Love of a Cowboy
by Jennifer Ryan
Release Date: March 30, 2021
Publisher: Avon
Book #2 in the McGrath series
Number of Pages: 396
Kindle Edition
Source: Amazon Purchase
Contemporary Romance/Western
Ages 17 and up
CW: rape, abuse, sex slavery, violence
Skye Kennedy has always loved the close-knit community of Sunrise Fellowship—but when she witnesses the commune’s new leader commit a terrible crime, she flees…and finds herself in Montana, on the McGrath ranch, and drawn to the stoic yet kind man determined to help her.
Declan McGrath has always handled things himself and focused more on work than his love life. With his newlywed brothers distracted by their beautiful wives, Declan has even more work on his hands. But when Skye arrives at the ranch starving and desperate for work, his loner days are over.
Skye wants to keep her distance and protect Declan from the deadly threats facing her, but soon their relationship morphs into something much more than either of them expected. When she fights back against those out to destroy Sunrise Fellowship, Skye and Declan will have to do everything to protect not just Skye’s community, but also their new love…
There is a lot to like about this book. Skye and Declan are both extremely strong and kind characters. They both follow their moral compass and do not give into what those around them want, but do what they believe is right. This doesn’t make life easy for either of them. It does make them a very powerful couple, a force to be reckoned with.
That being said, the flow of this story was really off for me, especially the last 25% of this book. I truly felt as though the author was trying to stretch the story to fit in a particular word count. I actually enjoy the concept and what she was doing with that last part. The feelings and emotions seemed very true and real; it was just too much. The passage of time didn’t seem consistent to where they should be, the chemistry between Skye and Declan seemed to lose its grip on me, and Skye went from someone who is level-headed to someone so stubborn that she didn’t seem to be thinking clearly. I appreciate what Skye was trying to accomplish, but she shuts out those that could and would help her instead of opening up and asking for help.
Would I still recommend this book? Yes, I actually would. Like I said, there is a lot to like. But I felt that last bit, while realistic and poignant, really took the thrill of the story down a notch or two.
3.5 stars
All In Good Time 