He’s a sweet-talking cowboy. She’s a straight-shooting fireball immune to his charms.
They’ve got sparks, but will they kindle lasting love or burn down the house?
Elton has tried everything to win over Adele. But she shrugs off his flirtations, and has no trouble putting him in his place.
But when he finds himself in trouble with the law, Elton becomes the center of her attention. Maybe it's negative attention, but he'll take what he can get when it comes to Adele.
If getting in trouble is what it takes to keep her in his orbit, he'll be the baddest bad boy cowboy in Texas.
Only ... the closer Elton gets to Adele, the more he realizes that he's not the man that she deserves, or the man he wants to be.
Being bad got her attention, but it won't win her affection.
Can this bad boy cowboy become the man he needs to be to secure her heart?
Emma St. Clair is a USA Today Bestselling Author who loves sassy heroines, witty banter, and love stories with heart and humor. She has an MFA in Fiction and lives in Katy, Texas (go, Tigers!) with her hubby, five children, and Great Dane. Her favorite place to write is tapping on her phone while on the elliptical machine. No Emmas have been hurt in the writing of these novels. (Yet.)
After enjoying the first two books in the series, I was looking forward to this next one in the series. There is just something about Elton that pulled me in and the passion and feelings that explode between him and Adele does not disappoint. This book will entertain, make you laugh and cry and leave you wanting more. It's so good that after reading it through KU, I jumped at buying it on sale to have forever. As I know I will reread it.
The Boyd twins, Easton and Elton,appear in the Hometown Heartthrobs series by Emma St. Clair,mostly as background or supporting characters. In Loving Her Cowboy, Elton takes the spotlight. At loose ends after his parents' death in a car accident three years ago, Elton has been channeling his restless energy into organizing fights in his Fight Club. One of those fights led to the accident that cost Cilla the use of her legs, and another led to Pax being suspended by the NFL for bad behavior off the field. Not a big deal, Elton thinks. The Katy police disagree, and Elton finds himself on house arrest with an ankle bracelet monitoring his movements. His lawyer, an associate of his older brother, tells him it could have been much worse... running an organized crime ring usually ends in significant jail time.
Elton has had a crush on Adele, Cilla's best friend, for years and has watched her make not-so-subtle attempts to attract his quieter twin. Easton won't respond, so Elton decides to take advantage of her guilt (her high-volume lecture at the hospital alerted the cops to his presence) by getting her to agree to keep him company while he's confined to the house. She consents reluctantly, but they have a fun time together.
As Cilla's maid of honor, Adele gets roped into helping plan the wedding... and hearing Cilla's unsolicited comments on how she's been pining for the wrong twin. Adele protests, citing Elton's numerous dates with vapid, gorgeous women, not realizing that Elton only dated them to make her jealous.
The centerpiece of the book is a church service in a converted gym, with the weight benches pushed along one wall. Adele had scolded Elton about some of his online behavior, ending with "I don't need you". He promptly excused himself from accepting her invitation to church later that morning and told her to go with her "preferred twin". Ouch!
Elton changes his mind and heads to the church after Adele and Easton leave. During the service, the pastor (the lawyer's brother!) explains that God knows everyone's sin and invites them anyway. Those words resonate with Elton, who feels unworthy to be there when he's angry with God for taking his parents' lives. In another part of the gym, Easton makes an Elton-encouraged move on Adele that shows her which twin she's interested in. (Spoiler alert: it's not Easton.)
The wedding day arrives, and Adele is furious with Elton for ignoring her for nearly a month. Elton seems to look at her with attraction across the aisle, but he manages not to walk back with her after the ceremony. She's even more furious! But then Elton reveals what he's been doing while ignoring her, and all is forgiven. No wedding, no engagement, just a promise of a future together... and that's what Elton and Adele both want.
Oddly, this book is told mostly from Elton's perspective. The series uses third person narrative to move the story forward, and each chapter indicates who's telling the story. In most rom-coms, the chapters alternate: she gets the odd numbered chapters and he gets the even numbered ones, or vice versa. Here, Elton gets five of the first eight and Adele gets only three. Her chapters may be longer, but his give more insight into his confusion and desires.
St. Clair's gift of storytelling grabs the reader and doesn't let go. I can't wait to see what happens to the rest of the Katy friends!
This story had a vibe that reminded me of The Taming of the Shrew in how Elton & Adele's constant sparring is an outlet for their passionate natures - and relationship. They just haven't taken the time to figure out what exactly the passion is that's between them.
