Review: One Lucky Cowboy

Title: One Lucky Cowboy
Author: Carolyn Brown
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Lucky Trilogy/Book 2
Published: November 2009

ARC Review

From the publisher's website ~

Jane Day is on the run from the paid assassin who had been her fiancé. In Wichita Falls, Texas, she meets Nellie Luckadeau, a spitfire of an old lady who desperately needs someone to work on her ranch. But Nellie's drop-dead gorgeous grandson "Lucky Slade" is sure he can spot a con artist a mile away. He's determined not to let some upstart like Jane fleece his granny.

When his signature intimidation methods don't convince Jane to leave, he pours on the charm to make her spill what she's up to. She's happy to play along, but she's not going to let this hot, hostile cowboy run her off his land when all she needs is a lucky break…

Funny and sweet with a hero and heroine that had me laughing at their banter and their mutual distrust of each other, One Lucky Cowboy proved to be a pleasant read.

Slade Luckadeau is a hard working, honorable man who looks out for his family. His grandmother, Nellie, tries his patience at times but he loves her and would do anything to make her happy, except let Jane Day stay on as Nellie's hired help. Slade does his best to send Jane on her way but Jane is stubborn. She proves to be more difficult to get rid of than ticks on a hound dog!

All through One Lucky Cowboy I kept feeling there was a bit of say, a Reba McEntire influence, with all the comical sayings. I love the show Reba with it's quirky, down-home humor. That's what you get with Slade and Jane. Even though Jane is in danger, her life threatened, I didn't feel like this was a romantic suspense. It wasn't dark enough and far too funny. It was more a romance with elements of danger and suspense. Jane is temporarily safe on the ranch but you know eventually her ex-fiance', the assassin, will catch up with her.

Jane Day has to stay hidden for the next six weeks then she can return home and claim her inheritance and seek justice. Until her birthday, Jane has to earn her keep as cook and driver on the Double L ranch. She figures it's as good as any place to hide out but what she didn't figure on is coming to care for Nellie, her friends and especially the annoying, irritatingly good looking Slade Luckadeau. Jane tries to keep her distance, she doesn't want to get close to anyone. But that's hard to do with Slade keeping an eagle eye on her and Nellie telling tales of Slade.

Slade, oh lordy, but he was in for a rough time, trying to get Jane to leave while trying not to notice how cute she is or her kindness towards his grandma. Slade was absolutely certain that Jane was there to con Nellie out of whatever she could get. He refused to believe that Jane's motives were anything but false. It was fun to watch him get so frustrated that he couldn't get this little slip of a woman to leave. LOL

I have to mention Nellie and the gang. LOL They are what I aspire to be when I grow up! These ladies know how to have fun and they don't let their advanced age or their disabilities stop them. Nellie's sister Ellen joins in the fun and holds nothing back. She isn't afraid to tell it like it is. They are a hoot!

While I liked Jane and I liked Slade, they really worked much better when they were together. Watching them together and reacting to each other, each with their own preconceived idea of the other. Neither one of them wanted to like the other let alone trust, but they found themselves in situations where they had to rely on each other. That's when we see their relationship go beyond what they wanted and become what they needed. I really appreciated their rocky romance; the arguments and the way they were surprised when they found themselves actually being nice to each other and enjoying their company. It made the ending that much better.

The first book of the trilogy, Lucky in Love, was released in September. Book 3, Getting Lucky, features another handsome Luckadeau man and is scheduled for release on January 1, 2010. Carolyn Brown and her books can be found on her website.

Rating: B+