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The Maverick Returns
Mills & Boon Sweet series promises love affairs to last a lifetime…She once loved a cowboy
When Tate Walker was killed in a barroom brawl, he left his widow with a small run-down ranch in south Texas and a daughter he falsely claimed wasn't his. Willow had accepted Tate's proposal because Cooper Drummond, the love of her life, refused to put aside his rodeo plans, despite her fears for his safety.
A year later, a cowboy appears out of nowhere, looking for work. He'd heard about a widow who could use some help. To Willow's shock, it's Cooper Drummond. And to Cooper's shock, the widow is his onetime fiancee, now the mother of a little girl who's been diagnosed with a troubling condition.
She still loves that cowboy
And that cowboy's never forgotten her. Can the two of them the three of them become a family? Can Coop love her daughter as his own?
When Tate Walker was killed in a barroom brawl, he left his widow with a small run-down ranch in south Texas and a daughter he falsely claimed wasn't his. Willow had accepted Tate's proposal because Cooper Drummond, the love of her life, refused to put aside his rodeo plans, despite her fears for his safety.
A year later, a cowboy appears out of nowhere, looking for work. He'd heard about a widow who could use some help. To Willow's shock, it's Cooper Drummond. And to Cooper's shock, the widow is his onetime fiancee, now the mother of a little girl who's been diagnosed with a troubling condition.
She still loves that cowboy
And that cowboy's never forgotten her. Can the two of them the three of them become a family? Can Coop love her daughter as his own?
219 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
6 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Roz Denny Fox
111 books50 followersRoz saw her first book, Red Hot Pepper, published by Harlequin Books in February 1990. She has written for several Harlequin series lines as well as special projects and online serials. Besides being a writer Roz has worked as a medical secretary and as an administrative assistant for both an elementary school and a community college. Part of her love for writing came from moving around with her husband during his tenure in the Marine Corps and later as a telephone engineer. The richness of settings and diversity of friendships she's experienced continue to find their way into Roz's stories.
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February 14, 2018
She smiled to herself. And it'd been so long since she could count on anyone except herself, the burdens weighing her down suddenly felt lighter.
I am a huge sucker for stories in which a widow (or divorced woman, I guess), maybe with kids, lives on a ranch alone and is struggling to make it and a man comes along and she hires him as a ranch-hand and he's very competent and kind and they fall in love. It's very easy to make me happy with this trope. I give the author the benefit of every doubt. I'm a soft touch for this. Old West, modern times West, whatever. I love this trope.
But Fox couldn't make it work for me here. Willow is a widow with an autistic 3-year-old daughter (Lilybelle) who is basically starving and struggling to raise up her daughter on her own and live on this ranch. Her no-good husband is dead.
In rides (in his pickup truck) Cooper to save the day. But there are complications. Willow and Cooper dated in high school / the beginning of college. Cooper never forgave her for marrying his 'archenemy' after he left her for a life in the rodeo.
Might as well dig into this.
1.) THE HERO IS TRASH.
He only thinks of himself. Everything is me-me-me, all the damn time. Everything is in relation to how it affects HIM. Willow has suffered, A LOT. All he can think of is how 'wronged' he was by her when she was single and married his 'archenemy.'
I mean, the very fact that this is a man who thinks he has an archenemy and labels someone as an 'archenemy' is just illustrating how self-absorbed he is.
Even though it's very clear that Willow has suffered a lot, he just CAN'T LET GO of the fact that she married Tate. He harps on it ALL THE TIME, even though he chose the rodeo over her.
When he finds out in town that Willow was beaten while she was pregnant, is selling all her possessions, and is most likely starving, his reaction is "Why didn't she tell me this? She OWES me this information and it's a BETRAYAL that she 'hid' this from me!" Not, you know, feeling terrible about what happened to her / is currently happening to her, having sympathy, being compassionate etc.
"Well, I've heard from more than one source that while she was pregnant, she was seen with bruises. ... she's been selling furniture and tools for grocery money and to replenish her kettle ever since the funeral..." He was frustrated to think that, given their history, Willow hadn't come clean with him about her true circumstances.
In college, she gave him what HE saw as an ultimatum, rodeo or her. He chose rodeo. Even though he KNOWS the reason she's asking him is because her dad broke his spine in a rodeo accident and she's been caring for him as a paraplegic for 10 fucking years. No sympathy from Cooper. No understanding. Simply whining and entitlement. And anger.
