A Cowboy’s Luck (The McGavin Brothers, #8)

There is a fierce attraction between Roxanne and Michael from the moment of their meeting but after being cruelly hurt by a former lover, Roxanne no longer believes in soulmates. Michael is used to acting on his instincts, making quick decisions and making things happen; how can he convince Roxanne that their passion is for life and will not quickly burn out? We readers are welcomed back into the small town of Eagles Nest for another delightful romance. Whilst part of a series this book is a standalone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

A Cowboy’s Luck continues Vicki Lewis Thompson’s McGavin Brothers series with the story of Michael Murphy, Bryce McGavin’s business partner. Mike is a take-charge kind of guy who acts when his gut tells him something is right. When he meets local graphic designer Roxanne Sawyer (who we met in A Cowboy’s Kiss), Mike follows his instincts and asks her to do some design work for the Guzzling Grizzly, which he co-owns with Bryce. And while the logo t-shirts she designs are a big hit with the customers, Roxanne herself is an even bigger hit with Mike. Right away, Mike is sure that Roxanne is the woman for him, but Roxanne doesn’t share Mike’s willingness to follow her instincts and jump into situations because they feel right. In fact, she has definite ideas about how relationships should develop, and her relationship with Mike isn’t following the rules. Roxanne has been burned by love before, and now Mike has to find a way to convince her that they aren’t as incompatible as she thinks before he loses the woman he knows he is supposed to be with for the rest of his life.

In many ways, Roxanne reminds me of Olivia, Trevor McGavin’s love from A Cowboy’s Courage. Olivia also had some very firm beliefs about her romantic future that threw obstacles between her and Trevor. Like Olivia, Roxanne lets her past relationships dictate the course of her present relationships. But while Olivia had experienced great love with her late husband and just didn’t believe she could be that lucky again, Roxanne had had a very negative relationship that makes her fear that any relationship that moves too fast is destined to fail. That belief is hard for a guy like Mike to understand— he’s used to knowing what he wants and just making it happen. But like the gallant cowboy he is, Mike tries his hardest to respect Roxanne’s boundaries and lives up to the standard set by all the other men in the McGavin Brothers series.

We really get to know more about Roxanne’s backstory in this book. Her father made a brief appearance in A Cowboy’s Kiss and makes a return in this book. Quinn seems to be moving towards his own story involving Kendra McGavin, and I find that really exciting. But we also meet one of Roxanne’s brothers in this book. Wes comes to visit Roxanne, and he definitely shares her concerns about how her relationship with Mike is developing. I have to say I’m not totally comfortable with Wes. I didn’t like how quickly he dismissed Mike and Roxanne’s potential for a real relationship. I hated that he reinforced Roxanne’s worst beliefs about love and relationships. At the same time, Wes only behaves the way he does because he loves his sister and doesn’t want to see her hurt again (he was there when her heart was broken in the past). How can you dislike someone who is so loyal to his family? So Wes presents a challenge for me. And since he seems to be a little unsettled at present and was particularly in love with Pie in the Sky Bakery, I imagine we will see Wes again, possibly as a love interest for Ingrid, who works at the bakery. I’m excited to see how Vicki Lewis Thompson will make me overcome my initial feelings about Wes and make me love him as much as the other male leads in this series (because I know that she will!)

A Cowboy’s Luck is a wonderful addition to this series. I was excited to see Mike get his own story because I have always liked his character. And I look forward to seeing where Vicki Lewis Thompson is going to take the rest of the series. I am especially excited by the obvious interest that Quinn and Kendra have for each other. As much I am enjoying the stories of the non-McGavin characters, I miss those five brothers and hope that a Kendra story will let us catch up with all the McGavins a little more. Plus Quinn just seems fascinating! So fellow romance fans do yourselves a favor and read this book— both for the story it tells and the hints it gives about the future of the series.

I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.