The Cowboy Takes a Bride (Avon Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lori Wilde (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 27, 2012 | Series: Avon Romance

Any contemporary romance reader can tell you, cowboys are hot! And no one is hotter than Joe Daniels, the sexy ranch-hand hero of Lori Wilde’s The Cowboy Takes a Bride. The first book in Wilde’s exciting series set in Jubilee, Texas—a small town full of horses, cowboys, and more romance than you can shake a stick at—The Cowboy Takes a Bride is the kind of western-set love story that bestselling romance authors Linda Lael Miller and Kat Martin are famous for. Readers who love books by Susan Wiggs, Susan Mallery, and Sherryl Woods will fall passionately in love with cowboy Joe as he and a beautiful failed wedding planner try to make a go at a falling down ranch and find that their hearts are leading them straight to the altar.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lori Wilde has created a rich and wonderful story about the charm of small town life combined with the power and passion of first love. Delicious! (New York Times Bestselling author Robyn Carr )

“Full of colorful characters...as satisfying as a glass of lemonade on a hot day.” (Publishers Weekly )

“A wonderful story… The ending will leave readers with the desire to make return visits to Jubilee, Texas.” (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars )

“Wilde fills this series launch with fun repartee and tugs at the heartstrings…Her fans will be eager to visit Jubilee again.” (Publishers Weekly )

From the Back Cover

Ex-champion bull rider-turned-cutting-horse cowboy Joe Daniels isn't quite sure how he ended up sleeping in a horse trough wearing nothing but his Stetson and cowboy boots. But now he's wide-awake, and a citified woman is glaring down at him. His goal? Get rid of her ASAP. The obstacle? Fighting the attraction he feels toward the blond-haired filly with the big, vulnerable eyes.

When out-of-work wedding planner Mariah Callahan learns that her estranged father has left her a rundown ranch in Jubilee, she has no choice but to accept it. Her goal? Redeem her career by planning local weddings. The obstacle? One emotionally wounded, hard-living cowboy who stirs her guilt, her heartstrings, and her long-burned cowgirl roots . . .

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon; Original edition (March 27, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062047752
• ISBN-13: 978-0062047755
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BIO

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Lori Wilde has sold sixty-nine novels to four major New York Publishing houses. She holds a bachelors degree in nursing from Texas Christian University and a certificate in forensics. She volunteers as a sexual assault first responder for Freedom House, a shelter for battered women. She has also served as the RWA National conference workshop chair and PAN retreat chair. In 2007 she was honored by her local college as alumna of the year.

Lori is a two-time RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award. She's won the Colorado Award of Excellence, the Wisconsin Write Touch Award, The Lories, The More Than Maggie, the Golden Quill, The Laurel Wreath and The BestBooks of 2006 Book Award.

Her books have been translated into 25 languages and featured in Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Complete Woman, All You, Time and Quick and Simple magazines. She lives in Texas with her husband, Bill.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing start to a new series March 29, 2012

By Lisa M. Filipe

Format:Kindle Edition

Good sense comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from actin' like a damn fool.

-Dutch Callahan

In the first book of Lori Wilde's New Series, Jubilee, Texas, we meet Ex-champion bull rider-turned-cutting-horse cowboy, Joe Daniels, who wakes up to see this little blond spit-fire staring down at him while he is lying half-naked in a horse trough. Talk about a HELLO!!

Mariah Callahan has nothing left, no job, no money, no home in Chicago and her mother is a newlywed living in Argentina with Iggy, the love of her life. What else is Mariah to do but head to Jubilee and claim the Ranch that her estranged has left her. She plans to sell the property as soon as she can and finally get her own Wedding Planning business off the ground, but how can she think about anything but a certain emotionally wounded, hard-living cowboy who stirs her guilt, her heartstrings, and her long-burned cowgirl roots.

OH BOY.....did Lori Wilde start out with a bang in Jubilee, Texas.....You know its the Horse Cutting Heartland....haha....you will get it once you read it. I was tearing up within the first few chapters, maybe even the first few pages. I FLEW through this book, page after page, wanting to know what would happen next. This book touched my heart and held on tight. I would definitely compare this book to a Kristan Higgins Novel, which ALWAYS has me bawling like a baby.

