Cowboy at the Crossroads by Linda Warren

Title: Cowboy at the Crossroads

Author: Linda Warren

Publisher: Harlequin

Line: Harlequin Superromance

Series: Sequel to Emily's Daughter

ISBN: B004HX41HE

More Information: http://www.eharlequin.com

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Cordell Prescott needed help.  After a year of his wife’s death, his daughter, Nicki, was still grieving and refusing to eat.  In comes pediatrician, Becca Talbert.  Even though it wasn’t in her field, something about the father-daughter duo called to her.  As she learned about and helped the Prescott family, Becca realized the man she has been waiting for all her life was right in front of her.  Now it was her job to convince him of the fact.

Becca Talbert was the romance novel’s version of Mary Poppins.  Within a month, Becca helped Nicki deal with her grief, healed the 40-year rift within the family, got everyone on the ranch to love her, fell in love with her soul mate and solved the mystery behind Cord’s wife’s death.  She was practically perfect in every way.  Despite wanting to hate her, you can’t help but like her since she was just plain sweet.  Cord was your typical I-know-what’s-best hero.  He kept harping about how young she was and that he could not steal her away from his brother and he didn’t want to marry another city girl.  Despite being head of the family, Cord’s weakness was he rather walked away than talk things out when it came to problems.  Only when Becca was in danger did Cord’s protective side emerged.  Unfortunately, he goes back to his irrational self again.  

This book packed quite a punch.  It has a little of everything: romance, intrigue, drama and humor.  The side characters were wide and diverse.  The intrigue enhanced the story without overwhelming the main plot.  The dialogue was witty and the author’s text was not flowery.  “Cowboy at the Crossroads” was written well with a plot that kept you wanting more.  When each chapter ended, something else would draw you back in.  For example, the story started with Becca trying to help Cord’s daughter but when that was resolved, a new twist to the story popped up.  A definite page turner.

This is a first for me because I like to recommend this book to everyone.  As I mention earlier, this book has a little of everything that most readers can find enjoyable with a cute ending.  Why didn’t I give this book a full 5 stars?  I wasn’t a big fan of Cord’s and his asinine decision near the end.  Side Note: This is the sequel to Emily's Daughter.