Wild Cowboy Ways

Brown’s first Lucky Penny Ranch novel combines the themes of historical western romance with a contemporary setting, but her characters are too old-fashioned for the 21st century. The two Dawson brothers and their cousin have purchased a “bad luck” ranch in Dry Creek, Tex. Handsome Blake is the first to arrive in town, and he asks Allie Logan, a skilled local carpenter, to work some magic on the dilapidated property. Allie is not interested in relationships because her no-good ex let her down, and Blake’s “love them and leave them” reputation has accompanied him, but Blake is hard to resist when the sawdust starts flying. Allie spends the entire book whining, sulking, and making bad decisions; Blake is never developed beyond being attractive and pleasant. The obstacles separating this couple are unconvincing and overcome with surprising ease, so there’s not much in the way of plot to entertain the reader. Allie’s trusted friend Deke, her overprotective family, and the gossipy Dry Creek mean girls add some much-needed color to a pedestrian romance, but they don’t compensate for the lack of a likable heroine, a basic requirement in this genre. [em]Agent: Erin Niumata, Folio Literary Management. (Dec.) [/em]