Never Love a Cowboy (Rogues in Texas, 2)

Ok. I think I love all of Lorraine Heaths books but this is one of my favorites. Harry, an Englishman, came to America with two of his friends (Kit and Gray) to make something of himself. Having been mistreated as a young child by his mother, Harry doesn't believe in love. During the first book in the trilogy (A Rogue in Texas), where his friend Gray finds the woman of his dreams and gets married, he meets Jessye. She's a no nonsense woman who says it like it is, even if it's not the nicest or most appropriate. They clash but ultimately become friends. In "Never Love a Cowboy" the story continues and they become closer. However, tragedy strikes, and what the characters go through is heartbreaking (I won't tell you, you'll just have to read the book). I love Harry who is the perfect gentleman (I'd love to know where they got the model for the inside book cover). All I can say is that Lorraine Heath is an outstanding author who really knows how to bring feelings into a book. I can't wait for the final book (Kits story). It won't be released until January of next year. :-(

I discovered Lorraine Heath about a month ago, and since then I've read 5 of her books, Never Love a Cowboy being the 5th. She has a way of creating heroes to fall in love with, heroines that you like and identify with, and she writes storylines that have me crying usually more than once.Never Love A Cowboy epitomizes Heath's writing. Harrison is a tortured hero - he had a very troubled childhood. But he doesn't wallow in it, and in general this just adds to his scoundrel-ness, without making him a jerk. Jessye is a spitfire if there ever was one, but she's also generous, friendly, and very compassionate. She too has a pretty troubled past. When they get together, sparks fly and the dialog is fun to read.But the book is really about the journey these two characters take together. It's not just about falling in love, but about really being in love. Something pretty traumatic happens about halfway through, and it's when the two characters try to overcome this event that you begin hoping the book will never end (and wishing you had more Kleenex handy!). Talk about a couple that breaks your heart.So if you're in for a great love story, some wonderful characters, and a storyline that never lags, this is it. Enjoy!(and then check out Heath's other books... none of them disappoints)

Lorraine Heath excels at writing three-dimensional characters in settings that are historically accurate within stories in which both large and small moments are exquisitely crafted. The flow of Never Love a Cowboy is wonderful, with two disparate sections. Both are terrific, and those readers who love a road romance should greatly appreciate the first part, in which the hero and heroine are on a cattle drive. However, it is in the second part, after a horrible incident, where Heath's mastery truly shines. The hero, in particular, must learn to live without the use of some of his greatest gifts, but learns that love can still be his. This book has it all - action, characterization, sexual tension, tears. . . . Even the somewhat sterotypical sub-plot involving a little girl seems fresh as handled by this author. Not only did Heath manage to create some terrific drama in this instance, but she also managed to turn the tables on which lead character had the "moral high ground" for a while. I rarely give such a strong recommendation, and don't think I've ever done so with a Western Romance, but this one is truly special.TTFN, Laurie Likes BooksPublisher, All About Romance

As a second son of an English aristocrat, Harrison Bainbridge knows he inherits almost nothing. He and two friends travel to Texas to make their fortune. However, instead of easily making a bundle of money, Harrison ends up working in the field under the supervision of women whose men are either dead or struggling to come home following the end of the Civil War.After one friend, Gray Rhodes, married (see A ROGUE IN TEXAS), Harrison and his fellow expatriate Kit Montgomery agree that cattle is the way to become wealthy. Since they lack capital, the duo turns to Jessye Kane, daughter of a saloonkeeper, who is their last hope for an investor. Jessye agrees to fund them on two conditions. She and Kit are full partners, leaving Harrison as a common worker and she goes with them on the cattle drive. Harrison pushes Kit into signing the contract. As Harrison and Jessye become truly acquainted during the dangerous cattle drive they fall in love. However, he is the son of an aristocratic icon and she is a saloonkeeper's daughter with a past.The second tale in Lorraine Heath's western romance trilogy is an endearing story that lives up to its passionate predecessor. The story line is filled with an insightful look at the Southwest just after the end of the Civil War. The lead couple is a humorous, warm, and realistic pair whose squabbles will entertain the audience. The support cast augments the tale by providing a deeper understanding of the inner motives of Harrison and Jessye. After reading back to back winners, fans will anxiously wait for Kit's tale to be told by the wonderfully gifted Ms. Heath.Harriet Klausner

Harrison (Harry) Bainbridge, the 2nd son of an English Earl, and Jessye Kane, a salon keepers daughter are two wounded souls who belong together. Harry is exiled to Texas, by his father, after amassing huge gambling debts. Once in Texas, Harry and his friend, Christopher (Kit), decide to make their fortune by rounding up cattle and driving them to market in Missouri. They have no money to invest in this venture but Jessye agrees to back them by using her life savings. She becomes their partner and insists on going along with them to protect her investment. As Harry and Jessye roam the Texas plains to gather the cattle, they gradually get to know one another, and realize they have misjudged one another badly. As they talk, we learn secrets about both of their lives and find out what has lead both of them to stake their future on this cattle drive. There are delightful secondary characters in this book, Kit and Grayson (the 2 friends Harry came with to Texas), Abby (Grayson's wife), Jessye's father and a whole caste of new characacters that are hired to help with the cattle drive. I was delighted that Grayson and Abby showed up in this book because, after reading their story in the 1st book, I wanted to see what happened to them later. The characters are so richly drawn that I felt many of the emotions that they felt as I was reading about their lives. To me, that is the hallmark of a great story, that as I read the book I feel what the people in the book must be feeling and that I can see myself in them. I cried throughout this book as I read about the pain that Harry and Jessye have endured in their lives. I cheered when they overcame every obstacle and got together in the end. I did not want this book to end! I look forward to Kit's story, the final book in the Englishmen in Texas trilogy.