Monday, May 25, 2015

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

Buy SHARP SHOOTIN’ COWBOY here: Amazon | B&N | BAM | iBooks | !ndigo | IndieBound

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.

Connect with Victoria Vane: Website | Facebook | @AuthorVictoriaV | Pinterest | Goodreads

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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1 comment:

  1. Thanks so very much for the spotlight and lovely review! Warmest regards, Victoria

    ReplyDelete