Review: Passion Cowboy Style and Love Cowboy Style by Shana Gray

31 January of 2016 by Deb Markanton

Passion Cowboy Style by Shana Gray

Contemporary Romance, Western

Released Date: July 14, 2015

Self Published

Reviewed by Deb

Jenna takes a big risk and decides to live in the moment. After months of communication by social media, she accepts the invitation to Colorado where she finally meets her cowboy. Burned by past romances, Jenna is determined to go with one goal in mind – a booty call with a tall, dark, sexy cowboy.
 
Chet is a romantic at heart and when Jenna arrives, he knows there’s more to her than just a fling. He’s smitten and decides to woo her the old-fashioned way with time and patience.
 
Their chemistry is elemental and they come together with heat that sears the snowy peaks. When mother nature steps in, Jenna is forced to face the feelings she’s tried so hard to keep buried and Chet has to draw on his mountain skills to save the woman he has come to love.
(previously published as Elemental Heat)

Passion Cowboy Style is such a delightfully romantic, sexy, and fun novella! Did I mention sexy?  Well, it bears repeating because it was delicious.  It also had me seriously thinking about buying my man a cowboy hat.  A girl can dream, can’t she?   I’ll be honest.  I prefer my heroes hard headed, tough as nails, oftentimes annoying, with a penchant for kinky sex.  Give me a spunky heroine who can go head to head and kick ass with the best of those guys while wrapping one around her little finger and I’m in heaven.  But every now and then I come across a story that really has none of that, yet still manages to lure me in with a hero and heroine who aren’t all about drama, drama, drama.  Passion Cowboy Style is the perfect example of just such a story.  Shana Gray’s novella is tightly written, and beautifully descriptive.  She has taken an example of real life, meeting your online flirtation, and crafted it into a dreamy love story sprinkled with a bit of danger and intrigue.  Most importantly, at least for me, there are plenty of sexy scenes that will get your heart pounding and other bits tingling.  

After months of online chatting, then emails, and finally, phone calls Jenna takes a huge risk. She accepts Chet’s invitation of a ski vacation in his hometown of Vail.  She’s pretty sure she’s crazy but there haven’t been any red flags so far and she’s dying to meet her Colorado cowboy.  Besides, after the heartbreaking tragedy she experienced a few years ago, she’s not interested in a serious relationship.  In fact, she may never be.  Living in Canada is a perfect excuse to keep things casual.  She and Chet live too far apart for anything other than a nice little fling.  Damn if her resolve doesn’t crumble a little bit when she comes face to face with the most fabulous man she’s ever seen.  These two are already on the edge from all the long distance teasing and flirting which has only gotten more explicit.  So when Chet catches sight of Jenna in the airport sparks ignite.  Let me just say, Ms. Gray writes sexual tension you can cut with the proverbial knife!  The thrilling butterfly-in-the-stomach feelings and the nervous anticipation when you meet someone you’ve been flirting with online is brilliantly conveyed by Ms. Gray.  

There’s something so dang sexy about a tall, drink-of-water cowboy all muscled up from working hard on his ranch.  *sigh*  Chet is that and much more.  He’s intelligent, runs a successful ranch that’s been in the family for generations, and best of all he’s an old fashioned romantic.  No, best of all he knows his way around a woman’s body!  It’s been some time since Chet has dated.  He’s tired of fake women and gold diggers, but Jenna is different.  He feels it in his gut.  He knows she’s anti relationship, but after the first day he’s determined to change her mind.  

I loved that Ms. Gray jumped right into the intimacy between Jenna and Chet.  Granted, sometimes that angle is forced, especially in novellas.  However, the already established online relationship makes it believable and the tension exciting.  Chet doesn’t have a sordid past or an evil ex.  He’s a great guy who is full of yummy romance and alpha male aggressiveness.  Who wouldn’t swoon over a man like that?  Jenna’s been hurt before, but she isn’t a whining mess.  She’s mature, intelligent, interesting, and the more she gets to know Chet the more her fears about being hurt again subside.  

Ms. Gray livens up the story with some unexpected events that add a bit of drama and interest to Jenna and Chet’s time together.  It worked even though I didn’t feel much in the way of OMG, danger.  But it did act to further the relationship and carry the story forward.  Ms. Gray’s writing style is smooth and easy, something not everyone is capable of accomplishing.  The banter and dialogue is fun, intelligent, and loaded with sexual tension.  Passion Cowboy Style is a spicy novella that will leave you with a smile on your face, and a desire to take a trip to Colorado.

Love Cowboy Style is a very short piece that wraps up Jenna and Chet’s story.  It ties up some loose ends and gives us their HEA, however, I really wish it would have been included as an epilogue at the end of Passion Cowboy Style.  In my opinion, there was no valid point in having this in a separate novella.  It’s too short to warrant that.  There is, however, a very generous Bonus Read included titled Layover Lover which was a hot little story.   

♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy