The Restless Cowboy: A Small Town Western Romance

Cam thought he was finally cutting all ties with a town that blamed him for his father's actions until Molly tells him she's pregnant from their casual fling. I thought she pushed him away way too much in this book. I can't imagine driving eight hours each way to see her every weekend. He must have been exhausted. Yes, he made mistakes, but he was doing the best he could. I liked her book and horse loving daughter Riley who was happy to spend time with Cam. I loved the the idea of his custom leather working business and his new business manager sounds like a bold young guy who might even find his own romance in a future book. There were plenty of funny moments in the book and also some emotional ones.

Cam and Molly’s love story in The Restless Cowboy by Megan Ryder, book two in her Granite Junction series, is a tale of trust, opening one’s heart, taking responsibility for one’s actions and learning the importance of compromise. Cam Miller’s life was spent doing things because of decisions and actions of others, mainly his father. He turned their ranch around, making it profitable. He took care of his sister and provided for her. He stood tall and took the insults and blame thrown at him by the townspeople for the death of a young man; a death his father caused. Now that his sister is off to college, Cam can pursue the life he’s always dreamed of, away from Granite Junction. It only took was one night of passion with a secret fling to have him hitting the pause button; even if temporarily. Molly Brennan was enjoying life as a rodeo trick rider until a failed marriage and pregnancy forced her home to Granite Junction to raise her baby. It’s been a few years, but Molly is happy running her own hair salon and raising her eight-year old daughter, Riley, alone. She is a strong, independent woman with no need for a man in her life. Indulging in some no-string fun with a handsome, sexy cowboy shouldn’t hurt or change things. When Molly discovers she is pregnant, she knows she can do this on her own, again, but first she knows it is only right to let Cam know. Cam is not the type of man who walks away from responsibility, he is determined to be a part of his child’s life; except, he’s about to leave town for a new endeavor. Cam is torn between wanting Molly, who feels like home, and his need to break free, especially from Granite Junction. Molly struggles letting Cam go, while at the same time wanting to be in control of her life, not relying on anyone else. Molly has always been able to take care of herself, unable or unwilling to trust anyone to help her or take care of her. What she needs is to learn how to trust; that Cam has her and Riley’s best interest at heart. It will take some hard decisions and major planning, before Cam can follow his heart and Molly opens hers. I loved this story; although it took a while for me to understand Molly. She appeared to be strong, independent, have an “I can do this myself” attitude, but deep down life was a struggle. Because she had done things by herself for so long she didn’t remember how to accept love and help. I loved Cam all along; hard not to enjoy a sexy cowboy. Cam was dealt a difficult life; one he faced by himself and dealt with; never sharing his burden. Cam and Molly were more alike than either realized, both needing to accept help from others and open up to not only share their love but to accept that together they made a better team than alone. The way Cam treated Riley, like a daughter, was precious and added not only to the story, but showed how important those in his life were to Cam; that Cam was not his father. Ms. Ryder wrote a wonderful and heartwarming story that is definitely not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with sizzling chemistry, amusing banter, and endearing characters giving Cam and Molly a chance for love, a family and a future together. I highly recommend The Restless Cowboy to other readers and look forward to the next book in this series. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Like everything else the author has written about Granite Junction, this book is an emotional roller-coaster that pulled me in from the very first words. Cam and Molly as a couple remind me so much of the old joke about how porcupines mate. Both of them have tall, reinforced defences in place. And while it’s frustrating, it’s also fascinating to watch them lowering those guards. Like his cousin, I think Cam was far to willing to take the blame for things that weren’t his to ‘own’, and I really appreciated the way his friends and family go about showing him the error of his ways. I loved Molly in equal measure to how badly I wanted to shake sense into her. Thankfully, those same friends and family were perfectly willing to extend the same service to Molly. My heart broke for this little family every time things were rocky, but when it was smooth sailing, my heart sighed with delight. I kind of don’t care who’s story will be the next to be told, I just want to read it. I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through Buoni Amici Press.