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Monday, March 12, 2018

Cowboy Up by Harper Sloan

Author: Harper Sloan
Publisher: Pocket Books ( Simon and Schuster)
Date of publication: December 2017

As the eldest Davis, Clayton has always tried to lead by example. He takes his job as head of the family businesses seriously, making sure the farm and auto shop are running smoothly—along with keeping an eye on his brother and sister. For him, there's a time and place to let go of the control he holds with an iron grip. And with the way he grew up, coupled with disastrous end to his last relationship, he's just fine with his quiet, solitary life.

Most of the time.

What he hadn't counted on was cute, quirky, shy bookstore owner, Caroline Michaels. She's the proverbial woman next door—well, the next town over, that is. Caroline hasn't lived an easy life, but after escaping an abusive ex, she's finally living it for herself. The last thing she ever expected was a one-night stand with Clay Davis, a night she can't stop thinking about.

So when she falls on hard times and Clay comes out of nowhere to her rescue, she realizes just how impossible it'll be to stay away from him. Now all she has to do is convince him to live a little...


Cowboy Up is the third and, I believe, final book in the Davis family series.  This is the oldest brother, Clayton's, story.  After a one night stand, Caroline and Clayton end up running into each other months later.  They realize that there is a spark there and decide to pursue it.  The problem is that both of them are relationship shy.

This series was a mixed bag for me.  I didn't love this one as much as the second book, but liked it slightly more than the first book.  There is very little angst between Clayton and Caroline.  It was a sweet romance between the two, but it was almost a little too sweet and in a few places borderline cheesy.  It was also kind of dull at times.  The mystery of who was trying to sabatoge Caroline's business with arson was pretty easy to figure out.   There was also a surprising lack of worry from either Clayton or Caroline about who was doing these things.  They were pretty laid back about it all.  Because of that, the confrontation in the end didn't have the sense of danger it could have had.  If the mystery had been built up a bit more, the book might have been a bit more exciting.  

Overall, this was a cute wrap-up to the Davis siblings saga.  The epilogue was sweet and a nice glimpse into the future for the crew.  I do recommend it over all.  I would still like to see Luke and Lucy get their stories though.  Maybe in a spin-off series?

1 comment:

Alyssa Nelson said...

Yeah, the problem with a sweet romance with little conflict is that there isn't really much to intrigue you when reading. I want to see all the drama when I read. :p Glad you enjoyed it somewhat, though. Great review!