Sandy M’s review of Cowboy, Take Me Away (Rough Riders, Book 16) by Lorelei James
Contemporary Erotic Romance published by Samhain 17 Jun 14
I am so glad Lorelei James wrote this book before she closes the doors on this Rough Riders series. This is where it all started, where all of our sexy cowboys came from, and it’s fascinating to see the similarities that the characters themselves see only too late. And the way we watch it all is through the memories of Carson and Carolyn McKay as they go through the worst week of their lives.
As Carson watches, Carolyn is thrown from her horse and lies unconscious when he skids on his knees next to her. In the hospital it takes hours for doctors to figure out what to do for her, finally telling Carson a drug-induced coma is the best way to let her body heal. Needing this woman in his life for years to come, he makes the decision to follow the doctors’ advice. Thus begins a week he could never have imagined would befall him, his love, and his family.
But it gives him time to recall their life from the beginning during the five minutes an hour he’s given to hold her hand and talk to her. And what memories they are. In the usual Lorelei James style, we follow these two from the night Carson spies Carolyn in a bar and knows she’s the one for him to the last day when the moment of truth comes if his beloved will be okay after her accident.
Their romance is a whirlwind in more ways than one. Just because it’s Carson McKay, who is a whirlwind all his own, makes Carolyn think again about seeing him, considering the animosity between their families, but the man and his whirlwind make her feel every possible thing under the sun. It doesn’t take long before she’s in his bed and the world opens that much further for her, despite the way their fathers react to the news they want to be together. Nothing can dampen their happiness.
I love seeing the chronology of their relationship, especially when the kids begin to come along. Like any parents, they learn along the way while also getting through rough times. I love the reminiscence when Carolyn takes a trip and leaves Carson alone with all five boys for the first time. Heavens, what a time they had of it! The rough times are dealt with very succinctly and efficiently by Carolyn, calling Carson on the carpet when he takes a wrong turn on the path of their life. It’s those times that his love for her comes through as the deep and true emotion it is. There’s so many of these memories that begin with Carson, and Carolyn, in her comatose state, picks up on them when he talks to her for the week of hell they’re living through. Each one of those memories gives you a look into their hearts, whether it’s serious or humorous.
Those are especially needed for Carson. Not only is he living a nightmare, but his children have boycotted his decisions about Carolyn’s care, so on top of those life-changing memories, we also get to see his interactions with his nieces and nephews, daughters/son-in-law and sisters-in-law, folks we don’t see that often and not usually with Carson himself. They each one are wonderful, heartfelt scenes.
As they say, the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree, and that’s so true in this case. Having gone along for the ride with each of the McKay and West guys and gals in their books over the years, DNA of their parents runs very strongly through their veins, so to speak. This is a terrific way to end the series, and, like most of her fans, I’m hoping Ms. James has one more book in her, and we all know who it is we need closure on!
Grade: A
Summary:
Settle in for the hot McKay romance that started it all…
The moment Carson McKay saw the sexy blonde at the dance hall, he wanted to throw her over his saddle and gallop hell-bent toward the closest church. Given his reputation as a lover and a fighter—not necessarily in that order—it wasn’t surprising she gave him the cold shoulder. But he hadn’t expected the mean right hook when he tried to steal a kiss.
Carolyn West might look sweet and innocent, but she’s no fool. The good-looking cowboy with the heart-stopping smile didn’t really want to marry her; he just wanted to take her for a test ride. But when he kisses her a second time, she doesn’t fight her burning attraction to him…until she learns he’s one of the McKay cowboys she’s been warned about.
Carson doesn’t care about the long-standing feud between their families; he knows that Carolyn was meant to be his. And the more intimate they become, the more Carolyn sees the real man behind the wild cowboy reputation—a man who wants the same forever kind of love she does…and who will lead her into a love story that spans fifty years.
Warning: Crazy, hot, sexy and sweet—good girl meets bad-boy cowboy and they prove lust can last a lifetime.
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
