Cowboy, It's Cold Outside by Lori Wilde

Title: Cowboy, It’s Cold Outside

Author: Lori Wilde

Blurb: Wearing a too-tight “Santa Baby costume, held in by a double pair of Spanx, Paige MacGregor runs headlong into a gorgeous, gray-eyed hunk of a long, tall cowboy.  And not just any cowboy, but country-western star Cash Colton, visiting Twilight to perform in a charity concert.  Most women would melt at his feet, but Paige knows all too much about self-assured men with cocky attitudes, so she tells him to get lost.

Cash is in town, nursing his own broken heart, but Paige has knocked him off his feet.  He’s convinced she’s perfect—someone to inspire his music and share his now-empty bed.  True, he’s not marriage material, but he’s determined to convince her that they’re perfect together—at least for a while.  But what he doesn’t count on is falling in love with the one woman who isn’t about to give him the time of day.

Review:  I haven’t really felt much in the Christmas-y spirit lately, so I thought that Lori Wilde’s Cowboy, It’s Cold Outside in red and gold with the wreath on the cover might be just what I needed.  In a little disappointing turn of events I totally forgot, until this moment, that I’d thought the book was going to be holiday themed.  Other than taking place during the Christmas season, there wasn’t much to remind me that I’d originally sought out the novel to be immersed in snow, Santa, and singing Christmas Carols.  Not that this wasn’t a delightful novel… it just wasn’t the winter wonderland I’d expected it to be.

If you can believe it, in my twelve years as a romance reader I’ve never read a Lori Wilde novel.  I have the hardest time finding new authors to enjoy (I’m picky and super judgmental), but being an Avon Addict has really created a wonderful opportunity to discover some fantastic new books/series/authors, etc.  I’m blessed, truly!

I have found that I really enjoy Lori Wilde’s writing style and characters.  I have no doubt that this book was a member of a family (there seemed to be an understanding that I would know who certain characters were), but I liked those characters that I was able to meet.  I felt that her writing style came across very natural and not at all flowery and romantic like some of the novels I’ve read lately.

Paige was a down-to-earth, charming woman who was average without being boring.  She was so incredibly relatable that a few times I found myself wishing that she was a friend of mine.  There was nothing outright spectacular about Paige, but by the end of the novel I was absolutely convinced that she deserved the sun, the moon, and stars—and most importantly a break in life.

Cash was your typical attractive, too cock for his own good superstar with a troubled childhood and difficulty expressing his emotions.  He should have come across as an overdone trope, but honestly I enjoyed reading about his troubles, his faults, and his dreams for his future.  I wanted to know more about him and, eventually, I wanted to see him happy with Paige (though it took some time for me to trust him).

I think that anyone looking for a light read this holiday season would be pleased with their choice should they pick up Cowboy, It’s Cold Outside.  The drama was to a minimum and the sarcastic, witty remarks were at a maximum.