Rekindling old flames can be dangerous…Beau Garrett may look rough around the edges, but under that exterior beats a heart of gold—a heart that was broken when his high school sweetheart disappeared days before graduation. Years have passed, but Beau’s never forgotten the fiery-haired girl who left him high and dry.Dixie Moore has her reasons for being angry with Beau. When a family emergency … with Beau. When a family emergency calls Dixie back to her hometown, she brings with her an explosive secret that could divide them for good—if the culprit behind a recent crime spree doesn’t get her first. It’s up to Beau to unmask this dangerous criminal…and keep Dixie out of the crosshairs.
Dark Horse Cowboys series:
Do or Die Cowboy (Book 1)
Hot Target Cowboy (Book 2)
Full Throttle Cowboy (Book 3)
Praise for Do or Die Cowboy:
“[A] cowboy love story that is guarantee melt your heart romance.”—Romancing the Book
“If you’re in the mood for a cowboy romance with a touch of mystery, then you’d enjoy Do or Die Cowboy.”—Keeper Bookshelf
“[A] very entertaining story.”—Harlequin Junkie
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Dixie Moore is back in Langston, Texas after disappearing six years ago shortly before her high school graduation. She is only back to handle funeral arrangements for her father who had been gunned down outside the feed store he owned. She was hoping she wouldn’t run into Beau Garrett who she had dated in high school. No such luck! What a jerk! How could he be so cruel and abandon her just when she needed him most?
Beau Garrett was not all that surprised to see Dixie in town. After all her father had just been murdered and she was his only child. Vernon Moore had been just as shocked as Beau when his wife and daughter just up and left. He didn’t have any answers for Beau as to why. Beau knew this was his chance to get some answers and he is very determined to face Dixie and get them. One thing for sure – she had quite a surprise for him as part of her answers.
When to Call a Cowboy by June Faver is the third book in her Dark Horse Cowboy series. Each book in this series has been quite entertaining. This one is no exception. I really enjoyed all the action and the mystery surrounding Dixie’s father’s murder. I also thought the sex scenes were hot yet sensual. The plot was intriguing and kept me turning the pages. Dixie and Beau are both strong likeable characters and it was fun getting to know them. June Faver has become a “must read” author to me. This book is one of the reasons why she is.
When Dixie has to come back to this backwards town she thought she would never have to see it again after how they treated her, especially Beau Garrett the love of her life. Dixie just wants to get in and out right after the will is read she can go back to Dallas, but she brought her friend Scott along to make it easier.
Beau can’t believe who he is seeing can Dixie possibly be back after all these years? Dixie is avoiding him and he doesn’t know why after all she is the one who left with her mother never looking back or even contacting him or her father Vern.
Dixie and Beau are finding out in this story that things aren’t always as they seem and how to forgive. So many secrets are revealed but this story does wrap them up nicely and I really enjoyed it.
Reviewed on behalf of Once upon an Alpha
When I voluntarily requested an advance reader copy of this novel I had no idea that it was the third book in a series, and the only one in the series I’ve read, although I have read one other book by this author. The blurb sounded good–a second chance, secret baby, contemporary romantic suspense murder mystery, but in my opinion, the blurb was better than the book for a number of reasons, and I can only give it a 2.5 star rating.
Dixie and her childhood sweetheart, Beau Garrett, were in their senior year of high school, planning to go to college, and get married after they graduated, until one day, Dixie and her mother simply disappeared without a word, a note, a phone message–nada. Beau was utterly devastated, as was Dixie’s father, Vern. No one knew where they went or why, and it’s not until Vern, who owned and operated the local feed store and his own ranch, was found murdered that Dixie has to return home because as Vern’s only child, she needs to plan his funeral, and, oh yes, she’s the sole beneficiary in his will, even though she hated him, Beau, and the Garrett family. Unbeknownst to anyone, Dixie was pregnant with Beau’s child when she disappeared. The will stipulated that in order to inherit, Dixie must take ownership of and run the feed store, return to and live in Langston, and reside at and maintain the family ranch for one year. To say that she’s almost apoplectic with rage and bitterness is putting it mildly. She’s a stone cold bitch to everyone in town, never sheds a tear for her murdered father, and when Beau is absolutely stunned to learn he has a 5-year-old daughter, Ava, and tells Dixie he’s still in love with her and is over the moon about his surprise fatherhood, does she believe him? Nope.
As far as incredibly stupid heroines go, Dixie’s a top contender for the gold medal. When her mother told her that her father didn’t approve of her pregnancy and hated her for getting pregnant, and that when Dixie’s mom, Mamie, also told her that when she had approached Beau and his family with news of Dixie’s teenage pregnancy, they turned their backs on her and couldn’t have cared less about her or Beau’s child. How could she simply accept what she was told without asking why the father who adored her and the boy who thought she hung the moon and planned to marry her could suddenly turn their love for her into hate? Couldn’t she make a phone call or send a letter? Why didn’t she ask her father what he’d done to make her mother hate and want to desert him, after years of what appeared to be a happy marriage? Dixie goes from hot to cold, belief and non-belief through the entire novel, and when, even on her wedding day, she’s still got doubts about her soon-to-be husband, who sees her as his soul mate, made me wonder what there was about her that had Beau so utterly enraptured, beyond her looks and their sex life.
