Review: Shackled by the Cowboy Drifter by Jan Bowles

Shackled by the Cowboy Drifter by Jan Bowles

Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand Publishing
Genre: Western Romance

Heat Rating: 4

Blurb

Ash Carmicheal, an aspiring actress from England, is down on her luck. However, when she meets Zack Delaney, a gorgeous cowboy drifter, at the diner where she works in Long Beach, California, things start to look up.

Why can’t two lonely people enjoy each other's company with no strings attached?

Only trouble is, Zack Delaney is not all he seems. An undercover operative with the FBI, he is closing in on a drug cartel. Getting involved with Ash is not an option. In fact, it could prove downright dangerous for her. When Ash sees him dealing drugs, he cannot tell her the truth about his work, yet the attraction between them still remains.

They may have shared one night of unbridled passion together, but do they have a basis for a lasting relationship? Or have they both been burned too much in the past?


Ren’s Review

Ashley Carmichael, known as Ash, is an actress who knows that her shelf life is about to expire. She is working as a waitress in the local diner when Zack Delaney comes into her life. Ash is also licking her wounds after emerging from a volatile relationship.

Zack is a tall, dark and handsome hunk of Cowboy beef in his tight jeans and knowing blue eyes but he is carrying his own painful secrets. He breezes into the diner where he meets Ash, insults her and is left with his foot in his mouth after their initial encounter.

Later that night, they meet up again in a bar where Zack makes a peace offering. Now, under different circumstances, their attraction is immediate and they share a night of passion with the understanding that it is only for that one night. When Zack walks out the next morning, Ash is convinced that she will never see him again.

A chance meeting in a darkened alley puts Ash smack in the middle of Zack’s illegal activities and he finds himself caught up in lies to protect Ash from discovering the truth about him. Ash is fascinated yet repelled by what she knows so far. She then sees another side to Zack and her compassion elicits feelings in him that he thought were gone forever. In each other’s arms, they find a tenderness that has been missing from their lives, a feeling of excitement and connection. It takes a weekend getaway for the two of them to start wondering if there is a chance that they could make it work.

I really enjoyed this story as it moved right along, allowing the reader to see the relationship develop between them. The sexual tension does not let up at all and fulfills the Happily Ever After theme. Shackled by the Cowboy Drifter should not be missed!

4 1/2 Tea Cups!