Spotlight on
Sharp Shootin’ Cowboy by Victoria Vane
(Hot Cowboy Nights Book 3)
Welcome to my blog today. Victoria Vane is visiting and sharing some of her thoughts on her upcoming release with us. Make sure you go to the end of this post and enter the Rafflecopter drawing for a chance to win a Hot Cowboy Nights Book bundle!
SHARP SHOOTIN’ COWBOY is not a typical romance. Reid
Everett and Haley Cooper are two very different personalities. They are like
opposite poles of a magnet and just as powerfully attracted to one another even
though they are constantly at odds. This was a risky book for me because I knew
many readers would tend to side with one character over the other based on who
is more closely aligned with the reader’s own socio-political views, but I had
to write it anyway.
To quote my hero Reid Everett, “Being on different sides doesn’t
necessarily make us enemies. Good people are allowed to disagree. Some of the
best solutions to the hardest problems result from differing minds coming
together, meeting in the middle.”
That’s what SHARP SHOOTIN’ COWBOY is really all about-
meeting half way and finding compromise, even when the odds are against it. I
hope readers will enjoy getting to know and like both Reid and Haley.
Warmest regards,
Victoria Vane
Who is your best
friend?
Haley – “Yolanda Rojas. We’ve been BFF’s since middle
school.”
Reid – “Rafael Garcia. He’s my spotter and always has my
back.”
What makes you
laugh?
Haley – “Animal antics always make me laugh. I love
watching wolf pups romp.”
Reid – “I love the
Three Stooges.”
What do you love
most about where you grew up?
Haley – “I loved the beach
in California. I miss a brisk run along the icy Pacific surf.”
Reid – “I love the
mountains. After four tours in the desert, I never want to see sand again.”
Sharp Shootin’ Cowboy
By Victoria Vane
Hot Cowboy Nights, Book 3
June 2, 2015
Contemporary Western Romance
ISBN: 9781492601180
$7.99 paperback
TAKE YOUR BEST
SHOT, COWBOY…
Weary warrior…
After eight years as a Marine sniper, war-scarred Reid Everett is back in his
native Wyoming. He knows and loves this rugged land, so working for wildlife
services to reduce the booming wolf population suits him to a T.
Caring crusader…
Wildlife biologist Haley Cooper is desperate to make a difference. Leaving the
world of academia behind, she accepts a position as a wolf advocate to protect
the animals she loves.
Raw attraction…
Their jobs set them on a collision course, but chemistry sparks like wildfire
between Reid and Haley. They’ll have to brave some rough territory if they hope
to reconcile their polarizing views with a passion that won’t be denied.
About the Author
Victoria Vane
is a multiple award-winning romance novelist and history junkie whose
collective works of fiction range from wildly comedic romps to emotionally
compelling erotic romance. Victoria also writes historical fiction as Emery Lee
and is the founder of Goodreads Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers and the
Romantic Historical Lovers book review blog.
Praise for Rough Rider by Victoria Vane:
“Victoria Vane
continually surprises the reader in her latest western romance Rough Rider as
she plunges audiences into the world of bull riders and cattle ranchers.”
– The Examiner
“Ms. Vane
entertained me... had me at the edge of my seat with twists and turns, and even
had me scream at Dirk's stupidity, so she completely EARNS my top score of 5
fingers up & 10 toes.”
– Avon Romance
“I honestly loved
this book! This is an unconventional love story about second chances. The
characters were great on their own, but it was the unique way that the plot
unfolded that sold the book for me... The romance was passionate, and the road
to a happy ending was bumpy with some detours along the way.” – The Romance Reviews
“Another winner.
It was a really good tale in the rough and tumbled world of cowboys and bull
riding... if you get a chance, check it
out and also, check out [Victoria Vane’s] other books. You won’t be
disappointed.” – BTS Magazine
Excerpt from SHARP SHOOTIN’ COWBOY by Victoria Vane
He could see
her getting more worked up by the minute, and damned if he wasn’t also—just not
in the same way. She’d been baiting him from the start, spewing arguments that
usually just pissed him off, but in this case, it was turning him on.
His gaze
locked on her mouth. Her tongue darted out as if she read his thoughts. She
drew a breath as if to formulate another rebuttal, but he’d had enough. Before
her lips could spout off anymore of the Pacifist Tree Hugger’s Manifesto, he
pulled her into his arms and silenced her with his.
***
The kiss
came without warning, and Haley was too stunned at first to react. He began
gently enough, his lips sliding over hers, hands cupping her face, thumbs
stroking her jaw, and then he grew more insistent, his tongue probing the seal
of her lips. His callused hands were simultaneously firm and gentle, and his lips
paradoxically soft and commanding.
Mere seconds
had her head spinning and stomach fluttering. She was slipping fast and not
about to let him pull her in any deeper. Part of her wanted to give into it, to
see where it might lead, but the other half resented his audacity. Her pride
won out. She resisted the urge to soften, to open to him, then stiffened,
pressing her hands against his chest.
