ISBN-10: 1455508152
ISBN-13: 978-1455508150
Publisher: Grand Central
Line: Forever
Release Date: Mar 27, 2012
Pages: 384
Retail Price: 7.99
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Heat Level: Sensual/Hot
Rating:
Shirlene Dalton has it all: a dream marriage to a man who spoils her rotten and the most outrageous mansion Bramble, Texas, has ever seen. But when her husband unexpectedly dies, Shirlene finds herself right back where she started-in a rundown trailer on the wrong side of the tracks. Never the type to let a little bad luck and a whole heap of heartache get her down, Shirlene is ready to prove to the local gossips she can make it on her own . . . until she ends up living next door to the most tempting cowboy in town.
Billy Wilkes has a score to settle and a plan to wipe Bramble right off the map. But when his sexy, redheaded neighbor figures out what he's up to, his good ol' boy charm won't be enough to save him. With the town on his tail, Billy will have to come clean quick-or kiss Shirlene goodbye.
Review
The third Deep in the Heart of Texas novel is a funny, sexy and romantic tale.
Shirlene is a Texas spitfire. She pulled herself up from nothing by marrying the richest man in town – who also happened to be much older than her. When he dies she finds herself shopping and spending money in order to fill the loneliness. It all comes to an end when she ends up broke, evicted from her mansion, and unable to buy even the basic necessities. But Shirlene is tough and doesn’t let it get her down…too much. She moves back into the trailer that she grew up in, a trailer that she never wanted to see again, but that changes her whole life.
Billy “Bubba” Wilkes is a good-old Texan. He comes to Bramble to hunt and fish – at least that’s what his friends think. In reality he is out to find a way to destroy the town of Bramble for something that happened a long time ago.
I really liked these two characters. They are both flirty and fun, but with real substance underneath. Bubba tries almost from the beginning to help Shirlene, even though he is the real cause of all her problems. The characters both evolve throughout the book and learn things about themselves that help them to see mistakes made in the past for what they truly were.
One thing that I did not like about this book was the author’s attempt to make the dialogue sound more “Texan”. I will fully admit that I’m not a fan of dialogue reflecting true speech in books. For example, when a historical author has her Scottish hero speaking in brogue. In Catch Me a Cowboy more than one character says “shore” instead of “sure” and each time it through me out of the story. This is a personal pet peeve and may not bother other readers, but it hurt my enjoyment of the book.
The plotline involving Bubba and his brother’s hope of destroying the town is well done. The way they go about it seems realistic and Bubba’s change of heart after getting to know the people in town makes him an even better character.
I’m hoping that the author continues the series with Bubba’s brother, Beau. He was a fun and intriguing character.
Reviewed by Carrie