Photo credits: Dominik Dombrowski (pixabay), Marcela Bolívar (pixabay) Edited by Vaishali Title: Hitching the Cowboy Series: Circle B Ranch #1 Author: Kennedy Fox Publisher: Self published Year of Publication: 2019 Format: E-book/kindle app Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, Adult fiction, ranch/cowboy romance, New Adult, Review... It's a rapid chemistry, fast sort of love for a small-town southern ranch hand when he and his boisterous best friend lean into the freedom of cowboys gone wild on a weekend trip to the sin city. When Riley Bishop wakes up with a furious hangover next to a beautiful woman he had one of the best night of his life with, he hazily recollects the daredevil decisions of the night before. He's done it now, and his Texan mama's not going to be happy. He realises that he and his current bedmate have a huge problem on their hands, namely the ring finger, and while he was cautioned of bad behaviour before his boys trip, he's now a married man. One who's just tied the knot in typical Vegas fashion. Finding it hard to see this as a poor lapse in intoxicated judgement when he seems to have amazing chemistry with Zoey, Riley's encouraged by the fact that he and his new wife might be able to make the best out of a bad situation. Rather than hastening to reverse the act of matrimony, he's delighted at the prospect that with some getting to know each other, she could be a bride for life. Receiving annulment papers wasn't a particular hope, but when his Arizonian one night stand shows up at his Texan family ranch, he's over the moon that some lemonade might be made from this sour situation. Hitching the Cowboy is the first book in the Circle B Ranch series, but it's actually also the first book in a second generation series that spins off from the original Bishop Bothers storylines. I haven't read the founding series but it seems that Riley's a chip off the old Bishop block in the way his storyline begins, because apparently, these Bishops have some very collective traits. While his dad had a getaway accidental pregnancy romance, Riley has an accidental marriage romance in Hitching the Cowboy. If you prefer to read interconnected books strictly in order, I dutifully point a finger towards the Bishop Brothers series if one wishes to start there. As for this? I really enjoyed the small community that is the Bishop family. Their multi-generational, multiple-business ranch is a big part of their labour and heritage. They're truly a big bunch of busy ranch bees who wouldn't want to be anywhere other than planted in their humble roots. Ranching is a long toil but the Bishop's have an inner art for loving the slog, knees-deep in ranch life. And a family-oriented Riley is exactly the same. Zoey's more on the opposite leg of the spectrum, an adventure-seeking city girl born into a conservative family she's never quite fit into. Far from being engaged in her life choices her parents tend to push her down a path for their own Interest rather than hers. So when she meets the Bishop bunch, she's delighted by their openness and easy welcome, and her growing affection for Riley is about to dash her parent's hopes when it looks more and more likely that she'll bag herself a Southern sweetheart. The struggle with Zoey's character for me was the fact that she was said to be a 'wild child' but didn't particularly expose that energy when it might have called for it. Bar the drunken lapse in judgement in swearing holy matrimony to a stranger, she didn't particularly come across as one to me, and I believe it's rooted to that part of her that's still a family-pleaser. More an observation but doing what you love, being open to life, enjoying life and taking trips for a love of discovery speaks more to an adventurous life on the wind, and so I also struggled with the fact that if she loves the feel of discovery, does that part part of her die down once she becomes a part of the Bishop life? And it seems she felt as if she filled the boots of that label because next to her family, she felt 'other' in comparison. In many ways, she was still under her parent's thumb, and it took her a long time - too long perhaps - to cut ties with a controlling, self-serving OM she wasn't even interested in. In terms of the storyline, I profess that Hitching the Cowboy does not bring with it a finely layered series of events. I enjoyed the first part that looks into what happens during their time in Vegas. I was also interested in what follows when Zoey comes to Texas to trial a relationship with Riley which aims to show where they might be heading as a couple with more time spent together. Unfortunately, a lot of repetitious commentary would often lose me in the lull. And then the conflict-point fallout fell more on the cliché side. The ranch/family setting is great but the problem lies in the fact that as much as I was told how well Zoey integrated into the Bishop family and how they've become so close within a few weeks, most of those told connections aren't actively on page to appreciate. As a reader, to accept something the characters already seem to know and feel, there needs to be an effort made to convince us of what they know and feel, and that's by showing us what the author might tell us too much about. I felt that the more crucial connections could have had better - and more - crucial page time. Riley and Zoey on the other hand, do have a charmingly sweet chemistry, even if the development of their romance was more on the slimmer side. As mentioned, there's also an excess of repeated commentary that draws out the length of the story, which also played into a loss of engagement. Perhaps I'm being overly cynical but the tone and pace of the story might have been too peachy and rehearsed, and perhaps too adaptable and easy for Zoey to blend into the ranch life as well, despite her sense of spontaneity. This one might be better fulfilling for readers who'd go for an undemanding but lovable romance nonetheless. There's a strong sense of knowing where the romance is going, and with that reliability, I think it was safe to establish more convincing, integrative connections. I also would have liked a more solid development but there's definitely a sweetness, a warmth and a charm that endears one to a young couple who don't have it all together but who want it all together. I've been craving a ranch romance in recent months and since I've been signed up Kennedy Foxs' newsletter for well over a year, hearing about every bookish update about these dashing cowboys, and with their backlog having quite the selection, I had to take my chance and sample one of their cowboy heroes! Hitching the Cowboy is predominantly low-conflict with light/mild development so I'd definitely recommend this one to readers who enjoy a more easy-going, simple and light-hearted read without major difficulties. The Bishops are a professedly fall-hard, fall-fast sort of family, and Riley's sweet dedication and confident knowing of what he wants in his life makes for a southern hero who has his heart set on his heroine quite quickly. You'll get a hero walking on Texan air with birds singing out of his ears who, as Zoey put it, is truly adorably southern, a heroine who's trying to find her place in life, impulsive decisions, a drunken dare that doesn't feel sour the morning after, a ranch-dwelling family and two late-night strangers who might just happen to be marriage material. I do love the idea of a removed night of fun changing the course of life, and a Vegas matrimony might have stirred the pot but choosing the path of following one's heart seals the deal with more than just one night to remember. Naughty and snug, sweet and southern, Hitching the Cowboy is a homestyle romance for a couple of newlyweds where a strangers-to-lovers-to-nuptials-to-courtship takes a less conventional path to hitching the cowboy. I gave this book 3 stars - Content Warning: Drinking, bedroom scenes, profanity and some violence. --------------------------------------- M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read --------------------------------------- I love interacting with fellow readers, reviewers, bloggers and writers. Hearing about reader opinion is the fuel to my reader appetite, so get in touch and comment below! SHARE ON FACEBOOK Leave a comment and let's talk about |
VaishaliBorn in the UK Archives
February 2024
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