Review: Love Drunk Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Love Drunk Cowboy
Carolyn Brown
Series: Spikes & Spurs #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: May 1, 2011
Mass Market Paperback {p.395}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Contemporary, Western
Characters: Austin Lanier, Rye O'Donnell
Challenge: 100+, 50 States ~ Oklahoma

All Austin Lanier wants is to sell her inherited watermelon farm, slip on her stilettos and run back to corporate America. Until the drop dead sexy cowboy next door, Rye O'Donnell, decides he'll only take the farm if he can get the fiery woman who owns it as part of the deal...

Love Drunk Cowboy, like all of Carolyn Brown's novels, is full of music references. Although it seemed, at least to me, to have a bit fewer than her Honky Tonk series. Music seems to be an integral part of all her novels, like a third lead character.

Rye is a likable enough character, but he didn't have any fire or depth to him. He was some great eye candy, but not much else. He's instantly smitten with Austin, but there didn't seem to be an reasoning behind it other than her looks. As a reader, I didn't feel that I got to know Rye outside of his interaction with Austin. We got to see Austin interact with the people of the community, her seasonal workers, Rye's sister, but I didn't see much of Rye unless he was with Austin.

Austin is this career driven woman who comes back to Terral only to lose her "big city savvy" and turns instantly into a small-town hick. That whole aspect of instantly taking a liking to all things country didn't come across as believable. She fit right in with no sort of hiccups or setbacks, not very likely.

The overall romance between these two was very lukewarm. There wasn't any sparks flying in this read, but it was a rather amusing when it came to Terrals' blue-haired set.

Teaser Tuesday: Love Drunk Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading. To participate, all you have to do is the following:

• Grab your current/upcoming read
• Open to a random page
• Share 2-3 "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

• Be careful not to include spoilers! (You do not want to ruin the book for others.)

Share the title & author so that others who enjoy your "teaser" may add the book to their TBL pile.

Austin wasn't a bit surprised that Rye swaggered or that his jeans fit snuggly over a damn fine looking rear end.
"Like what you see?" Pearlita asked.
She spun around so fast that it made her lightheaded. "Yes, I do. I wonder where on earth the owner found so many branding irons to hang on the walls."
"I'll have to tell Rye that you were interested in using one on his ass," Pearlita teased.
"Why in the world woul you say that?"
"Because evidently you'd like to brand his ass. That is where you were looking."

page 19; Love Drunk Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Review: Hell, Yeah by Carolyn Brown

Hell, Yeah
Carolyn Brown
Series: Honky Tonk, #2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Published: August 3, 2010
Format: Mass Market Paperback {351 pages}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Contemporary
Characters: Cathy O'Dell, Travis Henry
My Rating:

Heat Level: 1/5
Synopsis:

She's finally found a place that feels like home...

When Cathy O'Dell buys the Honky Tonk, the nights of cowboys and country tunes come together to create the home she's always wanted. Then in walks a ruggedly handsome oil man who tempts her to trade in the happiness she's found at the Honky Tonk for a life on the road with him...

He lives the good life...

Gorgeous and rich, Travis Henry travels the country unearthing oil wells and then moving on. Then the beautiful blue-eyed new owner of the Honky Tonk beer joint becomes his best friend and so much more. When his job is done in Texas, how is he ever going to hit the road without her?

"Ten, hell yeah!"

Cathy has taken over the Honky Tonk from her cousin Daisy and is enjoying being a new bar owner. In walks Travis one New Year's Eve, who knocks her socks off with a kiss at the stroke of midnight.
Both were deeply affected by the kiss, but Cathy tended to fight it more than Travis. She tended to be more rude and harsh toward Travis as a way to fight her growing feelings for him. Hell, Yeah felt like a re-hash of I Love This Bar. It was pretty much the same premise with just a changing of the character names.

Just like in the previous book in this series, I Love This Bar, Hell, Yeah is overrun with references to every country song imaginable. I don't feel like there was a whole lot of anything going on between Cathy and Travis. In the end, I ended up skimming most of it.

Review: I Love This Bar by Carolyn Brown

I Love This Bar
Carolyn Brown
Series: Honky Tonk, #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Published: June 1, 2010
Format: Mass Market Paperback {366 pages}
Source: Personal Library
Genre: Contemporary
Characters: Daisy O'Dell, Jarod McElroy
My Rating:

Heat Level: 2/5
Synopsis:

Funny, sexy, and sure to appeal to the huge audience of country music fans, this new trilogy features the Honky Tonk beer joint and its succession of lovelorn owners. Serving two counties, one wet and one dry, the Honky Tonk is the gathering place for every hothead, thirsty rancher, and lusty lady looking for a good time. Owner Daisy O'Dell vows she'll run the place until they drag her cold dead body through the swinging doors. That is, until the day Jarod McElroy walks in, looking for a cold drink and a moment's peace from his ornery Uncle Emmitt. The minute Jarod sees Daisy, with her hot looks and smart mouth; he knows he's met not only his own match, but Uncle Emmitt's as well. Now, if only he can convince her to come out from behind that bar and come on home with him…

All the air escaped Daisy's lungs in a whoosh when the cowboy collapsed on top of her body.

Daisy has been content running her bar, the Honky Tonk, until she literally collides into Jarod McElroy. From that point on neither one can stop thinking about the other.

Jarod's attraction to Daisy is immediate but once he realized she is a barmaid, he refuses to get involved. Daisy has trust issues due to a previous abusive relationship, and tends to keep men at arms length. The fact Jarod is only in town temporarily to care for his ailing uncle Emmett doesn't help matters.

Uncle Emmett has Alzheimer's and believes Jarod and Daisy to be married. Or does he? Daisy has her suspensions that it's all a hoax but can't prove it. So for Uncle Emmett's sake, they pretend to indeed be married.

I enjoyed the story at the beginning, but then about halfway through it started to fizzle out a bit for me. There didn't seem to be any kind of deep connection between Jarod and Daisy. Yes there was sexual tension but that's about it.

Teaser Tuesday: One Lucky Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading. To participate, all you have to do is the following:

Grab your current/upcoming read

Open to a random page

Share 2-3 "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

Be careful not to include spoilers! (You do not want to ruin the book for others.)

Share the title & author so that others who enjoy your "teaser" may add the book to their TBL pile.

Her lips brushed across his but something didn't seem right.When Jane kissed him every nerve in his body wanted more.These kiss left him feeling like he should clean his mouth with alcohol.

page 289; One Lucky Cowboy by Carolyn Brown