddly enough, I don't recall reading very many books that touch on amnesia, I can only think of one off the top of my head, so this really was a new experience to me. Unfortunately, I don't know much about amnesia, so I'm not really sure about the quality of this aspect. I did find it interesting and wildly amusing that she felt that she was a barrel racer just because of a magazine article that she read shortly before her accident.
The cowboy aspect seemed decently well done. I felt that there were some aspects of the story where the author may have been shoving her competence with ranching in my face, but hey! I never worked on a ranch, so maybe that's a bit normal. Although I did work on tobacco farms and I know my way around a horse, there just seemed to be parts where specifics were used when they really just seemed extraneous. Plus, I have to comment upon having sex on a horse. Now, I'm not saying in any way that it's not possible. I've never tried, but I've heard of having sex in much weirder places. Who'd want to though? No offense, but that just sounds a bit romanticized. Much like sex on a beach. Yes, it sounds hot and romantic, but who wants sand in their bits? Well, to me, the same goes with horsehair and the possibility of being stomped to death. =P I did roll with it though, and I loved the fact that the author added this part in with whimsy, making the couple laugh and have fun throughout the experience.
Now, marriage of convenience is something I've have a decent amount of experience with. These romances have always been my favourite, so when I realized this was also included in this romance, I was pretty excited. Much like the cowboy aspect, it was decently done. I feel that the "dying grandma" might have been a bit over the top, but hey, this book was written in a way for it to be funny as well as romantic, so again, I rolled with it.
Thank goodness there was no secret baby though! Although there really is a little bit of everything that is "hot" in romance these days included within these pages, none of it is really written in such a way that it's overly memorable, except in the aspect that it's ALL there. Singling out each different plot point, I won't remember this book as a great MoC, I won't remember it as a fun Cowboy Romance, I won't remember this as an amusing tale of amnesia. I'll remember it as the book that had it all. In this case, I think that there was much more quantity than quality, yet, I still enjoyed the read and had a fun time reading it.
I'd recommend this to those who don't take their romances very seriously, that don't mind a bit of whimsy in their day!
About the Author
I've been married for over forty years to a terrific man who puts up with the idiosyncrasies of life with a writer. We raised two really great kids who are now wonderful adults who've produced six grandchildren for us. ALL perfect, of course!
I've concluded my long-running Kensington Aphrodisia erotic paranormal romance series, Wolf Tales (which includes the Sexy Beast anthologies I-VIII) and the erotic Dream Catchers series, as well as The DemonSlayers series from Kensington Zebra. My latest series which began under the Aphrodisia imprint is called Spirit Wild. This one picks up on the lives of the second generation of Chanku shapeshifters, beginning with Lily Cheval's story in DARK WOLF. Kensington decided not to continue with the stories, so I am publishing them independently with Beyond The Page Publishing, an assisted self-publishing company. My first book, Dark Spirit, released in early January 2014. The final Kensington title, Dark Moon, released January 28, and my latest indie offering, Dark Refuge, released May 12, 2014.
I've also just signed with St. Martin's Press to write a sexy contemporary romance series with just a bit of suspense. These books will release sometime in 2015. I'll announce dates as soon as I have them.
I love to hear from readers and answer all my mail personally. The link with my email address is on the front of my website at katedouglas.com, along with first chapter excerpts of all my books. Please sign up for my newsletter with chances to win books and other goodies by sending an email to KateDouglas-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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