True Blue Cowboy (Blood Brothers) – ARC Review

True Blue Cowboy
by Debra Holt
Release Date:  February 3, 2020
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Book #1 in the Blood Brothers series
Number of pages:  250
Kindle
Source:  ARC from publisher
Contemporary Romance/Western M/F
Rating: R
Read 1/29/20 to 1/31/20

 

For rancher Chance Braxton, Josie Monroe was the classic girl next door. He’d fallen early and hard, but because her heart had belonged to his careless and indifferent brother, Chance had been permanently friend-zoned since Josie was a teen. Now Josie’s running her failing ranch all alone, and it’s time for Chance to step up and keep a promise he made to her dying mother –  marry Josie and combine their ranches. 

Josie Monroe doesn’t want help or need to be saved by anyone – especially her wealthy ranching neighbor and forever thorn in her paw, Chance Braxton. The serious, way-too-handsome cowboy has starred in too many of her fantasies, but he still sees her as a heart-broken girl. She’s a woman now, and she’s determined to prove everyone wrong: She can save her ranch and rebuild her father’s legacy…alone. 

When Chance proposes, Josie’s problems are just beginning. So why does her pulse kick up every time he rides by and tips his Stetson?

This is another new-to-me author and, I gotta say, she piqued my interest enough to want more.  I wasn’t so sure when I started this story, and there were a few times throughout the book where I found the writing a bit stilted.  Overriding all that is a beautiful connection between two amazing characters.

Chance is really such a good man.  I can understand Josie’s annoyance with this fact since every single person in town tends to talk about how he is so great.  On top of that, it was obvious to her that her parents always looked at his as the son they never had.  Being as Josie was always into ranching and not the “girlie” things in life, she took a sort of offense to this fact even though her parents never meant it to take away from her in any way.  Because of Josie’s weird resentment of Chance, as well as her infatuation with Chance’s brother growing up, it takes her a minute to really give her trust and future to Chance.

While Chance is dependable, sexy, and kind, he does have one small hang up.  Chance doesn’t trust that Josie won’t go running back to his brother, Dev.  Even though Josie is also kind and beautiful and smart, he can’t believe she wouldn’t want to live out her teenage dream of having Dev on her arm instead of Chance.  This causes a lot of misunderstandings. 

The misunderstandings between Josie and Chance happen a bit too much for my liking.  These two literally don’t talk about their true feelings with each other ever, unless it’s in a joking manner.  Which only confuses things more between them.  Part of me totally gets that this is a very important element to this book, but part of me thinks it was too much. 

All in all I enjoyed this story a lot and will be reading the next in the series.  I curious to see more of this town and it’s residents.

3.5 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**