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amanda_siegrist's review against another edition
3.0
It was really hard to get into this book. I even had to put it down and come back to it. The story was just kinda boring and I hate to say that but it was. Not much conflict at all. I really enjoy her stories so I was very disappointed in this one.
jbarr5's review against another edition
4.0
Always a cowboy by Linda Lael Miller
Have enjoyed the authors other works. Starts with listing of authors other works and series.
This book starts out with Drake Carson who's in WY runs the family herds and the middle son. He doesn't have the time to figure out why the herd is thinning...
Luce Hale is studying the herds to find a solution to their problem. Steamy sex scenes and few characters and most banter with one another to make the story very interesting.
Like views of what to do with wild animals. Predictable.
Author answers how it all started at the end of this story.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Have enjoyed the authors other works. Starts with listing of authors other works and series.
This book starts out with Drake Carson who's in WY runs the family herds and the middle son. He doesn't have the time to figure out why the herd is thinning...
Luce Hale is studying the herds to find a solution to their problem. Steamy sex scenes and few characters and most banter with one another to make the story very interesting.
Like views of what to do with wild animals. Predictable.
Author answers how it all started at the end of this story.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
scoutmomskf's review against another edition
4.0
Good book. Second in the Carson series, this book is about Drake, the middle brother. Older brother, Slater (Once a Rancher), is the producer of documentaries, and younger brother, Mace, is in charge of the family winery. Drake runs the family ranch, which is just right for him. The land and its traditions are his life's blood. Not to say there aren't challenges to go along with it. For the past year they have been losing calves to a mountain lion, and there's a herd of wild horses whose stallion has been stealing Drake's mares. As icing on the cake, he finds a beautiful woman trespassing on his land.
Luce is a graduate student working on a paper about how wild horses interact with ranch animals and humans. Drake's mom, an old friend of Luce's mom, has invited Luce to stay at the ranch while she does her research. This puts her into Drake's path far too often for either's comfort, at least at the beginning.
I loved the first meeting between Drake and Luce. He sees that wild stallion close and is determined to catch him and move him away from the ranch and his mares. He doesn't catch him, but he does scare them off, bringing on the wrath of Luce, who has been observing them all day. I loved seeing her stand up to Drake and fuss at him. At the same time, he listened but wasn't overly receptive to her rants. But underneath the confrontation is a different kind of spark, the spark of attraction, which disturbs them both. They go head to head a few times over his resistance to cooperating with his research, and her insistence that she's well able to take care of herself out on the range. They eventually work out a compromise that has them spending time together, time that brings their simmering attraction to a full boil.
I really liked seeing the two of them get to know each other and learn to respect what the other does. Once they get past their initial antagonism, Drake's true personality really begins to shine. He is funny, charming, passionate, and just a bit old-fashioned. He was very protective, especially when the mountain lion got bolder. He pretty quickly realizes what it is he feels for Luce, and is determined in his pursuit of her. Luce knows what she's feeling, too, but she has her life planned out, and staying in rural Wyoming isn't part of it. I enjoyed the realism of seeing two people who loved each other work to figure out how to make things work between them. The wedding scene was sweet, and his honeymoon plans were super romantic.
As always, the secondary characters added extra depth to the story. My favorite was ranch foreman Red. He had some great cowboy sayings, and seems pretty ordinary, until you get to see a bit of his private life. I also loved Drake's mom and her not always subtle attempts to get him and Luce together. I liked seeing more of Slater, Grace and Ryder, and how they are settling in to life together. Ryder has a couple of good scenes with Drake and Luce, too. I enjoyed the teasing that Mace inflicts on his brothers, and that they aren't slow about returning the favor. Though they bicker and snipe, they are always first in line to support each other. I also liked seeing Lettie get involved in their wild horse problem. She is a force to be reckoned with. I'm looking forward to reading Mace's story.
Luce is a graduate student working on a paper about how wild horses interact with ranch animals and humans. Drake's mom, an old friend of Luce's mom, has invited Luce to stay at the ranch while she does her research. This puts her into Drake's path far too often for either's comfort, at least at the beginning.
