TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT, COWBOY…

A Weary warrior… After eight years as a Marine sniper, war-scarred Reid Everett is back in his native Wyoming. He knows and loves this rugged land, so working for wildlife services to reduce the booming wolf population suits him to a T.

A Caring crusader… Wildlife biologist Haley Cooper is desperate to make a difference. Leaving the world of academia behind, she accepts a position as a wolf advocate to protect the animals she loves.

Raw attraction… Their jobs set them on a collision course, but chemistry sparks like wildfire between Reid and Haley. They’ll have to brave some rough territory if they hope to reconcile their polarizing views with a passion that won’t be denied.

I went into this book without reading the blurb really, I saw the cowboy cover and since I haven' read many cowboy romances I decided to give it a try. It turned out to be more than cowboy romance but rather a curious mix of military, cowboy and wildlife/environmentalist story.

I liked the writing and the story had an easy flow to. It takes place over the course of a few years and I especially appreciated the slow build up of the romance. Reid and Haley met when she was really young and there was strong chemistry between them but the timing was all wrong and with him on a mission in Iraq they started an epistolary friendship. After getting together some years later with a little help of some friends, unfortunate circumstances and personal difference drew them apart until they finally met again when both were ready for each other.

It's a nice, curious story of becoming your own person, making tough choices but deep down it is a tender, heartfelt love story. 

A really strong aspect of the story which I particularly enjoyed was the how different Reid and Haley were. They stood at the opposite sides on everything, yet they managed to overcome their differences once they were grown up enough to think things through and discuss them openly. 

Haley's choice of career, wildlife biologist, especially working for preservation of the wolf population was in direct conflict with Reid's family business as ranchers and lodgers/hunting guides. I liked all the details were given into these issues, they added a solid background to the romance and made the characters feel real.

I enjoyed most of the story, things were dynamic and there were a few surprise twists thrown in. It was engaging and felt realistic. Unfortunately, everything went too too sweet and cliche in the final 1/4 of the book after Reid and Haley got together eventually. I like the HEA in my romances as much as the next girl but I want it to feel a natural fit to the characters and the overall story line and not something forced and artificial, written there just to make everyone happy. 

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Indiebound / Books-A-Million