His reaction to seeing his woman - for the first time in years - bone-thin and weary and struggling is not "Oh my goodness. I have to help her." Or "I love her, this is terrible, what happened?" or any kind of human response of compassion. Instead he just wants to yell at her and berate her for marrying his 'archenemy' and etc.
Though a great deal thinner, and her sky-blue eyes far more lackluster than when he'd last seen her, the much-talked-about widow was none other than Cooper's first love, Willow Courtland. Willow, who'd married his archenemy.
When she flinches and backs away from him, he is SO offended. How DARE she think he might harm her or her child?!!? Instead of thinking, like human being, "She must have been abused, she must have known some bad men, someone hurt her in the past," it's all about HIM HIM HIM and what are his FEELINGS and how dare she hurt HIS FEELINGS and etc. etc.
Coop noticed right away how nervous she seemed, as if she was afraid of him. That made him reel. Surely Willow couldn't think he'd ever hurt her or any kid! Or that he'd held a grudge because of the callous way she dumped him. Still, Coop had to glance off into the distance to relax the tension cramping his jaw.
And he definitely is holding a grudge, just saying, he's fucking lying here.
She hires him as a ranch hand but won't allow him in her house, HOW DARE SHE, it hurts HIS FEELINGS so much, he doesn't even bother asking why she has this rule and how many dozens of ranch hands have tried to rape her since her husband died, but OH, WELL, who cares about shit like that when we can discuss his LITTLE FEELINGS.
"I have a hard-and-fast rule that no ranch hands are allowed inside my home. Ever."
"So I heard," Coop drawled, mentally kicking himself for not going with his first impulse of hightailing it out of there... It irked him that there was no trust between them, despite the fact that they'd once shared every intimacy. He wondered when she'd grown so hard and closed off. Granted, her life had never been a cakewalk,...
He's just so rough and unkind to her. JFC, hasn't she suffered enough? He can't extend basic sympathy, kindness, or compassion to her - just berate her and think about how life is so unfair TO HIM.
Willow entered the house, and peered back over one shoulder, a smile teasing the corners of her lips. "Thanks for getting the door. I'm not used to having a gentleman around."
"Don't ever compare me to Tate, Willow." The words came out like a growl.
Oh, yeah, and he completely loses his shit and flips out every single time she mentions her dead husband. Notice that in this example she didn't even mention him, just made him THINK that she was thinking about him and he flips out. He forbids her from talking about Tate, ever. What a weak, controlling piece of shit. As a result of this, she has to walk on eggshells about him, just like she did with her gambling, womanizing, wife-beating dead husband.
She so rarely got to talk to anyone that having this opportunity to kick back and relax with Coop had been a treat. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over. Now she'd have to go back to weighing every word, like she'd done with her husband.
He's trash. This is the HERO, and she's crying herself to sleep at night. Multiple times. I'm pretty sure that's not right.
He also blames her for not leaving her abusive husband. "Why didn't you just leave?" he keeps asking over and over and over again, like he's a fucking moron who doesn't understand shit.
This never ends. In case you think he finally 'forgives' her for marrying Tate, finally understands that leaving an abusive spouse isn't a walk in the park, or finally stops freaking out every time she mentions her dead husband... you'd be wrong. Yeah.
He has sex with her on the living room carpet, because he CAN'T have sex with her in a bed she's shared with her husband. FFS.
AND, he plays acoustic guitar all the time. Which really fucking annoys me.
2.) THE HEROINE. Our heroine is no angel, either. I mean, she's not a complete asshole like Cooper, but she's definitely not my favorite person, either.
For one thing, she has no idea how to handle or interact with Cooper. She is completely unable to read him and unable to handle him in the way he needs to be handled in order not to fly off the handle.
Women shouldn't have to think about how to best 'handle' men and soothe them so they don't lash out.
I mean, I completely agree with you, but unfortunately women are still shat on in this society. They are still slave-class and raised from birth to please other people and soothe them so as not to get beaten or killed or simply to be able to have enough money to survive. Not to go all feminist on you or anything. ANYWAY, at the beginning I thought she was just deeply stupid, but the book devolved by the end to her deliberately needling him and picking fights with him. I had him figured out by Chapter Two, and Willow has WAY more experience with him than I do, and I could easily handle him. Not that I'd want to, but if I had to I could. She's completely inept and reading his face, mood, triggers, and sore spots.