They know each other well enough to take each other for granted, as well as to wound at times.
Adele thinks the mysterious quiet surrounding Elton's brother Easton that makes her pulse flutter must be more than mere attraction (rather than self conscious uncertainty). It doesn't help that she also believes Elton's a player - because he's given her plenty of reason to think so in his effort to make her jealous.
Elton views their shared repartee as all part of Adele's fiery nature which he loves. He doesn't know how to undo all the negative things she believes about him, but decides it's time to try. Complications ensue.
The story is dealing with some pretty damaged souls in need of God's healing (and I really appreciate that the author has some of her characters going to therapy as part of that rather than instead of). Their pain is so visceral at times that it's not surprising they're trying to avoid dealing with it.
It's very touching when Elton's grief finally begins to seep out of the box he's been keeping it in. Adele can be frustrating, but she can empathize with him. Unfortunately, she's a little lost & confused, too.
It's fun when they finally get together. The epilogue is actually a sneak peek. Easton isn't upset to lose his fangirl to his brother, but he's the next troubled soul who's walking wounded & in need of God's healing.
*Clean romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic *Religion: overtly Christian but not preachy
I have loved Elton in every book I've seen him in. He is hilarious! Add in good with babies, and what I'm imagining is a sweet country accent, and I'm done.
So, I am thrilled he got his story. And while it was still plenty funny and sweet, it did delve into Elton's life a little more. Which was a little sad, understandably so.
He's been pinning for one of his best friends for years (even though Adele only had eyes for his twin). Add in his suppressed grief over his parents' untimely death, and you get an Elton whose life is a bit of a mess. He's still funny, but we find out it's a mask to hide his grief. So, he makes less than great choices. And suffers the consequences of those choices.
Then we have Adele, who needs a warning label when it comes to Elton. He knows all her buttons, and she definitely rises to the occasion. They have an explosive relationship to say the least. (Really, it's Elton pinning for her and her being blind to what she wants.) There were so many adorably sweet moments that she shared with Elton, I don't know how she convinced herself she wanted Easton.
After some soul searching on both parts, and some much needed guidance from the late Mama Boyd, they figure it out. (Mama Boyd's letter and the reaction to it just pulls on everyone of my heartstrings. Every. One.) The dance scene at the wedding is possibly one of the most romantic scenes ever. It's so touching, especially after what they worked through to get there.
I'm looking forward to seeing some more of them (fingers crossed) in Easton's story. I can't wait to see what is causing his brooding and what burden he's unnecessarily carrying. Hopefully his family of friends will carry him through (just like he has done for them with his Pearl's of wisdom).
Central to this well-written clean romance is the emotional rollercoaster of unrequited love. Our hero, Elton, is a charming, teasing, full-of-life bad boy whose crush on Adele is not returned because she has a crush on Elton’s identical twin, Easton. Easton is much more reserved and serious but only sees Adele as a sisterly friend. As twins, Elton and Easton have been grieving the loss of their parents. They have both been guilty of running an illegal fight-club, but they have decided to shut the club down. On the last night of operation, one of the fighters is a no-show. Elton elects to step in and take his place. During that fight he is so badly beaten that he ends up in the hospital emergency room. While there, Adele loudly criticizes Elton’s behavior and is overheard by a policeman who just happens to have been trying to find and close down the club. Things rapidly go downhill from there, resulting in a story of unrequited love, self-recrimination, and discovery that keeps a reader actively involved until the final page is turned. As the story progresses, the reader is reminded that we may have been granted the right to choose our actions, but we do not get to choose the consequences. Christians will appreciate how the author shows, in a non-preachy way, that God accepts all, regardless of their weaknesses, when they seek forgiveness. Well done! Five-stars!
Easton and Elton had lost their parents at a young age. Adele had also lost her mother. They had been friends for a long time and for most of that time, at least recently, Adele had a big crush on Easton and she would shamelessly flirt with him but he never seemed to reciprocate. Meanwhile, his twin brother, Elton, would flirt with Adele but she never was moved because he dated lots of women. There was nothing to his flirtation but Elton being Elton. Until Adele noticed that Elton had changed. He was no longer the lanky cowboy, now he was the cowboy with 8-pack abs and muscles. He was handsome and real and Adele found that she liked his snuggles and glances, maybe even more than she liked Easton. . . Was that possible? Could she like Elton instead of Easton?
