Smokin’ Hot Cowboys, #1
Kim Redford
Sourcebooks Casablanca, Oct 2015
Kindle, 384 Pages
Also available in hardcover, paperback, audiobook
Genre(s) Holiday, Christmas, Cowboy Romance
Source purchased at current price
Other books in this series
Blazing Hot Cowboy #2, A Very Cowboy Christmas #3
My Disclaimer:
I purchased a copy of this book at the current price. I am voluntarily providing an honest review in which all opinions are fully my own. I am not being compensated in any way.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review
What it’s about…
Misty Reynolds is a trouble-shooter representing Texas Timber and she’s come to town to find out why the company’s Christmas tree farm burned. She’s trying to keep her investigation quiet. Misty’s hoping to get her investigation done and avoid much ado about Christmas.
Trey Duval is the rancher across the road from the tree farm and he thinks Texas Timber is behind his problems. They’ve been trying to buy his place and he’s not budging. Trey’s also a volunteer firefighter and really involved in his town. Right now, he and his town are really involved in Christmas.
Sparks fly between more than pine trees in Wildcat Bluff, Texas and that’s before Misty has even checked into her B&B. Can these two solve the mystery of the fires before they both go up in flames?
Technical Tidbits…
The cover just doesn’t appeal to me. The cowboy looks like he’s ready to go out of the shoot at a rodeo rather than fight a fire. He’s a great looking guy, but the dirt looks like it was applied rather than acquired, especially since his undershirt is pristine white. The colors are good, though. They do catch the eye.
The storyline is really good. Start out with the conflict, a professional situation basically. Deal with her personal crisis. Then solve the mystery. It worked out well.
The characters were great. Pretty much, everybody in town was introduced and some background given. The author set the town up to be the setting for a series. I don’t know if her series takes place here or not, but she sure did a good job of prepping for it if it is. The two main characters, of course, had personality and quirks to spare. The secondary characters did more than just walk on and off stage, though. You just know if you come back to Wildcat Bluff, Hedy will still be there. She’ll either be at the firehouse or at her shop, Adelia’s. She has such pretty things in Adelia’s. And going next door into Morning Glory’s place is like a step back in time for those who really enjoyed the 60s. And be sure to stop at the Chuckwagon Cafe for some chili made by Slade. Stay and flirt awhile with the handsome cowboy. For some real hospitality, but sure to stay at Twin Oaks Bed and Breakfast. It’s Ruby’s place and she makes you welcome enough you just may not want to leave.
The pace was fast. From the time Trey flagged her down at the first fire until the last Christmas gift is opened, things never stop. The fires and the kisses are hot!
The tension isn’t too high in this one because you can guess who the bad guys are right from their introduction. They are the only unpleasant people in the whole town. And as evidence is found at fire sights, they are the obvious ones that fit. You just sort of go along with the story having fun with Trey and Misty.
And this is where you STOP if you don’t want to see any SPOILERS…
The good, the bad, and the ugly…and how much it lit up my life… ✰✰✰✰
Trey and Misty were a really fun couple. Once they got comfortable with each other they do a lot of joking and teasing that keeps things upbeat and fun. When Misty meets her first cow, it really gets funny. She takes it well, too. She’s not a whiner. She jokes right back once she realizes that the cows aren’t going to hurt her and that Trey is teasing. The only conversation that I found to be a bit stilted was the one between the two of them when they talked about her family’s house fire. I don’t know if it was the subject or the fact that it was the first real conversation between them, but it just didn’t work well. I wanted the author to go back and rework it to make it more realistic.
Another thing Ms. Redford is really good at is descriptions. She adds in descriptions of things that are very detailed without adding all the details. I read it and still am not sure how she did it. But I didn’t realize she did it until after I was done with a couple of those sections. She described the whole downtown decorated for Christmas and made you see all the details without really describing it all. She seemed to create bits and pieces of what it was and your mind took it from there. Sort of like telling your mind this is what it starts like, you take it from here. Whatever it was, it worked really well. I could see all the Christmas decorations all over town!
I liked Misty’s relationship with her fellow workers. She and her boss had a couple of really great phone calls while she was working the investigation. It was very evident that they trusted each other to do their part of the job. Plus they had a very good friendship on top of their working relationship. I really liked her job, too. What an awesome job for a young gal!
I’d love to visit Wildcat Bluff. A town that celebrates their cats. And they are polydactyl cats, too! Love cats with that extra toe! They always seem to be really gentle cats. Lovers rather than fighters.
Recommended
998 wc
a thoughtful reveal 