Socialite and the Cowboy

Justice #1

by Ella Goode

For a century, the Justice men have amassed land, wealth, and power but not one has managed to keep his bride alive past the age of thirty. This curse has resulted in nothing but pain and trauma. My solution? Don’t fall in love, don’t get married, live your life for the land. I’ve followed this motto for thirty-four years and my four cousins have done the same. Our home has no women but neither does it have any sorrow. I was happy to keep it this way until Birdie Rodgers came into my life. My Uncle bequeathed her forty million dollars worth of Justice property. I’m keeping both the land…and her.

Most people think I don’t have much going on upstairs because I love fashion but I’m on the cusp of a real breakthrough in my career. All I need is some funding to get my new line off the ground. It seems like this inheritance is the perfect solution. The problem is that it comes with some very big—and I mean over six feet—strings attached. Calder Justice is handsome, infuriating, and determined but I don’t know what he wants. My inheritance or me?

Genres: Romance, Westerns, Contemporary, Novella, Contemporary Romance, Smut, Short Stories

104 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2021

Reviews

[Jen ♥]

insta-love and dual v! 💖

[Serena Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Voy a pintar todo el negro de este mundo con todo el color que pueda encontrar porque no hay forma de dejarla ir'




•Mi opinión puede contener Spoilers

•Esta destinada a ser un descargo personal no para que alguien más lea pero si lo haces y te ofende, me disculpo porque sé lo que es que te guste un libro y otros lo critiquen





Socialite and the cowboy de Ella Goode Serie Justice libro 1


Argumento:

Durante un siglo, los hombres Justice han amasado tierras, riquezas y poder, pero ninguno ha conseguido mantener viva a su novia más allá de los treinta años. Esta maldición no ha dado lugar más que al dolor y al trauma.

¿Mi solución?

No te enamores, no te cases, vive tu vida para la tierra. He seguido este lema durante treinta y cuatro años y mis cuatro primos han hecho lo mismo. En nuestra casa no hay mujeres, pero tampoco hay penas.

Estaba feliz de mantenerlo así hasta que Birdie Rodgers llegó a mi vida. Mi tío le legó cuarenta millones de dólares en propiedades Justice. Me quedo tanto con la tierra... como con ella.

La mayoría de la gente piensa que no tengo mucho que hacer arriba porque me encanta la moda, pero estoy en la cúspide de un verdadero avance en mi carrera. Todo lo que necesito es algo de financiación para hacer despegar mi nueva línea.

Parece que esta herencia es la solución perfecta. El problema es que viene con unas cuerdas muy grandes -y me refiero a más de dos
metros- atadas. Calder Justice es guapo, exasperante y decidido, pero no sé qué quiere. ¿Mi herencia o a mí?





Mí humilde opinión:

Me la pasé muy bien leyendo este de Ella. Vaqueros sexys y una maldición de amor? Este giro sobrenatural, le dio algo de misterio y peligro haciendo un poco más interesante a esta lectura rápida.

El romance era explosivo. Calder y Birdie encajaban perfectos, él era el vaquero rústico, 100% alfa y gruñón y ella la dama suave de ciudad inocente de buen corazón. La verdad me gustó su conexión instantánea, había mucha pasión entre ellos. También me gustó que a pesar de querer proteger a Birdie de la maldición, Calder no se diera por vencido y fuera por ella cuando la envió lejos. O sea, que me alegro que no hubiera nada de angustia muy prolongada.

Me gustaron todos los Justice, espero leer sus historias pronto y, como dice Calder, puedan también vencer la maldición para amar a sus mujeres sin miedos.

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Socialite and the Cowboy" is the story of Birdie and Calder.

Hero is a cowboy in desperate need of funds. He has vowed never to fall in love or marry thanks to a family curse. Enter the gorgeous heroine, who immediately intrigues him. He really wants to sleep with her, and keep emotions away from the deal, but fate has other plans..

I really enjoyed this book, which was a quick read.

Safe
4/5

[Liz [reads books] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book. I'm looking forward to the stories that will come next! 4 stars

[alaynasvanity · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would love it if someone could let me know when Goode writes a heroine who isn’t a fucking doormat that forgives the man who broke her heart after a few short sentences.

