HOT COWBOY NIGHTS is Book 2 in Carolyn Brown's Lucky
Penny Ranch series set in Dry Creek, Texas. After
reading HOT COWBOY NIGHTS, I want to go back and see what
I missed by inadvertently skipping the previous book. I
like the unusual premise, in HOT COWBOY NIGHTS, taking
two people who had a strictly physical relationship and
have it morph into something more. Usually I read about
friends who decide to take their relationship to a more
intimate level, rather than having a story start out with
the hero and heroine sexually involved. Within the first
few pages of HOT COWBOY NIGHTS, Lizzy Logan is
contemplating breaking off her red hot fling with equally
hot cowboy Toby Dawson. Little do Lizzy and Toby suspect
that the convoluted circumstances that lead them to have
a faux courtship only heralds some unexpected trouble
with some fun and sexy times thrown in for good measure.
Even though their relationship isn't particularly deep at
the opening of HOT COWBOY NIGHTS, I love how Lizzy and
Toby always manage to keep things friendly and stick
together -- even at the risk of incurring the wrath of
persnickety self-righteous church ladies. Carolyn Brown
breathes life into these characters and makes the reader
invested in their stories. Even secondary characters on
the periphery of this story snared my interest. The tight
family relationships exhibited by Lizzy and Toby's
extended family are phenomenal and add greatly to my
overall enjoyment of this story.
The friendship and fun flirtations between Toby and Lizzy
make their evolving relationship entertaining. Carolyn
Brown manages to create a romance that's steamy, light
and fun, while also a relationship with substance and
heart. Lizzy is flawed and real, as well as likable. I
love the wild things she says when her detractors come
into her store with the express purpose of harassing her.
I like a woman who can stand up for herself. Although
Toby has a reputation with the ladies, I like that he is
affable and pretty straightforward. The magic Toby tries
to spin as he woos Lizzy is a delight after her
controlling and sanctimonious ex-fiancé. The sexiness is
expertly balanced with the moments of levity and
tenderness.
HOT COWBOY NIGHTS is a character-driven delight for
romance fans. I like this story is told from
alternating perspectives, because the reader is able to
see how caught by surprise Lizzy and Toby both are by
love creeping up on them. I love how the majority of
characters in HOT COWBOY NIGHTS are pragmatic and know
how to enjoy life. I look forward to the next Lucky
Penny Ranch book by Carolyn Brown.
LET'S GIVE 'EM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT . . .
If gossip is the lifeblood of a small town, then Lizzy
Logan
has been its beating heart. After being dumped by her
fiancé
for another woman, she could have decided to crawl under
a
rock. But no, she'd rather really set tongues wagging by
"moving on" with one of the hottest cowboys in Texas, who
happens to live next door at the Lucky Penny Ranch. Those
busybodies don't have to know it's actually all pretend.
And
just because Lizzy has no aim to tame her wild, blue-eyed
neighbor doesn't mean she can't enjoy the ride of her
life.
Toby Dawson never was and never will be the settling-down
type. But what harm could there be in agreeing to be
Lizzy's
pretend boyfriend? They'll put on a show for a few weeks
and
be done. Yet the more he gets to know Lizzy-really know
her-the harder it is for him to keep his hands off of her
in
private. Soon this rough-and-ready cowboy is hoping to
heal
Lizzy's bruised heart and turn their fake affair into a
true
romance . . .
Excerpt
Lizzy’s plan was to sneak inside the house, up the stairs
and into her room. She could already feel the cool water
from the shower, washing away the hot sex still lingering
on her body.
Her plan did not work.
She hadn’t even kicked her boots off in front of the hall
tree when her sister Allie shot out of the kitchen,
grabbed her by the hand and tugged her into the table,
where the man she’d been in bed with not thirty minutes
ago gave her a sly wink. Oh my God, how could her mother—
standing right there—not notice the sparks bouncing
around the room. She was sure Allie’s husband, Blake,
also at the table, was picking up on something.
“Where have you been?” Allie accused. Lizzy braced
herself. Allie never paused for breath when she got
worked up. And sure enough she started talking faster
than some auctioneers that Lizzy had heard.
“I’ve called a dozen times and we were ready to start up
a search and rescue party to find you. Mama says you’ve
been puttin’ in too many hours at the store. You’ve got
to get out of this depression, Lizzy. Mitch isn’t worth
it. He’s a sorry son of a bitch, but don’t let him ruin
your life. It’s been over six months since that bastard
left for Mexico. In fact, tomorrow is June first, and I
declare it the day that you are moving forward with your
life.” Allie paused to suck in some air and looked around
at the other three people in the kitchen. “Okay, now that
she’s here, get out the ice cream, Mama, so we can tell
y’all our news.”
Lizzy pulled out a kitchen chair and melted into it.
Droplets of water still hung from Toby’s hair. So he’d
had time for a shower before he’d been dragged across the
fence to Lizzy and her mother’s house. If she hadn’t had
to run by her feed store for a late delivery, she might
have already had time to clean up, too. But Fate had not
liked her in a very long time. She tried not to notice
the way those droplets ran down his neck—exactly where
her mouth had been less than an hour earlier. Or that
sexy white scar on his face where a bull gored him—her
fingers itched to touch it again like she’d done so many
times.
He gave her a wink, and she could scarcely believe the
heat between them hadn’t set the wallpaper on fire. A
downright miracle.
Her mother, Katy, dipped ice cream into five bowls. These
days she was less stressed, now that Granny was in a care
facility in Wichita Falls that specialized in treatment
and care of folks with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Allie, looked like she was about to explode with some
kind of fabulous news. Her husband, Blake O’Donnell, had
one of those smiles on his face that a dose of alum
couldn’t erase. And then there was Blake’s brother, Toby,
leaning against the wall, his rock hard body sending
waves of desire shooting through her body like blasts of
lightning. It wasn’t fair that he could stand there all
calm and collected while butterflies fluttered around in
her stomach. Sweet Jesus! Why did he have to be right
there in the room with her so soon after they’d gotten
all slick with sweat on that twin-sized bed in the back
room of her mama’s convenience store?
Allie and Katy carried the ice cream to the table and as
luck would have it, Toby sat beside Lizzy around the
table made for four people. His thigh pressed against
hers and she had trouble concentrating on the ice cream,
the excitement in her sister’s dark brown eyes, her
brother-in-law’s grin or anything else.
“We had the ultrasound done yesterday, and it’s a
girl...” Allie reached for Blake’s hand.
Katy’s spoon hit the table with a thud.
Toby jumped up and hugged his brother across the table.
Lizzy felt as if someone sucked all the oxygen from her
lungs and left her to smother to death in a grove of
mesquite trees. It was exactly the vision she’d had for
herself before her fiancé had run off with another woman.
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