Caught Up in a Cowboy by Jennie Marts

source: free review copy courtesy of NetGalley / SourceBooks
title: Caught Up in a Cowboy (Cowboys of Creedence)
author: Jennie Marts / Twitter
genre: contemporary romance
pages: 334
published: May 2018
first line: Bits of gravel flew behind the tires of the convertible, and Rockford James swore as he turned onto the dirt road leading to the Triple J Ranch.
rated: 4 out of 5

blurb:
This cowboy plays to win

Rockford James was raised as a tried and true cowboy in a town crazy about ice hockey. Rock is as hot on the ice as he is on a horse, and the NHL snapped him up. Now, injuries have permanently benched him. Body and pride wounded, he returns to his hometown ranch to find that a lot has changed. The one thing that hasn’t? His feelings for high school sweetheart and girl-next-door Quinn Rivers.

Quinn had no choice but to get over Rock after he left. Teenaged and heartbroken, she had a rebound one night stand that ended in single motherhood. Now that Rock’s back—and clamoring for a second chance—Quinn will do anything to avoid getting caught up in this oh-so-tempting cowboy…

my thoughts:
Caught Up in a Cowboy is the first in the Cowboys of Creedence series by Jennie Marts. This book has been sitting in my Nook since last year and I finally made the time to read it last week. I am glad I did.

First of all, can I just mention the cover. THAT is how you put a cowboy on a cover. Simple yet effective.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

source: purchased
title: The Notebook
author: Nicholas Sparks
genre: romance
pages: 165
published: 1996
first line: Who am I?
rated: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Blurb:
Every so often a love story so captures our hearts that it becomes more than a story-it becomes an experience to remember forever. The Notebook is such a book. It is a celebration of how passion can be ageless and timeless, a tale that moves us to laughter and tears and makes us believe in true love all over again…

At thirty-one, Noah Calhoun, back in coastal North Carolina after World War II, is haunted by images of the girl he lost more than a decade earlier. At twenty-nine, socialite Allie Nelson is about to marry a wealthy lawyer, but she cannot stop thinking about the boy who long ago stole her heart. Thus begins the story of a love so enduring and deep it can turn tragedy into triumph, and may even have the power to create a miracle…

My thoughts:
Let me start my review off with a *sigh*.
Sigh.

I have shied from reading The Notebook for many years only because I like the movie so much. I felt like the novel would never live up to the movie.

Back to You by Priscilla Glenn

source: purchased

title: Back to You
published: October 20, 2012
author: Priscilla Glenn
rated: 4 out of 5 stars

Blurb:
When Lauren Monroe first laid eyes on Michael Delaney back in high school, she had every reason to stay away from him; within minutes of their first encounter, his volatile actions confirmed his notorious reputation. But Lauren saw something in him that caused her to question his bad-boy persona, and against her better judgment, she took a chance. She had no way of knowing that the unlikely friendship they formed would become so important to her.

Or that it would end so painfully.

Eight years later, when Lauren begins her new job at Learn and Grow Day Care, Michael is the last person she expects to see. Refusing to revisit the hurt and confusion of their past, Lauren vows to keep her distance from him. But staying away from Michael proves to be more difficult than she thought, despite her lingering grief and her instincts for self-preservation.

As Lauren and Michael recall the friendship that changed them forever and the events that tore them apart, will they finally be able to heal? Or will the ghosts of Michael’s past prove to be too much to overcome?

My thoughts:
Back to You is nice contemporary romance. The story takes place in current day and is told from each Lauren and Michael’s POV’s. The storyline flashbacks to when the two were in high school as well as to Michael’s troubled childhood.

Lauren and Michael were friends in high school who eventually fell in love. Michael had a mysterious past and was the topic of much gossip. He is your classic ‘bad boy’ type; stand-offish and intense. When he meets Lauren, who is instantly drawn to him, the two become friends. Michael feels like Lauren looks past his bad boy demeanor and sees the real him. As the years go by, they remain close friends, but there is always that attraction just beneath the surface. Michael becomes very protective over Lauren, he places her on somewhat of a pedestal. Lauren is the one who finally speaks up to him about her feelings, I won’t say anything else so not to give too much away other than they lose contact. Finally, eight years pass before the two find each other by chance again.

Lauren is working as a pre-k teacher while going to night school for her masters degree in child psychology. On her first day at work, Michael walks in to drop off his young daughter, one of Lauren’s new pupils.