[Soma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 1st book from the Justice Men Series.
The story was fast, sweet and steamy. I enjoyed it.

[A-reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

My reviews always contain spoilers, I write them so I can remember the story.

The Justice men know they are cursed, all the women they love die. The Justice cousins all decide they are not going to fall in love, therefore saving themselves heartbreak and saving a good woman’s life. But when the patriarch of the family, Earl, dies and leaves a young woman, Birdie the family blue diamond ring and a prime piece of real estate, they all wonder who this woman is. The new patriarch of the family, Calder decides to go see who she is and get her to fulfill the terms of the will so he can get the blue diamond and property back for his family. Birdie is a socialite who doesn’t like the spotlight, she just wants to create her fashions, when she is told by Calder she has been bequeathed the property and diamond she doesn’t know why Earl would leave her those things. Calder is instantly in lust with her but assumes she was Earl’s mistress, she informs him she was his stepdaughter. Her mother the Widow Justice still lives at the house, but Birdie and her mother are not close at all. She has been pretty much ignored her whole life by her mother. Birdie is an illegitimate child who was fortunate to have a wealthy father leave her a trust that paid for boarding school, college, and living expenses. But what she really wanted was love and attention from her mother. To get the inheritance she must stay at the ranch for 3 months, Calder thinks that he will sleep with her for the three months pay her off for the property and family diamond and send her on her way. But once they have sex, dual virgins, he can’t let her go. Soon after a few accidents occur and he freaks out thinking it’s the curse. He breaks her heart by sending her away. Birdie is heartbroken but determined to keep working on her fashions, especially since Calder helped with the runway show she has been getting offers from other designers to work with her. She doesn’t know why he sent her away but she did not leave the ranch alone, yup, she’s pregnant. After a few weeks of being miserable without her he goes to get her. She blurts out she’s pregnant and he takes her home. He explains why he sent her away, she forgives him. I love yous and an epilogue with them married and happily awaiting their baby. Her relationship with her mother improves and once she puts on the blue diamond, no more accidents.
Calder was jealous possessive but a true alphahole. Birdie was starved for affection, Calder was the first man she felt anything for and he gave her plenty of attention and affection, but she thought it had an expiration date, 3 months. I would have liked her to be less of a doormat, she should have made him grovel at least a little for hurting her.

[Ꭿຖᥲ·♡ ྀི · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✯

°Each other's first and only
°Switching POVs
°Insta love/lust
°Possessive jealous OTT hero
°Free of OW/OM drama
°Short separation
°No cheating
°Pushing away from the hero
°No intimate scenes with OP
°Lackluster epilogue: several months later married with a baby on the way (I feel like the story needed a better epilogue 😞 it would've been nice to see the MCs many years later just to show that the "curse" wasn't really a thing)

[Viv “BookVixen” Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute, and I loved that the hero was so grumpy and dominant. I would’ve liked to see more of a resolution with the whole “curse” thing tho.

Very safe. Double virgins.

[Babel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an instant crush on the premise of this novella. The multimillion will with an outlandish clause, the harsh rancher at the head of a big family with a curse, and the socialite who struggles to launch her fashion line.

It's original and sweet and very hot. I loved Birdie's dream of creating her fashion designs and how Calder goes from lustful to utterly obsessed with having her, adoring her and protecting her. One of the funniest things is this big family of men who have sworn off romance because of the curse. They all deserve their own story which I hope the author writes. This ranch is worthy of some expansion!

The couple may have met because of an old man's will, but they are fated. I loved the scenes at the ranch with all the men, and the way they all pitch in to help her get her dream. Fortunately, the bossy cowboy fights the curse to claim his bride in very domineering ways and a lovely epilogue!

[TTP · Rating 3 out of 5]

- Hero thinks he is cursed
- Rancher
- Dual v
- Millionaire / clothes designer
- Novella
- No owd/omd

Easy, cute read.
I’m interested in knowing if the rest of the boys are V, because they talked about how they can fuck women, but never fall in love with them… interested in finding this out.

The third act breakup was kind of douchy, how he just told her to leave and had his brother drag her out of the house. Like, what the actual heck? And how he demanded her to come back, without a real talk or anything.. Gave me kind of an ick, but since it’s a novella it’s okei.