He released
her instantly.
She stepped
back, knees weak and pulse racing. “I didn’t come here looking to hook up.”
“Neither did
I. But sometimes unexpected things happen.” His gaze locked with hers, a look
of speculation gleaming in his eyes. “When they do, it’s best to just go with
your gut instinct.”
“That so?
Well all my instincts scream ‘no marines,’ so don’t let it happen
again.”
Suddenly
remembering the cue in her hand, Haley turned back to the table. It took all of
her will to focus back on the game. She could hardly believe how he’d nearly
unraveled her with a single kiss. Then again, no one had ever kissed
her like that. She made her break, pocketing the one, and then moved
methodically around the table, calling each shot as she sank every solid. Only
the eight ball remained, but it was trapped behind two stripes.
Reid’s lips
curved with smug certainty. “Looks like I’ll get my turn after all.”
“Don’t count
your chickens, cowboy.” She laid down her cue and searched the wall behind her
for a shorter one. “Jump cue,” she answered his silent question.
“You’re
kidding right?”
“Nope.”
Approaching the table, she angled for her shot. She could almost feel his eyes
on her ass. She glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough. He was leaning against
the wall with both arms crossed over his broad chest, his gaze zeroed in on her
behind.
“Enjoying
the view?”
“Sure am,”
he confessed, unabashed.
He was sadly
mistaken if he thought he’d unnerve her. Keeping him in her peripheral vision,
she widened her stance and stretched out over the table. All sign of smugness
evaporated from his face. He tugged on his jeans.
Haley
grinned, reveling in her small victory, and then prepared for a bigger one.
“Eight ball, side pocket,” she declared with confidence. On a three count she
took the shot, jumping the stripes to pocket the eight. “Yeah baby!” She threw
down the cue and fisted the air, gloating in her triumph.
Reid gaped
at the table. “I’ll be goddamned. How did you learn to do that?”
“My grandpa
was a regional pool champion.”
“That bit of
information was mighty sneaky to withhold.”
She
shrugged. “You didn’t ask. Loser buys. I’ll take a mojito.”
Genre:
Contemporary Cowboy Romance/Military Romance
Length: 320 pages
Heat
Level: 1.5 Scorching Hot Flames
Rating: 4.5 Gold Crowns
Vikki’s
Musings
When I received an offer from Sourcebooks to read
and review Sharp Shootin’ Cowboy by Victoria Vane, I immediately accepted.
I has read the first two books in the Hot cowboy Nights series and loved
them, so I couldn’t wait to read this one. As always with Victoria Vane’s
books, she has written a unique love story. I thoroughly enjoy her writing
style and Sharp Shootin’ Cowboy is definitely a fantastic read.
In a matter of days, Corporal Reid Everett of the
United States Marines is heading back to Iraq for yet another tour of duty. His
friend, Garcia, convinces him to go to a cowboy bar where he meets Haley
Cooper, a young veterinary student and advocate for endangered gray wolves.
This is not a match made in heaven to say the least.
After the exchange of a few hot kisses, Haley and
Reid go their separate ways, her back to school and him to the front. However,
Reid is not ready to give up on Haley and starts texting her and sending her
letters and emails. As happens with so many long distance romances, eventually,
they lose contact.
Years later, Haley accepts a position with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife as a wolf advocate in Wyoming. Reid is back at his family’s
ranching operations working as a guide for Everett’s Extreme Expeditions when his
overzealous client shots an endangered wolf and Reid ends up doing a mercy kill
to put the wolf out of its misery.
When Reid comes to turn in the collar of the wolf,
he finds none other than Dr. Haley Cooper. The attraction between the pair is
as strong as it was when they first met. Can a couple with such vastly opposing
views ever find a way to meet in the middle?
While it takes quite some time before Reid and Haley
spend enough time with each other to find out if can overcome their differences,
the pacing of the book is good, and I enjoyed Reid’s determination to win Haley
over a great deal. Reid is a great hero and I fell in love with him from the
very beginning.
Since Haley is so young when she meets Reid at the
beginning of the book, and it spans more than five years, she has a personal
journey of discovery as well as a romantic one. While I liked Haley’s
character, I did not warm up to her as quickly. However, by the end of the
story, I was rooting for them to find a way to bridge the gap between them, and
I loved their “happily ever after”. Everything is wrapped up with a pretty bow in
the epilogue.
Sharp Shootin’
Cowboy is not your typical romance, but highly enjoyable regardless. If you
enjoy reading about couples with lots of obstacles to overcome, then this will
be a great read for you, especially if you like a hot, hot, cowboy! I am most
impressed by the amount of research Ms. Vane did for this book. Happy reading!
Rafflecopter
giveaway (open 4/22 – 7/1)
Hot Cowboy Nights Book Bundle! (3 books)
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