“Funny, complicated, and irresistible. Sometimes a cowboy isn’t perfect but you got to love him anyway.”—JODI THOMAS, New York Times bestselling author for Caught Up in a CowboyThis cowboy is falling hardMason James is the responsible one who stayed behind to run the ranch while his brother, Rock, took off to play professional hockey. Women have used him before to get to his brother—and Mason … hockey. Women have used him before to get to his brother—and Mason intends never to get burned again. But after he meets quirky Tessa Kane at his brother’s wedding, Mason discovers he’s ready to take a chance on love.
Tessa Kane is a reporter on the verge of losing a job she desperately needs—unless she’s clever enough to snag a story on the famous Rockford James. But when she falls for her subject’s brother, she’s caught between a rock and a hard-muscled cowboy. What will happen when Mason finds out who she really is?
Cowboys of Creedence Series:
Caught Up in a Cowboy (Book 1)
You Had Me at Cowboy (Book 2)
It Started With a Cowboy (Book 3)
What People Are Saying About Caught Up in a Cowboy:
“Chemistry so electric it flies off the page.”—RT Book Reviews for Caught Up in a Cowboy, 4 stars
“Full of exquisite heat and passion…wonderful.”—Harlequin Junkie
“An appealing story of love rediscovered…enjoy this tender tale.”—Publishers Weekly
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To Thine Own Self
Obviously this is a great cover and title; it made me want to read the book. And of course I’ve enjoyed other stories by Jenny Marts, so I knew it would be funny and real. Well, I’m delighted to report that this tale lived up to and exceeded every expectation. I laughed out loud, I teared up, I swooned, and I swept through the novel as if it were past due at the library. The blurb tells you all you need to know about the plot. And I’m telling you if that if you like cowboys and strong women (who may not believe in themselves but come to), and laughter and love, you have come to the right place. Happy reading!
The second Cowboy of Creedence romance is full of depth and emotionally gripping which tugs at the heartstrings. Mason and Tess are two strong, compelling characters that draw readers in to their story and refuse to let go. The romance is on the sweet side and the chemistry is electrifying but this relationship has a few downs before it can be called a relationship. Tess is torn between a rock and a hard place and due to Mason’s past, he wasn’t really wanting to take a chance on love, but all of this changes when the two meet in an unorthodox but charming way and the feelings escalate into them making a deal. The readers can’t help but get caught up in all the events that take place as the author brings her characters to life in a realistic way and the relationship proceeds in way that is believable. While the story may have a few moments that make readers leak a few tears, the story also has readers erupting in a few chuckles and grins and falling for all the characters.
The story is set a steady pace that adds to the suspense of the story, so that while everything happens in a short amount of time, so much is lived in that time. And the romance has quite a few extras that add fun and to help further the relationship along; sudden rainstorms, a cute little stray that steals hearts, and a Grandmother who adds incredulous trouble to the story, so there is now way not to enjoy this charming romance with sexy cowboys.
You Had Me at Cowboy by Jennie Marts
Cowboys of Creedence #2
Light easy romantic read that is predictable from beginning to end. If you are looking for a story with likable characters that are almost too nice this might be the book for you.
Down on her luck Tessa is in need of a big story to retain her job and make money to bail her grandmother out of financial woes brought on by scam artists. Meeting Mason, brother to a wealthy famous hockey player, might provide the opportunity for her to get a scoop, write it up and sell it.
I have to admit I skimmed this book rather than reading every word. I have had mixed results with this author’s books but will give one more a try. It was okay but not my favorite by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley an Sourcebooks-Casablanca for the ARC – This is my honest review.
2-3 Stars
I had been looking forward to this story, after I read book one of this series, and absolutely loved .
I have to confess, that I was disappointed. The story centers around Mason James and Tessa Kane.
Mason has always felt like the second choice, and second fiddle to his famous NFL brother. Women tend to use him to get to his brother. His brother is about to be married and a weekend of festivities is being held . In comes Tessa, a reporter , who has been dumped by her blind date to the party, and just got fired from her job. Unless, she can get the dirty scoop on Mason’s brother and future sister in law.
Of course, there is an immediate attraction but Tessa keeps her secrets of who she is and what she’s planning to do. Add to that a grandmother that has given money away, is about to lose her home and caricature type loan sharks and it starts getting of the wall.
Somehow, the plot never engaged me and the characters didn’t hold my attention. I didn’t particularly liked Tessa for her deception and the grandmother for putting Tessa in a spot.