[Fiona Fog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swoon Worthy

Ella’s an automatic one click for me. I love losing myself in her stories. She packs a heartfelt romance into each word, there’s drama. If you can write a story like she does it’s not required.

The female leads are relatable, not manufactured.

She gives us new characters, families and places to invest in.

The heat factors a given, her leads are alpha all the way, and she makes the appealing.

It’s a yes from me.

[Sarah Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Representation: Gay side character

Overall: 3.25-stars

Safety Rating: Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
– Both are virgins
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• Does have a brief separation (less than two weeks)


Possible Triggers: Yes
• Parental neglect


Ending: HEA with Epilogue

[Birdie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one, didn't love it, but I am interested in reading stories for the rest of the Justice guys so I guess the story did its job. There was something about Calder... I wish there had been more moments where he was just sweet with Birdie. He was alpha and growly and all that good stuff, but for me a couple of sweet moments would have really brought my rating up.

[Lynn Thinking out loud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calder might be a Billionaire but he knows how to work with his hands.
He's not suppose to fall in love with Birdie but this wouldn't be an Ella Goode story if he didn't.
Falling in love is the easy part keeping her alive is going to be a challenge.

[Desiree M ~*~*~ LiveReadCollect · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Fabiola Chenet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this one too (first in the series).

[Pet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book, but in my mind she was too much of a push over. But that’s just me. It’s a great story with a sweet ending.

[dahlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's cute! over the top but adorable.

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volví 🙂‍↔️

[Rmqbookqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fight for your love♥️

This cowboy and city girl took us on quite a rollercoaster ride, and I loved every second of it! When we learned what the Justice curse was it was expected that they would slowly but surely fall in love, and that it was going to be dramatic.

I loved how the almost the entirety of the story Calder put a time limit on his romance with Birdie, but he literally could not live without her and quickly realized he had to have his woman. There was a lot of alpha behavior in this book and I cannot wait for more of the Justice men to show us what they’re working with. The Justice love is a complex one, and I am anticipating getting to see the relationships of the family more and how they handle the curse.

[Riley 02 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Calder and Birdie

Not even being a DV story saved this book from me hating it. I’m so disappointed. I’ve read several books from this author and end buying some of them because I’ve loved them (especially DV stories). But for the first 40% of the book I really hated Calder and didn’t like Birdie either. I’ll explain.

Yes, Calder is a virgin. But just from the beginning he doesn’t act like a virgin in the way he expresses himself. It was more like a manwhxre than an unexperienced virgin that had never dated. His intentions with Birdie was to sleep with her for the 3 months Earl’s will requested and buy the ring and land from her and then send her away back to her “home” in Dallas. He was gonna use her for sx and send her away!!

And then there is Birdie!! She is just a pushover!! She told Calder, in their first encounter, that was the last time he gives her orders - and I was excited to see her standing her ground with him. But that’s all he gives her - orders - and she simply follows!! I really wanted an h with backbone. One that will make the H work for the relationship. That makes him understand that love is stronger than a supposedly curse. An h that didn’t just settles with a fling.
I love her passion in her job, and how hard working she is. Loved that she has a great success. But letting him just do whatever he wanted with her; and just with one kiss she just tore down her walls (very close to dubcon)… that just doesn’t sit well. Just frustrated me.

If things were handled differently, I would’ve loved the book because of his possessiveness, his jealousy, he has to always be touching her in a way… he is really obsessed even if he doesn’t know it. He loves her. And she is good for him, she calms his grumpiness. But the way their romance developed and his thinking and her responses… it’s just not for me.

I really can’t believe I’m hating a DV story when it’s my favorite. I feel deceived by the reviews I read before downloading this book.

SAFE
- DV
- no cheating, sharing
- no ow/om
- separation: some days, maybe a week

[LaBlue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something about this book gave me brill Harper vibes but never followed through with the same quality. How are you a socialite if both your parents don’t acknowledge you?? How does your mother care after never caring your whole life? The relationship dynamics for a few of the characters made no sense and were never explained. Like what earl really wanted with the mother and what were his plans for the daughter/FMC? Is there going to be any spin-off stories for Sterling, Cane and Tucker, etc? Why wasn’t there an epilogue that was decades down the line to show the “curse” was really broken?? I was simply left with too many questions to say I was satisfied with this book.

