A single woman finds herself falling for “an irresistibly charismatic cowboy” in this heartwarming USA Today bestseller (RT BookReviews). Allie Logan isn’t the type to land a hot hunk of cowboy. Truth is, she’s given up on dating since shedding her no-good ex. But the new owner of the most ramshackle ranch in Texas might just change her mind about that. He’s six-foot-plus of tall, dark, and … six-foot-plus of tall, dark, and charming-the kind of guy who could make a girl throw caution to the wind . . . or the kind of guy who could break her heart.
Blake Dawson hopes he can make Lucky Penny Ranch finally live up to its name, but the property needs a ton of work. Allie and her carpentry skills are his best shot at getting things in order. Besides the fact that her brown eyes and dangerous curves have him roped and tied. Now Blake only needs to convince her that a wild cowboy can be tamed by love-and she’s just the one to do it . . .
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Carolyn Brown, always a pleasure.
I absolutely love Carolyn Brown books I have just about read everything she has written. She definitely gets you involved with the characters
Apparently when I want something to lift my spirits and laugh out loud, I read a story by Brown. I love her characters and the plot of this book. I am so looking forward to reading the next installment of this series.
Allie is a talented woman helping Blake fix up the ranch he bought. She is divorced, her ex is a cheater. Blake is known as a player. Allie doesn’t want to get involved with him, especially due to her history. She meets him when her grandmother, who is suffering from dementia, ends up at Blake’s house. She helps him do repairs on his place. There is a strong physical attraction. As they grow closer, they each learn the other’s strengths. An interesting cast of characters adds to the enjoyment of this story.
A hard-working cowboy with some wild ways wants a fresh start and a woman with a bruised heart find each other on a bad luck ranch in a small busy-body ranch town. Hopefully they can make their own good luck as they put off enough sizzle to melt the winter ice and snow. If only they can both get past their gun-shy pasts and see what they’ve got in front of them.
I was excited when I saw the author was putting out a new series about flirty, hardworking handsome cowboys, sassy down home ladies, small town quirkiness, and all around warmhearted country romance. It was like slipping into comfortable clothes and curling up for a long cozy visit as soon as I opened the first page and all the way through to the finish.
The story opens with Blake Dawson moving onto the ramshackle and neglected Lucky Penny Ranch. He, his brother, and his cousin went in to buy the ranch cheap because of its notorious reputation of being unlucky for it’s owners. Blake has a long to-do list that needs doing before his brother can bring the first herd of cattle in the spring. Spearheading their efforts, Blake must fix up the house, get the overgrown mesquite and cactus torn out of the fields, fences repaired, and somehow ingratiate himself with the folks of Dry Creek. He’s the wild Dawson brother, but Blake is using this fresh start with the Lucky Penny as his fresh start on changing his reputation.
As Blake works on his list, he is startled when an old woman barges into his house and starts calling him Walter. It doesn’t take him long to work out that her mind is in the past. He calls the only number he has, the feed store, and Lizzie, the gal on the other end of the line helps him out. Help comes in the form of Allie, Irene’s granddaughter and his neighbor.
Allie already got burned badly by a man so plans to steer clear of any others for the rest of her life, but Blake sure makes her determination weaken as he treats her grandma well, respects Allie’s choice to work as a carpenter and hires her, and then goes on with his country boy charm to wear down her walls.
Things heat up quickly in Dry Creek with the ladies all on the hunt for the new bachelor, an old lady who wanders in and out of lucidity, a stuck up sister set to marry the wrong guy, a creepy suitor, the return of the exes, clandestine bars in a dry county, cooking, visiting, and gossip, and of course a reluctant romance tossed in for good measure.
Like the usual from this author, this was a nice blend of humor, hijinks, and down home country living and romancing. The characters are quirky yet believable and engaging. The story meanders a bit, but never drifts too far from the main plot path. I like the strong sense of family and community that surrounds the main characters and their story. And I also enjoyed the large circle of secondary characters that are lively and entertaining.
Allie had the most growing to do. She started out mean toward Blake and a little judgemental, but as her story unwound, her attitude and actions made sense. She was attracted to him and already had folks telling her he was bad news so she was in defense mode when he started up some innocent flirting because he was attracted to her, too. Allie broke the mold when she chose to be a handywoman and carpenter, but her earlier mistake with a childhood sweetheart was how folks defined her and she defined herself. It was great seeing her come to life again and show some spirit when Blake came around and made it clear he thought she was beautiful and special even in her grungy work clothes and covered in drywall dust.
