She’s not willing to forgive. He’s unable to forget.One year ago, Montana cowboy Dylan McLean left the love of his life at the altar and fled town, thinking he was doing the right thing by saving her from a scandal. He’s found success on the rodeo circuit, but his love for Cathleen never faded. Now he’s returned home to clear his name, claim his bride and rebuild his legacy. Bed-and-breakfast …
Bed-and-breakfast owner Cathleen Shannon has moved on from her broken heart. That is, until Dylan shows up at her house one night asking for help and a second chance. Despite Dylan’s betrayal, she promises to assist with his investigation. She doesn’t want an innocent man to go to jail, but her heart is most definitely off limits.
But Cathleen has forgotten one important fact: Dylan is relentless when he’s going after something he wants. He walked away once, but she won’t let that happen again.
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3.5 Stars
Ok, so this book was a little disappointing. I have read and enjoyed many books by this author in the past but A Cowboy’s Proposal did not resonate with me for a number of reasons. I’m sorry to say the ending did not leave me satisfied as it was rushed and I felt an even greater loss of connection. I’ll be honest by saying I was dumbfounded after the last page.
I want to tell you what I did like because this book wasn’t a total loss for me. Dylan and Cathleen were likable characters. They both were strong-willed. Secondary characters, like Poppy was a good fit and helped with the awkward moments between the H/h whose lack of communication was disappointing. My favorite aspect of this whole book was the suspense which was the main focus of the story. To be honest, there was very little romance between the H/h.
Also the book begins with Dylan showing up after disappearing twelve months prior, leaving Catherine on their wedding day. I truly believe this book would have greatly benefitted from a prologue. I felt like I was missing important pieces to the story and even wondered if there was a prior book that ended on a cliffhanger. In addition, the fact that Dylan comes back and assumes he and Cathleen could pick up where they left off, prior to his desertion, was not realistic. There was no groveling which is what I would expect and Cathleen was too calm when seeing him again for the first time. I will say, I was very happy she kept him at a distance and did not give him hope they could be a couple again. When the main focus in the book should have been Dylan trying to win Cathleen’s heart once again; it was not. There is a mystery going on. I don’t want to give anything away regarding that because the suspense element was what kept me turning the pages and kept me engaged.
I will say that Dylan is treated very unfairly. The thing that made me frustrated was that when the truth is finally revealed, not one person apologized. And there were many moments where kindness was absent while Dylan is searching for answers. Also, we never got to really be involved when the truth comes out. The mystery was solved so easily and that left me disappointed. I know you may think this review is confusing but I can only say so much without giving away the ending. I believe that if there was more focus on Dylan and Cathleen’s relationship, I would have probably rated higher.
To sum this up, while I was disappointed in several aspects of this book, the suspense/mystery was written well and I found myself more interested in that situation than the romance. This is the first book in a series of three sisters. I do want to see how those stories will go so I will be reading them regardless of my issues with this particular book.
This is my honest and unbiased review and I thank you for taking the time to read it. 🙂
A Great Start of a New Series
A year ago, Dylan skipped out on his wedding day and joined the rodeo. His fiancé, Cathleen, was left heartbroken. Cathleen never forgave Dylan. So, when Dylan comes back to town, Cathleen let him right off, there would be no reconciliation. She would only help him clear his name and expose a murderer. Little did they know, they would have their hands full when more bad things start to happen and fingers are, once again, pointed at Dylan. As Cathleen and Dylan team up to bring the truth to light, those old feelings start to arise again. Could there possibly be a future for Dylan and Cathleen after all?
Don’t let the title fool you. This book is not just romance. There is a lot of mystery in as well. I enjoyed seeing how this story played out and how Cathleen and Dylan found their way back to each other. Trying to figure out who the killer was threw me for a loop. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.