cover image Cowboy Bold: A Longhorn Canyon Novel

Cowboy Bold: A Longhorn Canyon Novel

Carolyn Brown. Forever, $7.99 mass market (336p) ISBN 978-1-5387-4486-4

Brown’s wispy series launch unites a Dallas banker and a cowboy through shared work on a Texas ranch. Former Dallas businesswoman Retta Palmer takes a summer job as a camp counselor at Longhorn Canyon Ranch, which is run by sexy Cade Maguire. Every summer, the Longhorn hosts eight disadvantaged children from the city to introduce them to life on a working ranch. Though sparks fly between Cade and Retta from their first meeting, he is still reeling from his former fiancé’s abandonment of him, and Retta is determined to move back to Dallas after the summer ends. Despite their attempts to ignore their mutual attraction, their relationship builds with stolen kisses amid the chaos of mentoring eight preteens. The beauty and simplicity of ranch life echo throughout the novel. The children are charming and likable, but the protagonists are not fully developed, and their relationship lacks the depth necessary to be both believable and lasting. Even Brown’s many fans will find few reasons to continue with this series. Agent: Erin Niumata, Folio Literary. (May)