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The Manning Sisters #1
The Cowboy's Lady
Fresh off a breakup, Taylor Manning accepts a yearlong teaching position in Cougar Point, Montana, and plans to focus on herself, avoid men, and return home a changed woman. That’s before she meets Russ Palmer, a local rancher who’s as stubborn as he is handsome. With his old-fashioned attitudes about women, Russ is the last man Taylor could imagine dating, and the feeling seems to be mutual. So why can’t she seem to get him off her mind?
Russ is raising his teenage sister all by his lonesome, and he doesn’t appreciate Cougar Point’s pretty new teacher second-guessing his decisions as a surrogate parent. In fact, every time they cross paths, Taylor seems to have a bone to pick. But no matter how much they disagree, their chemistry is off the charts. And if Taylor would stop arguing long enough to notice, Russ will give her a very good reason to stick around.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1990
580 people are currently reading
990 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Macomber
895 books20.6k followersDebbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Fifteen of these novels hit the number one spot.
In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.
Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.
She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.
In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.
Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.
She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
October 12, 2019
Taylor has just moved from Seattle to Montana after taking a teaching position at an elementary school. She's feeling a little unsure about the relocation, but everyone seems to be happy with her being there; for instance, everyone around town is talking about her (specifically how beautiful she is). Once Russ, a local rancher hears about this, he just has to meet her. When the two take one look at each other it's love at first sight, but the problem is that they butt heads on everything under the sun.
I happened to be online looking up cowboy romances after seeing an intriguing review for a different book, and this book popped up. Of course the rating on this book is 4/5 stars, and she's a favorite author, so I was sold. Cowboys, Montana, romance--it's exactly the sort of read I was looking for. Usually Debbie Macomber books are favorites, but this one wasn't what I expected.
My issue wasn't the romance at all; in fact, I was actually really surprised with how hot and heavy the romance was. It was irritating dealing with the instalove before 10% though. My main issues were with the characters. Russ is a bit of a jerk, from beginning to end. He's stubborn, controlling, and disrespectful toward women. He's one of those men who feel a woman's ideal role is cooking in the kitchen 'barefoot and pregnant' as written in the book, and that women should follow rules. I didn't like that at all. Taylor was pretty good at sticking up for herself, but she was a bit whiny as well. This just irritated me. These two simply aren't good for one another and are constantly clashing throughout the book. It feels like it's all lust with a strong physical attraction. Without much character development or any description of the setting, this book fell flat, and just felt overall boring for me.
I'm certainly not bashing this book. If you're a Debbie Macomber fan, you might like it, so definitely see for yourself. I won't say the book was all horrible (there were parts that I liked), but this gets 2.5** from me. This is book one in the series, and I doubt I'll continue on with them. She'll still always be a favorite author though.
2.5**
You can also see this review @www.readrantrockandroll.com
I happened to be online looking up cowboy romances after seeing an intriguing review for a different book, and this book popped up. Of course the rating on this book is 4/5 stars, and she's a favorite author, so I was sold. Cowboys, Montana, romance--it's exactly the sort of read I was looking for. Usually Debbie Macomber books are favorites, but this one wasn't what I expected.
My issue wasn't the romance at all; in fact, I was actually really surprised with how hot and heavy the romance was. It was irritating dealing with the instalove before 10% though. My main issues were with the characters. Russ is a bit of a jerk, from beginning to end. He's stubborn, controlling, and disrespectful toward women. He's one of those men who feel a woman's ideal role is cooking in the kitchen 'barefoot and pregnant' as written in the book, and that women should follow rules. I didn't like that at all. Taylor was pretty good at sticking up for herself, but she was a bit whiny as well. This just irritated me. These two simply aren't good for one another and are constantly clashing throughout the book. It feels like it's all lust with a strong physical attraction. Without much character development or any description of the setting, this book fell flat, and just felt overall boring for me.
I'm certainly not bashing this book. If you're a Debbie Macomber fan, you might like it, so definitely see for yourself. I won't say the book was all horrible (there were parts that I liked), but this gets 2.5** from me. This is book one in the series, and I doubt I'll continue on with them. She'll still always be a favorite author though.
2.5**
You can also see this review @www.readrantrockandroll.com
April 9, 2013
Reviewed for THC Reviews
The Cowboy's Lady was my first read by Debbie Macomber. I know that Ms. Macomber is a prolific writer who seems to be a romance fan favorite, and the impression of her writing that I had gotten over the years, made me think that I would really enjoy her books. Unfortunately, this initial foray into her work didn't do a whole lot for me. I think this is owing in large part to there not being much to the plot of the story and the character development being weak. The basic gist of things is that the heroine moves from the big city to the back woods of Montana to take a teaching job in an effort to get over her cheating ex-boyfriend's betrayal. There she meets a stubborn, chauvinistic rancher and becomes a mentor of sorts to his teenage sister for whom he is guardian. The two butt heads constantly over women's issues yet inexplicably fall in love, then after she puts him off for a while, he talks her into a quickie wedding. The end.
The other thing that didn't really work for me in this story was the hero. Russ is extremely chauvinistic, harboring very antiquated notions of a woman's place in society, so much so that he felt like a throwback to a much earlier generation. He thinks that women should stay at home and be completely responsible for the housework, cooking and child-rearing, and he doesn't think women are suitable to hold public office. He's constantly at odds with his fourteen year old sister about things like make-up, clothes, cheer-leading uniforms, and dating. Granted Taylor does get him to lighten up on a few of these things to some extent, but he often put up a fuss getting there and it was never quite enough to make me believe that he'd truly changed by the end. In fact, every time I thought he was making headway, he'd take two steps back by making yet another lame-brained comment about women which made it very difficult to warm up to him at all. For me, there's also a pretty fine line between an alpha hero laying claim to his heroine and him simply making arrogant assumptions, and in my opinion, Russ definitely had a tendency to step over that line. Additionally, I didn't really care for the jealousy game he played when Taylor stubbornly pushed him away. To me, that was kind of childish. I felt that if he had been emotionally gentler with her to begin with, maybe she wouldn't have felt the need to distance herself from him and would have been more open to communicating. While I don't necessarily consider myself to be a true feminist, I do harbor enough feminist sensibilities that Russ certainly rubbed me the wrong way. However, I suppose there is something to be said for heroes who are the pursuers in a relationship, so readers who enjoy this type of thing or are fans of hard-headed, stubborn alpha males may like him more than I did.
Initially, I liked Taylor quite a bit. I loved the way she wasn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with Russ when he was being pig-headed, and she was a great buffer between him and his sister, Mandy, almost always eventually getting him to see reason where the girl was concerned. That said though, Taylor inexplicably melts every time he's around which didn't make a lot of sense to me. After growing up with a dad who was just like Russ and with whom she didn't really get along, I'd have been running the other way. Taylor did have a few misgivings, but almost always gave in anyway, until Russ really started putting the pressure on by saying he was in love with her. Then, she started pushing him away which was equally nonsensical to me. Her hesitation seemed to be rooted in what her cheating ex did to her, but I was never sure if she was afraid Russ would cheat on her too, or if she was afraid to trust any man, or what. Whatever Taylor's issues, they didn't last long before she did yet another about face, agreeing to a quickie wedding in Reno which seemed more like an excuse for them to finally have sex, but then disappointingly, all we get is a cut-scene. I may have liked Taylor in the beginning, but she made a lot of odd decisions along the way that begged for more explanation. I really felt like the author needed to dig much deeper with her characterization for me to fully understand Taylor.
When I first started reading The Cowboy's Lady I thought that it was going to be a humorous romance. Some of the butting of heads that Russ and Taylor do early on could be rather funny, but as it continued over and over, the novelty wore off for me and it simply became annoying. I just didn't feel like there was enough reasons given for these two even being attracted to one another, much less falling in love. After all, they were polar opposites with virtually nothing in common which just didn't work well for me. I simply never felt a real love connection between them, so ultimately, this was merely an OK book for me.
