Reading books that contain stories contributed by several
authors is
fun and great beach reads since invariably each story is
about the
size of a novella. But even more important is that these books
provide a wonderful introduction to authors that may have
escaped
your notice. It's hard to imagine there are many with all
my years of
reading for pure enjoyment and for reviewing. But every once
in a
while I kind of trip over a new name -- well new for me --
and that's
how I met Maisey Yates. And boy am I happy I did.
Maisey Yates fits perfectly on my list of favorite authors
now and
books like WILD RIDE COWBOY are why. WILD RIDE COWBOY is
book three in the Copper Ridge: The Donnelly's series --
Alex's book.
And of course we revisit Alex's brothers Finn and Cain from
the first
two books. Each of the Donnelly's series deals with the
return home
to the Laughing Irish ranch.
The first thing you will notice about Clara Campbell is she
seems ill
suited to live on much less run a ranch. Her distaste for so
many food
group items truly make you wonder what she actually eats
besides
Spaghetti O's and Coke. Her reaction to anything green
borders on
hysterical. It's all part of why Clara just doesn't seem
to fit in
anywhere -- her actual emotional growth is severely stunted.
And we
know why that is. Now her world is once again going to be
shaken to
her very core thanks to the directive left in her brother
Jason's will.
Enter Alex Donnelly. Polar opposite to what Clara would
picture as
her ideal -- anything. As Clara would learn Alex has a
rather annoying
habit of reminding her of how many woman he had sex with. It
seemed to be his way of ensuring that Clara understood that
their
growing relationship was nothing special -- nothing unique
-- certainly
nothing lasting.
Clara's life was filled with ending moments -- the deaths
of her
mother, her father and brother put indelible periods in her
life story.
At twenty one Clara only knew about those periods and
ultimately
being left alone.
Alex made Clara feel not alone and this was nothing short of
monumental for her. Anything more permanent could only produce
still another period. And when Alex finally left -- his time
taking care of
those loose ends for Clara -- well it would hurt but
hopefully she
would have learned how to step ahead of the hurt, remember some
good times and build a new life on those, albeit without Alex.
The more we learn about Clara the more we recognize what a
strong
woman she really is. In fact that's the central theme of
WILD RIDE
COWBOY. Life is more than just a wild ride, more than just
getting
pleasure where you can. It's about falling into pits,
dusting yourself
off and finding your footing. It takes a scary amount of
strength and
courage and that's life. WILD RIDE COWBOY is about having
courage to find what makes you happy and having the heart and
intelligence to go after it.
Alex can be one scary dude. Hides all feelings behind a
smile he
wears like a mask. Alex let's no one in to see how life had
shaped
him. Big scary military man to everyone except Clara. Says
it all.
Maisey Yates created Alex and Clara with equal measures of
humanity and independence. These characters will live on way
after
you finish WILD RIDE COWBOY. WILD RIDE COWBOY reminds us
to never judge a book by its cover. Or a character by your
first
impression. Simply because you would be so wrong and
shortchange
yourself in the end. Alex and Clara just may be the best
characters
Maisey Yates has conjured up from her amazing imagination.
Even if
you've missed the first two in this wondrous series make
sure you
don't pass by WILD RIDE COWBOY. It's that good and relevant.
He's come back to Copper Ridge, Oregon, to keep a
promise—even if it means losing his heart…
Putting down roots in Copper Ridge was never Alex Donnelly's
intention. But if there's one thing the ex-military man
knows, it's that life rarely unfolds as expected. If it did,
his best friend and brother-in-arms would still be alive.
And Alex wouldn't have inherited a ranch or responsibility
for his late comrade's sister—a woman who, despite her
inexperience, can bring tough-as-iron Alex to his knees.
Clara Campbell didn't ask for a hero to ride in and fix her
ranch and her life. All she wants is the one thing stubborn,
honorable Alex is reluctant to give: a chance to explore
their intense chemistry. But Clara has a few lessons to
teach him, too…about trusting his heart and his instincts,
and letting love take him on the wildest adventure of all.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy