The Cowboy Meets His Match

by Melinda Curtis

Olivia Monroe has spent two months with Sonny, a sports psychologist, after a disastrous sailboat racing accident that destroyed her self-confidence. When she impulsively kisses handsome former rodeo star Rhett Diaz in front of her cousins, she sets herself and Rhett up for a fake boyfriend scenario which her two business-minded cousins jump on. They offer Rhett a deal. They will help him in his yet undetermined adventure tour company if he will deliver Olivia to her home base of Philadelphia. Sonny accompanies them as they try out various adventure sports like mountain biking and zip lining along the way.

From their first fake kiss, Olivia and Rhett are drawn to each other, but they realize that they are impossibly suited for a long-term relationship. They both are strong-willed and love adventures, but Rhett’s cowboy skills and Olivia’s sailing require very different locations.

The characters are well drawn by the author. Rhett and Olivia are both struggling with the direction of their futures. Sonny is a fun character as he is full of platitudes and advice. Physically he resembles Santa Claus in a motivational T-shirt: he is a walking billboard for positivity with slogans like “Show No Fear” and “Be a Unicorn.” Sonny is recovering from a health scare so food choices on their cross-country trip are a constant, humorous struggle as is his passion for goats!

Relationships change under the pressurized close quarters of travel. Feelings are hurt and reconciliation is needed. Decisions about the future loom large. Compromise seems out-of-reach.

As a Harlequin Heartwarming novel, The Cowboy Meets His Match fulfills its goals of providing the reader with a fun, clean romance. I learned about a lot of adventure tours I never want to personally experience. Author Melinda Curtis created a story that kept me turning pages and left me with smiles and a chuckle at a surprise ending.

I would like to extend my thanks to Melinda Curtis for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Romance

Notes: #7 in The Mountain Monroes, it could be read as a standalone, but reading it in sequence will provide a lot of interesting reading about the various Monroe cousins and the grandfather who binds them together.

Publication: February 1, 2022—Harlequin Heartwarming

Memorable Lines:

Grandpa held a secret the way a colander held water…which was not at all.

This trip was turning into a fresh cowpie on a steep trail.

Sonny snored louder than a revving engine at a tractor pull.