The Cowboy's Lady introduces the hero and heroine of the second book in the Manning Sisters duet, The Sheriff Takes a Wife. Cody is the local sheriff and best friend to Russ. He's also attracted to Taylor and goes out on one date with her while she's pushing Russ away. His heroine will be Taylor's sister, Christy, with whom Taylor has a late-night phone conversation. Even though The Cowboy's Lady failed to wow me, in the interest of finishing both the series and The Manning Sisters anthology in which I read this story, I'm sure I'll give Cody and Christy's book a try sometime in the near future. The Cowboy's Lady was originally published as a stand-alone novel in the Silhouette Special Edition line, and was later republished in the single-author anthology The Manning Sisters along with it's companion book in the series.
The Cowboy's Lady was my first read by Debbie Macomber. I know that Ms. Macomber is a prolific writer who seems to be a romance fan favorite, and the impression of her writing that I had gotten over the years, made me think that I would really enjoy her books. Unfortunately, this initial foray into her work didn't do a whole lot for me. I think this is owing in large part to there not being much to the plot of the story and the character development being weak. The basic gist of things is that the heroine moves from the big city to the back woods of Montana to take a teaching job in an effort to get over her cheating ex-boyfriend's betrayal. There she meets a stubborn, chauvinistic rancher and becomes a mentor of sorts to his teenage sister for whom he is guardian. The two butt heads constantly over women's issues yet inexplicably fall in love, then after she puts him off for a while, he talks her into a quickie wedding. The end.
The other thing that didn't really work for me in this story was the hero. Russ is extremely chauvinistic, harboring very antiquated notions of a woman's place in society, so much so that he felt like a throwback to a much earlier generation. He thinks that women should stay at home and be completely responsible for the housework, cooking and child-rearing, and he doesn't think women are suitable to hold public office. He's constantly at odds with his fourteen year old sister about things like make-up, clothes, cheer-leading uniforms, and dating. Granted Taylor does get him to lighten up on a few of these things to some extent, but he often put up a fuss getting there and it was never quite enough to make me believe that he'd truly changed by the end. In fact, every time I thought he was making headway, he'd take two steps back by making yet another lame-brained comment about women which made it very difficult to warm up to him at all. For me, there's also a pretty fine line between an alpha hero laying claim to his heroine and him simply making arrogant assumptions, and in my opinion, Russ definitely had a tendency to step over that line. Additionally, I didn't really care for the jealousy game he played when Taylor stubbornly pushed him away. To me, that was kind of childish. I felt that if he had been emotionally gentler with her to begin with, maybe she wouldn't have felt the need to distance herself from him and would have been more open to communicating. While I don't necessarily consider myself to be a true feminist, I do harbor enough feminist sensibilities that Russ certainly rubbed me the wrong way. However, I suppose there is something to be said for heroes who are the pursuers in a relationship, so readers who enjoy this type of thing or are fans of hard-headed, stubborn alpha males may like him more than I did.
Initially, I liked Taylor quite a bit. I loved the way she wasn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with Russ when he was being pig-headed, and she was a great buffer between him and his sister, Mandy, almost always eventually getting him to see reason where the girl was concerned. That said though, Taylor inexplicably melts every time he's around which didn't make a lot of sense to me. After growing up with a dad who was just like Russ and with whom she didn't really get along, I'd have been running the other way. Taylor did have a few misgivings, but almost always gave in anyway, until Russ really started putting the pressure on by saying he was in love with her. Then, she started pushing him away which was equally nonsensical to me. Her hesitation seemed to be rooted in what her cheating ex did to her, but I was never sure if she was afraid Russ would cheat on her too, or if she was afraid to trust any man, or what. Whatever Taylor's issues, they didn't last long before she did yet another about face, agreeing to a quickie wedding in Reno which seemed more like an excuse for them to finally have sex, but then disappointingly, all we get is a cut-scene. I may have liked Taylor in the beginning, but she made a lot of odd decisions along the way that begged for more explanation. I really felt like the author needed to dig much deeper with her characterization for me to fully understand Taylor.
