Review

Wedding Planner Mariah Callahan is down and out of luck. When she loses her prestige wedding planning job in Chicago, she struggles to find work but is immediately blacklisted by her former boss. When a strange man calls to inform her that her estranged father is dead and left her his property, she immediately heads to Jubilee, Texas where she finds a naked cowboy in a horse trough.

Joe Daniels doesn’t remember much about the night before but he is startled to wake up naked in horse trough with a woman who reminds him of his deceased wife. Once he learns her identity, he quickly plots to send her packing back to the city but every time he is near her, he can’t help fight the attraction.

Life in Jubilee is a far stretch from Chicago. The folks are friendly and idolized her father, a concept Mariah can’t fathom. To say that she and Dutch didn’t have the best relationship is an understatement. The guilt of not being able to understand his lifestyle and forgive him for leaving her family starts to play on Mariah. The handsome naked cowboy is not helping by constantly hovering around making her feel things  she doesn’t want to feel.

The story is funny. I liked the humor and sexual chemistry between Joe and Mariah. I found myself rooting for them but the small cheesy parts tore at me. First, I didn’t like the comparison of Mariah to Joe’s dead wife. It became a sore point for me in the story. Also, he seems to be a bit love struck and cynical. The author could have done a better job at showing Joe’s transformation and not telling us that he’s changed and in love with Maria.

The secondary story with Ila and Cordy felt forced and strange. Ila is Joe’s sister-in-law who has always loved him except he has never returned her feelings. Instead, Cordy has been trying to get Ila’s attention but with no success. Ila’s character is very unlikeable and the storyline does not explain it in great detail. I didn’t buy that she magically loved Cordy by the end.

The story is one that has been told before. The sweet romance and quirky humor makes for an entertaining read.