A Nix Cowboy Review - Just a Cowboy and His Baby by Carolyn Brown (2.5 Stars)

One determined, hell-on-wheels cowgirl. One equally determined, sexier-than-hell cowboy. One innocent baby, who suddenly takes center stage and everybody's priorities are suddenly up for grabs.
 
With a young baby dropped in his lap, bronc rider Trace Coleman's world is turned upside down. Suddenly, Gemma O'Donnell, his stiffest competition on the rodeo scene, is now the one person who can help him. She's already resisting his sexy smile and even sexier swagger, but she can't resist a baby. When it comes down to it, only one can win, but is winning more important than love and family?

I had such high expectations for this book. You all know that I ADORE cowboy books and this one had such an interesting premise. I loved the thought of this feisty woman, riding against all the men in a rodeo and kicking their asses. I loved that she would fall in love with her biggest competitor. I didn’t know where the hell the baby fit in from title, but I fricking love baby tropes..... Unfortunately, the premise was much better than the reality.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this is nothing to do with the writing. The chemistry between the two characters was written well and I found myself laughing and smiling along with them as they fell into a relationship. I loved Trace’s sense of honour and the relationship he had with that little dog was uber cute. The problems I had were to do with the plot.

The pacing was a little slow. Maybe I’m on Cowboy overload, but I felt like I’d seen it all before and I found it hard to motivate myself to continue. The biggest issue I had was with the way the drug-rape issue was dealt with. At one point in the plot, Gemma is drugged whilst at a dance. It was assumed by all that this was to get her vulnerable and rape her. She was completely unfazed by the fact someone had dropped something in her drink. She was a bit pissed but that was really it; no outrage, no hysteria and NO POLICE REPORT. When she finds out who does it, she basically tells him that that was a very naughty thing to do. Again, NO POLICE REPORT. The reactions pissed me off but the lack of repercussions really annoyed me. He was basically given no reason not to do it again in the plot and it was a gaping hole in the plot for me.

Overall, I really wanted to like it but it hit a trigger. I haven’t read the rest of the series but I may give the early ones a go because the style of writing worked for me.