Brokedown Cowboy by Maisey Yates (Copper Ridge #2)
Contemporary Romance
Released: May 26, 2015
Harlequin

Reviewed by Mandi

I loved the first book in this series (Part Time Cowboy), which features Connor and I couldn’t wait to get his story. My expectations were definitely met. Connor, along with his brother Eli (hero in book one) and younger sister Kate (heroine in the next book) own a big ranch, although Connor is the one who lives on the ranch and does most of the work. Three years ago, his wife of eight years died suddenly in a car accident. Connor’s grief is almost unbearable. He still performs his ranch duties, but that is about it. He works all day, and drinks all night. Repeat. His brother and sister come by and make him play poker sometimes but otherwise he has withdrawn himself from the community. To make matters even worse, his barn burned down at the end of the last book, so he now needs to rebuild that. He basically feels like the universe is against him. His only other friend is his best friend, Liss.

Liss has been BFFs with Connor since they were young. Having a crush on him, when he got married, Liss threw herself a pity party and tried to move on. Now that Connor’s wife is dead (his wife was really good friends with Liss as well) she has stepped up and tried to take care of him. Bringing him food as much as possible since all he wants for dinner is alcohol. Liss’s ex-boyfriend ran away with a lot of her stuff and ended up giving her bad credit – so when her current landlord needs to sell her apartment, she can’t secure a new apartment with her bad credit. When Connor hears of this, he offers Liss a room in his big house. He figures she has done so much for him the past few years, he can at least let her stay with him until she finds another place.

You can guess what happens next since they become roommates *wink* (yes, in involves no pants!)

Connor is a mess – and I loved it.  I found his grief and his general grumpiness to be portrayed well. He is pissed off that his life has turned out the way it has. Pissed off at having to suffer through losing his wife. It’s a good thing his brother, sister and Liss love him because otherwise he is so cranky he would truly be alone. Liss of course knows this about him, but she also knows she truly loves him. Always has. I never felt Liss competed with his dead wife, which is important to me. I don’t like it when the dead spouse is criticized or faulted to make room for the new love. Connor’s marriage wasn’t perfect, but he truly loved her.

Once Liss and Connor cross into the romance, the inevitable guilt rears its head and Connor doesn’t know how to handle it. I like how Liss handles it though – she pushes back and asks for more. Although she recognizes Connor’s late wife, she also pushes for him to live the life he has now.

This author has a nice sense of humor as well. Little lines throughout the book made me laugh.

“I brought condoms.”

That brought him up short. “Later. Later I will question you about that.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” she said.

He moved up her body and kissed her deeply on the lips. “It might not be. But right now it doesn’t matter. Right now? I just need to be inside you.”

“They’re in the picnic basket,” she said.

“The picnic basket?”

“It was dessert.”

Eli and Connor’s good friend Jack, always makes me laugh (and he is the next hero – yay!). Reading this book, and the previous one – they are very good romances, but good family/friendship dynamics as well. I just thoroughly enjoy them.

Grade: B+

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