Yes the characters were likable but the story was too vague and too fast paced to be clear and enjoyable. I hope there are some follow up stories that will put more clarity and closure to this story. Otherwise I stand by my low rating.

[**Elle**Bee**Double U** · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel as if this story is incomplete...or if not complete the way the author handled the "cure" of the curse for Birdie and Calder. I mean if the ring really helped then wouldn't it had worked with the uncle's first and love of his life since it was hers?? So I have to wonder how the curse will be "cured" with the other cousins. I mean they all have to be getting books at well since there's constant mention of Cade and Aston.
This just makes no sense to me at all. Then just leave the ending like that and no epilogue decades down the line to let us know if the curse was broken for them or kind of just a mind thing that was pushed down the line of the Justice men.
I also really wished we would've gotten to know more about Birdie and her mother's issues. It just seems like everything gets swept under the rug and everything is okay because Birdie and Calder are in love.

**I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book**

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my!
I truly thought she would be a spoiled brat based on the title of this story. Nope. Not at all.
I absolutely loved Birdie and Calder!
Calder believes his family to be cursed. More specifically, he believes the women who love Justice men are cursed and die. Eek!!!
Too bad he can’t stay away from Birdie…

[Kiley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Socialite and the Cowboy, Book 1 of the Justice series, was about 34-year-old Calder Justice, the current head of the XRV Ranch and Enterprises, and mid-20s Ladybird "Birdie" Rodgers, a socialite fashion designer.

When Calder's uncle died, he left a valuable ring and property to a woman unknown to him and his cousins. With that bequeathal was a stipulation that she only got the inheritance after staying at the Justice property for three full months. Upon meeting Birdie for the first time, Calder was not only enthralled by her, but he also knew that he couldn't do anything permanent about it, so he decided that he would bed her for the three months she was forced to stay in his home, then he would buy the ring and property back before sending her away. What he wasn't prepared for was to learn that she was his uncle's stepdaughter, or how fast he would become attached to her.

After learning that her stepfather had died, Birdie was unprepared to see her mother again since the woman had not played a very active role for most of her life. While she had met her stepfather a few times since their marriage, her mother had kept them apart for most of her marriage to the man. When two of his nephews showed up as she was preparing for her debut fashion show, she wasn't expecting an announcement of her stepfather's death, let alone that he had left her a sizeable inheritance. However, Calder didn't give her room to think about it. He just packed some of her things, made arrangements for the rest of her things to be forwarded to his home, and loaded Birdie onto a helicopter before heading back to his home. As their relationship became intimate within 24 hours of having met, the one thing Calder failed to address was the family curse. All he did was tell her they were going to be f*ck buddies for three months, then he'd buy her out and send her back home.

While the drama and angst in this story were a bit on the medium to mild side, the spice was a bit higher. However, that did not work well with how badly Calder constantly treated Birdie. He played hot and cold so frequently that it made him an A$$h*le for most of the story. While they had sex frequently, they were rarely together outside of the bedroom, so where did the relationship building come from that should have given them a solid foundation? Well, there wasn't one, to be honest. It was more sex than anything else.

The two main characters, although well-developed, were not all that well-suited. The MMC was much too immature for his age and the role he played in the family hierarchy. But then again, the FMC, while more mature than the MMC, was too easily swayed by the betraying body syndrome and sex to have any real backbone. She let Calder walk all over her...and everyone else too. She would start to stand up for herself, but then she'd cave too quickly to outside forces.

It was a cute story, one that had the potential to be a great book, but the author got distracted along the way and forgot to build the relationship between her characters in a way that would be believable. The title also was a bit misleading since the FMC wasn't really all that much of a "socialite". Too many times in the story, the FMC made it clear it was a fake persona she used to promote her business. I could only give this book a two-star rating.

[kimchikingreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

OVERALL 4 STARS
Writing: 4.5 Stars
Story line: 4 Stars
Steam: 4 Stars
Hero: 4 Stars
Heroine: 4 Stars

*QUICK ONE-LINER OPINION*
Like all Ella Goode's books, this one is a quick and steamy read, but the plot surrounding the curse is quite a refreshing point. I love the slight amount of angst that is found in this story because of the curse, and of course the HEA in spite of it (though the ending is kinda rushed with no good explanation of how the curse is avoided). Overall, a nice steamy, insta-love read for just under an hour.

