Joe and Mariah could not be more different. Mariah is the
typical city girl who cannot forgive her father for
abandoning her mother and her for horses. Joe cannot
understand why anyone would *not* like the Western life with
its horses, sweat, and work. When Mariah's father, and Joe's
good friend, passes away, Mariah must decide whether to keep
the farm and bring her fathers' dream to fruition or return
to what she knows -- the city.
The reader will most likely have a hard time connecting to
the characters right away. Joe criticizes Mariah for not
appreciating a father who abandoned her far too often and
Mariah can come off as whiny. However, the reader will
become acclimated to the characters and slowly come to like
both of them. Although it might be hard to see how they come
to develop a deeper relationship, at least the author did
not indulge in the "insta love" that so many other romance
books assume.
The plot itself was interesting. The reader will be able to
see the appeal of farms and a different sort of life. Lori
Wilde does a wonderful job describing the scenes and the
characters so that the reader can literally picture them.
Overall, many romance readers would probably enjoy THE
COWBOY TAKES A BRIDE.
Ex-champion bull rider-turned-cutting-horse cowboy Joe
Daniels isn't quite sure how he ended up sleeping in a
horse trough wearing nothing but his Stetson and cowboy
boots. But now he's wide-awake, and a citified woman is
glaring down at him. His goal? Get rid of her ASAP. The
obstacle? Fighting the attraction he feels toward the blond-
haired filly with the big, vulnerable eyes.
When out-of-work wedding planner Mariah Callahan learns
that her estranged father has left her a rundown ranch in
Jubilee, she has no choice but to accept it. Her goal?
Redeem her career by planning local weddings. The obstacle?
One emotionally wounded, hard-living cowboy who stirs her
guilt, her heartstrings, and her long-burned cowgirl
roots . . .