I think Joe Daniels has crawled into a little spot of my heart and I'm not sure that I'll ever let him go. I think I'll remember Joe and Mariah for a long, long time. If you have ever lost a loved one, or have lost the one that you loved more than anything, then you will be able to relate to Joe and what he is going through.... I was in love the second that Mariah started to worm her way into that hole left in Joe's chest where his heart used to be. The build-up of the romance between them was sweet, and sexy, and sometimes STEAMY...like those hidden kisses against.....oh wait...sorry...almost gave it away.

I have to say that I did LOVE Mariah Callahan from the start. She was vulnerable, sweet, at times a spit-fire and she never backed down when it came to Joe Daniels and his grief, but she wasn't going to be a replacement for what he lost and she wasn't going to be with someone who would just leave her, just the way her father did all those years ago.

Oh...SO MUCH EMOTION, so much pain and grief, so much regret and sorrow, you can't help but feel for these two, who if they just let go of all the pain could really love each other and love each other good!!

So my recommendation is to READ THIS BOOK!! I adored it!! I couldn't put it down and for that to happen...you know its GOOD!!!

If you haven't read anything by Lori Wilde, try The Cowboy Takes a Bride....you wont be sorry!!! Read more ›

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching, Realistic Romance March 17, 2012

By K. M. Martin VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I think what I liked the most about this romance was that the romance didn't come easy. So often the hero and heroine take one look at each other, fall madly in love, and then have to deal only with outside forces trying to disturb their romance. In this story the conflict in the romance came from inside both of the main characters.

Mariah comes to Jubilee, Texas, after she inherits a ranch from the father who abandoned her and her mother when she was seven. Her father had to follow his obsession with cutting horses and left his family behind. Mariah was raised by her mother who worked as a housekeeper for rich Chicago families. Mariah has learned to blend in no matter what the social situation but has never felt like she belonged anywhere or had anyone but her mother to love her. She has worked for eleven years as the assistant to a society wedding planner and likes seeing other people's dreams come true. Her mother has found her own true love and has moved with him to Argentina. So when Mariah's dream job falls apart and she is fired and blacklisted she jumps at the chance to go to Jubilee. She hopes to quickly sell the ranch and get back to her "real" life in Chicago.

The first person she meets in Jubilee is Joe Daniels. When she first meets him, he is lying drunk and almost naked in a gold-plated watering trough in front of his home. Joe is using alcohol to dull the pain of the loss of Mariah's father Dutch who was his mentor. Coincidentally, Dutch died the same day that Joe lost his beloved young wife two years previously. He isn't doing well dealing with the grief of either loss. Mariah resents the closeness that Joe and Dutch had; Joe is angry at what he sees as Mariah's neglect of her father....

Mariah bears some physical resemblance to Joe's wife Becca but she quickly shows that her personality is very different. They are attracted to each other but seem to have so many obstacles in the way of a romance. Mariah thinks of herself as being in Jubilee only temporarily; Joe is the fifth generation to live on his ranch. Joe is as involved with cutting horses as Mariah's father was; Mariah is a wedding planner and sees herself as a city girl. Mariah fears that Joe is just like her father and will abandon her for horses like her father did. Joe is just afraid to risk his heart again after having it so badly broken by losing his first wife.

The book makes lots of allusions to Sleepless in Seattle. There are quite a few parallels between the movie and Joe and Mariah's situations. It takes hard work on both their parts before their romance can be successful. I liked both Mariah and Joe and thought they were realistic and well-rounded characters. I thought the secondary characters were also interesting people with stories I want to hear. I haven't read anything else by Lori Wilde but I know I will be adding her books to my stack. Read more ›

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes it's the unexpected things in life that make all the difference. March 27, 2012

By Lisarenee from Seduced By A Book

Format:Mass Market Paperback

"Has something happened?"
"Are you sitting down?"
"No."
"Sit down," Joe commanded.
"Just tell me," Mariah said, bracing for the worst.
"Dutch is dead," he blurted.
Mariah blinked, nibbled her bottom lip, felt...hollow. Hollow as a chocolate Easter bunny...
"You okay?"
"I'm fine. It's not like my life is going to change," she said quickly...
"Wait," he said. "Don't hang up."
Her hand tensed around the cell phone. "What is it?"
"Dutch left you his ranch."