I loved the first meeting between Drake and Luce. He sees that wild stallion close and is determined to catch him and move him away from the ranch and his mares. He doesn't catch him, but he does scare them off, bringing on the wrath of Luce, who has been observing them all day. I loved seeing her stand up to Drake and fuss at him. At the same time, he listened but wasn't overly receptive to her rants. But underneath the confrontation is a different kind of spark, the spark of attraction, which disturbs them both. They go head to head a few times over his resistance to cooperating with his research, and her insistence that she's well able to take care of herself out on the range. They eventually work out a compromise that has them spending time together, time that brings their simmering attraction to a full boil.
I really liked seeing the two of them get to know each other and learn to respect what the other does. Once they get past their initial antagonism, Drake's true personality really begins to shine. He is funny, charming, passionate, and just a bit old-fashioned. He was very protective, especially when the mountain lion got bolder. He pretty quickly realizes what it is he feels for Luce, and is determined in his pursuit of her. Luce knows what she's feeling, too, but she has her life planned out, and staying in rural Wyoming isn't part of it. I enjoyed the realism of seeing two people who loved each other work to figure out how to make things work between them. The wedding scene was sweet, and his honeymoon plans were super romantic.
As always, the secondary characters added extra depth to the story. My favorite was ranch foreman Red. He had some great cowboy sayings, and seems pretty ordinary, until you get to see a bit of his private life. I also loved Drake's mom and her not always subtle attempts to get him and Luce together. I liked seeing more of Slater, Grace and Ryder, and how they are settling in to life together. Ryder has a couple of good scenes with Drake and Luce, too. I enjoyed the teasing that Mace inflicts on his brothers, and that they aren't slow about returning the favor. Though they bicker and snipe, they are always first in line to support each other. I also liked seeing Lettie get involved in their wild horse problem. She is a force to be reckoned with. I'm looking forward to reading Mace's story.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
Always a Cowboy by Linda Lael Miller is a low-key, super sweet romance with just a hint of sass and steam. Although this latest release is the second installment in The Carsons of Mustang Creek series, it can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the first book in the series as well.
The sparks are definitely flying when Drake Carson stumbles across Lucinda "Luce" Hale observing a wild horse herd on his family's ranch. Initially, those sparks are fueled by animosity as Drake tries to avoid her while she works on her thesis. Luce is not any happier with Drake since he continually underestimates her ability to take care of herself as she continues gathering information for her paper. Slowly but surely, those sparks turn to passion but will this Wyoming cowboy and California woman figure out a way to make their relationship work?
Drake is a quintessential, hardworking cowboy who has a strong work ethic and old-fashioned swoon worthy manners. He is the epitome of the strong silent type and he tries hard to avoid any type of discussion involving feelings or emotions. Drake has no interest in being a subject for Luce's thesis but he grudgingly agrees to help as long as she stays out of his way. As their paths continue to cross and he makes sure she is safe while monitoring the herd, he realizes his feelings for Luce are beginning to shift into romantic territory. With an aversion to casual relationships, will Drake give in to his desire?
Luce is quite feisty and she will not let Drake's objections deter her from taking a few necessary risks in order to complete her thesis. They go toe to toe on a couple of occasions but they manage to figure out a compromise that works for both of them. She is quickly enamored by the laconic cowboy but Luce has her future all planned out so she is reluctant to take their relationship any further than friendship. Finding it virtually impossible to resist the simmering passion between them, Luce and Drake finally share an incredibly romantic night together, but with some very real obstacles to overcome, will their relationship end when Luce completes her research?
Set against the wild and untamed beauty of Wyoming, Always a Cowboy is a light-hearted, angst-free addition to The Carsons of Mustang Creek series. With an endearing cast of characters and a vibrant setting, this heartwarming novel will leave readers smiling from ear to ear from the witty banter between Drake, Luce and the Carson family. I cherished every second of delightfully charming and sighworthy love story and I highly recommend it to old and new fans of Linda Lael Miller.
The sparks are definitely flying when Drake Carson stumbles across Lucinda "Luce" Hale observing a wild horse herd on his family's ranch. Initially, those sparks are fueled by animosity as Drake tries to avoid her while she works on her thesis. Luce is not any happier with Drake since he continually underestimates her ability to take care of herself as she continues gathering information for her paper. Slowly but surely, those sparks turn to passion but will this Wyoming cowboy and California woman figure out a way to make their relationship work?