I have no idea why she picks fights with him. Yes, he's an asshole, but he seems to be an asshole she wants. Is she subconsciously picking fights with him to make sure he'll never hit her like Dead Husband Tate? Or is she just someone who equates 'love' with 'bickering all the time?' I have no idea. The book never lets us get a good enough look at her psyche. I mean, she's deliberately baiting him by the end. She accuses him of lying about stuff (for no reason), needles him about leaving, etc. etc. etc. It's painful to read about.
For a second thing, she thinks he is cheating on her ALL THE TIME and flips out if she even sees him talk to another female. It's very annoying and also completely ridiculous. Then she confronts him about it and picks fights with him about it, even when they are in public. UGH. So gross.
Willow had prepared chicken-fried steak and fries, which were warming in the oven when Coop finally drove in. She exhaled and dropped the window curtain. He'd been gone so long her stomach was a jumble. Logic said he wouldn't leave without his horses. Logic said he wouldn't go on a bender as Tate so often did. Logic didn't say Coop wouldn't hook up with some woman in town, though.
For a third thing, she's always blushingly apologizing to Cooper for being 'shy' about sex, indicating and saying that he's talking dirty or raunchy to her. AND HE'S NOT. She just starts tittering and blushing from him saying the most INNOCUOUS things, it's super-weird. It would be one thing if he had a filthy mouth on him. But all he has to say is something like, "We can get a room with two beds. Lily can sleep on one and we can sleep on the other." and she's like, "You're so open about sex! You love talking about sex! I'm just not like that, oh golly gee willikers!" or whatever and I'm like, "WTF, lady?" It's bizarre. I mean, really bizarre. He isn't even remotely titillating in his speech, not because I'm saying the author is incapable of that, but because he's obviously just saying completely normal things and she freaks out about it every time. o.O
3.) THE FIGHTING. These two fight constantly and to me that just isn't romance. The endless bickering in this book is so frustrating.
CAN YOU SAY ANYTHING GOOD ABOUT COOPER, CARMEN?
Sure. He works his ass off and knows how to run a ranch. He's competent and not afraid of hard work.
Also, the way he is with Lilybelle. He is kind to her, he is always trying to educate himself about autism, he is always trying to find toys she'll like, he takes care of her, he buys her a carseat... seems like he's only able to be kind and compassionate to people under the age of 10.
MUSIC
Fox doesn't shy away from peppering this book with music, so let's see what Cooper and Willow like to listen to:
"All My Exes Live in Texas" by George Strait
"Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum
"Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffett
"Son of a Son of a Sailor" by Jimmy Buffett
"I Melt" by Rascal Flatts
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel
"A Little Want To" Reba McEntire
"Dream A Little Dream of Me" by Artist Not Specified
NAMES
The names in this book seem weird to me. Even for a romance novel: Gray, Sullivan, Tate, Cooper, Blythe, Lilybelle, Willow. Don't get me wrong, I love some of these names, but... o.O Oh, well, at least it isn't as bad as Tansy Appletree, the heroine in Dream Daddy.
WHY WOULD SHE MARRY THIS ASSHOLE?
Well, we have a bit of the at-least-he-doesn't-beat-her trope, a famous and classic trope in which the heroine meets an asshole, falls in love with him, and the author waves away all his distasteful behavior by saying, "At least he isn't physically abusive." Often the heroine will have an abusive ex, or some abusive wannabe suitors, or some evil abusive villain looking to have her for himself, etc. The author expects us to read this and say, "Well, Tate beat her. He beat her while she was pregnant! Cooper is WONDERFUL compared to Tate." and ignore the fact that Cooper is an asshole. It's a disgusting trope, honestly. If the best thing you can say about a man is, "He never has laid a hand on me." then that is a pretty low bar to set and certainly not what I consider the basis for a romance.
Is this even a romance? I would say no. They fight all the time. He's an asshole, she's no gem herself. Just because they end up together, does this make this a romance? Not in my eyes. There is nothing romantic about this book whatsoever.
