REVIEW: Kayla’s Cowboy by Callie Endicott

 
In Kayla’s Cowboy by Callie Endicott, when Kayla Anderson left Montana she never planned to return. However, it seems that isn’t a possibility when her son runs away and ends up at her grandparents. Heading back home is hard enough, but running into her high-school sweetheart, Jackson McGregor, while in town is even harder, especially when they have such a complicated history.

Right from the beginning, this book was attention-grabbing, fast-paced and drew me into the story because it’s a second chance romance, which – I believe – is one of the best tropes. And also encompasses a hero trying to right the wrongs of his past, and a heroine finally doing the right thing for her son.

Deep down he wanted to believe the picture was a fake and didn’t prove a thing. But the kid looked like him. No question about it. Pain went through Jackson’s gut. He might have been a rebellious teen, but the McGregors took care of family, no matter what. It was part of their code. The idea that he had a son he hadn’t known or supported was a hard pill to swallow.
“Well?” Kayla prompted.
“I suppose he’s overdue for a father,” Jackson choked out.

The dialogue was intense due to both characters back stories and the unpleasant way their past relationship ended. Jackson hurt Kayla badly, and continues to do so when they meet again until he realizes what she told him years ago was true. However, there were also some light-hearted moments that had me smiling because Kayla deserved to be happy.

”That looks new,” she said, pointing to a rope hanging from a strong tree limb. “Now that they have a pool, does your family still cool off down here?”
“Sometimes.” His eyes gleamed. “Want to give it a go?”
“Nope.”
“We had fun.”
“Of course we did. We were teenagers.”

From the very beginning, I really liked the heroine. She’s very independent. Her life hasn’t been easy, and it seems she doesn’t have the best of luck with men. Yet, she’s managed to raise two really great kids. While the hero, he annoyed me when he was first introduced into the story. How could he be so unkind to Kayla when he was the one in the wrong? However, he does redeem himself throughout the book with the challenges he faces, of getting to know his son and trying to win Kayla back. He’s tenacious in his pursuit, even though he and his son seem to have nothing in common and Kayla doesn’t find it easy to trust him after everything that happened between them in the past.

Nicely-detailed sex scenes spice up the pages, and illustrate the intense chemistry between Kayla and Jackson really well. Kayla fights her feelings because she doesn’t want Jackson to hurt her again. Then there’s the fact that his family didn’t like her when they were dating in high school, so that makes it hard for her to.

=”You don’t mind, do you, Alex?” DeeDee asked. “If Mom loves him, we gotta make it easy on her, because we should take care of our family. And Mom looks awful happy. It really is dopeacious.”
Alex felt strange about it, but maybe it was a good kind of strange. “Yeah,” he agreed. “And for once I like one of your new words. Just don’t overuse it.”=

Overall, this was a really good book where the secondary characters impressed me just as much as the main characters. Kayla’s daughter is a real hoot with her made-up words. I loved the way this story ended with Jackson surprising Kayla, and convincing her of his love for her. I would recommend Kayla’s Cowboy, if you enjoy second chance romances.

Book Info:

 February 1st, 2016 | Mills & Boon Essence |

It’s never too late…right?

Kayla Anderson is never going back to Montana. At least, that was the plan. But when her teenage son runs away to meet his great-grandparents, she ends up back in Schuyler…face to face with her high school sweetheart, rancher Jackson McGregor. It’s complicated doesn’t quite cover it, especially since Alex happens to be Jackson’s son, too. Alex and his dad couldn’t be more different, but Jackson will do anything to connect with his boy. And suddenly old wounds pale beside the possibility of a second chance under the wide Montana sky…