Sandy M’s review of Going Cowboy Crazy (Deep in the Heart of Texas, Book 1) by Katie Lane
Contemporary Western Romance published by Forever 1 May 11
What a fun read this is. It’s been a long drought since the last really good cowboy book I’ve read, so I’m very pleasantly surprised with this one. I love the humor, which is something quite difficult for a lot of authors to get down pat. But Katie Lane has no problem at all in that area. She also gives readers a bit of a different storyline involving twins and one sexy cowboy. At least it’s different for this reader.
Faith Aldridge has just found out at her mother’s deathbed that Faith is a twin. What the hell is up with that? So she takes care of the funeral, mourns amid the chaotic thoughts now rushing through her head, and then takes off for parts unknown in Texas to find her sister, the only family she truly has now. What makes this trek so much fun for the reader is that Faith has never been anywhere near anything country. She’s probably never even heard a country song on the radio. And now she’s hip deep in everything those songs talk about – monster trucks with waving, flapping flags, small-town mentality, and the sexiest cowboy she’s ever seen. Probably the only one too.
Football coach Slade Calhoun is trying his best to bring his team up to snuff to win the championship. If they lose again for the umpteenth time, Slade is likely out of a job. So his plan is to keep his nose to the grindstone, but those plans grind to a halt when he comes face to face with Hope, his best friend who ran off to Hollywood and has barely kept in touch. But something isn’t quite right with Hope. She’s never been one to sit back and keep her mouth shut at the townsfolks’ teasing or a perceived slight. This Hope also dresses very differently than before. A body can’t change that much in California, can it?
But when Hope’s secret is revealed, Slade realizes he never got anywhere close to the truth in his imaginings. Hope has a twin sister? Wonder what her parents have to say about that, when they find out Faith is in town. And how is it he looks at her and feels about her much more than he ever did for his childhood friend? Doesn’t matter. All that does is kissing her and making love to her, if she’ll let him. And this is where I had to laugh at Slade. He’s a man’s man, wants in Faith’s pants every minute of every day, and he freely admits it. No subterfuge or lies coming from this cowboy. His antics are funny, but they’re also sweet, especially when he backs down because Faith isn’t ready to move so fast.
Then when the town gets involved in the relationship, they begin to plan a wedding – between Slade and Hope, even after it’s explained that Faith isn’t Hope. These people hear, see, and believe exactly what they want and there’s no talking them out of it. Small town to the core. So you can imagine the hilarity going on page after page with these folks running around half-cocked. And Faith’s ignorance of anything western keeps you laughing too. Even dogs are a conundrum to her, and Slade’s poor pooch bears the brunt of that. I’m giggling now remembering what she does to the creature! That’s what being raised as an only child of big-city, staid parents will do for you.
Eventually Faith finds out her biological parents still live in Bramble. She’s shocked, confused, angry. As well as Ms. Lane gives readers laughs, she’s just as good at those emotions too. You feel for Faith, the one given up, the one who never knew, the one who’s life is different from what it could have been. Then there’s acceptance, understanding, and longing. Faith goes through it all. And then guess what??? Hope comes home! Now all hell is really about to break loose. At least Hope’s as blindsided by Faith as much as Faith has been blindsided by practically everything since she set foot in Bramble.
In and around all of this, Slade and Faith steam up the pages of this book quite fiercely. They both have their demons to overcome, neither wanting a long-term relationship at first, and it’s Faith, the woman in her, who begins to think twice about that. With a little help from her new friends in town. All of whom are hilarious in their own right. Slade is forced to look at how he interacts with his team, making him realize the reason for so many losing seasons. Faith has to come to grips with a large family, some of whom aren’t that happy she’s around, and her growing love for Slade. When it all falls apart, she reverts to the old Faith, the one who runs from confrontation and hurt. And Slade lets her go.
I’m glad to have found Katie Lane. There’s not enough westerns out there, light-hearted or not, so she’s a wonderful discovery. I’m hoping to get my hands on the second book, Make Mine a Bad Boy, after getting set up for it in a terrific way at the end of this book, and anticipate Catch Me a Cowboy in the spring of next year.
Come to Bramble, where the cowboys are sexy and fun!
Grade: B+
Summary:
Faith Aldridge wants answers. Bramble, Texas, is the only place she can find them . . . as well as Hope, the identical twin sister she never knew she had. But the townsfolk reckon that shy city-girl Faith is really her long-lost sister Hope, back in Bramble at last. And they’re fixin’ to do whatever it takes to heat things up between her and Hope’s long-time flame, Slate Calhoun. If that means rustling her car, spreading rumors like wildfire, and reining in some explosive secrets, well, there’s no way like the Lone Star way . . .
But Slate’s no fool. The woman in his truck may look like Hope, yet the way she feels in his arms is altogether new. He’s determined to keep this twin in his bed and out of his heart. Trouble is, the real Hope is headed home, and she’s got her own designs on Slate. If Faith wants to avoid heartbreak, she’ll have to show a certain ruggedly handsome cowboy that this crazy-impossible love is worth fighting for.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
