First Kiss with a Cowboy (Silverado Lake) – ARC Review

First Kiss with a Cowboy
by Sara Richardson
Release Date:  May 19, 2020
Publisher:  Forever
Book #1 in the Silverado Lake series
Number of pages:  368
Kindle Edition
Source: Net Galley ARC
Contemporary Romance M/F
Rating: NC-17
Read 5/12/20

 

Shy and sensible romance writer Jane Harding’s carefully ordered life is crumbling around her. With her latest novel due and her teaching contract at an end, returning home to help plan her best friend’s wedding is a welcome distraction. Yet when Jane discovers that the too-hot-to-handle boy who once tempted her is now the best man — and the rodeo circuit’s sexiest bull rider — her distraction is in danger of becoming a disaster . . .

Toby Garrett is no stranger to risk. But this latest injury could end his rodeo career for good. Thankfully, his recovery at home isn’t as awful as he’d imagined, especially when he comes face-to-face with Jane. The kiss they once shared still fuels his fantasies, but when she walked away, he let her go. Now Toby is determined to fix his mistakes. Can this sweet-talking cowboy prove that the passion still burning between them is worth braving the odds?

Another book by Sara Richardson that I couldn’t put down.  The chemistry and depth of feeling kept my stomach in knots and tears in my eyes.  Don’t worry, that’s a good thing.

So many good stories all come down to misunderstandings.  Didn’t we learn that from Three’s Company? A pivotal moment in the lives of Jane and Toby happened while they were still in high school.  Both viewed the special moment they shared with different eyes and hurried to protect themselves instead of talking to each other.  That’s why, years later, Toby thinks Jane dislikes him and Jane thinks Toby is careless and thoughtless. They are both dead wrong.

Toby is a sort of celebrity with his bull riding career, so he’s surely had his share of women and partying.  But he’s not one to lead those women on and he’s never thought of settling down.  Then he gets injured and goes back home to recuperate.  He still isn’t one to thing of the white picket fence and 2.5 kids, but Jane stirs up feelings in him he’s not used to having.

Jane left town as fast as she could after graduation.  Always an introvert and quite shy, she never felt she fit in with her peers, or even her town.  Jane always felt as though she was a bit “other”. It didn’t help that the mean girls in school latched onto Jane’s insecurities and shyness and taunted her.  When Jane’s father dies, she withdraws even more.  She’s not a recluse, but she keeps her friends to a limited few who have earned her trust. Those that seem to understand her, or at least not pressure her into being something she’s not.

That Jane and Toby competed academically throughout school and always had to argue and contradict each other growing up should have been the first clue that they actually were masking what the other made them feel.  Once those feeling are allowed to bloom when Jane comes back to town at the same time as Toby, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.

While the love between these two seems to move fast, it was a long time coming.  Their insecurities keep things between them a bit precarious, but love conquers all…isn’t that the saying?

I’m excited to see where this series will lead and whose story we’ll get to read next.

5 stars

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