I enjoyed reading this book. It was a clean romance with none of the sex or foul language but lots of feels. There were great secondary characters as a part of the story, also.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
Truth be told, I opened this book, read a few pages and returned it. Then I looked at the reviews. And they are glowing! So I decided to try again. So obviously I wasn’t sucked in from the very first page. Just from about page 15 onward. 😜 I am so glad I gave it another try because it was adooorable. I love fiery, passionate romances (but clean). This one also struck a bit of a chord. Elton and Easton (twin brothers) lost their parents in an accident several years earlier. And that pain is still pretty raw for them. Adele also lost her mother not long before they lost their parents. So this story has a deeper emotional aspect to it that not just myself but many people can identify with. It isn’t a sad story though, it’s actually quite funny. Adele and Elton have this intense banter going on that is just hilarious. You know the kind where they fight intense but then they grab each other and kiss? Anyways, I don’t want to give anything away, just read it! It’s 200 pages, so grab a glass of wine and run a big bubble bath and settle in. Lol
I just love this series, the characters are just so ordinary, and I don’t mean that up in a negative way, I mean they could literally be the people next door, the guys you went to school with. The ones you share so much history with.
The issues and hang ups they had, we have all been through. Dreams and heartaches and coming to terms with what life throws at us.
Elton was no saint but he had loved and cared for Adele for a long time. Adele was focused on the wrong twin but something changes in her and she’s not sure what to do with her new feelings.
Will Elton bow out and let his brother get the girl or is he going to fight for her. You will need to read it to find out. 😘
I received this as a complimentary copy and I am giving my honest review voluntarily
This is pretty good. A lot of the focus is a continuation of the previous book mingled with a "love" triangle. I think Elton is a sweet guy, once introduced to him, he seems totally committed to being in a relationship with Adele. I feel like there is not enough interaction with Adele and Elton in a solo relationship environment to fully reflect their romance, it just seemed to take to long for the triangle to work itself out. This is still entertaining and a nice clean story, I'm just always expecting a more defined and definite happily ever after for them, regardless of what I'm reading. I received a free copy without obligation from author and am voluntarily reviewing.
This was at times a sad/hard read for me; the grief, pain, loss, regrets, heartbreak and sorrow really touched me. I wanted to reach into the story and hug both Elton and Easton, and at times I wanted to shake Adele for her judgements and actions. I found the story interesting and appreciated the inner struggles both Elton and Adele had as they helped me to better connect to them as characters.
I am curious what Ben's deal is and hope that he along with Kat and Jem get their own HEA. I'm gearing myself up for Easton's story as I know it's going to be another emotional one. I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an ARC.
I fell in love with the twins during Pax and Cilla’s story. The love/conflict relationship between twins is so realistically presented. Easton and Eldon suffer from a failure to communicate, from everything from the death of their parents, girls and just life. Their mother was an important glue in their family. Adele just needed to figure out which twin did she really want. Not easy when they are identical and she’s known them since grade school. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to Easton finally getting his girl. Oh and please, with sugar on top, let Ben have his story told.
I enjoyed this book and really liked the identical twin twist. Elton’s journey from bad boy to realising (if somewhat late) he needed to get his life together was a difficult one as he faced the consequences of his lifestyle. I also liked how Adele had to work out the difference between infatuation, attraction and love, and how sometimes what we think we want isn’t what we want in the end. A good clean read that also touches on some serious issues, unresolved grief, self esteem, the desire to be validated and how dealing with these is an ongoing journey, best done with the help of friends. I received an ARC and this is my voluntary and honest review.
This was an interesting story of growing up, soul searching, twins, and finding love. It is also a story that united a couple from a previous book, Pax and Cilla.
I really liked how Elton's character grew into a man he could be happy with after facing his past, his parent's deaths, and paying for his illegal fighting ring with a three month house arrest. I liked how Adele finally saw what was right in front of her and finally chose the right twin for her. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
Sort of. Elton has crushed on Adele for years (that hasn’t stopped him from kissing many girls in his barn bedroom). He’s drifting aimless for three years, not working and running a fight club. His twin Easton is who Adele is infatuated with.
Adele has crushed on twin Easton for the past year. She can’t seem to see Elton who’s right in front of her. And I certainly don’t blame her. Elton is immature and hasn’t let himself grow up emotionally.
Can’t wait for Easton’s story. Broody works for me. 4.5
Winning the Cowboy is a quick book to read. It has highs and lows and every emotion in between. I enjoyed watching both Elton and Adele grow and mature as the story progressed.
