ARC Review: Part Time Cowboy

Part Time Cowboy
Maisey Yates
Contemporary Romance/Western
Copper Ridge Series/Book 1
Harlequin/April 1, 2015

Sadie Miller isn't expecting any welcome-home parades on her return to Copper Ridge. Least of all from part-time rancher, full-time lawman Eli Garrett. The straight-laced, impossibly hot deputy sheriff glares at her like she's the same teenage hoodlum who fled town ten years ago. But running from her demons has brought Sadie full circle, ready to make a commitment at last. Not to a man, but to a B and B. On Garrett land. Okay, so her plan has a tiny flaw…

Eli works too hard to let a blonde ball of trouble mess up his town. But keeping an eye on Sadie makes it tough to keep his hands off her. And if she's so wrong for him, why does being with her feel so right?

When I think of Oregon, ranching doesn't come to mind. So it was a pleasant surprise to find a story about ranching set in Oregon. I was curious to see if the setting would give the story a different feel from one set in the more traditional Montana or Wyoming. The main difference is Copper Ridge, the fictional town, is on the coast so we get some mention of the beautiful Oregon coastline. Other than that, this story could have been taken place in any number of ranching areas.

Coming home can be a profound experience. Good or bad, coming home has an impact on the person we were when we left. For Sadie Miller, coming home is filled with frayed nerves and uncertainty. Sadie's departure from Copper Ridge was not a joyous occasion, rather it was more a run-for-your-life situation. She has since been running from one place to another, never really finding the right fit. Sadie thinks it's time to settle somewhere so she heads back to Copper Ridge. It seemed a little odd that she would sign a five year contract for the B&B when she has spent the past ten years wandering across the country. I found it a little hard to believe Sadie would have such a turnabout. She is the opposite of her high school crush Eli Garrett.

Ah, cowboys...how can you not like them? They make is easy to overlook the smell of hay and horses and simply concentrate on the way their Wranglers fit them so well. Even though the hero, Eli Garrett is a deputy sheriff, he still helps his brother Conner at the family ranch. Eli and Sadie had a run in years ago when Eli was a new deputy. That encounter set off a series of events in Sadie's young life that Eli has no idea about. When he does find out his reaction says a lot about his character. He is not only horrified but sorry about the part he inadvertently played. Eli's main problem is he takes on too much responsibility for others which leads to guilt when things don't work out. Yes, there were times when I just wanted to smack him and tell him he is not everyone's parent.

Sadie and Eli get off to a rocky start when Sadie rolls back into town. It's only made worse by their past and their current proximity with Sadie living on the ranch. It's inevitable they will run into each other and those run-ins lead to all sorts of trouble. The sexual tension is done just right with Eli's old man, uptight attitude against Sadie's fun loving, easy going ways. Loved the friction these two generated!

Even though this is technically not the first story in the series, there is a novella that comes prior, Part Time Cowboy, it is a solid start and makes me look forward to the next two books. Next up is Connor's story. He is Eli's older, drunken brother. Followed by the sister, Kate's story. Both sound like they will be good reads based on the blurbs and what I know of the characters.

Rating: B

Copper Ridge Series ~

Shoulda Been a Cowboy (novella)
Part Time Cowboy
Brokendown Cowboy (May 26, 2015)
Bad News Cowboy (July 28, 2015)