When Miriah called back her father's number she wasn't sure what to expect. The two had been estranged for most of her life. She didn't expect to hear someone else's voice answer the phone and certainly didn't expect to find out he died and already had been buried. But what surprised her the most was that she'd inherited his ranch. The timing, however, couldn't have been better inheritance wise. She'd recently been fired from her prestigious position with one of Chicago's most elite Wedding Planners. It had been her dream job and she'd been devastated. To make matters worse, her former employer of 11 years had black balled her and she couldn't get a job anywhere. Sometimes life just doesn't go as planned even for someone whose primary job is to plan things.

Joe Daniels was a wealthy young widower who had just lost his best friend, Dutch. With only two years between the loss of his wife and his friend he was in mourning and not taking things very well. Dutch's death brought back the feelings of loss he'd only recently been able to put behind him from his wife's tragic death. So when Miranda first encountered him he was not at his best. She found him practically naked in nothing but his BVDs, Stetson, and boots passed out in a golden plated horse trough.... After attempting to make him leave her newly acquired ranch by threatening to call the police, she found out she'd made a mistake..."this here is is Green Ridge Ranch, and I have a sneaking suspicion you're looking for Stone Creek." Oops! Not exactly the way you want to go about meeting your neighbor.

This was such and enjoyable read. In many ways Miriah and Joe are very similar. They both are relationship shy and both mourn, although, for different reasons. They try to deny their feelings for the other and are afraid of being hurt and/or left behind. Miriah's feelings stemming from her father's abandonment of her and her mother all those years ago. Joe's coming from loving then loosing his wife. In other ways, however, the two are very different. She's a city girl although she has country roots, while he's country through and through. He's rich and she's poor. He's got a loving and supportive large family, while she's only had her mother and herself to rely on. He knows what it's like to love, while she doesn't have a clue. Despite it all, or perhaps because of it all, each seems to be exactly what the other needs.

I enjoyed many of the background characters and the side story that was included. They helped to create the feeling of a caring and close knit community that is rarely seen these days. Of those character lurking in the background, Ila, Joe's sister-in-law and one of his oldest friends, was my favorite. She added a fun dimension to the story. She's secretly been harboring a crush on Joe for years and had been upset when he'd married her younger sister. If looks could kill, Miriah would be on her way to greener pastures because Ila was most definitely sending death glares her way.

Favorite lines/quotes/moments:
- "Never thump a man's Stetson...Unless you've got a death wish. You got a death wish?"

- "Will you look at that"...
"What is it?"
She peered at her ankle. He'd connected the teeth patterns and it formed the letter D.
"That rat snake marked you with my brand." His dark eyes met hers. "D for Daniels."

- "Listen to me and don't you forget it. Make no mistake. What we did last night means everything. From here on out, I'm your man."

- "Miriah took a bit. Mmm, it was the best cranberry--Suddenly, her mouth ignited, it was all she could do to swallow it down instead of spitting it out. "What is that?"
"My specialty, hellfire cranberry sauce." Gamma bragged. "Here you go." She extended a glass of water to Mariah that apparently she had at the ready. "Cranberries, orange zest, and habanero peppers. It was my husband's favorite thing about Thanksgiving. God rest his soul."
Eyes watering, mouth aflame, Miriah gulped the glass of water. "What did he die from? A seared esophagus?"

Overall, I rated this one 3 1/2 out of 5 roses. It was a wonderful blend of characters with a nice story line about love, loss, forgiveness, and letting go. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a FAN rating - the temperature in the room seems to have suddenly gone up a couple of degrees and a fan would be nice. Read more ›