Cowboys for Christmas - Review

Cowboys for Christmas by Liz Talley, Kim Law and Terri Osburn

Rating: 3.5
Source: NetGalley

Description:  These are three stories about three friends set over the same 2 week period of time.
In Love Me Cowboy Claire had always had a crush on her best friend's little brother.  Is now the time to finally act on it?
In Kiss Me, Cowboy by Liz Talley Georgia Hightower is certain she's seen the last of small town Texas until her best friend's wedding brings her back and she meets veterinarian, Reed McCormack
And finally in Marry Me, Cowboy by Kim Law,  Mary Catherine is marrying who she's supposed to marry until a run in with an old flame makes her start questioning herself.

Genre:  Romance

Why I Picked This Book:  Even though I'm not a big cowboy fan Reed McCormack had come up as my book boyfriend on the Book Boyfriend Quiz at Romance at Random so how could I pass this up?

My Impression:  Love Me Cowboy by Terri Osburn -  the first story in this book centers around elementary school teacher Claire Campbell and her best friend's brother, Tyler Holly.  Claire and Tyler had known each other since they were kids and had always been attracted to each other which had ended in a one night stand a few years before.  Even after a significant weight loss Claire's self esteem is down the drain and Tyler is having to reevaluate his life after a bull riding accident had sidelined him.  There was a lot I loved about this story.  I loved that Claire and Tyler had been friends for years.   I really liked that he had noticed her before she lost weight and had found her beautiful before.  I liked that the characters did get their feelings hurt and did sulk a little like regular people but they were able to communicate.  Both characters were just plain nice so it's easy to see this relationship working long term.  There was some lack of connection but I find that is typically the case with short stories.  It was one of those stories where I was always conscious of reading it which I don't love.

Next up is Kiss Me, Cowboy by Liz Talley which is wild child Georgia Hightower and local veterinarian Reed McCormick.  This was probably my favorite story of the three.  Georgia has some serious self-esteem issues as well.  She grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and always felt like everyone thought she was trash.  Georgia deals with her insecurities a little differently than Claire.  Choosing to show how much she's changed and how well life has turned out for her.  Except that things are starting to implode.  Reed has always wanted to be a cowboy and being a veterinarian in this little Texas town makes him happy.  He does want to settle down but he's not in a rush though he does have an image of the perfect wife in his head.  That woman is definitely not Georgia Hightower but he finds himself thinking about her all the time.  I like that while Reed has an idea of what he wants for his future he's flexible and doesn't get hung up on it when he realizes he wants something different. I also really liked that the end was satisfying without feeling like it wrapped up too neatly which often happens in the short stories where the main characters are meeting for the first time.  Reed and Georgia aren't quite as nice feeling as Claire and Tyler but they're definitely fun and I enjoyed watching their story unwind. 

And finally, Marry Me, Cowboy by Kim Law the story of Mary Catherine Holly's wedding that shouldn't be.  Going into this one I was a little hesitant.  I'm not a big fan of stories that involve even a whiff of cheating and I wasn't sure how this story could play out without that happening.  Law did a great job with a tricky topic.  This is more about Mary Catherine figuring out who she is than choosing between two guys.  Jax doesn't make a great first impression or really even a second or third but the more I saw of him the more I liked him and the more I sympathized with him. While I sympathized with Mary Catherine's trying to avoid arguing with her stepmother it did feel like it went a little too far.  My main problem with this story is that there so many great subplots - Mary Catherine's art, her relationship with her step-sister and Jax himself and the ranch he runs that it would've made a better full length book.

Overall:  While I'm not a big cowboy fan I do enjoy short story collections that are connected through a group of friends like this one.  I liked that they all took place over an overlapping time period so we saw some scenes multiple times through different angles.  I felt that the last two stories were stronger than the first but not so much that it felt jarring or inconsistent.  While I liked all the main characters there was the lack of the emotional connection that frequently occurs with short stories.  This is a fun holiday read especially for cowboy lovers!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: I will definitely look for more from all 3 of these authors but especially Liz Talley

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If you're in the mood for a Christmas story and love cowboys than this isn't one to miss!