Never Love a Cowboy [Mass Market Paperback]

Never Love A Cowboy epitomizes Heath's writing. Harrison is a tortured hero - he had a very troubled childhood. But he doesn't wallow in it, and in general this just adds to his scoundrel-ness, without making him a jerk. Jessye is a spitfire if there ever was one, but she's also generous, friendly, and very compassionate. She too has a pretty troubled past. When they get together, sparks fly and the dialog is fun to read.

But the book is really about the journey these two characters take together. It's not just about falling in love, but about really being in love. Something pretty traumatic happens about halfway through, and it's when the two characters try to overcome this event that you begin hoping the book will never end (and wishing you had more Kleenex handy!). Talk about a couple that breaks your heart.

So if you're in for a great love story, some wonderful characters, and a storyline that never lags, this is it. Enjoy!

(and then check out Heath's other books... none of them disappoints)

Harrison (Harry) is the second son of an earl sent by his father to Texas to clean up his act. Because of his past Harry believes he is incapable of love and spent his youth drinking, gambling, and driving up huge debts. Harry believes he is indeed the scoundrel he presents to the world but deep down lurks a kind, generous and even insecure man. Because Harry doesn't enjoy working any harder than he has to he intends to make this cattle venture a success.

Harry is strongly attracted to the outspoken Jessye and turns on the charm full-blast in order to get her into his bed. Although Harry tempts Jessye (he is gorgeous after all) she turns him down and tells him flat out that he will never get her in his bed until he can offer her his heart - the one thing that Harry knows he can never do.

The two spend most of the book doing all they can to avoid falling in love. Harry because he believes he simply can't love and Jessye because she refuses to give her love again. These two characters are very wounded souls and have multiple layers to their character which is exactly what I've come to expect from a Lorraine Heath novel. But because Harry's reasons for holding out were not explained fully or early enough his refusal to admit that he was falling in love exhausted and frustrated me. I guess I've just burned out on the stubborn "I don't have a heart" hero. A terrible accident occurs about half way through which adds more fuel to Harry's refusal to love Jessye but it also makes him a much stronger man. This section was written believably and with much compassion.

Jessye is an admirable heroine who has had to make a heartbreaking choice and her reasons to avoid love were much more understandable than Harry's. There is a subplot involving a little girl that was just way too coincidental for me to believe but I was able to over look it because it did create some painfully emotional scenes and added much to Jessye's characterization.

"Never Love A Cowboy" has a good mix of action and emotion and is definitely worth a read. It managed to move me to tears and made me smile in quite a few places but it is not my favorite Lorraine Heath novel. I reserve that spot for TEXAS DESTINY.