Hey Everyone! I recently had the opportunity to read and review Tall, Dark, and Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy. This is a very sweet, very cowboy contemporary romance read. I rated this one 4 stars, READ MY REVIEW. Tall, Dark, and Cowboy is a new release, and Joanne Kennedy has stopped by with a guest post for us! Stay tuned after Joanne’s post for giveaway information. Here’s Joanne:
“The Appeal of Contemporary Cowboys”
Obviously, I’m obsessed with cowboys. My new book, Tall, Dark and Cowboy, is my fourth contemporary Western romance, and I have two more cowboy books scheduled for 2012.
I’m often asked why I choose to write about cowboys. To answer that question, I’ll introduce you to Chase Caldwell, the hero of Tall, Dark and Cowboy.
Lacey Bradford rolls into Grady, Wyoming expecting to find the gangling farm boy who loved her from afar all through high school. Instead, she finds a new Chase Caldwell—and finds herself struck dumb.
“Because this was no farmer. This was a cowboy—tan and muscular, with sinewy arms exposed by the carelessly rolled-up sleeves of a snap-button shirt and slim-hipped Wranglers suggestively worn white at the thighs and fly. Lacey had never felt the effects of airborne testosterone before, but this guy made her wobble like a Weeble.”
But it’s not just those obvious physical attributes that make me choose cowboys, over and over, as the heroes of my novels. The appeal of men like Chase goes way beyond his tight jeans, his long lean muscles, and the rakish tilt of his hat. The cowboy mystique is a direct result of the challenges he faces in his everyday life. When you travel through the far reaches of Wyoming, it’s obvious that life hasn’t changed much in this desolate outback. Survival still depends on riding out the bad years and struggling to make the best of the good ones.
Chase is definitely struggling through a tough year when the book opens. He’s trying to turn an overgrazed, played-out patch of ground into a working cattle ranch, and unlike a lot of romance novel cowboys, he doesn’t have family money to do it with. Instead, he runs a car lot in town, selling used pickups and farm equipment until he can make the ranch pay.
But he lives for the cowboy life, and when he spots an injured heifer on his way home one night, he heads for the barn and transforms into his true self.
“He had Jimbo saddled in seconds, and he spun the fresh, feisty quarter horse gelding twice before goading him down the road. The barely contained energy of the horse beneath him and the sound of hooves thudding out an irregular beat was better than that beer he’d been looking forward to anyway.
This was the real Chase Caldwell—the man he was meant to be. It was like he hung up his life every time he went to town, as surely as he hung his Stetson on the hook by the door. Then he slipped his true self back on when he got home.”
While the rest of the world changes with the whims of technology, cowboy life is pretty much the same as it was back at the turn of the century. There are more fences and more highways, more regulations and less open land, but cattle are still cattle, and that means men are still men. Old-fashioned work leads to old-fashioned values, and that’s the key to the timeless appeal of cowboys.
Today’s cowboys are tough, they’re strong, but most of all they’re passionate about the life they’ve chosen to live. And to me, that makes them him heroes worth celebrating.
Tall, Dark and Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy – In Stores November 2011!
She’s looking for an old friend…
In the wake of a nasty divorce, Lacey Bradford heads for Wyoming where she’s sure her old friend will take her in. But her high school pal Chase Caldwell is no longer the gangly boy who would follow her anywhere. For one thing, he’s now incredibly buff and handsome, but that’s not all that’s changed…
What she finds is one hot cowboy…Chase has been through tough times and is less than thrilled to see the girl who once broke his heart. But try as he might to resist her, while Lacey’s putting her life back together, he’s finding new ways to be part of it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joanne Kennedy’s fascination with Wyoming’s unique blend of past and present inspires her to write contemporary Western romances with traditional ranch settings. She is the author of Cowboy Trouble, Cowboy Fever, and 2010 RITA® nominee One Fine Cowboy, all published by Sourcebooks Casablanca. She lives in Wyoming, where she is working on her next cowboy romance, Cowboy Crazy, set to release in June 2012. For more information, please visit
Where to buy Tall, Dark, and Cowboy:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Sourcebooks
Joanne, Thank you so much for stopping by! I for one definitely see the appeal of contemporary cowboys, they are heroes worth celebrating!
Sourcebooks is generously offering up 2 copies of Tall, Dark, and Cowboy to 2 of my readers! Since this giveaway is coming from the publisher, this contest is open to US/CAN only. To enter just fill out the rafflecopter. There is only 1 mandatory entry, to leave a meaningful comment on this post (still need to fill out the rafflecopter for the contest though). The other entries on the rafflecopter are all extra. Contest will run for 1 week, from today November 3 through Wednesday, November 9 at midnight.
