Dinca’s review of If Santa Were A Cowboy (One and Only Texas, Book 4) by Melissa Cutler
Contemporary romance published by Swerve 25 Oct 16
This is a novella in the One and Only Texas series. It has an interesting plot. It’s not the usual outcome for the popular girl in school, Kelly Sawyer, and the school nerd, Paul Savage. So, therefore, I found myself rooting for Paul and not Kelly. Actually, Sadie, the doggie reindeer, gets five stars out of five. She really stole the show.
Other than Santa wearing a cowboy hat and making an entrance on a horse, there is nothing cowboy about him. So I’m not sure where the book title came from. It is definitely not what I was expecting.
Kelly’s Sawyer-Walker is a mess. I never could connect with her. Her personality just doesn’t cut it for me. Even in the end she never has it together,and she disappointed me on several levels. Her entrance into Briscoe Ranch, which is supposed to be funny, doesn’t quite work. Why trip over a suitcase full of sex toys if they’re never going to come up in the story. Sure, Paul used the fuzzy red handcuffs, but what red-blooded male is not going to take the time to explore everything in that suitcase? I just feel it is totally misplaced and misguided for the genre it turned out to be, when the tone is set as erotica.
I love the fact that the nerdy Paul Savage, total gentleman, alpha male, and makes a fantastic Santa. I would sit on his lap any day. He’s a tree-hugging trail guide at Briscoe Ranch and so hot he could burn down a whole forest with one smoky hot glance your way.
Kelly mostly just irritated me throughout the book. None of her decisions are intelligent; she’s not sassy or classy like I want my heroines to be. I think Paul could’ve done so much better. I appreciate the fact that he helped his longtime friend and high school crush in the end, but I still don’t feel it justifies falling in love and catering to her every whim as a lifetime sentence. That is just way too much punishment for such a nice guy.
Although I didn’t care for the Kelly character, Ms. Cutler had her personality developed extremely well and she carried out her role throughout the story line. It would have been a better match for Paul if she had evolved through her disasters and learned from her mistakes. The book is well written and well proofed. With that in mind, I will be more than pleased to pick up another Melissa Cutler book in the One and Only Texas series and experience more of her talents. I can’t really give her a bad grade just because I didn’t care for one of her characters. Paul gets an A, Sadie gets an A, and Christmas at the Briscoe Ranch gets an A. I am going to have to give Kelly a D. So, all in all, Ms Cutler gets a B for this work of art.
Grade:B
Summary:
This Christmas, Santa wears a Stetson…
Paul Savage loves Christmas at Briscoe Ranch Resort, when he gets to take a break from being a back country guide to play Santa in the resort’s lobby and talk to kids about toys. The last thing he expects is his high school crush to come waltzing in as his new assistant photographer, wheeling a suitcase that’s more naughty than nice.
Kelly Walker is a disaster. All she’d wanted was to spice up her life by saying ‘yes’ to every opportunity, which is when the universe started pelting her with no’s. So when she comes across a job listing for a holiday photographer working with the sweet, scrawny boy whose advances she’d laughed off in high school, she jumps on the chance to turn her bad Karma around by giving Paul a second chance.Trouble is, Paul’s anything but scrawny anymore, and his cowboy swagger throws her grand plans for a loop–especially when he tempts her with a red hot proposition of his own. Kelly’s in way over her head, but as she gets swept up in the magic of Briscoe Ranch’s holiday charms–and Paul’s–could Kelly’s year of no’s be leading up to the ‘yes’ of a lifetime?
Other books in this series:
