Cowboy Up

November 6, 2017
Sloan’s third Coming Home Western contemporary (after Lost Rider and Kiss My Boots) tops even the superbly done first two books in the series. Book nerd Caroline Michaels returns to her tiny Texas town of Pine Oak, fresh out of an abusive relationship. She renews her acquaintance with her childhood crush: rancher Clayton Davis, a white knight in jeans and a cowboy hat who will stick up for his woman no matter what. He is sensitive, strong, and eager to settle down with Ms. Right. But an evil ex threatens to end the happily-ever-after that Clayton and Caroline yearn for. Corny dialogue (“I like you lookin’ at me like this a whole lot more than I like you doin’ it with fear in your eyes”) sometimes detracts from Sloan’s red-hot love scenes and tight plotting, but not enough to put off most readers. Alternating the protagonists’ points of view and providing a song suggestion with each chapter, Sloan crafts a heart-tugging tale. This is an emotionally satisfying series wrap-up.

Elizabeth Louise and Jason Carpenter deliver remarkable performances of Sloan's newest Western romance. Clayton and Caroline have an unforgettable one-night stand, and sparks fly again when fate reunites them weeks later. Their insta-love holds strong through the dramas of ex-lovers and family woes as they find a new sense of safety in each other. The narrators' chemistry sounds genuinely steamy in this smoking-hot cowboy romance. Listeners are immersed in the setting as Louise and Carpenter perform Western twangs flawlessly. COWBOY UP is the perfect ending to Sloan's charming series. K.D. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine