True-Blue Cowboy
by Sara Richardson
Release Date: July 31, 2018
Publisher: Hachette
Book #4 in the Rocky Mountain Riders series
Number of pages: 283
Kindle Edition
Source: Amazon purchase
Contemporary Romance/Western M/F
Rating: R
Read 3/23/19
Everly Brooks is finally living her dream. Renting a farm in Topaz Falls, Colorado, is the perfect antidote to her high-stress life back in San Francisco. It’s the ideal place to raise chickens, grow veggies, and run her farm-to-table restaurant. There’s just one problem: her new landlord. Mateo Torres is a handsome-as-hell bronc rider who oozes charm, melts hearts-and plans to kick Everly off the farm . . .Mateo has dreams, too. He’d bought that land as an investment, so he could take care of his mom and sisters, which means Everly has to go. Unfortunately for him, this former big-city girl is just as stubborn as the broncs he rides. When his trailer floods and forces him to move into Everly’s farmhouse, things between them really start to heat up. Sure, living under the same roof might not be the best way to settle their dispute over the land. But when two rivals share everything-from heated words to scorching kisses-it’s definitely the hottest.
This author just sucks me in every single time. The chemistry between Everly and Mateo is undeniable, although they spend the majority of the book trying to deny it themselves. It’s fun and, at the same time, tense to watch.
From the outside, it would seem Mateo is a womanizing man-whore who only cares about himself. That’s only because Mateo doesn’t let anyone see the real person inside. He shares just enough of his personal life so his closest friends think they know all there is to know. Yet he keeps so much more under wraps making him seem like a not-so-great guy. He’s fine with that. In fact, that’s they way he likes it. Until he starts spending more and more time with Everly and finds himself telling her things nobody else knows about him with no real thought as to why he keeps opening up to her.
Everly also finds herself letting down her guard with Mateo in a way she hasn’t with anyone ever, especially in the last few years since her life took a complete 180. While Everly has been hurt badly in the past, and she knows Mateo is more than likely going to crush her heart, she is drawn to him like nothing else. What I adore about her is she is so understanding with Mateo’s plight. She doesn’t like what he’s doing and how he goes about telling her things, but since she does have some insight into his real life, she understands his position. Yes, she’s upset. But she realizes pretty quickly that it does her no good to be angry with him.
To watch both Everly and Mateo circle each other is a joy. There is something so innocent about their shaky friendship. Mateo cannot help but to help Everly out at the farm, although it makes no sense for him to do so. He’s drawn to her and wants to help her while also knowing he’s going to destroy her. Everly cannot help but be touched by the little things Mateo does for her even when she wants to keep him firmly in the “bad guy” category.
I look back at last summer and am so glad I decided not to skip this author’s Hometown Cowboy that was included in the edition of Carolyn Brown’s Luckiest Cowboy of All I was reading. (I almost did due to timing issues.) I found an amazing author that I’m loving more and more.
All In Good Time 