Hard Loving Cowboy by A.J. Pine

Author: A.J. Pine
Release Date: March 26, 2019

A milestone has been made in this series and I will tell you about that later, but first, let me tell you about a little story that took me too long to read.  Oh, it was totally my fault because my children have major test coming up and I have been up to my eye balls in work.  Anyways, this review will focus on the third installment of the series title Hard Loving Cowboy by A.J. Pine.  I absolutely loved book one and two in this series, but did I love this one? Hmmm….let's find out.

First off, this story is about the troublesome younger brother of the Everett brothers and I could not wait to read his story because I was so intrigued by him and I really wanted to know what made him click and which lucky woman will take him down.  If you have read the previous books in the series, then you know that the Everett brothers' mother died of cancer and their father drowned his grief in alcohol.  Their father was very abusive and Jack was seriously hurt while trying to protect his brothers which caused the boys' aunt to take them in.  Walker has followed close to his father's footsteps by seeking comfort in alcohol.  Violet rolls in the scene, literally, and plants a big kiss on the unsuspecting Walker and that, my lovers, is how the story moves forward.  Violet arrives at Crossroads Ranch for an interview to work at the winery that the Everett brothers are currently constructing.  Violet doesn't know about Walker's past, she only knows the man standing right in front of her at this moment. What will happen if Violet finds out that Walker is a recovering alcoholic?  Will Violet accept Walker for who he really is?

I adored Walker because he had such a rough start and he had a great character arc.  He was scared to show Violet about his past and who could blame him?  Walker had never been in a serious relationship before and his feelings for Violet caught him off guard.  The one thing that I want to applaud the author for is not making him into some tool who sleeps around just for sake of sleeping around. I loved that about all of the Everett brothers.  Violet was bi-racial, French and I loved the little French lessons that she taught Walker. It lifted the story in a wonderful way and it gave her character depth.  Another thing that I like in this story was the family dynamic.  The love the showed on the page made the story feel grounded and genuine. Violet's love for her parents forced her to make some huge sacrifices. The town of Oak Bluff, as a whole, was a pleasure and I liked how everyone cared for Walker, but he felt like it was prison, which in actuality, Walker was making himself the prisoner.

Now, I mentioned earlier that a milestone was made in the story and the milestone is that this is the only story in the series that I did not love.  I really wanted to but the story dragged on and the chemistry between Violet and Walker was not as great as the previous couples.  I like Violet and Walker, but the story had one angle and there wasn't enough going on to keep me interested.  It really pains me to say this because I loved the rest of the books in the series, including the novella for Pete's sakes.  The story did not grabbed me the way that I had hoped and Walker was not as intriguing as he was in the previous stories.  Darn it, I wanted to love this story, but I have to be honest with myself and my audience.  I only have 3 stars to give and I didn't need a blanket or my tea for this story.  I just needed my kindle.  😥

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