Series: The Cowboys of Chance Creek #4
Published by One Acre Press on 5 November 2013
Genres: Chick-lit, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 286
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
Bella Chatham will lose everything – her veterinary practice, her animal shelter, and even her home – if she can’t find another source of income, fast. So when her best friend signs her up for the hot new reality television show, Can You Beat a Billionaire, Bella accepts the challenge and hopes against hope she can win the ten million dollar prize. If she doesn’t, it’s bye-bye pet clinic and shelter, bye-bye Chance Creek, Montana, and hello to marriage to the billionaire for a year!
Evan Mortimer, billionaire, can’t believe he’s reduced to competing in a television contest to win a wife. Unfortunately, it’s the only foolproof way to secure his position as head of Mortimer Innovations. At least he’ll be able to dump his “spouse” at the end of the year. He has no intention of getting hitched for life.
*I received a free ARC of The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire from One Acre Press via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire is even more humorous than the prior installments in the Chance Creek series! Bella is truly at the end of her rope, her pet shelter is tethering on the edge of bankruptcy when her friend Hannah informs her that she has been chosen for a reality TV show – Can You Beat a Billionaire – where she has a chance of winning 5 million dollars. Evan has signed up as well, even billionaires don’t always have everything they want and need. And in order to keep the reins of his company, he has to get married within a month. If he wins the competition, Bella has to marry him and stay married to him for one year. Easy going, right?
Neither Bella nor Evan think they will fall in love, though. Bella thinks Evan is an overbearing rich prick, and he sees her as a country bumpkin – a beautiful one, but still a country bumpkin. They are not afraid to tell each other exactly what they think either, and that is refreshing both for the reader and for the characters, too. Evan, especially is used to people being very fake around him – his billions a lot more important than his personality. And he has a very deeply rooted unease about women only being after him for his money.
As they traipse around in Jasper National Park in Canada, both Bella and Evan start changing a little, they both had some growing up to do. They both also needed to let go of the past a little so they could live in the present and look towards the future. I enjoyed how they opened up to each other and got to know each other better. And I enjoyed their friendly and not so friendly banter, as well as the underlying sexual tension that leaped off the page at me. Because most of the story was the week of filming the reality show, the readers really saw a lot of the main characters, but not much of secondary characters.
If you want to read a humorous and tense romance, with characters who start out likable, then grow to become even better, you should pick up The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire. It’s well written, a quick read and hit just the right spot for me.
She loved animals. Well, all except horses, she thought, with the habitual frown she reserved for the four-legged monsters that were all too common in ranch country.
His own attempts at dating had been disastrous. A few girls back in college who made it clear they expected a steady stream of expensive gifts, and called him cheap when they weren’t forthcoming.
What if she lost? Could she really marry this man and spend a year with him? Would he expect her to sleep with him during that time? She felt her cheeks begin to heat – it had been a long time since she’d slept with anyone; she wasn’t sure she knew what to do anymore. He seemed so self-assured, he probably knew exactly what to do, and he’d quickly become bored with her limited repertoire of sexual moves.
She turned her attention back to Jim as he finished outlining their task. “Who wants to go first?” he asked. Evan looked to her. “He can go first,” she said. “He’s been watching my ass all morning. Turnabout is fair play.”
Handsome and filthy rich? What a combination. Did he ever wonder about people’s motives? How did he protect himself from everyone who wanted to use him for their own gain? He came across as very self-contained, and she wondered if that was merely a defense mechanism he had to use to survive.
Twitter: bmreviewsohmy
Wow, you already knocked one out for the challenge! I wish I read that fast!!! 🙁 🙂
Yup, I’m reading my second one right now… I figured if I manage to read a lot of ARCs this month, I might let myself start clicking again 😀 how’s that for motivation?
Twitter: limabean74
I am so jealous that you already finished one!!! I have such a busy weekend with my daughters birthday I am hoping to finish by sunday. Then next week I will be reading like a crazy person!
Great review! So glad the challenge started out for you with 4 stars 🙂
Michelle <3
Thanks Michelle 🙂 Hey, a b-day party is fun, I hope your daughter is enjoying herself.
I’m happy the challenge started out with four stars as well 🙂 It motivates me to continue my deep-clean.
I don’t normally go for this type of book… it just seems so unrealistic with the whole billionaire thing. But this sounds really good I think I might try it. 🙂
Even if the guy is a billionaire, it was a lot of fun to read 🙂 And I think the exaggeration was a bit part of why it was humorous 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Lacie.
Twitter: BerlsS
That cover so go my attention! I would have never guessed that this was a funny series though – and it sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for the great review and congrats on finishing your first read already!
Yeah the humor goes hand in hand with the romance and the sexy cowboys 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Berls.