Cowboy Not Included by Em Petrova

Cowboy Not Included by Em Petrova

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Not surprisingly, I loved Cowboy Not Included. I have yet to read one of Petrova’s books and not love it. What did surprise me was the fact that I really didn’t care for Skye. I have a problem with people – male or female – whose knee-jerk response/accusation is that their partner is cheating on them, especially when there is nothing to support it. There is a big difference between a flirt who has a smile and compliment for others and a lech who makes passes by touching, caressing, and engaging in suggestive language. Booker is a flirt and nothing that goes down in the present or their conversations and memories about the past indicate that he was a lech. So while I felt badly for the situation that Skye found herself in – and by no means do I absolve Booker on his failure to do what he should have – she created it with her mistrust and insecurities. I do give her props for her decision to track him down and even more when she decided to avail herself of his employers’ services. What red-blooded heterosexual female doesn’t want a hedonistic week with her very own cowboy…or two?

How do I give a book five stars when I don’t care for the heroine? Because I adored Booker. Did he do the right thing when he walked away from Skye and Findlee? No. But he did what his wife demanded and he stayed away because he didn’t think he was good enough to be a part of his daughter’s life. Although he “abandoned” them physically, he provided for them financially – even more than Skye knew about. I must admit that I found his caveman response at the meet and greet swoon worthy, especially knowing that he was going to get an earful from Skye once he got her squared away. And boy did he ever! But the thing about them being exes was that they knew how to push one another’s buttons – the bad ones and the GOOD ONES!!! Despite their best efforts to shield their hearts because they each realized that at the end of the week they would again part ways, their chemistry was so intense it was impossible for them to keep their walls intact. And the addition of a third partner – one of the other Boot Knockers – made the already hot-as-heck sex scenes scorching.

While I enjoyed the reigniting of the romance between Booker and Skye, it was watching Booker get to interact with Findlee and learn more about his daughter that was sweet as heck. I liked that it gave him the resolve he needed to reinsert himself back into his daughter’s life – realizing how much he’d already missed. I have to hand it to Booker though, because I’m not sure I would have been as forgiving of Skye for again jumping to conclusions that he was cheating on her – it’s certainly not the kind of relationship I would want. The epilogue was awesome as it not only gave Booker a new purpose and a new lease on life, but it also gave him the opportunity to do the same for people close to him. Cowboy Not Included was another great addition to the Boot Knockers Ranch series and I look forward to catching up with all the cowboys again soon.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Cowboy Not Included (Boot Knockers Ranch #6) by Em Petrova blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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