November 3, 2011 at 4:27 am
Pretty sure that Tall, Dark and cowboy sums up the perfect man
Awesome cover too.
November 3, 2011 at 5:31 am
I agree with your views of cowboys today. That is one reason I like to read about them, because they are so passionate about the life they live. Most seem to be very loyal to family and friens, not to mention the way they look and ride!!
mnjcarter@charter.net
November 3, 2011 at 5:44 am
Cowboys always make you feel warm and safe inside. I can see why you want to write about them!
November 3, 2011 at 6:04 am
I have never read Joanne Kennedy, but have always wanted to try her books. I love cont. cowboy stories!! This one sounds good! smiles…
November 3, 2011 at 7:38 am
FIrst of all, thanks so much for hosting me as a guest blogger and thank you for the terrific review of “Tall, Dark and Cowboy.” You can’t imagine how much it means to a writer when a reviewer – or any reader – enjoys her work and says so! I also love your raffle system. All in all, this is a great blog!
November 3, 2011 at 7:39 am
Jessica, I agree – this is the best title ever! And definitely my sexiest cover. It really stands out on the bookshelves! And trust me, it looks just like Chase!
November 3, 2011 at 7:40 am
Missy, I agree that loyalty is important, and it’s definitely one of those Western values that make me a cowboy fan – and I’m not talking football:)
November 3, 2011 at 7:41 am
Janiera, I’m hoping my books give readers that same glow. Thanks for commenting!
November 3, 2011 at 7:42 am
Christi, I hope you’ll get a chance to give my books a try. If you like other contemporary cowboy stories and enjoy a little humor in your writing (plus a lot of heart) I think you’ll enjoy Tall, Dark and Cowboy.
November 3, 2011 at 8:21 am
I need more sexy Cowboys!
Plus—hello that would make one heck of a Top Off Tuesday cover
November 3, 2011 at 8:32 am
Hi Heather! Hi Joanne! Thanks for the great post and the giveaway! I think after reading this I may have to go and read the other books in the series. It’s been awhile since I read about a sexy cowboy!
Thanks for reminding me how great cowboys are!
November 3, 2011 at 8:38 am
I love cowboys, I think they are some of the hardest workers in todays society. I would know because I married a City Cowboy – LOL Yeah thats what I call them – hee hee. You see in TX there are alot of cowboys, all different types – Ranch Hand Cowboy, City Cowboy, and Wanna be Cowboys. I’m sure they are all fun and will definitely give you a hard ride – LOL
My hubby is a City Cowboy and what I mean is he works in town half the day and then comes home and works our small farm/ranch. For those who don’t know what a Ranch Hand is, its a man who stays on the Ranch 24/7 and does every thing (real cowboy). A Wanna Be Cowboy dresses like a cowboy, drives a Truck, and has never gotten his handds dirty – we have alot of those here in Tx especially in the cities.
Anyway, your book looks awesome and what I love about reading about cowboys is their personalities are always a true gentleman and they know how to treat a woman.
Thanks for the giveaway.
Ronda Tutt
mrsqueentutt@yahoo.com
November 3, 2011 at 9:06 am
Sounds like a good book, thank you!
November 3, 2011 at 9:20 am
All of a sudden I am into the cowboy thing! The book looks great! Thanks for thee chance.
November 3, 2011 at 9:43 am
Felicia, I’ll try to keep those cowboys coming. And Chase would be happy to visit on Top Off Tuesday!
November 3, 2011 at 9:45 am
Annie, thanks! And just so readers know, you can read Cowboy Trouble, One Fine Cowboy, and Cowboy Fever – as well as the new book – in any order you want. Though they’re all set on Wyoming ranches, each book stands on its own. You’ll find familiar characters popping up once in a while if you read all of them, though!
November 3, 2011 at 9:50 am
Ronda, it sounds like the scene where Chase comes home from his town job and becomes his true cowboy self could be written about your husband! I think there are a lot of city cowboys these days; it’s so hard to make a living in the horse and cattle business alone. Chase has to run a car lot to help support his ranch until he gets it running and reclaims the land that was overgrazed by the last owner.
We have those three kinds of cowboys in Wyoming too, but we probably have more ranch hands and fewer Wanna Bes.
November 3, 2011 at 9:51 am
Krystal, thanks! I do my best:) I really love the characters in this book, and I hope readers do too.