When I first started reading The Cowboy's Lady I thought that it was going to be a humorous romance. Some of the butting of heads that Russ and Taylor do early on could be rather funny, but as it continued over and over, the novelty wore off for me and it simply became annoying. I just didn't feel like there was enough reasons given for these two even being attracted to one another, much less falling in love. After all, they were polar opposites with virtually nothing in common which just didn't work well for me. I simply never felt a real love connection between them, so ultimately, this was merely an OK book for me.
The Cowboy's Lady introduces the hero and heroine of the second book in the Manning Sisters duet, The Sheriff Takes a Wife. Cody is the local sheriff and best friend to Russ. He's also attracted to Taylor and goes out on one date with her while she's pushing Russ away. His heroine will be Taylor's sister, Christy, with whom Taylor has a late-night phone conversation. Even though The Cowboy's Lady failed to wow me, in the interest of finishing both the series and The Manning Sisters anthology in which I read this story, I'm sure I'll give Cody and Christy's book a try sometime in the near future. The Cowboy's Lady was originally published as a stand-alone novel in the Silhouette Special Edition line, and was later republished in the single-author anthology The Manning Sisters along with it's companion book in the series.
May 14, 2024
Wasted my damn time….. romance novel and all they did was mack and fight about whether a country boy and city girl can live each other. Where is the porn.
October 14, 2023
So good! I love the ranch/cowboy settings for these romances.
April 2, 2017
Pretty sappy!
May 26, 2022
DNF at 34%
My Rating: 1 STAR ⭐️
MY REVIEW:
My first DNF of 2022. I tried to power through and continue listening to this audiobook but in the end I just couldn’t. I really disliked the characters, especially Russ. I knew he was a going to be a grumpy hero when I went into this but I was not expecting him to be an absolute jerk and tease. I was not enjoying how he was treating Taylor. Knowing that they were going to end up together by the end as it’s a romance, I couldn’t help but feel that she deserved someone better. I read some reviews before calling it quits on this one because I was curious to see if it would be worth finishing, I didn’t see many positive reviews. Life is too short to read or listen to books that don’t spark an interest or joy to engage my time in. I’m disappointed as the premise sounds great and Debbie is such a beloved author but this was a miss for me.
My Rating: 1 STAR ⭐️
MY REVIEW:
My first DNF of 2022. I tried to power through and continue listening to this audiobook but in the end I just couldn’t. I really disliked the characters, especially Russ. I knew he was a going to be a grumpy hero when I went into this but I was not expecting him to be an absolute jerk and tease. I was not enjoying how he was treating Taylor. Knowing that they were going to end up together by the end as it’s a romance, I couldn’t help but feel that she deserved someone better. I read some reviews before calling it quits on this one because I was curious to see if it would be worth finishing, I didn’t see many positive reviews. Life is too short to read or listen to books that don’t spark an interest or joy to engage my time in. I’m disappointed as the premise sounds great and Debbie is such a beloved author but this was a miss for me.
April 16, 2025
Besides the fact that I hate the country boy-city girl trope, this one is 100% worse due to the fact that 1) they are definitely headed for divorce once the newness wears off and 2) their entire “courtship” and relationship is physical. The “Montana” stereotypes were painful, and as someone who lives on a Montana ranch, and married a Montana rancher, it’s actually a little bit offensive the way the people and the town are described. And for the record, the town of Cougar Point, is the most unrealistic small town I’ve ever read. They just happen to have a movie theater and more than one fine-dining establishment, but everyone knows each other AND no credit or debit cards? Gag. It’s this kind of unrealistic depictions that reinforce the Montana stereotypes.
Read
September 26, 2020DNF Combo book (Lee T McClain = #2)
couldn’t get past the first two chapters
Insta-luv.
couldn’t get past the first two chapters
Insta-luv.
March 4, 2024
The plot flows along nicely with bits of the unexpected. The author is a master at focusing in on what might happen in a real life situation.
