Cowboy Take Me Away Review

This is the final Rough Riders book.  How sad is that?!  It's been a hell of a ride.  Hats off to Lorelei James for giving us these hot cowboys to swoon over in book after book...pages of hot, arrogant, sexy as sin alpha males doing what they do best - drinking, fighting and loving.  Now we reach the end of the trail with Cowboy Take Me Away, and LJ has given us the best one yet! 






"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.  How about we skip all this dating bullshit and just head straight to the alter?"
Her confused eyes roamed his face.  "Did you just ask me to marry you?"
"Yep.  So what d'ya say?"
"Does that line usually work for you, cowboy?"

Synopsis:

Settle in for the hot McKay romance that started it all...

The moment Carson McKay saw the sexy blonde at the dance hall, he wanted to throw her over his saddle and gallop hell-bent toward the closest church. Given his reputation as a lover and a fighter-not necessarily in that order-it wasn't surprising she gave him the cold shoulder. But he hadn't expected the mean right hook when he tried to steal a kiss.

Carolyn West might look sweet and innocent, but she's no fool. The good-looking cowboy with the heart-stopping smile didn't really want to marry her; he just wanted to take her for a test ride. But when he kisses her a second time, she doesn't fight her burning attraction to him...until she learns he's one of the McKay cowboys she's been warned about.

Carson doesn't care about the long-standing feud between their families; he knows that Carolyn was meant to be his. And the more intimate they become, the more Carolyn sees the real man behind the wild cowboy reputation-a man who wants the same forever kind of love she does...and who will lead her into a love story that spans fifty years.

Warning: Crazy, hot, sexy and sweet--good girl meets bad boy cowboy and they prove lust can last a lifetime.

My Review:

Carson McKay and Carolyn West - a match made in heaven or hell?  Their families have feuded for years...they will never get their parents' blessing to marry but this is a love that will not be denied and one that will stand the test of time.  Lorelei James has saved the best for last.  I absolutely love the way she delivers the final Rough Rider book by going back to the start of it all.  We've met all the McKay brothers and cousins...we know they are brawling, drinking, sexy cowboys that ride hard and love harder.  Now we see who they got it from.  Carson McKay has to be the baddest of them all, and Carolyn West proves she's the woman to tame him.  Through a series of "memories", LJ takes us back through the eyes of both Carson & Caro to some of the major events that shaped their lives as they met, married, & raised their family of 5 boys & 1 girl over 50 years of marriage.  If you think the McKay boys are hot, wait until you meet Carson at age 24...turn on the a/c - you'll need it.  This story is a bronc busting hell of a read that will make you laugh, cry, and say "Oh My!"  I love that LJ has given us both the good and the bad as we all know the road to a lasting marriage is not always a smooth one.  I applauded Carolyn each time she stood up to Carson and called him on his "shit".  This book is a Must Read...it is smokin' hot and yet filled with loving, tender moments between two people who were meant to be.  A Must Read!  I'll say it again - A Must Read!!  

Rating:  5 Gorgeous ♥♥♥♥♥'s...And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart...xxx

Sandra

Quotes:

"Why me?"  Her eyes searched his.  "Every woman in that place had eyes on you.  And you know exactly how good you look, so it's not like you're unaware of your appeal."

Carson stroked her cheek.  "Do I appeal to you?  Or should I get nekkid so you can inspect me before you commit to me for the rest of your life?"  
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 "So any woman you marry will have to understand she'll come second to cows and crops?"

He watched her eyes, so wise and yet so curious, which was a damn potent combination when she focused it on him.  "Yeah."

"No wonder you're having a hard time finding a woman to sign on for life."

"That's the thing.  I haven't been lookin'."  He twisted a strand of blonde silk around his finger.  "Then I saw you."
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"Is it normal to be in love so soon?  Or am I just reading too much into it because you're my first--"

"Boyfriend?" he supplies.

"No. My first lover," she said crossly.

Another growling sound escaped.  "First lover?  Got news for you sugar, I'm gonna be your only goddamned lover.  Ever.  No man besides me will ever touch you.  Understand?"
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"Nothing in my sheltered life prepared me for what it means to love Carson McKay, the gorgeous blue-eyed cowboy, third generation Wyoming rancher, hell-raiser of the first order.  But nothing in my sheltered life prepared me either for the way you look at me, for the way you love me.  With everything you have, with everything you are.  I can't believe with all the women you could've had who understand this ranch stuff, you picked me to build a life with."
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Shame flashed in his eyes.  "I'm sorry."

"Yes, you are.  You've been a sorry excuse for a husband and a father and I'm done putting up with it."

"What are you sayin'?"

"You know exactly what I'm saying."
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"That was the most magnificent thing I've ever seen.  Except for the two times you brought our sons into the world."

"I'm mad at you, Carson McKay.  So don't you dare try and charm your way out of this mess."

"I'm not.  I'm tellin' it like I saw it, sugar.  You were spectacular.  Spectacular.  Callin' me on my shit.  Not backin' down from me or anyone else.  Reminding me of why I fell in love with you."

"Maybe you ought to remind me why I fell in love with you," she challenged.