3 September 2016

Lone Star on a Cowboy Heart by Marie A Crosswell

Hey everyone,


Firstly I need to thank Netgalley and Less Than Three Press Publishing for sending me an ARC copy of this book for review. Secondly, I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long! Life got ahead of me and then a massive reading slump meant that blogging just went out the window. But I’m back now and will be returning to my regular schedule. When I saw Lone Star on a Cowboy Heart I was immediately drawn in by the beautiful cover, and when the blurb mentioned that one of the heroes was an asexual aromantic I had to read this book!

The book:

Sam, a sheriff's deputy in a small Arizona town, is off-duty when he finds himself in the middle of a hold-up at a local diner. He makes it out alive only because of Montgomery, who shoots the robber attempting to kill Sam—but in the fallout, the second robber gets away. 


In the aftermath of that ugly night, Sam is determined to know Montgomery better, while Montgomery is determined to find the man who escaped. He's also dead set on avoiding the deputy, having secrets of his own he doesn't want out. 

But loneliness is hard, and Montgomery can't resist the companionship Sam is offering—the companionship he's always wanted, but could never find. If they're going to explore it, however, first they'll have to stop the growing threat of the robber who got away...


My thoughts:

How do you review a romance book that doesn’t have a romance? Neither Sam nor Montgomery identify as gay or consider themselves to be sexually attracted to their own gender. From the beginning, it is clear that the relationship building between them isn’t a romantic one. In fact, the whole tone of Lone Star on a Cowboy Heart could put some readers off, as it isn’t one brimming with emotion. Montgomery, in particular, is a difficult character to read, even when you are in his head, and I struggled to connect with the writing style of this book. I kept being thrown out of the story due to a turn of phrase Marie Crosswell had used. Yet I kept reading because I was invested in these characters.

“They fall silent again for a long few minute, drinking their coffee, never looking at each other at the same time. The house is quiet, not even the sound of the wind against the wood or the windowpanes.”

I wanted to know what would happen between Montgomery and Sam. Even though it was clear that a romantic relationship wasn’t on the cards, it was obvious that something was developing. Both characters became invested in the other’s welfare, they wanted to spend time together and share life’s burdens. I thought Marie Crosswell did a wonderful job showing how Montgomery and Sam felt towards each other. As a reader, I understood that Montogomery and Sam were, above all else, looking for a forever friend. Someone who would and could stand by them through everything.

“Maybe I’m just lonely. I’ve been here four months, and I don’t really have any friends. I don’t see the other deputies outside of work, and there don’t seem to be many guys my age in this town, let alone ones who aren’t married with kids.”

In many ways, Lone Star on a Cowboy Heart is a romance of friendship. It is about Montgomery and Sam finding that best friend who will never give up on you, who will never ask for more or less than you are willing to give. Someone who will be the shoulder to cry on at night and the reason you laugh the next day. Even though Sam identifies as straight Marie Crosswell explains how he has always formed strong friendships with his male friends. Neither Sam nor Montgomery are compromising with each other but instead have finally found someone who will accept them for who they are.

Sam, the shorter of the two, fits his head below Montgomery’s and against his chest. He holds onto Montgomery’s waist, and Montgomery keeps his arm wrapped around Sam’s back.”

Having said all that I did find this an incredibly hard book to rate. I loved reading about Montgomery and Sam’s relationship. The way they slowly learned to trust each other and lay all their cards on the table, yet at the same time something about the writing style didn’t gel with me. Therefore I’m going to give it three stars because I liked it but I didn’t love it.

My rating:

Happy reading and see you next time!

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