August 3, 2016
I had never read this author before and I won't again. Wanted some romance featuring the backdrop of Montana and didn't really get much of either. Totally implausible story and undeveloped characters.
August 12, 2019
A cattleman love story
Loved this sweet story of a Montana cattleman who has a chauvinist. A broken-hearted school teacher wanted to forget about her previous relationship took a teaching job in a small rural town. It is a funny, heartwarming story.
Loved this sweet story of a Montana cattleman who has a chauvinist. A broken-hearted school teacher wanted to forget about her previous relationship took a teaching job in a small rural town. It is a funny, heartwarming story.
February 24, 2015
It was pretty good but not one of my favorites. It might be that I already knew basically what was going to happen from reading previous books in this series.
November 11, 2016
I started this book last night and finished it this morning. It was a quick easy read. Great Story!
June 16, 2023
Honestly, read this as a teen and it was great cause I had no idea what love was like. Reading this now pisses me off LOL.
The plot is super fast paced with little character development. The protagonist Taylor goes from being a normal woman with boundaries who doesn't take sexism, to literally marrying a sexist guy, knowing he expects her to stay home, cook, clean, and take care of kids while he doesn't do any of that "women work". There are thoughts from Taylor on how he is changing and learning to compromise, but something about having to convince someone to compromise on human equality just gives me the yuck. In the end, there was truly no change on the mans part; he was still sexist and controlling.
I will say, if you really like romance novels and don’t mind the gender roles, then this is a great read. The author writes romance and passion really well, and keeps the story light for a quick and easy romantic read. I struggled enjoying this because I like stories that focus plot and growth, as well as the romance. I also hate sexist men so I really set myself up for this disappointment.
The plot is super fast paced with little character development. The protagonist Taylor goes from being a normal woman with boundaries who doesn't take sexism, to literally marrying a sexist guy, knowing he expects her to stay home, cook, clean, and take care of kids while he doesn't do any of that "women work". There are thoughts from Taylor on how he is changing and learning to compromise, but something about having to convince someone to compromise on human equality just gives me the yuck. In the end, there was truly no change on the mans part; he was still sexist and controlling.
I will say, if you really like romance novels and don’t mind the gender roles, then this is a great read. The author writes romance and passion really well, and keeps the story light for a quick and easy romantic read. I struggled enjoying this because I like stories that focus plot and growth, as well as the romance. I also hate sexist men so I really set myself up for this disappointment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2020
This was a very sweet and relaxed romance. I bought it because I enjoyed Macomber’s novella Silver Bells and wanted to find out more about the Manning family. Starting with Taylor was definitely a good decision and I found that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was also a really nice and easy read, which I needed since I was recovering from being sick while reading this.
I did love that Taylor is definitely a feminist and argues for women’s rights. But she falls for a man who is most decidedly a chauvinist. At first I thought I was going to hate the dynamic and half expected Taylor to loose her sense of self in the new guy. But, this really didn’t happen and so I still got to have my happy feelings at the end of the novel.
As with most stories that have a teenager at the helm of the insanity… Mandy kind of stole the show for me. She is an absolute firecracker and I love how she goes toe to toe with her brother to assert her rights as a young woman. She also manages to cause problems and makeups between Taylor and russ. Which, of course just makes me all that much happier.
Having a male chauvinist as a lead made me think that I was REALLY not going to like Russ as a character. After all, these are the kind of people in my personal life that I absolutely avoid like the plague. But that really wasn’t the case. Somehow he drew me in, and even if I felt the need to smack him (metaphorically speaking), I still found myself really liking him and hoping for the best outcome. Which, after all, is exactly why I read romances.
I did love that Taylor is definitely a feminist and argues for women’s rights. But she falls for a man who is most decidedly a chauvinist. At first I thought I was going to hate the dynamic and half expected Taylor to loose her sense of self in the new guy. But, this really didn’t happen and so I still got to have my happy feelings at the end of the novel.
As with most stories that have a teenager at the helm of the insanity… Mandy kind of stole the show for me. She is an absolute firecracker and I love how she goes toe to toe with her brother to assert her rights as a young woman. She also manages to cause problems and makeups between Taylor and russ. Which, of course just makes me all that much happier.
