Shannon C.’s review of Untamed Cowboy by Pam Crooks
Western romance published by Harlequin Historicals 1 Jul 07
I really like westerns. Admittedly, I’ve not read many books in the genre, but I count LaVyrle Spencer’s The Endearment as one of the best romances I read when I first found the genre. For me, the appeal of the western romance is that it involves characters who have to be strong and tough and show what they’re made of. It is, in fact, the dirt that I love when it comes to westerns.
Pam Crooks gives a very satisfying western read in Untamed Cowboy. We have two strong characters, Penn McClure, a former Secret Service agent bent on revenge against the counterfeiters who killed his fiancee, and Carina Lockett, a strong, spirited cattle rancher who wants nothing more than to have a good legacy for her daughter, Callie Mae. When Callie Mae is kidnapped, Carina must rely on Penn’s help to drive her cattle from Texas to Dodge City in hopes she can get her daughter back.
If this is the kind of offering that Harlequin Historical puts out, I think that Sybil will have gotten herself a new fan, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Carina and Penn come off as very likeable characters, and I very much liked watching their attraction develop on the cattle drive. I particularly liked Karina, because after my last few books, which have featured completely bland and boring heroines, she was a nice breath of fresh air. I understood her desperation to get her daughter back, and her determination to do right by her men. I liked that she did what needed to be done, but she didn’t stomp her feet and declare that dad blame it, she was as good as any man! She just did what she had to do.
McClure is an awesome hero, too. He’s the kind of alpha that I like — quick to take charge but not an asshole. I also understood his need for revenge and his willingness to do whatever it took to get that revenge. In another author’s hands, that need for revenge might have made him a thoroughly unpleasant character, but the revenge angle wasn’t milked for all it was worth, and in the end I liked that Penn and Carina had similar goals.
The romance worked well here. Carina and Penn slowly come to be friends, and when they finally consummate their relationship, it’s a great love scene. I also really loved the end of the book and the decisions that the characters made. I also have to mention, while I’m gushing about the characters, that I really liked Callie Mae. She’s not the stereotypical saccharine romance child, and is, at times, kind of a brat. But I liked that she, too, experienced some growth and development by story’s end.
The action moves along at a steady pace, with all kinds of adventures to liven things up. Every scene felt necessary to the story, and the author certainly didn’t waste any words. I was hooked from the first page until I finished the book with a happy sigh.
This book wasn’t perfect. I was a little disappointed that the major villain was so flat, especially given the fact that his accomplices are drawn as much more nuanced characters. I also thought that Carina should have given Callie’s grandmother the swift boot to the ass that old bitch so rightfully deserved. I also wasn’t really sure why people didn’t make more of a big deal about Carina’s being a woman. Penn’s the only one who ever really seems to notice, and I wondered about that.
I wasn’t completely blown away by this book, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Definitely recommended for fans of western romance.
Grade: B
You can also read Gwen’s review for another take on this book.
Summary:
Carina Lockett is driven to build a legacy for her young daughter, and she doesn’t need a man to help her do it. But when her precious child is lured away and held for ransom, she must swallow her pride and ask for Penn McClure’s help.
Penn McClure has no intention of playing cowboy for any woman, especially one as strong-willed as Carina. But driving a herd of cattle to Dodge City is no easy task. And he has a score to settle with the man waiting for them at the end of the trail.
Along the way, he discovers Carina is pure female–and that her legacy has become his own.
Read an excerpt here.
