Sandy M’s review of All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy by Jessica Clare
Contemporary Romance published by Penguin Group 6 Nov 18
I’m two for four on new authors I’ve decided to read lately. Since it has finally begun to feel like winter and Christmas in my neck of the woods, I thought this book by Jessica Clare would be the perfect story – I’ve never read her before and it’s holiday themed. Any guesses on how it turned out for me?
Not well, I’m sorry to say. It was the blurb that pulled me in to even begin reading. This story actually begins okay. Eli doesn’t care for Christmas, so he’s staying behind at the ranch when every other employee is heading out to celebrate with family. He’s looking forward to time alone, continuing his ranching duty with the animals. So you know there’s more to the story for this rugged loner.
Cass, on the other hand, loves Christmas, but she’s been forced to spend it alone in a cabin in the mountains of Wyoming. She’s the assistant of a successful fashion model, and Cass is having to deal with the the woman’s jerk of a boyfriend and his advances. As she’s slowly driving through the falling snow, the jerk calls her cell phone and it startles Cass to the point she veers off the road and slams into a tree. Eli, when searching for an escaped cow, comes upon Cass’ car and finds her unconscious. All of this is what leads to her amnesia, of course.
And this is where everything begins to break down for me. Disappointing, because those first two chapters intrigued me. However, for two strangers meeting like this, realizing they’re going to be snowbound together for some time, the onset of attraction is really too soon. That’s a huge pet peeve for me in romance. On top of that, each of them is constantly telling themselves not go to there for their own reasons. I’d rather have the attraction delayed and then enjoy the building relationship instead of being told they need to keep their thoughts to themselves.
The fact that Cass goes into ridiculous stage much too soon doesn’t sit well either. She wants to help Eli out, instead of being a burden. As you can imagine, much is said about her injuries from the car wreck, aside from her unconscious period, so there’s absolutely no way she should be up and about doing chores as soon as she is. There is some concession on that score when she lies down to take a nap and is out for hours on end, but that should have been a clue to both Eli and Cass herself.
The one scene I enjoyed and made me laugh out loud is when Cass discovers that feeding and taking care of chickens is not for the weak. It’s not too long after this that she decides to decorate the place for the Christmas, and Eli goes along with it all, despite his feelings on the matter. And this is where I finally gave up, especially because the chemistry between these two just isn’t working at this point – they’re still castigating themselves for having impure thoughts about the other. During the ornament and other holiday item sorting, it’s paragraph after paragraph about what’s in the boxes and what those items look like. I just don’t care. That’s space that could be used to move these two along into the romance that’s still not off the ground yet at sixteen chapters.
I had no desire to read any further after that. The beginning chapters and the one LOL scene have at least given me hope that I may enjoy another Jessica Clare book down the road, if one catches my eye. For now, however, I’ve had plenty.
Grade: DNF
Summary:
Christmas may be coming, but it’s just another day at the ranch as far as Eli Pickett is concerned. Someone has to take care of the herd and that means no holiday vacation for him. But that’s just the way he likes it–it’s not like he has a woman to spend time with anyways. Most women don’t want the ranch life, or the surly, silent cowboy that comes with it. Fine with him. He’d rather have the quiet of a roaring fire and the company of his dogs.
Cassandra Horn is trying to make it to her parents’ winter cabin in Wyoming before the blizzard hits. She desperately needs a vacation from the chaos of Manhattan…and her boss’s boyfriend, who is making her life miserable. But Cass never makes it to the cabin.
A raging snowstorm causes her car to crash, where she’s found unconscious by Eli. When Cass wakes, she has no memories of who she is. Eli takes one look at Cass’s big blue eyes and dark curls, and like a Christmas miracle, falls head over heels in love. But while the attraction is mutual, can she give her heart to this cowboy if she’s not sure it’s hers to give?
No excerpt available.