Once Dixie returns to town to fulfill her obligations under the will, she’s accompanied by one-half of a gay couple, Scott, her best friend, who, while visiting the feed store is also shot in the chest. Next Scott’s partner shows up, and he’s filled with hatred for Beau and the Garrett family too. Everyone in Dixie’s life is as bitchy as she is, and it was almost impossible to like any of them. Dixie is unwilling to let the sheriff and law enforcement do their job and find out who murdered her father in what they suspect might have been a robbery, and although she has a young child who depends on her, Dixie gives no thought to endangering her own life, especially after Scott is also shot in the chest at the feed store. Dixie is incredibly foolhardy and starts her own investigation. Beau can’t talk her out of it, no one can. When 2 young girls and a 20-something woman, all of whom speak only Spanish are found in the feed store shed, suddenly we learn that human trafficking might have been the motive behind both Vern’s murder, and Scott’s attempted murder. Will Dixie now let law enforcement investigate? Not a chance.
While I liked Beau Garrett and the entire Garrett family a great deal, for their kindness, hard work, and affection for each other and how they all instantly fell in love with little Ava and welcomed her into their family, I simply couldn’t figure out what Beau saw in the woman who abandoned him and broke his heart years ago, nor could I accept his undying love for her. As far as I could see, she certainly hadn’t given him the benefit of a doubt when her mother badmouthed him and spent years turning Dixie against him, her father and the Garrett family. When Dixie finally discovers that her mother was a liar and had her own agenda for leaving Langston, Dixie’s easy acceptance and forgiveness of her mother’s self-serving, self-indulgent, and snooty attitude, and the pain she caused her only daughter, Vern, Beau and the Garrett family, was, quite frankly, beyond my ability to fathom.
All in all, I found the murder mystery part of this novel far more interesting than the on-again, off-again romance between Dixie and Beau. Little Ava was, in my opinion, the best thing about this novel. It’s not a terrible read, but there wasn’t a whole lot of depth or backstory to these characters and to this story, and even after the expected HEA ending, I still thought strong, stalwart Beau deserved a better woman than Dixie.
As stated, I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Avid Reader –
M/F Second Chance Romance
Triggers: Human Trafficking, Murder, Attempted Murder
Beau has an amazing family and community. When there is a murder in their small town, the last thing he thought would happen is that he finds Dixie, his first and only love, and how much that impacts his feelings.
Dixie hates her small town. She moved away and never wanted to look back. But when her father is murdered, she knows that she has to go back and put his affairs in order. She has never forgiven Beau for his betrayal.
Beau is confused and hurt by Dixie’s apparent hatred. He never understood why she left. Dixie doesn’t understand why Beau and his family turned their backs on her and her mom.
But as the mystery unfolds as to who killed Dixie’s dad, more truths come out and it creates an atmosphere where love overcomes all. Dixie and Beau have a great chemistry and while they are trying to figure out who is the bad guy in their town, they are also working on their own relationship.
I was disappointed in Dixie’s relationship with her mom. It seemed too easy and nice for all that had gone on.
Overall, this is a sweet, second-chance story with a bit of mystery in it.
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Check out our When to Call a Cowboy Blog Tour post on Wicked Reads at http://bit.ly/WRDHCowboy3
An exciting cowboy romp. The story starts out with a knockout drag down fight. It ends with a beautiful wedding. The author paints a great picture of the joy of family and how it can bring joy into your life. The characters are wonderfully delightful. Little Ava is a peach! It is a wonderfully fun read that you will thoroughly enjoy.
I like a people story such as this one that you can sink your teeth into. I also have not read this author before now so she was a good discovery. This also could be said to be a second chance one even though turmoil does come with that. Beau and Dixie carry you through this one as you escape into their world. Also ate up the mystery that seeps in and penetrates this one. I also discovered this author can keep me captivated with a story that keeps me hanging on and at the edge sometimes. Great read from beginning to end.
June Faver brings this tragic to heartwarming tale of Beau Garrett and Dixie Moore – When she returns after the death of her father, Dixie and Beau learn the truth about a lot of things. There is even some suspense in this book.
Dixie Moore receives notification that her, father who lives in Langston, has been murdered. She has not seen her father in many years since her mother said that he had asked them to leave. When she visits his lawyer to settle the estate, she finds out that her father left her his entire estate, as long as she resides in town for one year. If she does not, his friend Big Jim Garrett inherits. She does not want to return to her town as her young lover, Beau Garrett, still lives in town. She was told, by her mother, that Beau refused to marry her when she became pregnant during their senior year. Dixie returns immediately to Dallas, but a good friend encourages her to accept her father’s will for the sake of her five-year old daughter Ava. Of course, Beau will see Ava and recognizer her as his daughter. How could Dixie have left him without a word about their baby? He loved her then and loves her still. Events will unfold with Dixie learning what really happened all those years ago. Now, no matter what danger she faces, she is determined to find out who murdered her father. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
When I saw that the book had been labeled in the “Suspense” genre, I was a little skeptical. It was not as suspenseful as I thought it would be and for that I was thankful. I enjoyed parts of this book but I felt that it had lots of loose ends and skipped around a lot.