Sandy M’s review of A Cowboy Christmas by Janette Kenny
Historical Western Romance published by Zebra 1 Oct 09
This book started out really good for me. I immediately liked the writing. Ms. Kenny does a terrific job of getting all things western down on paper. But at about the three-quarter mark, I started getting a little antsy, I never seemed to really get totally invested in the hero and heroine. And the reason I picked this book up is for the Christmas aspect, but that didn’t seem to come across all that well either.
Ellie Jo has found her father on the Crown Seven ranch and she’s determined to have one last Christmas with him before she heads to San Francisco and a teaching job at a girls’ school. She’s just lost her fiance when her awful past reared its ugly head, so starting new in California is hopefully the right thing to do. Taking over for the ranch’s cook, Ellie does her best to prepare meals for the ranch’s owner, Reid Barclay, but someone is sabotaging her every step of the way.
She’s the only woman in a very long time who has appealed to Reid, but with his past hanging over his head, forgiving himself for that past is not something he can do, and now with people getting closer and closer to the elusive Slim, Reid can’t offer a thing to Ellie for the future. Besides, he can tell she’s got secrets too and she’s refusing to talk to him about it all. And she certainly isn’t a cook, as evidenced by the meals she puts on his table, but when he touches her and kisses her, he’s more than ready to forgive her her deceit.
On top of all of this, Ellie finds out Reid is engaged and it’s up to her to prepare the wedding feast and decorate the ranch house for the holiday festivities. But what engaged man acts the way Reid does, stealing kisses and embraces. And why can’t Ellie tell him to stop when she finds herself on the receiving end of all that pleasure? They’re both in a difficult bind with no good solution all the way around. And, of course, there is a villain that has his hands in every part of the goings-on with all the characters, and I have to say that I did like Reid’s solution in taking of care of that jerk.
I liked the majority of this book. The characters start out to be quite interesting, secrets and all, but after a while they lost their interest for me. Their growth became stagnant and once it picked up again, it just wasn’t the same as before and I couldn’t get back into the story.
Plus the fact that Ellie talks about Christmas, remembers the holidays of her past, decorates the house, and tries to get everyone into the spirit of the season, but that’s all it was, was talk. I never felt Christmas during the times it’s discussed in the story. From the blurb on the back cover, I was looking forward to a nice holiday story and that just never came to be.
However, I do like taking a gander at this book’s cover every so often. I love that chiseled face on the hero, just how I picture a cowboy to look. Needless to say, I took quite a number of peeks while reading.
Grade: C
Summary:
Reid Barclay doesn’t have time for Christmas, not with trouble brewing at the Crown Seven Ranch. He’s got prize thoroughbreds to protect, and an long-ago wrong that he wants to make right. But the beautiful cook who’s taken over the ranch kitchen is a welcome distraction, even if Ellie Jo Cade burns everything from gingerbread to roast beef. Her sweet face and womanly figure are pure temptation…
Cornhusk angels…bright berry garlands…spun-sugar snow—everything about Christmas holds fond memories for Ellie Jo. She’s doing her best to make peace with an ornery wood-burning stove and make the old ranch house truly festive. All she wants is to believe in Reid…and the only-at-Christmas magic that makes hearts glow…
Read an excerpt.
