"That's when I saw him—the cowboy—across the smoky room."
I'll never forget that night. It was like a romance novel, an old Broadway musical, and a John Wayne western rolled into one. Out for a quick drink with friends, I wasn't looking to meet anyone, let alone a tall, rugged cowboy who lived on a cattle ranch miles away from my cultured, corporate hometown. But before I knew it, I'd been struck with a lightning bolt...and I was completely powerless to stop it.
Read along as I recount the rip-roaring details of my unlikely romance with a chaps-wearing cowboy, from the early days of our courtship (complete with cows, horses, prairie fire, and passion) all the way through the first year of our marriage, which would be filled with more challenge and strife—and manure—than I ever could have expected.
This isn't just my love story; it's a universal tale of passion, romance, and all-encompassing love that sweeps us off our feet.
It's the story of a cowboy.
And Wranglers.
And chaps.
And the girl who fell in love with them.
Like many people, I've followed Ree Drummond on her blog, The Pioneer Woman. She's hysterically funny and I enjoy many of her anecdotes and recipes. This story was originally published in installments on her blog and I read it then and found it entertaining. As a book, however, it falls a little bit short.
Ree is head over heels in love with her husband and I love that she is honest about it. It's incredibly refreshing in these days when so many place little value on marriage and fidelity. She chronicles the story of how she and Marlboro Man met, courted and married and all the little ups and downs in between. It's romantic and funny and surprisingly clean.
It's also heavy on the cheesy, Harlequin-esque heaving bosoms-type romance. At times it reads like a teenager's diary, rather than a story of a twenty-something woman. We get a lot of weak knees, strong biceps and heavy sighs. Marlboro Man is absolutely perfect with no flaws whatsoever and a bit too good to be true.
I think it could have used some better editing and I expected it to have been a little more fleshed out. I also think having both of their accounts, rather than just Ree's first-person perspective would make this a richer story. But still, it's an honest, funny and forthright account of the love story of a well-known and well-loved blogger. Fans of The Pioneer Woman will love it. Others will find it a light, sweet escape.
Thanks to my local library for having a copy I could borrow. You can purchase your own copy here
.Read 3/11
* * *
3/5 Stars
I'm sorry to see this isn't as good as it could be since I bought it a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great library for sure with how they have all these new releases! Thanks for the great review of PW's book. I thought it might be a little Harlequin and that's why I haven't picked it up as yet. I prefer an older, realistic view of a love story and it has to be juicy...lol
ReplyDeleteI kind of figured this book would be a bit Harlequin-esque, which is why I decided not to read it. But I think it's cute that she's so in love with her husband. Wish there were more of that going around America these days! Great review!
ReplyDeleteI really loved this book myself, but I totally understand your reservations. I don't dispute the teenage diary-ness of it, I just enjoyed it! ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's neither highbrow nor particularly eloquent but I still had a great time reading it (possibly helped that I'm a relative newcomer to her blog so I didn't read the installments there the first time around).
Here's my own review if you're interested:
http://bookwormporch.blogspot.com/2011/06/book-review-black-heels-to-tractor.html