SAFETY
• H (Hero): Calder Justice (aged 34) [Billionaire cowboy running a multi-billion dollar corporation but shunned love because of a 'curse' that runs in the family for generations.]
• h (heroine): Birdie Rodgers [She is an introverted designer who only appeared to be a socialite for work.]
• Steam level: Medium
• Descriptive sex: Yes
• Safe sex: No
• OM (Other Men)/OW (Other Women) drama: No
• Sexual acts with OM/OW: No
• Sex scenes with OM/OW: No
• Virgin: Both H and h
• Insta-love: Yes
• Push/Pull: Yes [H tried to push h away in order to protect her from the 'curse'.]
• Separation: Yes [They were separated for one day(?) when H sent h away from the ranch.]
• Angst: A little because of the curse.
• Possible Triggers: N/A
• Ending: HEA
• POV (Point Of View): First person - Dual

BOOK INFO
• Type: Standalone Novella (approx. 27k words)
• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Tropes: Alpha J/P Hero, Insta-love, Billionaire, Cowboy

DISCLAIMER
This IS NOT an ARC review.

*Legend:
ABO = Alpha-Beta-Omega / ARC = Advance Reader Copy / BJ = blow job / dub-con = dubious consent / FTB = Fade To Black / H = Hero / h = heroine / HEA = Happily Ever After / HFN = Happy For Now / J/P = Jealous/Possessive / MC = Main Characters / non-con = non-consensual / OM = Other Men / OTT = Over-the-top / OW = Other Women / POV = Point Of View

[MerReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I read this a while ago, and reread it to remind myself of the story (interested in it because it is a DV story).
Safe
NO OM/OW
Dual Virgin
No cheating
Short separation
HEA
I did not like the hero. His intent was to fuck the heroine for the 3 months she had to stay on the ranch to collect what was left to her in a will, and then send her on her way. I hated that he felt that way, even though his inner monologue said that that was what he was going to use her for, just sex and throw her out when it came time, his actions were protective, loving, even caring. His words were hot and cold giving the poor girl whiplash in the feels department. Of course, with a series of 'accidents' he was convinced it was the cause of the Justice curse, and sent her away. The coward couldn't do it himself or look at her in the eyes as he broke her heart. He came to his senses a week later, his 'alpha side' coming out to take her back.
Meh, I know that the rest of the series are all DOUBLE VIRGINS (all of the main characters) *fist bump*, but all weak, beta males afraid of the curse and breaking the heart of the heroine *long sigh, eye roll*. The curse is that if a Justice man falls in the love, the woman he falls in love with dies before she turns 30 years old.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Love overcomes the curse

This is a charming story that seems like a modern day fairy tale. The Justice men believe that a curse that kills their wives hang over them. Their solution is to never fall in love.

The story starts with a reading of a will. Birdie, the heroine, needs to live on the ranch in order to inherit her portion. Calder Justice, the eldest cousin, goes to Dallas to get her and is immediately attracted to her. I loved the interaction between the two of them! Calder is so used to be in charge and Birdie is used to being on her own; it makes for some fun moments. I also really liked that they treated each other with respect even when they disagreed. The tension arose from Calder trying to protect Birdie from the curse. I really liked both characters.

This is a totally safe read that does have explicit language and sex. There are several other cousins, so I'm hoping they get their own stories too. I loved this story and definitely recommend it.

[Mars ☼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, this kind of slapped. There was a lot of scenes and dialogue in here that was fresh and not the beaten-to-death cliches I find myself buried in.

Calder was a prick but god was he hot for Birdie. Also while I normally hate movie inspired names in books, I've never seen a Ladybird character outside of that flick. Plus Birdie as a nickname was good, if if that is a name I definitely have established trauma with.

Books with family curses can go either way and while I definitely more prefer a witches curse like something out of The Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, this was an okay curse. I would have liked to hear more details around the tragic deaths. I feel like that would have made it more easy for the reader to invest in, but with how heavily the Justice clan believed in it you couldn't help but by into it a bit.

I really want to go and read Cane and Astor's book now but maybe I should consioder reading the 3 books in the series before that...? Lmao I have no self-control. She has violet eyes, I'm skipping ahead.