Today’s review is a little different from normal. Stephanie and I both reviewed Tall, Dark & Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy this time around. Of course our opinions of the book are completely different. So read on for an interesting book review and make your on conclusions!

Lisa Jo

Stephanie’s Review:

Tall, Dark and Cowboy
Author – Joanne Kennedy
Reviewer – Stephanie
Rating – C+; Enjoyable, Would Recommend/4 – Very Hot
Reading Level – Contemporary Romance
Pages – 384
Publisher – Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date – November 2011
Source – Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Lacey Bradford has no one to turn to. Her husband has just been busted in a highly publicized real estate scandal. He’s been weaseling out the properties of her home town from their owners. Lacey had no knowledge of the scam but lived on the spoils and the people she has known all her life blame her equally. Lacey can’t get a job and it’s only a matter of time before things get desperate for her. After a bad night at home Lacey decides she must leave town. The only place that she can think of is a small town in Wyoming. Her good friend from high school Chase lives there. He was always there to help her when she needed him. 

Chase Caldwell had to move to Wyoming to forget everything that happened in his old hometown in Tennessee. He moved out to Grady where his sister has lived for several years. Just when he thought he and Lacey would move their friendship to relationship her engagement announcement is printed. The farm he dreamed of owning all his life was shattered and he is trying to get a good ranch going. He has to run a used car business to make ends meet but overall life is good. Until Lacey sashays back into his life.

Tall, Dark and Cowboy was an entertaining read. I really enjoyed the small town setting. Chase was a great character. I’d describe him as a trusty dog. Always there when you need him. Dependable. Now Lacey on the other hand. She was fresh out of a bad relationship and ran to a trusted friend. I’ve got no fight with that. What I didn’t like is that she would flip flop from “using” men to provide for herself and striking it out on her own to prove worth as a woman. As a romance reader I just wanted to scream at her that Chase was “the one.” So many times I got frustrated with Lacey and I can only think that his is why. I honestly think it was more to do with the conflict being almost solely in the heroine and no conflict with the hero or their relationship.

Either way, I enjoyed Tall, Dark and Cowboy. I even picked up her back list when Amazon had an awesome deal on them! If you enjoy contemporary cowboy romances, I would not miss this one. 

Lisa’s Review:

Reviewer: Lisa
Genre: Contemporary Western Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks – (November, 2011)
ISBN: 9781402251443
ASIN: B005UDAUPM
Pages: 384
Rating: A; Nearly Perfect; A Keeper!
Heat Level: 4; Very Hot!
My Source:

Tall, Dark & Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy
Tall, Dark and Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy is sweet contemporary romance that’s as charming as it is entertaining. Wonderful characters and an intriguing story make Kennedy’s western romance a wild ride!

A long string of bad luck has finally led Lacey Bradford to pay a visit on her old friend and admirer Chase Caldwell. Her fly by night marriage to the man of her dreams has finally turned into a disaster years later. Now her ex-husband Trent is facing a future in jail for swindling innocent people out of their land and money. Left with no funds of her own, and no means to really support herself, Lacey has to run. Especially when Trent’s friends from his illegal dealings start visiting to ensure Lacey and Trent keep quiet.

Lacey had absolutely no idea of her husband’s treachery until the truth was brought to light and no idea that Chase was one of Trent’s victims. Chase was pretty sweet on her in high school and she is completely baffled when he refuses to help her. Eventually, he relents and offers his assistance, but it comes with a price for him. It brings back feelings for the young girl he loved and lost to Trent all those years ago. Feelings he’s buried for a long time now. Lacey is facing confusing feelings of her own falling for the awkward boy from high school who has turned into the cowboy of her dreams. While the town of Grady may be the last place she wants to be, it may have the person she not only needs, but wants the most.

It’s easy to fall in love with a book as wonderful and charming as Tall, Dark and Cowboy With fresh description that creates a classic small hometown feeling, this story wraps you up into your own private corner of Wyoming. A solid plot with a flare of romance, a splash of humor, a little intrigue and amazing characters all pull you into this heartfelt read. One you arrive, you won’t ever want to leave.

Chase was the everyday cowboy of every girls dream…or at least mine! He was a unique kind of hero by the sensitive side he held hidden from the world. His character is shaped into a charming gentleman by his family, but also by the love he felt for a young Lacey all those years ago which she didn’t return. I adore these stor
ies of unrequited love only to have the couple unite again years later, especially if the guy is the one who ended up with his heart broken. Only because those heroes are so much more endearing and display that softer side that makes them true romantics. Chase was the exactly that!

“I know, Chase…but I can’t just let myself fall.”

“Okay.” He rested his hands on the counter and stared out the window. “I know. You have to fly. Just fly back here when you’re done, okay? I’ve lived long enough without you.”

I had small issues with Lacey, but only her unwillingness to let herself fall completely for Chase. With that being said, it’s was not something I could realistically hold against her or Kennedy for crafting her that way. If her character would not have had that minor flaw, it would have left her looking unrealistic. After suffering such a horrible break from her first husband, which left her questioning everything she knew about love and her ability to stand on her own two feet, Lacey had to doubt her relationship with Chase. It made her human and helped her grow up, which she truly needed to do. While the romantic in me screamed for her to just fall fast into this relationship, the realistic part of me commended Kennedy for taking such extremely good care of her heroine.

I thoroughly enjoyed the surprisingly entertaining cast of secondary characters who livened up this charming contemporary. This was another element that added to the charm of the small town feeling, letting you get to know everyone a little bit better. When those characters are executed properly in these situations, it’s just icing on the cake at that point. They can only add to the enjoyment. What characters you didn’t love because of their ‘evil’ ways added just a little dash of complexity to the plot. It always kept things interesting.

Tall, Dark and Cowboy is a sassy and sexy wild ride that is more fun than a wild hootenanny! Joanne Kennedy gives readers a good old dose of western romance that is sure to please. Kennedy’s novel is sizzling in sex appeal, thriving with small town charm and running wild with fantastic characters. There are three words you need to remember about this novel: Don’t miss it!