Having a male chauvinist as a lead made me think that I was REALLY not going to like Russ as a character. After all, these are the kind of people in my personal life that I absolutely avoid like the plague. But that really wasn’t the case. Somehow he drew me in, and even if I felt the need to smack him (metaphorically speaking), I still found myself really liking him and hoping for the best outcome. Which, after all, is exactly why I read romances.
November 28, 2023
This was almost a 2 star book but I did enjoy some of the scenes the characters had, particularly the cow in the mud scene. However, I really didn't like the back and forth "woman I'm gonna take you to bed and make you love me" then her feeble and pathetic "oh no rugged cowboy man, please leave me alone. I'm here to heal my broken heart, not to fall in love again. Please leave me alone." And him "one way or another I'll make you realize you love me." And her "no, no, please leave me alone."
You get it. It got old. I disliked that then found the ending rushed and disappointing. After pushing him away throughout the whole book she finally seduces him and they elope while in Reno. No thank you. Didn't like it all that much. I'm probably just expecting too much from a throw away novel but this one was a miss for me.
You get it. It got old. I disliked that then found the ending rushed and disappointing. After pushing him away throughout the whole book she finally seduces him and they elope while in Reno. No thank you. Didn't like it all that much. I'm probably just expecting too much from a throw away novel but this one was a miss for me.
dnf
April 18, 2023I had to look at the publication date after reading the first couple chapters because Russ is disgustingly out of touch. However, my disgust in him was not remedied by the fact that this was published in 1990. I have read many books written from the 18th century that didn't have men this terrible. I'm not continuing. Don't care if he gets better or not. It's likely just the same trash person prettified by ~love~.
My edition on this book was joined with Small-Town Nanny, which was not any better. view review here
My edition on this book was joined with Small-Town Nanny, which was not any better. view review here
November 9, 2020
This book was an absolute frothy breath of fresh air and exactly what I needed after reading quite a few meaty novels. I scarfed it down in an evening courtesy of BorrowBox and thoroughly enjoyed it. I agree with a lot of other reviewers that Russ is a chauvinist pratt but I think it’s really important to remember that this is a 30 year old book and so of course it’s not going to quite align with modern ways of thinking, and he’s described as pretty backwards by Taylor on plenty of occasions. It’s insta love with a huge amount of longing but in something like this I never mind. See you all later, I’m about to dive headfirst into this authors back catalogue
March 17, 2018
I have seen alot of Debbie Macomber books around during my years of reading and never read anything of hers. I assumed that with the volume of books i have seen of hers around that she must be a good writer.
After reading this book however i doubt that I will ever give a Marcomber book a go again.
It was a boring story with boring characters that should never have gotten together. There was no strong connection. Taylor annoyed me with stringing Russ along. And dont get me started on Russ. Im not a feminist but he was not only chauvinistic but just a jerk of a person.
After reading this book however i doubt that I will ever give a Marcomber book a go again.
It was a boring story with boring characters that should never have gotten together. There was no strong connection. Taylor annoyed me with stringing Russ along. And dont get me started on Russ. Im not a feminist but he was not only chauvinistic but just a jerk of a person.
October 20, 2018
I read the Kindle release of this novel. I'm sure I probably read it in 1990 when it was first published, but 28 years is a long time between readings of a book. I actually liked this novel more than some of Debbie Macomber's more recent works, although there were some plot elements that I thought were not logical: Russ's chauvinism and Taylor's attitude toward Russ. I enjoyed the humor written into the story, and the tenderness Russ showed Taylor. Overall, I thought the novel provided good, safe escape.