The side characters contributed nicely to the story. The peek into ”growing up Texas” was fun. Who wouldn’t love to grow up with the twins parents in charge? Their mother seems especially important in several aspects of the story.
The book has love, angst, humor, and redemption. I recommend it to romance, comedy, and fiction readers.
Emma St. Clair’s Winning the Cowboy: A Bad Boy Sweet Romance (Not So Bad Boys Book 3) is a beautifully done sweet bad-boy romance. Truly well written and with a great plot and well crafted characters this was just a lot of fun. Definitely recommended. Oh, and yes, there are “mild Christian themes” but they’re more about the occasional statement of the characters’ belief than proselytizing. I happen to be Jewish but I could easily identify with the feeling even if my faith is different. It certainly did not tskr away from this great stories.
Ever since I read the previous book, I have been looking forward to Elton's story. He is definitely a charmer and comes across as a player. Reading his story was so fun because you got to know him. He is not a player, just a dumb guy who can't seem to say the right things to the girl he loves. I loved reading about his and Adele's relationship. I wanted to scream at her to get her head out of the sand and SEE the twin who really likes her. Luckily, she did eventually. Took some doing though. They are such a good match, and I am looking forward to Easton's story
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
It's interesting how the relationship between Elton & Adele develops. He soon realizes that being bad is maybe not the best thing for him to keep Adele. With advice from Cilla, Adele realizes she probably loves the wrong twin. I enjoyed that Pax & Cilla get married in this book. Also, there may be more about Ben, the lawyer, in the next book or will he get a book of his own? This is a clean romance series that is enjoyable. I received an ARC. This is my voluntary, honest opinion.
I always enjoy a great romance story but when you add a cowboy into it, that makes it so much better. Two brothers and a neighbor girl who grew up together as friends, girl likes the good brother who doesnt ever pay her any attention and the bad boy cowboy has always liked her and would pull whatever stunts it took to get her attention. Years later we will see what it takes the guy to finally get her attention and hopefully win her heart. Grab your copy today and enjoy this great story and characters and see who finally wins her heart and gets their happily ever after.
Elton and Easton are twins and Adele is friends to both brothers but she has a crush on Easton but it is Elton who is always flirting with her. Elton is a known flirt and a bad boy at times so she never gave his flirting any notice. When he realizes that all his bad boy ways and flirting may be giving Adele the wrong idea he decides to straighten up his life. Will Adele realize that Elton is the guy for her?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the delicious twins and Adele as she moved her affections from one to the other. The witty banter was great and the characters were incredibly well-developed. I particularly liked Elton's character. This book also had my heart aching in quite a few places; that's how much I was able to feel the characters. Honestly, so well written. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to read more from this author.
Contains: religious references, fighting, kisses. I liked these characters and I like the emotion but there was a disconnect between the first and second halves of the book. Adele is all over Easton for a few books and he’s clueless then all of a sudden he’s into her while Elton pines away, doesn’t explain his thoughts or feelings, kinda ghosts her for a month, then decides to kiss and propose? It seemed a little off to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really enjoyed reading it! It's a feel-good, funny & moving romance. I've looked forward to Adele's story. After a big blow up, Elton's life needed to change. But one thing he can say is, he knows who he cares about. And it's one thing Adele can't. She has always known who she loves, until she didn't. Another great book in the series. I loved everything about this Must Read Story!!
It was the week my husband died that I read this, so I'm not surprised that I neglected to post my review. Because it was so long ago, I am scant on details, but I do remember that I selected it after reading two other books by Emma St. Clair. Up to that point, I wasn't familiar with her, but I have quite enjoyed her stories.
I had an ARC copy of this book, but this is my voluntary and honest opinion. Emma did a great job writing this latest book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Elton and Adele’s story. The characters were believable and the story line was interesting. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
I enjoyed this book. It is another clean romance with a happy ending. Adele thinks she is in love with one twin but can't see what is really right in front of her. If you like a sweet romance with a cowboy, you will like this book.
The relationship between Adele and the twins is confusing , frustrating, fun, and realistic. This was a really enjoyable story and I cannot wait to find out what happens in Easton's story and hopefully there will be updates on Elton and Adele.
This is a very interesting story. The emotions from Adele are so real for so many females. It is interesting to see how she deals with herself. On the other hand, the twins are not free from emotions either. Very interesting to see how things turn out.