Blake started out iffy for me because he was such a charmer. He said he wanted to live down his reputation and yet at first he flirted with nearly every woman in his path. But then he buckled down and set about focusing on the ranch and Allie. I was all in by the time the poor guy had a few moments that looked bad, but he was totally innocent and it got Allie riled up at him. And seriously who could resist the guy- hardworking, handsome, cowboy who treats his lady right.
So, I had a fantastic time with this one and most definitely recommend it for those who enjoy light, humorous and heartwarming down home country romance.
Love anything by Carolyn Brown and this did not disappoint.
I usually really enjoy Carolyn Brown books but this one had such ugly language by all the characters that I really did not enjoy the book. It was very different from other Brown books I have read and I have read a lot of her books. The story itself was ok if you could get past the language.
This was an awesome book. I couldn’t wait to read your other books
Really enjoyed this book. Great world building, felt like I was right there with the characters.
5 Stars for “Wild Cowboy Ways”
Great start to the Lucky Penny Ranch series! I can’t wait to read more!
Wild Cowboy Ways, the 1st book in the Lucky Penny Ranch series, was a sweet, enjoyable read. What’s not to like, sexy cowboy with wild ways, meets pretty tomboy carpenter that has been burnt by ex. The story had a nice steady pace. Carolyn Brown did a great job of building up the world, characters, and Allie and Blake’s relationship. I liked both Allie and Blake. Allie was sweet, she had a little sass to her, and she had a good heart. The only thing I didn’t like about Allie was that she sometimes acted like a teen and not a 29 year old woman. She let her mom and sister boss her. Allie’s sister Lizzy wanted her to date this guy that creeped Allie out but instead of just saying No and that being that, she lets said guy push himself on her, putting his arm around her and touching her. Her sister kept setting up double date dinners and crap. It was just little things like that, that made Allie feel immature at times. Blake was sexy, hard working, laid back. But if I had to read one more time about another woman just walking up and grabbing him and kissing him I was gonna flip. Not that he kissed them back, but dayum, the man needed to wear a sign that said “Keep your lips to yourself”.
Those two things, Allie’s immaturity, and the women physically throwing themselves at him every 2 minutes is why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5. Other then those things Allie and Blake’s relationship is very sweet. Allie really makes Blake work for it. Allie’s grandma Irene was cracking me up in this book. OMG the things Irene would say. I liked Lizzy for the most part but at times she annoyed me. The ending was super sweet and cute. I really loved the last like 10%, and I had a stupid smile on my face the whole time I read it. I enjoyed the peek at the next book which is Lizzy’s book, which I will be reading. This book was a nice lighthearted read.
Allie Logan has no interest in landing herself a man anytime soon, especially since she is still licking her wounds and trying to move on from the last man she gave her heart to a few years ago. She has more important things to do, like help keep track of her absent minded grandmother, and worrying about keeping her construction business afloat. Adding a man to the mix just really isn’t in the cards for her right now, but that doesn’t stop her family from continually trying to line up the suitors for her, or stop her eyes from wandering up and down the body of her charming new next door neighbor. When he recruits her to fix his roof, she had no idea he may just be the man to fix her heart too. He is all to eager to win her heart, but she isn’t so ready to let the well known playboy in…
Blake Dawson is a man on a mission, he is ready to turn over a new leaf, and give up his wild ways for a more respectable lifestyle. First up on his list of things to do is to fix up the ranch his partners and him have purchased, and try and turn it into a profitable business. Next thing is to find himself a respectable young lady to settle down with, and have a family with, which seems more than feasible with all the single ladies welcoming him to town. But none of them seem to have that spark he is looking for… that is until he meets his beautiful neighbor Allie. One look at her and he instantly knows she could be the one to tame him, but finding a way to sweep her off her feet is proving to be a little hard for him, because she isn’t in the market for a man… especially one who has the reputation for leaving a trail of broken hearts.
This was my first time reading a book by Ms. Brown, and I can say with complete certainty, that it won’t be my last! I truly enjoyed every minute I spent reading Allie and Blake’s story, and I look forward to the next installment in the series, and some more time spent with Ms. Brown’s highly entertaining characters!