ARC Review – Billion Dollar Cowboy (Cowboys & Brides) by Carolyn Brown

 One thing I can count on with Carolyn Brown is sassy heroines who are independent and honest.  They know what they want and don’t need to play games with their men. ~ Amanda, Guilty Pleasures

Description:
A Billionaire Can Buy Anything…

Colton Nelson was twenty-eight years old when he won the Texas Lottery and went from ranch hand to ranch owner overnight. Now he’s desperate to keep the gold diggers away. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a pretty girl and hire her to pretend to be his one-and-only.

Or Can He?

Laura Baker’s got mixed feelings about this–she’s on the ranch to work, not to be arm candy. On the other hand, being stuck for a while in the boondocks with a gorgeous cowboy isn’t half-bad.

What neither Colton nor Laura expects are the intensely hard lessons they have to learn about the real cost of love…

Review copy provided for an honest review

Billion Dollar Cowboy by Carolyn Brown is her first book in a new series, Cowboys and Brides, and I was thrilled when I heard the news.   I absolutely love this author, her writing style, Texas cowboys and the women they fall in love with.  One thing I can count on with Carolyn Brown is sassy heroines who are independent and honest.  They know what they want and don’t need to play games with their men.    Laura Baker is no different and I’m so glad.

Laura needs to pay off a debt her gambling sister accrued and her cousin Andy helps bail them out. She is now working as his assistant on the Circle 6 ranch for the billionaire owner, who also happens to be Andy’s best friend.  Laura is an enabler who has bailed out her sister Janet time and time again, but this time the debt was too much. Now she is committed to working at the ranch until the money is paid off over the next 6 months.   What she never suspected was her presence on the ranch would be an answer to a prayer for the cowboy himself.

Colton Nelson isn’t your typical rich cowboy. He won the lottery and has turned his million into billions. Now he has a hard time finding the right person who he can trust to like him for him, and not just his money.  It’s gotten so bad that his family is concerned enough to concoct a plan for his safety.  Colton’s grandmother, foreman, and Andy all agree that what he needs is a fake girlfriend to fend off these women.  Therefore, who is better to play that role than the new girl Laura?

Laura was willing to go along with this in the beginning but what started out as fake started to feel real.   Colton was dealing with the same feelings himself and was also dealing with the issues of his parent’s marriage.  Both Laura’s and Colton’s past weren’t your typical childhoods from which they both have trust and commitment issues.  Laura didn’t feel good enough for Colton because of her momma and Colton didn’t want love if it only meant arguing.  What is important is that they both realize how you get past issues and who you are willing to move forward with that makes the difference. Laura showed Colton her commitment and Colton showed it right back. I’m still smiling as I think back on how it is the little things that mean so much to each other.

There are so many things that I can count on in a Carolyn Brown book and this one was no exception.  She mentions country song references, choosing some good ones with tunes from Blake Shelton and George Strait.  Those songs tie into the plot and for me enrich the story so much more.  She has a slew of secondary characters and I do hope we see more of them in future stories.  Her writing isn’t complicated but is definitely fun and rich in sass.  Both hero and heroine were developed as well rounded individuals, with good and bad traits, who were just looking to find love and their place in the world.  I know that Colton and Laura found their place with each other in a little corner of Ambrose, Texas and will definitely bring a whole lot of fun and loving to one another.