Besides the at-least-he-doesn't-beat-her-trope, we have to remember that a lot of women get married for purely practical reasons. It's not always for love. Cooper is a hard worker and he brings a lot of value to the relationship by being able to work the ranch, do the heavy lifting, do the manual labor, and tackle the tough jobs. I mean A LOT OF VALUE. My father used to refer to men as 'workhorses' or even 'mules' when he was in a mood, and he wasn't entirely wrong. Cooper is a physically strong man who doesn't shy away from the hard work of ranching. She needs his muscle in order to survive, to a certain extent (at least if she wants to hang onto ranching life).
She also is getting a man who loves her daughter and treats her wonderfully, even though other men might balk at her autism and her paternity, not being able to love a 'special needs' child or the child fathered by another man - none of this bugs Cooper. He genuinely loves Lilybelle. He takes care of her needs, he thinks she is great, he plays with her, he is gentle and kind to her. And he doesn't hold her paternity against her, even if she is his 'archenemy's' daughter. He doesn't hold grudges against Lilybelle or resent her for things out of her control - ALTHOUGH HE DOES SO FOR HER MOM. Not sure why he can't extend this kindness to an adult, but whatever.
A third thing Cooper provides for her is family and stability. Her dad is dead, her mom is disinterested. She has no brothers or sisters. Marrying Cooper instantly makes her a part of his clan, she gets a smart and caring SIL, a BIL, a big family and a big family ranch. She doesn't have to worry about where her meals are going to come from, and she gets the emotional and psychological support she needs (especially where Lilybelle is concerned).
So, I can see why she made this choice. Cooper doesn't beat her. He provides the muscle she needs to work the ranch. He has a strong work ethic. He loves her child and takes care of the child. By marrying her, he brings her into a big, loving family. He's not rich, but she's not going to have to worry about starving while he's around.
I mean, a woman working a ranch in a very rural area with a special needs daughter and NO resources for that daughter because she'd in the middle of nowhere and no family... you could get married just for stability and security and I wouldn't blame you. Go ahead and do it.
However, if you are trying to sell this as 'she loves him' I just don't buy it.
HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN?
Ugh. Please don't talk to me about these two people having sex. I don't really like either of them. Okay, well, it's not good. Vague. Uninteresting.
Coop hauled in a deep breath. He braced himself on hands and knees and planted wet, openmouthed kisses on her skin, moving from the pulse that beat frantically in her neck to her navel. There he traced her belly button with his tongue.
She shook so hard she fell back and let Coop take the lead. Their initial coupling, out of necessity, was hurried. As the old familiar heat enveloped Willow, she opened for him.
Coop gave, too, and Willow took. It'd been so long since she'd felt anything toward a man but duty.. blah blah blah complaining about dead husband here....
Now, with Cooper, Willow felt cherished. She felt equal. Powerful. Coop had been her first teacher, her first lover. She was glad she hadn't forgotten how to participate. How to be a giving partner. Kissing him, she slid her hands down his leanly muscled waist to his tight butt and back up his narrow hips. "It's not fair that your skin feels like silk." She sighed, nipping his earlobe.
Coop groaned and drove deeper.
Willow cried out and Coop reared back. "Did I hurt you?" he asked.
She shook her head wildly and urged him on until a series of spasms rocked her from head to toe.
EL FIN of the sex scene. If you can tell me what on earth was going on there... you're a more perceptive reader than I am. Note also the lack of condoms!
TL;DR - This could have been SO GOOD, you guys. >.< A widow with a three-year-old autistic child, out in the middle of nowhere on a ranch, struggling to survive. A man comes along to help her out and they fall in love? I mean, SIGN ME UP. But no. It's awful. Cooper is frankly a horribly self-centered human being and Willow has her flaws as well. I couldn't understand these two 'being in love.' That's not love. If Fox was telling me Willow was gobbling up Cooper for strictly practical reasons, that I could buy. Love, no. They pretty much hated each other and fought all the time. All the time. Don't read this if you don't enjoy reading about constant bickering.
If I had more space, I'd discuss how Cooper appearing on the scene 'magically'... not cures... but enormously helps Lilybelle's autism and she goes from being mute to talking, and she starts identifying colors, smiling, etc. etc. etc. I'm not saying this is IMPOSSIBLE, necessarily, but it just looks like a variation on the 'magical penis' cure you see in tons of romance novels. Just saying.
ROMANCE CATEGORIES
Contemporary Romance
Cowboy/Western Romance
Second Chance Romance
Non-Virgin Heroine
Widow Heroine
Abuse Survivor
I'm not going to file this under "Starvation Survivor" because although Willow is suffering some hunger under poverty, the starvation is never discussed nor is the extent of it or how it affects/affected her.
