Homeward Bound, Cowboy
by Debra Holt
Release Date: March 3, 2020
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Book #2 in the Blood Brothers series
Number of pages: 172
Kindle
Source: ARC from publisher
Contemporary Romance/Western M/F
Rating: R
Read 2/24/20 to 2/25/20
Nurse Dee McNamara knew heartbreak and tragedy. She’s a survivor but has built high walls to protect her heart. She takes care of everyone but herself, yet never imagined finding another man she’d be able to trust until one day she offered a ride to a tall, darkly handsome cowboy whose eyes hold the same pain and mistrust.
Rio Montez is a man with secrets, and he arrives at Braxton Ranch on a mission to find answers about his father. He thinks the truth will finally give him the peace to finally move on. He never counted on finding the woman who offered answers to his questions.
Rio’s always had a plan until now. Does he leave Braxton Ranch or stay and build a life he never dreamed possible with a woman he’s afraid he’s falling hard for.
Although we met Chance’s brother in the first book, True Blue Cowboy, it was obvious by the trajectory of their relationship in that story and the name of this series that there would be at least one unknown brother popping up at some point. And here he is, Rio Montez. Refreshingly, he’s not out for revenge. He just wants to see the life he missed out on, find some peace within himself about how he was left behind. Ultimately, Rio wants closure.
Dee is a sweetheart with a sad story. In my mind, there was something about the way her story unfolded in this book that left me hollow. I wanted more. A lot of time getting bits and pieces along the way works very well in a story. Here, I felt it didn’t do justice to the story. It felt incomplete.
I still felt the beautiful connection Rio and Dee have and wanted more. I loved every time they shared the page and had that push/pull going on between them. I didn’t, on the other hand, always agree with or like how Dee reacted in certain situations. That is one lady who could make an Olympic event out of taking things the wrong way!
While the first 75% of this book kept me fully engaged and loving the characters and story, once the crisis actually occurs, I found myself a bit less invested. I don’t think I’m giving anything away here to say that I knew Dee’s reaction to certain news would be the ultimate issue between her and Rio. But, due to the way Rio went about sharing his story, I felt Dee was way off base. I got annoyed enough with her that I felt that last bit of the book was a bit too long.
Sure, there were things I wasn’t crazy about in this book. But I hope I am conveying that I did like this story a lot. I’m looking forward to the next story, especially once I read the description I have a feeling the last story is going to be quite a ride.
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**
All In Good Time 