Drake is a quintessential, hardworking cowboy who has a strong work ethic and old-fashioned swoon worthy manners. He is the epitome of the strong silent type and he tries hard to avoid any type of discussion involving feelings or emotions. Drake has no interest in being a subject for Luce's thesis but he grudgingly agrees to help as long as she stays out of his way. As their paths continue to cross and he makes sure she is safe while monitoring the herd, he realizes his feelings for Luce are beginning to shift into romantic territory. With an aversion to casual relationships, will Drake give in to his desire?
Luce is quite feisty and she will not let Drake's objections deter her from taking a few necessary risks in order to complete her thesis. They go toe to toe on a couple of occasions but they manage to figure out a compromise that works for both of them. She is quickly enamored by the laconic cowboy but Luce has her future all planned out so she is reluctant to take their relationship any further than friendship. Finding it virtually impossible to resist the simmering passion between them, Luce and Drake finally share an incredibly romantic night together, but with some very real obstacles to overcome, will their relationship end when Luce completes her research?
Set against the wild and untamed beauty of Wyoming, Always a Cowboy is a light-hearted, angst-free addition to The Carsons of Mustang Creek series. With an endearing cast of characters and a vibrant setting, this heartwarming novel will leave readers smiling from ear to ear from the witty banter between Drake, Luce and the Carson family. I cherished every second of delightfully charming and sighworthy love story and I highly recommend it to old and new fans of Linda Lael Miller.
mb_booklady's review against another edition
3.0
Luce is a graduate student from California who is working on her final thesis paper about wild horses and how they interact with ranchers and domesticated animals. Drake Carson is the middle-son and manages the day to day running if the ranch.
Drake is not happy to find a greenhorn tourist on his land when he first sees Luce hiding behind trees to take pictures of the wild horses. Their first interaction is a bit fiery as he makes many assumptions about her.
The summary of the book led me to think there was going to be a situation in which Drake may lose Luce. However, that never came to be. There was some trouble with a mountain lion that was too near the house, but no imminent danger.
It has been a while since I read an adult romance novel and I wasn't as impressed as I wish I had been. Any troubles were ironed out a little too easily. Drake and Luce fell in love in no time flat and were talking about marriage on their first real date. The author alluded to the fact they hadn't discussed things like children or where they would live, but the characters never covered these topics even after these thoughts.
While the Carson family was charming and the interactions between the brothers made me laugh in some spots, I don't think I'll spend money to visit them again.
Drake is not happy to find a greenhorn tourist on his land when he first sees Luce hiding behind trees to take pictures of the wild horses. Their first interaction is a bit fiery as he makes many assumptions about her.
The summary of the book led me to think there was going to be a situation in which Drake may lose Luce. However, that never came to be. There was some trouble with a mountain lion that was too near the house, but no imminent danger.
It has been a while since I read an adult romance novel and I wasn't as impressed as I wish I had been. Any troubles were ironed out a little too easily. Drake and Luce fell in love in no time flat and were talking about marriage on their first real date. The author alluded to the fact they hadn't discussed things like children or where they would live, but the characters never covered these topics even after these thoughts.
While the Carson family was charming and the interactions between the brothers made me laugh in some spots, I don't think I'll spend money to visit them again.
sblyon's review against another edition
3.0
3⭐️ Drake and Luce’s story being centered around the environment, ecology, and wild animals definitely drew me in … however, their romance seemed a bit rushed and the ending did not quite wrap everything up.
lumbermouth's review against another edition
4.0
I kept waiting for the ~dramatic problems~ to start and...they just never did? It was a very straightforward story about people who are attracted to each other, discuss it like adult humans, embark on a relationship, talk about their feelings, work out their differences, etc. I kept waiting for lightning to strike but the book ended about 70 pages before I thought it would because of author essays and excerpts from other books. So it was just a very easygoing book about Wyoming! HOWEVER. I am pretty sure that if you have a mountain lion that has been poaching livestock, even FOALS, for a year, and that mountain lion comes up TO THE HOUSE and gets in a fight with the dog, when you later track down that mountain lion and have it treed, you are definitely going to go ahead and kill the mountain lion, not go back to the house and call someone to relocate it. This is really bothering me. Ohhhh, Drake Carson, he's such a babe, what a classic sexy hardworking cowboy, not like all those OTHER ranchers, really invested in animal welfare and humane treatment of animals, he's not going to kill that mountain lion, OH NO, he's going to have it taken far away, everyone in the book is so proud of him. I call bullshit. I'm going to ask my dad.
bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition
This sequel to [b:Once a Rancher|26071569|Once a Rancher (The Carsons of Mustang Creek, #1)|Linda Lael Miller|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1442937708s/26071569.jpg|46008426] is enjoyable both on its own and as a chance to revisit the Carson family of Mustang Creek. However, it didn’t pull me in quite as much as the first book did. There’s less romantic tension than in the first book; Drake and Luce seem to resolve their differences fairly quickly and easily, considering Drake’s initial resistance to her presence on the ranch and Luce’s long-term goals. On the other hand, there are two interesting subplots, one involving a mare-stealing wild stallion and the other a large predator which has been killing calves. Both of these inject needed conflict and suspense to contrast the relatively smooth-sailing romantic relationship.
I enjoyed Drake, who balances his responsibilities as a rancher with a deep respect and love for wildlife and the natural ecosystem. He’s taciturn and blunt, but also upright and completely trustworthy. Luce is young and charming, if a little obtuse when it comes to recognizing the impact the wild stallion is wreaking on the ranch’s herd of horses. I did find it puzzling that she is completely enamored with the wild horses but doesn’t ride.
Another on the plus side is Roy, Drake’s mentor and assistant in managing the ranch. His folksy sayings are a delight, and he’s really a marshmallow under his gruff exterior. We see less of Slater, Grace, and Ryder than I expected (see [b:Once a Rancher|26071569|Once a Rancher (The Carsons of Mustang Creek, #1)|Linda Lael Miller|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1442937708s/26071569.jpg|46008426]), but they are around, as is youngest brother Mace, who runs the ranch’s wine-making operations. Carson matriarch Blythe is her usual wise and unstoppable self, busily matchmaking as before, abetted in this case (albeit long-distance) by Luce’s mother, Blythe’s childhood friend.
I’m looking forward to Mace’s story next; I have a feeling he’s the most complicated of the three brothers. [b:Forever a Hero|30640660|Forever a Hero (The Carsons of Mustang Creek, #3)|Linda Lael Miller|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1472733997s/30640660.jpg|51178761] comes out in April 2017. Meanwhile, if you haven’t read Linda Lael Miller yet, I recommend starting with Once a Rancher before reading Always a Cowboy; you’ll appreciate the characters better. You may even find, as I have, that you want to go back and read the Bliss County series, too!
Review originally published on The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
I enjoyed Drake, who balances his responsibilities as a rancher with a deep respect and love for wildlife and the natural ecosystem. He’s taciturn and blunt, but also upright and completely trustworthy. Luce is young and charming, if a little obtuse when it comes to recognizing the impact the wild stallion is wreaking on the ranch’s herd of horses. I did find it puzzling that she is completely enamored with the wild horses but doesn’t ride.
Another on the plus side is Roy, Drake’s mentor and assistant in managing the ranch. His folksy sayings are a delight, and he’s really a marshmallow under his gruff exterior. We see less of Slater, Grace, and Ryder than I expected (see [b:Once a Rancher|26071569|Once a Rancher (The Carsons of Mustang Creek, #1)|Linda Lael Miller|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1442937708s/26071569.jpg|46008426]), but they are around, as is youngest brother Mace, who runs the ranch’s wine-making operations. Carson matriarch Blythe is her usual wise and unstoppable self, busily matchmaking as before, abetted in this case (albeit long-distance) by Luce’s mother, Blythe’s childhood friend.
I’m looking forward to Mace’s story next; I have a feeling he’s the most complicated of the three brothers. [b:Forever a Hero|30640660|Forever a Hero (The Carsons of Mustang Creek, #3)|Linda Lael Miller|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1472733997s/30640660.jpg|51178761] comes out in April 2017. Meanwhile, if you haven’t read Linda Lael Miller yet, I recommend starting with Once a Rancher before reading Always a Cowboy; you’ll appreciate the characters better. You may even find, as I have, that you want to go back and read the Bliss County series, too!
Review originally published on The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.