He's a Rancher, She's a Rancher. Although She Wants to Become A Schoolteacher.
I am a huge sucker for stories in which a widow (or divorced woman, I guess), maybe with kids, lives on a ranch alone and is struggling to make it and a man comes along and she hires him as a ranch-hand and he's very competent and kind and they fall in love. It's very easy to make me happy with this trope. I give the author the benefit of every doubt. I'm a soft touch for this. Old West, modern times West, whatever. I love this trope.
But Fox couldn't make it work for me here. Willow is a widow with an autistic 3-year-old daughter (Lilybelle) who is basically starving and struggling to raise up her daughter on her own and live on this ranch. Her no-good husband is dead.
In rides (in his pickup truck) Cooper to save the day. But there are complications. Willow and Cooper dated in high school / the beginning of college. Cooper never forgave her for marrying his 'archenemy' after he left her for a life in the rodeo.
Might as well dig into this.
1.) THE HERO IS TRASH.
He only thinks of himself. Everything is me-me-me, all the damn time. Everything is in relation to how it affects HIM. Willow has suffered, A LOT. All he can think of is how 'wronged' he was by her when she was single and married his 'archenemy.'
I mean, the very fact that this is a man who thinks he has an archenemy and labels someone as an 'archenemy' is just illustrating how self-absorbed he is.
Even though it's very clear that Willow has suffered a lot, he just CAN'T LET GO of the fact that she married Tate. He harps on it ALL THE TIME, even though he chose the rodeo over her.
When he finds out in town that Willow was beaten while she was pregnant, is selling all her possessions, and is most likely starving, his reaction is "Why didn't she tell me this? She OWES me this information and it's a BETRAYAL that she 'hid' this from me!" Not, you know, feeling terrible about what happened to her / is currently happening to her, having sympathy, being compassionate etc.
"Well, I've heard from more than one source that while she was pregnant, she was seen with bruises. ... she's been selling furniture and tools for grocery money and to replenish her kettle ever since the funeral..." He was frustrated to think that, given their history, Willow hadn't come clean with him about her true circumstances.
In college, she gave him what HE saw as an ultimatum, rodeo or her. He chose rodeo. Even though he KNOWS the reason she's asking him is because her dad broke his spine in a rodeo accident and she's been caring for him as a paraplegic for 10 fucking years. No sympathy from Cooper. No understanding. Simply whining and entitlement. And anger.
His reaction to seeing his woman - for the first time in years - bone-thin and weary and struggling is not "Oh my goodness. I have to help her." Or "I love her, this is terrible, what happened?" or any kind of human response of compassion. Instead he just wants to yell at her and berate her for marrying his 'archenemy' and etc.
Though a great deal thinner, and her sky-blue eyes far more lackluster than when he'd last seen her, the much-talked-about widow was none other than Cooper's first love, Willow Courtland. Willow, who'd married his archenemy.
When she flinches and backs away from him, he is SO offended. How DARE she think he might harm her or her child?!!? Instead of thinking, like human being, "She must have been abused, she must have known some bad men, someone hurt her in the past," it's all about HIM HIM HIM and what are his FEELINGS and how dare she hurt HIS FEELINGS and etc. etc.
Coop noticed right away how nervous she seemed, as if she was afraid of him. That made him reel. Surely Willow couldn't think he'd ever hurt her or any kid! Or that he'd held a grudge because of the callous way she dumped him. Still, Coop had to glance off into the distance to relax the tension cramping his jaw.
And he definitely is holding a grudge, just saying, he's fucking lying here.
She hires him as a ranch hand but won't allow him in her house, HOW DARE SHE, it hurts HIS FEELINGS so much, he doesn't even bother asking why she has this rule and how many dozens of ranch hands have tried to rape her since her husband died, but OH, WELL, who cares about shit like that when we can discuss his LITTLE FEELINGS.
"I have a hard-and-fast rule that no ranch hands are allowed inside my home. Ever."
"So I heard," Coop drawled, mentally kicking himself for not going with his first impulse of hightailing it out of there... It irked him that there was no trust between them, despite the fact that they'd once shared every intimacy. He wondered when she'd grown so hard and closed off. Granted, her life had never been a cakewalk,...
