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A review by thegracefulone1
Big Chance Cowboy by Teri Anne Stanley
2.0
An ARC of Big Chance Cowboy found it's way to me through the bookstore I work at. Overall I like the setting (I'm a sucker for a small town romance), the characters are all easy to cheer for, and I would definitely consider reading about Jake or Talbott in future books.
I gave this one two stars because of the plot and the overall lack of steaminess in the sex scenes.
Mild spoilers below.
Since Big Chance Cowboy is the first in a series the foundation of the dog rescue seems like it should have been the focus of the plot. The climactic confrontation over dog fighting, while dramatic, seemed unnecessary and overall underdeveloped. The two characters who were given the most "screen time" in reference to fighting dogs were ultimately redeemed, and their involvement in the practice was not needed for the furthering of the romance or the overall plot.
The other big shortfall for me was the romance itself. Often I found myself wanting to hear more about the platonic relationships between characters, or their relationships with their dogs, and the romance took a back seat. When Adam and Lizzie do finally get together, it felt underwhelming. I will also be the first to admit I like a bit more lead up to sex in my romance novels, but this one feels like it would have been fine without the action on the page. It might have even benefited from it; I like it when an author can go all in or keep you wanting more by leaving physical intimacy up to the imagination.
I have other nitpicky problems with mechanics of the book, but I also recognize this is for fun and I'm just being a judgey bookseller with an English major if I go into every little thing that bothered me.
Overall I'm glad I read this one, but I want to see what the author does in the future before I pick up another of her books.
I gave this one two stars because of the plot and the overall lack of steaminess in the sex scenes.
Mild spoilers below.
Since Big Chance Cowboy is the first in a series the foundation of the dog rescue seems like it should have been the focus of the plot. The climactic confrontation over dog fighting, while dramatic, seemed unnecessary and overall underdeveloped. The two characters who were given the most "screen time" in reference to fighting dogs were ultimately redeemed, and their involvement in the practice was not needed for the furthering of the romance or the overall plot.
The other big shortfall for me was the romance itself. Often I found myself wanting to hear more about the platonic relationships between characters, or their relationships with their dogs, and the romance took a back seat. When Adam and Lizzie do finally get together, it felt underwhelming. I will also be the first to admit I like a bit more lead up to sex in my romance novels, but this one feels like it would have been fine without the action on the page. It might have even benefited from it; I like it when an author can go all in or keep you wanting more by leaving physical intimacy up to the imagination.
I have other nitpicky problems with mechanics of the book, but I also recognize this is for fun and I'm just being a judgey bookseller with an English major if I go into every little thing that bothered me.
Overall I'm glad I read this one, but I want to see what the author does in the future before I pick up another of her books.