Cowboy Bold

April 15, 2018

After taking a bittersweet three years off to care for her father and then selling the family farm and settling the estate, Retta Palmer is almost ready to go back to her high-powered, Dallas-based banking career. She just needs a job for a few weeks during the summer to tide her over--and being a counselor at Cade Maguire's ranch camp for inner-city kids is perfect. Still, the fierce attraction that sparks between them is not quite so perfect, especially since Retta is not planning to stay. Naturally, fate has plans of its own. A heroine who should listen to her heart and a hero who needs to let go of the past finally get things right in a story enlivened by a superb cast of vividly rendered, sometimes interfering characters and filled with plenty of Western flavor. VERDICT Lighthearted banter, heart-tugging emotion, and a good-natured Sooner/Longhorn football rivalry make this a delightful romance and terrific launch for the new series. Brown (The Sometimes Sisters) lives in Davis, OK. [More on the prolific Brown on p. 55.]

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 16, 2018
Brown’s wispy series launch unites a Dallas banker and a cowboy through shared work on a Texas ranch. Former Dallas businesswoman Retta Palmer takes a summer job as a camp counselor at Longhorn Canyon Ranch, which is run by sexy Cade Maguire. Every summer, the Longhorn hosts eight disadvantaged children from the city to introduce them to life on a working ranch. Though sparks fly between Cade and Retta from their first meeting, he is still reeling from his former fiancé’s abandonment of him, and Retta is determined to move back to Dallas after the summer ends. Despite their attempts to ignore their mutual attraction, their relationship builds with stolen kisses amid the chaos of mentoring eight preteens. The beauty and simplicity of ranch life echo throughout the novel. The children are charming and likable, but the protagonists are not fully developed, and their relationship lacks the depth necessary to be both believable and lasting. Even Brown’s many fans will find few reasons to continue with this series. Agent: Erin Niumata, Folio Literary.

April 15, 2018
After settling her father's estate, Retta Palmer is looking for a temporary job before returning to the city. Working as a summer counselor for underprivileged kids on Cade Maguire's ranch seems perfect. She loves the ranch, has a lot to offer the kids, and couldn't ask for a nicer boss than Cade. But he proves to be the one downside, since the more time Retta spends with her smoking-hot-yet-kind-to-the-core boss, the more difficult it will be to leave. No one does homespun plotting and heartfelt emotions quite like Brown, and readers will find the first in her new Longhorn Canyon series to be an engaging mix of relatable characters, sexy-yet-sweet romance, and loving tribute to the simple joys of country life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)