Cowboys Don't Quit (Code of the West) (Silhouette Desire, No 944) [Paperback]

Anne McAllister (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Silhouette (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373059442
• ISBN-13: 978-0373059447
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,253,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in California and grew up there on the beaches of SoCal where I used to think I would write humorous social commentaries and pithy columns about life between "here and the pier" in Manhattan Beach.

But then I left. I went away to college and then married and moved to the Midwest. Since then I've been in the Midwest and Montana and made the mental transition to life with four seasons with no trouble at all.

In fact, last time I was in MB I looked at the inlaid terrazzo tiles in the sidewalk on the hill leading down to the pier and thought to myself, "Who on earth would put tiles in the sidewalk? It will be so hard to shovel the snow off!"

See?

Despite my beach upbringing, I was the child of transplanted okies and montanans, and my love of cowboys was apparently bred in the bone. The first man I fell in love with was a cowboy. I was five years old -- and I imprinted on him, following him everywhere, like a duck.

So when I started writing romance fiction years later, there was no question that even my CEOs and beach volleyball players and Greek tycoons were, at their heart, cowboy heroes.

McAllister heroes have a strong sense of honor, determination, competence, and a "get it done" attitude. They are more often lone wolves than they are alphas. They go their own way -- until they meet the woman who makes them want to share their life. And a lone wolf who takes on a spouse has to have some alpha in him. She definitely brings it out.

Writing has been a wonderful opportunity for me to expand my horizons, to learn more about things that interest me. It gives me license to satisfy my curiosity and to meet people from all walks of life. I love it. The ideas never seem to dry up. They are everywhere. I'm looking forward to writing a whole lot more.

I'm always glad to hear from readers so stop by my website or blog if you have comments or questions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars :), February 19, 2001

By 

Jennifer Medlock (AZ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cowboys Don't Quit (Code of the West) (Silhouette Desire, No 944) (Paperback)

Luke Tanner is currently living his life hidden away on a mountain. Luke is hiding away with his guilt over his best friend Keith's death. Luke was Keiths stunt double on a movie, but Keith wanted to do his own stunt and died. Luke is not the only one that thinks that he is to blame. Keith's fiancee Jillan also blamed look for Keith's death.

Years later Jillan shows up at Luke's ranch wanting looks help. Not only is Luke uncomfortable helping Jillian, but he is just plain uncomfortable being around her. Luke has always had the hots for Jillian even when Keith was alive. Luke wants to remain hidden away to wallow in his guilt, but Jillian has other plans for him.

This is a sad love story. Jillian and Luke have to overcome the past to be able to deal with the future. This story shows that life does go on. I can not wait to read about the other two Tanner brothers.

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good, July 26, 2011

By 

A. Burroughs (Cape Cod, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cowboys Don't Quit (Code of the West) (Silhouette Desire, No 944) (Paperback)

Romance novels are ... well ... let's face it. Fluff. We read them because we want a formula of boy-meets-girl, not-too-insurmountable difficulties, and then a happy ending where the girl gets the boy. On the way, hopefully the author will teach us something and make us fall in love along with the characters. This was one of the ones that met those goals.

Luke Tanner is poignant as the cowboy-turned-stunt double-turned-cowboy who retreats back into his original trade after the tragic death of his best friend after the friend died after insisting on doing his own stunt. Not only mourning his friends death, but also to escape unresolved feelings for his deceased best friends grieving fiance, Luke turns back to the hard, solitary life of a cowboy to find peace. When his best friends fiance suddenly shows up two years later to interview him for a memoir about their mutual movie actor/friend, old wounds are suddenly reopened.

Unlike most romance novels, this one was written entirely from the viewpoint of the hero. We get to inhabit Luke's head as he keeps pushing Jillian away despite his resurging feelings for her and realize he isn't doing so simply to be a jerk. His guilt over not talking his friend over doing the stunt the day he died and the fact he had always possessed feelings for the woman now at his doorstep feel palpable and genuine, not contrived.

Especially realistic was the authors descriptions of the daily duties of a cowboy. No glamor here. Just lots of hard, repetitive, lonely, dangerous work. I know little about the real life of a cowboy, but the job description felt gritty and real, not some watered-down romantic version of what it meant to be a cowboy. I learned something.

Keeping in mind a 5-star rating for a formula romance novel isn't the same thing as, say, 5-stars for Charles Dickens, I would say put this one on your reading list. You'll feel good at the end.