"A gentle parody of cowboy romances"

Michelle Garrison is a prolific writer of category romances, but her last few books have been flops -- her writing has become too stale, all her characters are alike. Her editor asks her to write a cowboy story, the latest fad in romances, figuring the book can't fail. Well, it never makes it past the editor -- not only could Michelle's hero have been an accountant instead of a cowboy, but she has all the ranch and horse stuff wrong, can't tell a saddle from a sidewinder. So her publisher and editor order Michelle off to a dude ranch to learn about cowboys.

Michelle unhappily goes, but on the way to the ranch runs into a storm and has a car accident. She finds herself trudging along a mountain road, not remembering how she got there or where she's going, or even who she is!

Yep, this story has every single cliche that could be found in a cowboy romance: amnesiac heroine, rough but good- hearted cowboy hero, marriage of convenience, another bride who elopes on eve of wedding, struggle for control of the ranch, elderly relative who wants hero to find true love and get married, hero who has vowed never to marry after seeing his parents' horrible marriage, old cowhand as sidekick, cute dog, helping with the birth of a foal, getting carried away and forgetting the birth control the first time, mistaken identities, hidden motives, competition for heroine's love from city man who shares her background and interests, hero on white stallion scooping up his true love -- and let us not forget the sex in the bathtub and sex on horseback. Even an epilogue with babies, and the setup for a sequel with secondary male character as hero.

Even the heroine recognizes a parody when she sees it; at several points in the book, she comments that her life seems to be like a bad romance novel. And the first time Michelle sees Tag naked, we read: "Everything she'd read about cowboys must be true, she thought, almost hysterically. No wonder they made such popular heroes in romances."

The back cover blurb describes this as a "gentle parody" of category cowboy romances. It is a light, quick, and very fun read for anyone familiar with the genre. A non-romance reader would not 'get' a lot of the in-jokes and think the whole thing rather silly, but those of us who know a send- up of our favorite reading material when we see it will find a lot of chuckles in this book. I had a great time trying to spot all the cliches and take-offs.

Reviewed by Raelene Gorlinsky
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted April 8, 2002

This book is available as both paperback (ISBN 0759901260) or e-book (ISBN 1582006342).

Summary

If you like your cowboys sexy, your heroines forgetful and your marriages convenient, this gentle parody of cowboy romances will leave you with a smile on your face and a sigh on your lips. Discover romantic comedy at its best in this captivating tale of a woman who finds her one true love and the cowboy hero afraid to give his heart.