He's just so rough and unkind to her. JFC, hasn't she suffered enough? He can't extend basic sympathy, kindness, or compassion to her - just berate her and think about how life is so unfair TO HIM.
Willow entered the house, and peered back over one shoulder, a smile teasing the corners of her lips. "Thanks for getting the door. I'm not used to having a gentleman around."
"Don't ever compare me to Tate, Willow." The words came out like a growl.
Oh, yeah, and he completely loses his shit and flips out every single time she mentions her dead husband. Notice that in this example she didn't even mention him, just made him THINK that she was thinking about him and he flips out. He forbids her from talking about Tate, ever. What a weak, controlling piece of shit. As a result of this, she has to walk on eggshells about him, just like she did with her gambling, womanizing, wife-beating dead husband.
She so rarely got to talk to anyone that having this opportunity to kick back and relax with Coop had been a treat. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over. Now she'd have to go back to weighing every word, like she'd done with her husband.
He's trash. This is the HERO, and she's crying herself to sleep at night. Multiple times. I'm pretty sure that's not right.
He also blames her for not leaving her abusive husband. "Why didn't you just leave?" he keeps asking over and over and over again, like he's a fucking moron who doesn't understand shit.
This never ends. In case you think he finally 'forgives' her for marrying Tate, finally understands that leaving an abusive spouse isn't a walk in the park, or finally stops freaking out every time she mentions her dead husband... you'd be wrong. Yeah.
He has sex with her on the living room carpet, because he CAN'T have sex with her in a bed she's shared with her husband. FFS.
AND, he plays acoustic guitar all the time. Which really fucking annoys me.
2.) THE HEROINE. Our heroine is no angel, either. I mean, she's not a complete asshole like Cooper, but she's definitely not my favorite person, either.
For one thing, she has no idea how to handle or interact with Cooper. She is completely unable to read him and unable to handle him in the way he needs to be handled in order not to fly off the handle.
Women shouldn't have to think about how to best 'handle' men and soothe them so they don't lash out.
I mean, I completely agree with you, but unfortunately women are still shat on in this society. They are still slave-class and raised from birth to please other people and soothe them so as not to get beaten or killed or simply to be able to have enough money to survive. Not to go all feminist on you or anything. ANYWAY, at the beginning I thought she was just deeply stupid, but the book devolved by the end to her deliberately needling him and picking fights with him. I had him figured out by Chapter Two, and Willow has WAY more experience with him than I do, and I could easily handle him. Not that I'd want to, but if I had to I could. She's completely inept and reading his face, mood, triggers, and sore spots.
I have no idea why she picks fights with him. Yes, he's an asshole, but he seems to be an asshole she wants. Is she subconsciously picking fights with him to make sure he'll never hit her like Dead Husband Tate? Or is she just someone who equates 'love' with 'bickering all the time?' I have no idea. The book never lets us get a good enough look at her psyche. I mean, she's deliberately baiting him by the end. She accuses him of lying about stuff (for no reason), needles him about leaving, etc. etc. etc. It's painful to read about.
For a second thing, she thinks he is cheating on her ALL THE TIME and flips out if she even sees him talk to another female. It's very annoying and also completely ridiculous. Then she confronts him about it and picks fights with him about it, even when they are in public. UGH. So gross.
Willow had prepared chicken-fried steak and fries, which were warming in the oven when Coop finally drove in. She exhaled and dropped the window curtain. He'd been gone so long her stomach was a jumble. Logic said he wouldn't leave without his horses. Logic said he wouldn't go on a bender as Tate so often did. Logic didn't say Coop wouldn't hook up with some woman in town, though.
For a third thing, she's always blushingly apologizing to Cooper for being 'shy' about sex, indicating and saying that he's talking dirty or raunchy to her. AND HE'S NOT. She just starts tittering and blushing from him saying the most INNOCUOUS things, it's super-weird. It would be one thing if he had a filthy mouth on him. But all he has to say is something like, "We can get a room with two beds. Lily can sleep on one and we can sleep on the other." and she's like, "You're so open about sex! You love talking about sex! I'm just not like that, oh golly gee willikers!" or whatever and I'm like, "WTF, lady?" It's bizarre. I mean, really bizarre. He isn't even remotely titillating in his speech, not because I'm saying the author is incapable of that, but because he's obviously just saying completely normal things and she freaks out about it every time. o.O
3.) THE FIGHTING. These two fight constantly and to me that just isn't romance. The endless bickering in this book is so frustrating.