That said, I will read the next book in the series, hoping that I will like it more.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
Sometimes it is a struggle for me to get into the story when I begin a book. That was not the case for this book. Jenni Marts writes so that it is effortless to read. I was laughing several times within the first chapter and cared about the characters in a short time also.
My heart broke for Tessa Kane, trying to resolve financial issues that were forced upon her and also to be person she wants to be and not lie or mislead.
I adored the relationship of Tessa and Manson. Both bring insecurities with them, but they find a way to blend into a couple pretty quickly. Unfortunately unresolved issues are just that, and they come back at the worse times.
Since this is a romance story, I knew I was reading to get to a happy ending, and I was holding on to that for all it was worth. I truly wanted these two characters to find a way to resolve their pass and find a way to a bright future.
This was the third book I read by Jenni Marts. I hope to be reading many more soon. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the BookLovers Con 2019 and she was so gracious to readers and it was a joy to meet her. I was so lucky to receive this book at the convention.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Avid Reader –
M/F Romance
This is the second book in this series and while it’s not necessary to read book one to understand, it will help with character development.
Mason is a rugged, true-to-form cowboy. He loves his ranch. He loves his family. What he doesn’t love is feeling like he’s being used as a stepping stone for people to reach his famous, NHL star brother. Mason loathes liars. When his brother gets married, Mason has to hear from everyone around that he will be next… that there will be someone out there for him. There’s only so much Mason can take before he’s ready to leave the festivities.
Tessa is down on her luck. So down on her luck but hoping to catch a break. With her grandma accidentally sending away their entire savings to the Nigerian prince scam, Tessa knows that she needs to figure out how to save their house. Also, Tessa isn’t the most confident woman. When she finds herself stood up at a party, she thinks it can’t get any worse. Then she loses her job… Just great. As she is pondering how much worse the night could get, she happens to wander into Mason.
The sparks that fly between these two are amazing. I loved how they bantered back and forth. Tessa is nervous because while she is not outright lying, she is lying by omission. She also knows how much Mason hates liars. Mason can’t help but be overjoyed that he found Tessa. Could this be his luck turning around?
I loved how this story unfolded. The secondary characters were hilarious and helpful when necessary. I also really enjoyed watching Tessa and Mason get to know each other. They both had some growing to do and in the end, had to figure out if what the felt for each other was worth fighting for.
I really hope there is another book!
Mary Jo –
This is Mason’s story. Mason has a classic case of what I like to refer to as “middle child syndrome.” Not as a good as his older brother and not as a cute as his younger brother.
Granted, Rock is a pro hockey player and has lived a life outside of their small hometown in rural Colorado. Mason is running the ranch, doing everything he can to keep it operational with the help of his mother and younger brother. He’s always felt that he has lived his life in Rock’s shadow. Especially when it comes to women. More than once, a woman has used him as a way to get closer to his brother.
When he meets Tess, he’s open and honest about the fact that he hates reporters and being lied to. And of course, Tess is lying to him. She has to if she wants to keep her job as a reporter for a magazine. She has to get the scoop on Rock’s engagement or she’s out of a job – for good this time.
Tess is fighting demons of her own, and trying to save her grandmother’s house from foreclosure by doing something that she truly hates: infiltrating a nice family all so she can keep the roof over her head.
I enjoyed the book, but I felt the ending drama with her grandmother was a little far-fetched and rushed.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of You Had Me at Cowboy (Cowboys of Creedence #2) by Jennie Marts to read and review.
You Had Me at Cowboy by Jennie Marts is the second novel in her Cowboys of Creedence series, and since I enjoyed this novel even more than the previous one, Caught Up in a Cowboy, it gets a 5-star rating from this reader.
Tessa Kane, the heroine of this novel is a big, beautiful, curvy woman, who hasn’t been lucky in love. Her parents died while she was young, and she was raised by and now lives with her slightly eccentric grandmother, Mimi. Unfortunately, Mimi fell prey to an Internet scam and bankrupted both herself and Tessa, sending money to someone claiming to be a Nigerian prince in need of financial aid–a really ill-advised move. Now, Tessa and Mimi are way behind on bills and mortgage payments, and Tessa, an aspiring magazine reporter, is about to lose her job because her stories aren’t filled with enough dirt and scandal.
