Her Small-Town Cowboy
2.75 starsThis book caught my eye because the hero runs a horse farm. How could I say no to that? The Love Inspired line doesn't always work for me, and this was a case were the results were definitely mixed. I enjoy them more when they are less preachy, and more about finding inner strength and acceptance.
Mike runs his family's struggling farm. He's been having a hard time since the unexpected death of his father, a renowned thoroughbred trainer. He's also carrying a huge chip on his shoulder after his wife abandoned him and his infant daughter. He's done his best to raise her and his world revolves around her, as well as the rest of his family.
To make extra money, the family rents out their carriage and horses to weddings. While working a wedding, Mike meets Lily, a runaway brides maid. Lily is suffering from some issues of her own, but she doesn't let them control her. She is from a wealthy family, and most of them don't understand why she would go to college to earn a teaching degree. This causes friction with her parents.
I loved the first chapter. The introduction of the two characters was natural and a great setup for the rest of the book. It contracted Mike's grumpiness with Lily's overwhelming optimism. When it turns out that Lily is the substitute teacher for Mike's daughter, Abby, he's not sure how he feels anymore. Lily is a danger to his carefully constructed indifference for the rest of the world, and that was my major problem with Mike. He really isn't a likeable guy. He's gloomy and non-communicative, and when he discovers that Lily has been "lying" about her financial position, he has a complete fit. He, in fact, had several tantrums, and instead of acting like an adult and expressing his feelings, he takes out his anger on Lily. Meh. No thank you. Once I could have lived with. Twice? Nope.
The kids were cute, as were all of the animals, but unfortunately, the hero did not charm me as much.