CAN YOU SAY ANYTHING GOOD ABOUT COOPER, CARMEN?
Sure. He works his ass off and knows how to run a ranch. He's competent and not afraid of hard work.
Also, the way he is with Lilybelle. He is kind to her, he is always trying to educate himself about autism, he is always trying to find toys she'll like, he takes care of her, he buys her a carseat... seems like he's only able to be kind and compassionate to people under the age of 10.
MUSIC
Fox doesn't shy away from peppering this book with music, so let's see what Cooper and Willow like to listen to:
"All My Exes Live in Texas" by George Strait
"Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum
"Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffett
"Son of a Son of a Sailor" by Jimmy Buffett
"I Melt" by Rascal Flatts
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel
"A Little Want To" Reba McEntire
"Dream A Little Dream of Me" by Artist Not Specified
NAMES
The names in this book seem weird to me. Even for a romance novel: Gray, Sullivan, Tate, Cooper, Blythe, Lilybelle, Willow. Don't get me wrong, I love some of these names, but... o.O Oh, well, at least it isn't as bad as Tansy Appletree, the heroine in Dream Daddy.
WHY WOULD SHE MARRY THIS ASSHOLE?
Well, we have a bit of the at-least-he-doesn't-beat-her trope, a famous and classic trope in which the heroine meets an asshole, falls in love with him, and the author waves away all his distasteful behavior by saying, "At least he isn't physically abusive." Often the heroine will have an abusive ex, or some abusive wannabe suitors, or some evil abusive villain looking to have her for himself, etc. The author expects us to read this and say, "Well, Tate beat her. He beat her while she was pregnant! Cooper is WONDERFUL compared to Tate." and ignore the fact that Cooper is an asshole. It's a disgusting trope, honestly. If the best thing you can say about a man is, "He never has laid a hand on me." then that is a pretty low bar to set and certainly not what I consider the basis for a romance.
Is this even a romance? I would say no. They fight all the time. He's an asshole, she's no gem herself. Just because they end up together, does this make this a romance? Not in my eyes. There is nothing romantic about this book whatsoever.
Besides the at-least-he-doesn't-beat-her-trope, we have to remember that a lot of women get married for purely practical reasons. It's not always for love. Cooper is a hard worker and he brings a lot of value to the relationship by being able to work the ranch, do the heavy lifting, do the manual labor, and tackle the tough jobs. I mean A LOT OF VALUE. My father used to refer to men as 'workhorses' or even 'mules' when he was in a mood, and he wasn't entirely wrong. Cooper is a physically strong man who doesn't shy away from the hard work of ranching. She needs his muscle in order to survive, to a certain extent (at least if she wants to hang onto ranching life).
She also is getting a man who loves her daughter and treats her wonderfully, even though other men might balk at her autism and her paternity, not being able to love a 'special needs' child or the child fathered by another man - none of this bugs Cooper. He genuinely loves Lilybelle. He takes care of her needs, he thinks she is great, he plays with her, he is gentle and kind to her. And he doesn't hold her paternity against her, even if she is his 'archenemy's' daughter. He doesn't hold grudges against Lilybelle or resent her for things out of her control - ALTHOUGH HE DOES SO FOR HER MOM. Not sure why he can't extend this kindness to an adult, but whatever.
A third thing Cooper provides for her is family and stability. Her dad is dead, her mom is disinterested. She has no brothers or sisters. Marrying Cooper instantly makes her a part of his clan, she gets a smart and caring SIL, a BIL, a big family and a big family ranch. She doesn't have to worry about where her meals are going to come from, and she gets the emotional and psychological support she needs (especially where Lilybelle is concerned).
So, I can see why she made this choice. Cooper doesn't beat her. He provides the muscle she needs to work the ranch. He has a strong work ethic. He loves her child and takes care of the child. By marrying her, he brings her into a big, loving family. He's not rich, but she's not going to have to worry about starving while he's around.
I mean, a woman working a ranch in a very rural area with a special needs daughter and NO resources for that daughter because she'd in the middle of nowhere and no family... you could get married just for stability and security and I wouldn't blame you. Go ahead and do it.
However, if you are trying to sell this as 'she loves him' I just don't buy it.
HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN?
Ugh. Please don't talk to me about these two people having sex. I don't really like either of them. Okay, well, it's not good. Vague. Uninteresting.
