Judith’s review of Tall, Dark and Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy
Stunned by the discovery that her lux lifestyle was funded by crime, runaway trophy wife Lacey Bradford is desperate to escape from her ex’s criminal cronies and start a new life, so she heads west to find an old love.
But rugged rancher Chase Caldwell has changed, hardened by bitterness and loss. The last thing he’s looking for is romance with the first woman who broke his heart…
Regret is an inevitable part of human living. I doubt there is a person on the planet over the age of 18 that doesn’t now or hasn’t felt regret in the past. Everyone makes mistakes or makes decisions that end up being less than helpful or positive, thinking short time or possibly refusing to consider the long term ramifications of decisions. We have all be there. Joanne Kennedy has crafted a novel built around two characters who are filled with regret–lost love, lost hope, a sense of being betrayed by people and life in general. Loneliness seems like a close companion and friendship is almost non-existent except in the most facile sense. Yet there is something about the indomitable strength of the human spirit that lives underneath the obvious aspects of this story and the people who populate this fictional space.
Broken hearted and feeling betrayed by what were once alluring possibilities for a happy future, Chase literally takes up space in his world, spending his time at the used car lot, knowing that there won’t be much business in this small town where he knows everyone. He closes up shop every night and winds his way home to spend another lonely evening taking care of his ranch, watching TV, and wondering how he is going to survive the flat life with which he is now saddled.
Lacey remembers her life and the man she walked away from. Now she is aware that the husband she thought was an upstanding guy is really a criminal, a person who pays her bills and clothes her body and provides a roof over her head by feeding drugs to kids, loans money and beats up people when they can’t pay, whose “associates” are all deeply involved in every kind of criminal activity. The simple life of her growing-up years calls out to her as a possible refuge from people who shame her, and she manages to get just far enough that she can land on Chase’s doorstep. And what does she find? A warm, welcoming smile, a sense of coming home, or a close embrace? Not on your life!!
Yet underneath the disappointment and the crush of hopes unfulfilled are two people who still resonate when they are in each other’s presence. That’s what makes Chase so angry. Lacey was out of his system, right? Wrong!! Yet she has changed, too. This story is another example that somehow people manage to stubbornly seek second chances, work so hard to find a bit of ease and emotional “coming home” when it almost seems hopeless.
I have to own up to liking stories like this. There is something in me that responds to the hopeless with that deep desire to see people find a way to put their lives back together, this time in a way that can bring fulfillment and purpose to each of them as well as forming a relationship that is, in itself, a positive testimony to the power of love to heal and rebuild lives that have, for all intent and purpose, hit bottom.
Ms Kennedy is a writer who really manages to tell a good story. Her tales are based in reality and her characters smack of people you and I know really live somewhere in the real world. Even her secondary characters bring color and reality to the scenario that forms the back story and backdrop to the story. And while I’m at it, I congratulate the editors for publishing a piece of fiction that is not laced with grammatical errors, misspelled words or verbal tenses that don’t match the rest of the sentence. A good author deserves good editing.
Most of us know people who struggle with the burden of feeling that they can’t quite manage to get where they want to be because of bad choices, unwise relationships that have caused residual damage, or emotional baggage that won’t go away. We want to help, but few of us know how. Perhaps reading stories such as this novel can not only entertain but manage to expose the reader to some possible choices and solutions–expand the reader’s consciousness to understand others better. I find that good fiction can do just that. It is a part of the joy of experiencing an author’s creativity.
If you like people stories that are set in real life, this will be a good reading experience for you. If you haven’t read any of Ms Kennedy’s stories you owe it to yourself to experience her expertise at least once.
I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5
You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place
Judith, thank you for seeing beyond the sexy cowboy romp to the inner heart of the book. I absolutely loved your thoughtful, perceptive review! Thank you.