When she’s asked by a friend to be a plus-one date for her brother at the wedding of NHL star, Rockford (Rock) James, she begs her editor for another chance to get the dirt on the famous hockey star, and she accepts the date, but sadly, in addition to being stood up by her date, her blouse is damaged and soiled by a low-flying bird, and she enters the cloak room at the pre-wedding celebration to change into a fresh one, but the blouse she chose doesn’t fit, she’d accidentally locked her keys in her car, and suddenly the cloak room door opens, putting her and her well-filled out black lace bra on display to Mason James, Rock’s brother and best man at the wedding. Tall, handsome and gorgeous, he comes to Tessa’s aid more than once that day and the two seem to hit it off, although Mason and Rock loathe reporters, Tessa thinks she’s in the perfect position to get the story her boss wants and save Mimi’s home, and as the fill-in date, Mason can get her close to his brother during the pre-wedding festivities and although she feels guilty about it, she keeps her job and her mission a secret.
Mason James, Rock’s brother, is a cowboy/rancher through and through, but having been involved with women in the past who lied about their interest in him just to get close to his famous star athlete brother, he’s not the most trusting guy in the world, but he’s both attracted to and interested in Tessa, who seems to like him for himself. Since they live in a small town, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, he’s sick of being told that there’s the right girl for him out there somewhere, and being repeatedly asked why he isn’t already married and raising a family. Tessa too has low self-esteem because of her size, and some bad choices in men, but her voluptuous figure, her sense of humor, and the fact that she seems to be totally uninterested in Rock, all pique Mason’s interest in her, and although there’s a lot of humor in the situations they get into, to two seem to fall for each other fast–if only Tessa wasn’t forced to keep her reason for being there a secret.
Also a secret is the fact that Tessa and her grandmother are broke and will soon be homeless if Tessa can’t bail them out of their financial crisis. She’s been promised a large bonus for getting the goods on Rock’s hasty wedding, never expected to stay in town, and can’t afford a cup of coffee, let alone a hotel, so she’s been sleeping in her car, hidden behind the town library, where she finds and rescues a small dog, soaking wet, hungry, and caught in a thunderstorm. She has a good heart, a kind and caring nature, and as she and Mason become even closer, she’s totally guilt-ridden about her subterfuge, especially when the James family all seem to approve of, like her, and treat her as a member of their family. But what to do with her secret mission when she learns that the gentlemanly, handsome, sexy escort for this wedding weekend, for whom she’s quickly falling, absolutely loathes liars? It’s easy to see that if this romance has any chance at a happily ever after ending, Tessa will have to come clean and hope for the best.
There’s a lot more to this well-written and sometimes zany cowboy romance than just the sexy scenes between Tessa and Mason–there’s a basic underlying theme of the value of honesty, with oneself and with others, forgiveness, second chances, accepting one’s own failings, conquering one’s fears, and putting it all on the line for love. I often complain about the lack of depth in the characters who people romance novels, but every single character in this novel was so fully and completely fleshed-out, that I haven’t a single complaint about any of them, and I’m looking forward to reading more about them in Ms. Marts’ upcoming novels.
In short, I simply couldn’t put this novel down, reading it from cover to cover until 5:30 a.m.. It was an excellent, warm, emotional, sweet, sexy, charming, and romantic read and I cannot recommend it highly enough. And kudos to Ms. Marts for having the guts to not make her heroine a stunningly beautiful, blonde bombshell. As a curvy gal myself, that touch was very much appreciated.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
This was a pretty good read. The writing flowed well, and I liked (most of) the characters. I liked Tess and Mason as a couple when I forgot about the whole deceit thing. While she did have a good reason for HER, that didn’t mean it was good for everyone else. The whole thing with her grandma irritated me really. I didn’t know people actually fell for the whole Nigerian prince thing, much less gave their whole savings to them. I loved that her grandma took care of Tess when she was young, but it doesn’t excuse her actions now. Mimi (grandma) came across as pretty selfish and not caring what her actions did to anyone else. Mason was a genuinely good guy, who took care of everyone else and put himself last. I loved all of the James family, and they all added to the story. The ending was sweet, and I liked that Tessa faced her fear for Mason. I can’t wait to find out what happens with Colt!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
I won a copy of this book from the author, I was not required to give a favorable review. This was a great story about love, family and finding a way to forgive yourself for past mistakes and find new ways. Tessa had given up on dating when her last boyfriend made fun of her studder she had a lot of control over except when she was speaking in front of large groups of people. She was suppose to be a date for a friend’s brother for a weekend wedding up in Creedence, CO, but was stood up while she was standing outside the hall of the party. She was an hour from Denver and trying to figure out to help her grandmother out of the financial jamb they were in when her boss was going to fire her, but if she could get the story about the person who was getting married he would pay her. Mason ran into her while she was in the coat closet trying to figure out a shirt after a bird pooped on her shirt. He asked her to be his date for the wedding of his brother. Who she was suppose to be writing the article about. But things getting a little different there.