Coop hauled in a deep breath. He braced himself on hands and knees and planted wet, openmouthed kisses on her skin, moving from the pulse that beat frantically in her neck to her navel. There he traced her belly button with his tongue.
She shook so hard she fell back and let Coop take the lead. Their initial coupling, out of necessity, was hurried. As the old familiar heat enveloped Willow, she opened for him.
Coop gave, too, and Willow took. It'd been so long since she'd felt anything toward a man but duty.. blah blah blah complaining about dead husband here....
Now, with Cooper, Willow felt cherished. She felt equal. Powerful. Coop had been her first teacher, her first lover. She was glad she hadn't forgotten how to participate. How to be a giving partner. Kissing him, she slid her hands down his leanly muscled waist to his tight butt and back up his narrow hips. "It's not fair that your skin feels like silk." She sighed, nipping his earlobe.
Coop groaned and drove deeper.
Willow cried out and Coop reared back. "Did I hurt you?" he asked.
She shook her head wildly and urged him on until a series of spasms rocked her from head to toe.
EL FIN of the sex scene. If you can tell me what on earth was going on there... you're a more perceptive reader than I am. Note also the lack of condoms!
TL;DR - This could have been SO GOOD, you guys. >.< A widow with a three-year-old autistic child, out in the middle of nowhere on a ranch, struggling to survive. A man comes along to help her out and they fall in love? I mean, SIGN ME UP. But no. It's awful. Cooper is frankly a horribly self-centered human being and Willow has her flaws as well. I couldn't understand these two 'being in love.' That's not love. If Fox was telling me Willow was gobbling up Cooper for strictly practical reasons, that I could buy. Love, no. They pretty much hated each other and fought all the time. All the time. Don't read this if you don't enjoy reading about constant bickering.
If I had more space, I'd discuss how Cooper appearing on the scene 'magically'... not cures... but enormously helps Lilybelle's autism and she goes from being mute to talking, and she starts identifying colors, smiling, etc. etc. etc. I'm not saying this is IMPOSSIBLE, necessarily, but it just looks like a variation on the 'magical penis' cure you see in tons of romance novels. Just saying.
ROMANCE CATEGORIES
Contemporary Romance
Cowboy/Western Romance
Second Chance Romance
Non-Virgin Heroine
Widow Heroine
Abuse Survivor
I'm not going to file this under "Starvation Survivor" because although Willow is suffering some hunger under poverty, the starvation is never discussed nor is the extent of it or how it affects/affected her.
He's a Rancher, She's a Rancher. Although She Wants to Become A Schoolteacher.
June 7, 2017
A sweet and touching romance. I will be reading more of Roz Denny Fox's books,
April 17, 2012
Good book. Cooper stays to help Willow, in spite of their past. He finds he still has feelings for her, in spite of the way that she married a man he hated. I liked the realism in the way that he admitted his feelings, but also that he had real issues with what had happened between them. It wasn't an immediate forgive and forget. Willow was very independent - she'd had to be to survive being married to Tate, and take care of her autistic daughter. She didn't want to accept what she felt was charity from Cooper, but she was desperate for help. I loved the way that Cooper did what needed to be done and tried not to let the past interfere too much. I also loved the way he treated Willow's daughter Lilly, and how he was determined to learn everything he could to help her. I also liked the way that he was able to go back to his own ranch and make up with his brother.
April 14, 2013
This was pretty good. There's something about a cowboy...sigh. Willow was a bit too tortured and untrusting a heroine for my taste, but it all worked out in the end. The writing was fairly solid, although the editing could have used some help (I really hate typos that pull me out of the story!).
I must admit I find it a bit tiresome when there are so many "issues of the week" thrown into the book for good measure - autism, spousal abuse, deployed soldiers, special needs kids.... it feels like someone wrote a couple dozen hot-button issues on slips of paper, drew out 6, and said "ok, write a story and work all these in, please!"
I must admit I find it a bit tiresome when there are so many "issues of the week" thrown into the book for good measure - autism, spousal abuse, deployed soldiers, special needs kids.... it feels like someone wrote a couple dozen hot-button issues on slips of paper, drew out 6, and said "ok, write a story and work all these in, please!"
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June 30, 2016Miniseries: Fatherhood
Category: Heart & Home
Category: Heart & Home
January 9, 2016
Pretty good Western about a single Mom raising an autistic child.
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