GRR Reviews Cowboy Paradise by Rhonda Lee Carver

Cowboy Paradise was about a woman discovering her true self by allowing herself to take chances with relationships, but somehow the emotional impact seems to be a bit low and it's almost as if she's just giving herself permission to love.

Cara was damaged by years of hell by her paranoid abusive husband. So when he wrapped his truck around a tree, she was secretly relieved but unable to let loose. She took a chance to go for a weeklong retreat at Nirvana Ranch and met Ben. Ben is a ranch hand at Nirvana ranch, and he's also finding himself after having wandered for years, and while he felt a connection to Cara, fraternization with guests is frowned upon, even though the cowboys on the ranch are definitely drool-worthy. And Cara was flattered by Ben's attention, but years of abuse have left her self-esteem in tatters. Can Ben thaw Cara's heart by revealing his own history, and heal each other, and teach each other how to love again?

The background was revealed a bit too early and the bad husband's death mentioned in passing so that the emotional impact wasn't fully defined. As a result, the book feels like a hook-up novel, where Cara's abused background did not seem to have played too much into her decisions.

Category: Contemporary / Western

Primary Plot: Abused Woman Going to R&R Ranch Hooked Up With a Ranch Hand Who Had His Own Problems

Tropes: cowboy, fling to a thing, scars, widow

Overall Rating:  3/5