GIVE ME A COWBOY

Author: Jodi Thomas, DeWanna Pace, Linda Broday, Phyliss Miranda ISBN: 9781420103717 2/2009 HISTORICAL Publisher: KENSINGTON/ZEBRA
Time Period: 1890s Old West

Rowdy Darnell was born to be wild and Laurel Hayes knows she shouldn’t get involved with him—but oh, how he can kiss...When Augusta Garrison finds out Dally Angelo is hell-bent on riding the bull that killed his father, she’s ready to break their engagement—until pure passion takes over...Tempest LeDoux doesn’t play by anyone’s rules. When a tall gunslinger named McKenna Smith rides into town, Tempest knows he’s the one for her—if she can catch him...Alaine LeDoux is pure tomboy—and she likes shooting and riding more than dresses and tea. Good thing Mr. Morgan Payne turns out to be one hell of a cowboy under his citified suit...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

GIVE ME A COWBOY, is a fast, fun anthology that pulls the reader right back in time and smack-dab right in the center of the old Wild West, filled with cowboys, broncs, rodeo riding and pretty ladies who hide spines of steel beneath their skirts.

The first story, Silent Partner, by Jodi Thomas introduces the small, "nothing of a town" Kasota Springs. The four stories are connected by place, and linked by certain characters, so this foundation is a necessary one. I felt like I could actually see the town, and hear the people. Even Rowdy's depressing, albeit habitable, cabin came clearly to my mind. I liked the way he and Laurel did an 1890s version of finding their way to making a perfect match for both parties. And, I liked knowing what was in store for them after the story ended. Very well written, and wonderfully enjoyable.

DeWanna Pace's Luck of the Draw is the next book in the anthology. I've got to admit, this was my favorite story in the book. I just loved Dally Angelo, loved the way he worked so hard and, in the end, found someone special to love him, someone he truly deserved. And, there is a song at the end of Luck of the Draw that brought me to tears.

Texas Tempest, by Linda Broday, begins on a lonesome, wistful note but ends by bringing a smile to the reader's face. Tempest is the kind of woman who would be at home at any moment in time. I found her charming and headstrong, and with a knack for choosing a real cowboy!

Closing the anthology is Phyliss Miranda's Roping the Wind. Morgan Payne at first appears to be too much of a dandy to be at home in Kasota Springs, but in his case first impressions prove wrong. I still can't think of Morgan without recalling that his first appearance on the page comes with an arrow in the crotch of his suit pants!

The rodeo never looked as good as it does in this charming collection of cowboy stories. I thoroughly enjoyed reading GIVE ME A COWBOY, and I believe others who enjoy western historical romances will, too.

Kay James