Review

After this, Melissa Cutler will not be flying under my radar anymore. The Trouble with Cowboys is one hot ride from start to finish.

Amy Sorentino’s family is known for being a little wild and out there. She thought she escaped it when she left her hometown years ago, but a nationally-witnessed breakdown has brought the chef back home to help her sisters save her family’s land. The plan is to start an inn, and with Amy’s culinary talents the Sorentinos hope for success. The first step is to get their main beef supplier to cut them a deal. But Amy’s run-in with Kellan Reed leaves her feeling shaky.

Kellan loves the small community and success he has built in the town. He has great friends and a small army of women who would love to get ahold of him. He definitely doesn’t want any of them to learn the truth: that he is an oil heir whose uncle is buying out most of the town. When his uncle sets his eyes on Amy’s land, Kellan must make a hard decision.

This is one wild and crazy cowboy-loving story! I loved the whole book from the very first page. Amy and Kellan’s chemistry is instant and the two waste no time getting it on. Even though there is sexual chemistry, the author turns it into a slow-building friendship that turns to love with a smooth transition.

Amy and Kellan both share a dysfunctional family history. Kellan grew up with drug addicted parents that went to prison. He and his brother lived in a foster home and once Kellan became of age, he searched for his extended family, trying to learn why they never came to get the brothers. His uncle took Kellan in, giving him money to start his own ranch and has manipulated him ever since. Kellan’s relationship with his brother is strained and he just wants a sense of normalcy.

Amy and her sisters had to contend with their father’s gambling and the farm their whole lives. It isn’t a surprise that Amy has a thing for cowboys. She is trying to receive the love from men that she didn’t receive from her father. After her meltdown over her ex-boyfriend on national television, she has instilled rules to stay away from cowboys and get her life back on track. Of course, once she meets Kellan her plans are tossed out the window.  

Ms. Cutler does a great job introducing all of the secondary characters and setting up scenes for future books. I’m especially interested in Rachel’s story.