365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #207

Cowboy Dreaming - Shawna Delacorte
Silhouette Desire
Silhouette Books, 1997
ISBN: 9780373760206





My rating




From the back cover:

"STRANDED:
When Melanie Winslow returned to the Colorado ranch where she was raised, she never expected to find herself stranded in a mountain cabin with Cody Chandler. The rugged ranch manager was the answer to every daydream Melanie had ever had about strong, sexy cowboys...
WITH A SEXY COWBOY:
But this one was real, with a kiss that made Melanie's heart beat faster, and a smile that hinted at the most intimate things. The trouble was, the last thing Melanie intended to do was fall in love with an untamed cowboy-no matter how perfect he seemed. If only her heart felt the same way..."


This is another old books from the Desire line. I must admit that I didn't think I would like it as the blurb just didn't appeal to me, but I really enjoyed it. Apologies for the cover image, I had to photograph my copy of the book as I could not find a good quality image online.

At the beginning of the book the heroine Melanie returns to her father's ranch for the first time in ten years, hoping to get closure on her estrangement with her father. She is surprised by all the changes made to the ranch, especially the new manager Cody, the hero, whom seems to be very close to her father, something that makes her a little suspicious. She was also not expecting to find that her father is terminally ill. Cody is also very suspicious of Melanie and her motives for returning now, when her father is gravely ill, and feels anger towards her for her lack of contact with her father over the years, something that has caused his good friend hurt. Melanie and Cody end up spending a lot of time together and they form a tenuous friendship as well as a mutual attraction. Melanie begins to realise that she has been wrong about her father all these years and now has to face the he will soon be gone, she turns to Cody for comfort and their passion for one another soon grows deeper. But with the secrets and suspicion still between them someone is bound to end up hurt.

This is a very enjoyable book, it has plenty of spark and sizzle between the hero and heroine, a beautiful setting, some very emotional moments, and a beautifully crafted love story. The heroine Melanie is very well written, what I liked most about her was that she was humble and admitted to her mistakes. The pain she felt when she learned the truth and when she lost her father was heartbreaking, and really added depth to this story. Cody is also a great character, so open and honest, a great hero!

This is an emotional, passionate, and tender book and really enjoyable - the blurb is very misleading!

Xx