The freedom of the range, the bawling of the longhorns, the lonesome night watch beneath a vast, starry sky—they got into a man's blood until he knew there was nothing better than the life of a cowboy...except the love a good woman.
Pearl
In the West there were only two kinds of women—the wives and mothers and daughters, and the good-time girls. It was said that Pearl Belladonna could show a man the best time ever, but Sean O'Ryan had not come to the gold fields looking for a floozy. He wanted gold to buy a ranch, and a virtuous woman to make a wife. The sensual barroom singer might tempt his body with her lush curves, and tease his mind with her bright wit, but she wasn't for him. From her red curls to her assumed name, nothing about her seemed real until a glimpse into her heart convinced Sean that the lady was, indeed, a pearl beyond price.
So far the best book in The Cowboy series that I've read...then again this was only the second one I have read!...I really loved Sean. I don't know what exactly about him it was but i enjoyed him. Pearl on the other hadn aggrivated me. On one hand, and in the beginning, I could understand her reasoning behind doing what Rock wanted but I questioned why whe didn't mention the situation/ask for help. Then when Sean gave her the opportunity to tell her side of the story when he found out she had helped Rock, I didn't like how she didn't tell him everything. She had the chance to come clean about everything, tell the whole story, get Seans help and prevent more trouble but she didn't and it annoyed me. By the end of the story when she help Rock once again I was completely frustrated with her. At that point in the story she could, and should, have went to Sean with the trouble and asked for help and avoided the outcome (nt very good wording I know but I'm trying to avoid giving spoilers). It was nice of her to try to repay him for the trouble she helped caused him but if she would have did things differently that wouldn't have been necessary, and I think sean was stupid for not taking the payment she offered, he needed it and deserved it. But, as always it was a happy ending and overall it was a really good book.
One thing I noticed and like about Leigh Greenwood's writing is that all his books (the ones I've read anyway) connect with each other somehow. Like in The Cowboy Series Jake and Isabelle is the common thing in that series, and in the Seven Brides series it's of course the 7 Randolf brothers but the Randolfs and aspects from the Seven Brides series were also mentioned in both Sean and Chet.
This was the first book that I have read by Greenwood and it will not be the last. I thought that Leigh was a woman author, but when I saw the picture inside of the back cover I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a man. I didn't know that a man could write such a great romance, but apparently they do exist! Sean was a great hero that had a prejudice against saloon women, but the way Greenwood wrote him was brilliant. He didn't come off as a jerk hung up on his prejudice, but he was man who respected women no matter what their profession or reputation. Even though Sean had his doubts about the heroine, he still respected her and never tried to insult her. He gave her a fair chance at winning his heart even though he was confused by his feelings. He was also a huge man and I thought that his morals and size made him especially sexy. Pearl was great. She was independent but protective. It was nice that she allowed Sean to be in control part of the time, but the other part she knew how to take control (whether it was in life or in the bedroom). Loved this book and will be reading more of Greenwood's books in the future!
Sean is so yummy. It was a very quick read, but I feel like I just read another book with a very similar plot line and I ended up getting my stories/characters mixed up while I was reading it. Not a very original story, but it was refreshing that neither of the characters were perfect. It does bother me though when characters pre-judge each others possible reactions and withhold the truth because of it…it just drags out the story and makes you frustrated. If that kind of thing bothers you, you may not like this book. I skipped over a lot of dialogue because it was repetitive, but I’m still glad I took the day and a half to read it.
Did I like this one better than Chet? Yes. Here's why:
A. The woman is older than the man, which is usually unheard of in these things. B. Sean is a big ole teddy bear. He was not shy about expressing himself. C. This felt romantic. Most of his characters are too busy bickering to get out of there own way. This felt like a real courtship. D. Pearl has her money. Again, unheard of in these things. E. The "misunderstandings" make sense.
But I will say that whole "men get better with age" line is TRASHHHHH and untrue.
As of now, my rankings are:
1. Sean 2. Jake 3. Buck 4. Chet 5. Ward (I decided to move this ho lower...)
I am not really a fan of non virginal heroine... You know that feeling that I think the hero deserves more? And it disappoints me when the author choose to make the heroine to have complicated past? Just like this one.... Though this one is still nice to read.. the mention of the heroine's past bothers me a lot and hinders me to finish it fast....
Has interesting characters. Also different issues in each book but always brings it back to the series plot. This is my second read thru, I first read them when they came out and had to wait for each one
I think this one is my favorite of the series so far. The change of scenery from Texas ranches to the Colorado gold mines was a nice touch. Considering the last two books of the series were pretty much the same plot this one was like a breath of fresh air. Pete really got on my nerves though so hopefully his book, which is next, we'll find him lighten up a little. I think Pearl was the perfect choice for Sean and I'm glad he got his HEA.
I'm reluctant to admit that I don't remember much of this book. In August, I had a stubborn stomach virus that put me in bed for the better part of two weeks, so between the virus and the anti-biotic the reading suffered. My friend, Betty, kindly gave me a grocery bag filled with books to lift the spirit and those got me through.
I love westerns and this is one of the better ones. would like to see less romance and more intrigue. The plot never started until after half way through the book. The last half was much better and more interesting and thrilling.