August 28, 2019
I’m iffy on this book. The first half of the book I enjoyed until Taylor fell in the mud, then she became annoyed. She’s whiney and just rubs me the wrong way. I loved Russ most of the time, aggressive male characters are so hot but there’s a line of where it can turn creepy real quick. Russ would keep pushing until Taylor would cry sometimes which I thought was too much. One thing I have to keep in mind though is that this book is almost 30 years old and you can definitely tell that with some of the language and how the dialogue between characters is done. I enjoyed the overall story though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2020
This whole book romanticized unhealthy relationship traits. Russ is an old fashioned chauvinist anti feminist. Taylor is 9 years younger and fresh out of a heartbreak. In a matter of months they fall in lust and get married even though they have very few shared values or goals and Russ consistently ignores Taylor’s boundaries and wishes. He uses physicality to override her intellect and he blackmails her into dates. Where’s the sequel where they end up divorced?
November 25, 2021
I read this as a part of the manning sisters bind up and I hated this one just as much as the other. This one should've been read first because it is about Taylor Manning and we see her in her married life in the next one. Ooops. Anyway. She is a teacher coming into town and she meets Russ. Russ is raising his teenage daughter and this is an enemies to lovers story with a chauvinist pig and I was so grossed out. Both Manning girls picked terrible men, IMO, and I do not like reading about it.
September 20, 2024
This book has a decent foundational plot, but the characters are beyond frustrating and unbelievable. The guy has zero redeeming qualities and is a manipulative sexist. After reading this book, I feel like I have a better understanding of why women fall for abusive husbands and why the divorce rate is so high.
I also got the impression the book was ghost written, or if it was more modern, written by AI.
I also got the impression the book was ghost written, or if it was more modern, written by AI.
June 13, 2017
City girl and a cowboy
Fun romantic book that's an easy feel-good read. The school teacher escapes to the country, trying to get her life back in order after a disastrous love affair. What she doesn't want more than anything is to fall in love again. Her new found love won't let her back away though and they manage to get past their differences to become a couple. Happy ending!
Fun romantic book that's an easy feel-good read. The school teacher escapes to the country, trying to get her life back in order after a disastrous love affair. What she doesn't want more than anything is to fall in love again. Her new found love won't let her back away though and they manage to get past their differences to become a couple. Happy ending!
August 30, 2017
Whoa! This is some pretty steamy stuff for Debbie Macomber:) Anyone interested in some good old fashioned romance, steamy embraces and kissing should suspend all notion of what would happen in real life and jump in. It was so fun and ridiculous! Sometimes I just want to enjoy a silly love story and this fit the bill. Yes this would never happen in real life...but who cares???
October 23, 2019
I have always liked Debbie Macomber's books. They are clean, fun, romantic fictions. This one was the same. I would recommend any of her books and especially her series to anyone. I have just found a bunch of her older books which this includes. I do think with them you can tell she isn't quite as polished as her newer books but still fun to read.
January 1, 2021
I usually like this author and feel like her books are good. This one was such a disappointment. Shallow characters, too much focus on physical attraction, little character development. The setting had lots of possibilities but wasn’t used well.
This won’t turn me off to this author, but this is not her best work.
This won’t turn me off to this author, but this is not her best work.
June 28, 2023
"The Cowboy's Lady" is the story of Taylor and Russ.
A misogynist hero, a screeching heroine, a tolerable sister made this a very strenuous read. All she did was push him away, and all he did was make insulting remarks and then apologize as he was madly in love with her.
Bored me.
Safe
2/5
A misogynist hero, a screeching heroine, a tolerable sister made this a very strenuous read. All she did was push him away, and all he did was make insulting remarks and then apologize as he was madly in love with her.
Bored me.
Safe
2/5
September 23, 2023
Bull heads meet
Two opinionated people meet for the first time and think the other is just not right in their thinking. Russ is old school chauvinist cowboy and Taylor is city girl all the way. They butt heads all the way to the alter, but just work some how. Now explain it to her parents. Funny, romantic, feel good HEA. One of Debbie MaComber's best Classics!
Two opinionated people meet for the first time and think the other is just not right in their thinking. Russ is old school chauvinist cowboy and Taylor is city girl all the way. They butt heads all the way to the alter, but just work some how. Now explain it to her parents. Funny, romantic, feel good HEA. One of Debbie MaComber's best Classics!
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