Series & Title: Wrangler's Creek, Book 6: The Last Rodeo
Author: Delores Fossen
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Bookbub | Instagram | Pinterest
Publisher: HQN Books
Release Date: June 26, 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Western, Romance
ARC Received From: Harlequin via NetGalley
Reviewed For & Hosted By: TLC Book Tours
The most important two words for this Wrangler’s Creek rodeo cowboy? I do...
Lucian Granger isn’t winning any Mr. Cowboy Congeniality awards. Known in his small Texas town as “Lucifer” thanks to his surly nature and knack for scaring people away from getting too close, the handsome rancher has no trouble ignoring the gossip. But when he’s in danger of losing the land he’s put his blood, sweat and tears into maintaining, Lucian sets out to prove he’s a changed man—by claiming he’s about to settle down with his invaluable assistant, Karlee O’Malley.
Their pending nuptials may be just for show, but from the moment they kiss, the proverbial fireworks start going off in his head—and in his heart. Before long, the man who’s usually as emotional as a brick wall is tired of pretending and wants to share a real future with Karlee. With his world suddenly turned upside down, Lucian will risk losing the business and the ranch if it means holding on to the one woman worth becoming a better man for.
So... If you've read any, and I do mean any, books in this series you know that Wrangler's Creek isn't your typical small town. It's about as atypical as a fictitious small town can get. The craziness and weirdness that was firmly established in Those Texas Nights (because I didn't read the novella before it, Lone Star Cowboy) carries on into Lucian's story.
The sudden return of his bed-hopping, how-many-times-have-you-been-married-again? dad pushes Lucian into declaring that his lovely assistant Karlee has agreed to become his wife. That plus the fact that he managed to cause an unholy uproar in town. Because, well, he's not exactly a nice person. He's demanding, unyielding, arrogant, and, God love a damn duck, persistent. His bad qualities made for some eyebrow-raising moments but it also had me anticipating how much would he actually change?
See, Wrangler's Creek holds a small percentage of the company's shares. If he wants their support for him to remain head of the company and not his dad, he's going to have to change. For the better.
That was fun to watch. *grins*
Unbeknownst to Lucian, Karlee has nursed a crush on him since childhood but he's never seen her as more. Time hasn't changed that and she's tired of waiting. But just as she's ready to move on and out, he pulls the carpet out from under her and she finds herself where she's always wanted to be--at his side, in his arms, on the receiving end of his touches and kisses--except it's only for a time.
Fake engagement is a tried and true trope, with almost always the same ending: all of the fake becomes real with love and incomparable happiness is waiting just around the corner if they're willing to take a chance. It wasn't easy realizing that when their pasts decided to show up and fill what little empty corners of their lives remained. With everything in an upheaval, it came down to sorting through the mess created by others without losing one another. More specifically, Lucian losing Karlee. She was more than his assistant, more than arm candy, more than his liaison. She was everything, his perfect match in every way.
The characters of Wrangler's Creek are nothing if not amusing and colorful. They mean well, they really do, and they'll go to great lengths to ensure that they are taken seriously even if their antics make the reader chuckle. This story is more than laughter and smiles. There is an undertone of regret from Lucian's parents for the havoc they've caused, the damage they've done. There is a need for closure for both Lucian and Karlee from the pasts that they've allowed to shadow them for too long. But there is an overwhelming sense of belonging, of family, of community that makes Wrangler's Creek the perfect place for the Grangers to come together and begin again.
Ms. Fossen's unique style of writing plus her well-placed and side-of-the-mouth humor made Lucian and Karlee's story a perfect addition to this series. It's beautiful to see the healing that has come to this family and the progress they have made personally and professionally. But I hope Ms. Fossen has plans to bring her readers back to Wrangler's Creek. It doesn't seem like the good townsfolk are ready to wave goodbye to us just yet.
USA Today bestselling author, Delores Fossen, has sold over 70 novels with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. She’s received the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and was a finalist for the prestigious Rita ®. In addition, she’s had nearly a hundred short stories and articles published in national magazines.
Thanks for being on the tour!
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