Christmastime Cowboy by Maisey Yates (Copper Ridge #10)
Contemporary Romance
Released: October 24, 2017
Harlequin
Reviewed by Mandi
Favorite Quote: “Honey, I only know how to be inappropriate. And I think you like that about me.”
I’ll start every Maisey Yates review by saying she is my go-to comfort read author. The story arcs and the set-up all might be a little similar, but I like it. I know what I’m going to get with a Yates book. Her heroes seem to be always a little gruff – maybe you can classify it as “adorable-assholeish.” The heroines have to figure out how to deal with all their masculinity and grunting. It’s my cuddly/happy read and Christmastime Cowboy fit right in.
Sabrina fell hard for Liam many years ago when she was seventeen. And to be honest, he had fallen for her too – but he was a little older, and Liam was just learning how to live his life away from his abusive, neglectful mother. He was broke, without any options, that he could see, for his future. When Sabrina’s father offers him money to leave town and leave his daughter alone, Liam realizes it’s enough money to go to college and start a new life for himself. He takes it. (he does! Is that heroic??) At the same time, Sabrina had made up her mind that she wanted him, and approaches him in nothing but a robe – which falls to the floor. He decides at that moment, that it wouldn’t be fair to take advantage of her since he was leaving and he knew he wasn’t right for her. When he leaves, she is devastated, and thirteen years later, still fumes about him.
Unfortunately for Sabrina, Liam has moved back home. A successful investor and businessman, Liam moved home when he inherited part of his family’s ranch. He is reunited with his brother, and two half-brothers – all who have come home to Copper Ridge. Sabrina currently works at the winery and Liam has a plan – he wants to open a new store in town that showcases the cheese he has been working on along with Sabrina’s wine. He knows just the spot – but now he has to convince Sabrina to become his partner…and she wants nothing to do with him.
This is like a second chance romance plus enemies to lovers, all in one. Sabrina wants nothing to do with Liam, now that he is back in town. She turns the corner if she sees him on the street. She hides in stores from him. She is still so hurt that she came to him naked and vulnerable, and he left. And he took her father’s money. Brutal. But if you get to know Liam, and his horrible childhood, where his mother would lock him in a closet for days, you start to understand that he wasn’t in a place of security or had any sort of foundation to start a healthy relationship. Should he have communicated this to Sabrina then or anytime in the past thirteen years? Yes! But he doesn’t. He is more of a grunter. Liam has been home reacquainting himself with his brothers and trying to figure out his life moving forward. Sabrina still makes his heart melt, and it’s only a matter of time before he sees her naked again, and this time doesn’t leave. Liam is gruff and a little cocky – especially in bed – and Sabrina wants all of his dirty, growly moves.
“I want to have chemistry with a nice guy,” she said, her tone wistful.
Her took a step towards her, his heart pounding heavily. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this strung out being so close to a woman. Couldn’t remember if he had ever anticipated a kiss quite so keenly. “No you don’t,” he said, brushing his fingertips beneath her chin and tilted her face upward. “You want a bad boy.”
Fans of this series will get a lot of looks into Liam’s three brothers and their significant others. I almost want to say this one is a little harder to read as a stand alone because of all the family connections that may confuse new readers. Yates also writes a note in the book to say she is starting a spin-off series, Gold Valley, a neighboring town to Copper Ridge – and sets up some characters that we will meet again there.
One more note, the book ends at 75%, and then a bonus novella is included, called Cowboy Christmas Blues.
Cute and fun. I’ll take a growly Liam any day
Grade: B
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