November 3, 2011 at 9:52 am
Michelle, I’m glad to hear cowboys are drawing new readers! I think the challenges of this kind of life make for great stories. Plus they’re just plain sexy:)
November 3, 2011 at 10:10 am
CONGRATS on the release, Joanne! I think I’m a bit obsessed with cowboys too:) I think they’re the alpha male of our contemporary world. Really looking forward to reading Tall, Dark and Cowboy… sounds delicious!!!
yadkny@hotmail.com
November 3, 2011 at 10:11 am
Cowboys are always portrayed as so sexy in books
November 3, 2011 at 11:15 am
cowboys come in all kind of way and love the ways
authors do them in different ways you can get a Romantic
or one that plays a play boy or a devil in disguise
desitheblonde@msn.com
November 3, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Joanne’s book sounds great. I love cowboys.
November 3, 2011 at 1:04 pm
I love cowboys, I love to read books about cowboys. I actually want to move to region where they have real live cowboys. but since that can not happen I read books about cowboys, preferably romance. I know big strech from real life cowboy to romance novel cowboy but girls got to dream. Also i have a thing for chaps, my fantasy.
November 3, 2011 at 1:58 pm
I love reading about cowboys! They make me want to go visit my Texas family and find me one =D
Emily T
November 3, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Cowboys are wonderful! I love reading books about them.
November 3, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Yadira, you’re so right. It’s old-style masculinity that still works in today’s world. Love my cowboys!
November 3, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Arianne, from my experience it’s pretty accurate! I spent a lot of time behind the chutes at Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo this year, and I figured some of the world champion riders and ropers I met would be a little arrogant – but every single one was polite in that old-fashioned cowboy way we write about. It made me feel really good that I could spread the word about these great guys.
November 3, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Desiree, it is fun to portray all the different personalities you find under the hat! Strong and silent Nate in “One Fine Cowboy” is pretty different from Chase in “Tall Dark and Cowboy,” and former bad-boy Teague in “Cowboy Fever” is like night and day compared to easygoing Luke in “Cowboy Trouble.” But they’re all cowboy at heart:)
November 3, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Thanks, Crystal – I hope you get a chance to give it a try!
November 3, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Hope, I agree about the chaps!! They just add a certain swagger that I love. And you’d be surprised how close a lot of the cowboys here are to the romance novel guys. They really are pretty old-fashioned, good guys. If you ever get the chance to move, I highly recommend Wyoming! This is where the real cowboys are:) We have more cows than people!
November 3, 2011 at 2:57 pm
Emily, I hate to admit it but I have never been to Texas! One of these days I’ll go. I can call it a research trip!
November 3, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Patsy, I do love the cowboys – and the world they live in, too. It’s so beautiful when you get out into the wide-open spaces in Wyoming – like going back to the past you find in those great old Western movies.
November 3, 2011 at 3:02 pm
I haven’t read too many cowboy books.This one sounds really good.
November 3, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Cowbos are so down to earth.
November 3, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Love the cover! Tall, dark and cowboy sounds like my kind of hero
November 3, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Elaing8, I hope you’ll get a chance to give it a try! I always try to put lots of humor and suspense in my books along with the hot cowboys, so hopefully they turn some new readers into Western fans!
November 3, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Lisa, I agree. And I love writing about them!
November 3, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Mariee, you should have heard me squeal the first time I saw that cover! It’s the sexiest one ever, and I just love it. It’s so much fun seeing how Sourcebooks’ artists see my books. They always do a fabulous job.
November 5, 2011 at 9:03 pm
I love cowboys these are yummy
New follower
Please stop and enter my giveaway http://kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewer.blogspot.com/
November 6, 2011 at 3:25 am
I like reading about a hero who has to struggle to succeed all on his own.
November 6, 2011 at 7:39 am
I love cowboy books. It used to be one of my favorite types of books. But I have gotten out of it a bit!
Thanks for the chance.
Mary
November 9, 2011 at 11:07 am
I am just getting into cowboys. I am really enjoying them, all I have to say is yummy. Thanks for the giveaway.
November 20, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Kimba, welcome and thanks for following!
Maureen, I agree. If the guy’s rich and successful to start with, it’s less interesting to me than if he’s working hard to create a future for himself and the family he longs for. I like to make my heroes suffer a little and face challenges!
Mary and Sariah, I hope you get a chance to give “Tall, Dark and Cowboy” a try! I wish we could give copies to all the commenters:)