Country Proud
By Linda Lael Miller
Release Date: April 27, 2021
Ebook Available from WV Reads!
2 Stars - A quirky Christmas, cowboy romance that doesn't quite meet my usual standards for Miller. Brynne and Eli's story lacked a vibrance that would my hold my attention. Both have a lot of baggage, not just with their former relationship. But I expect this ticks all the usual boxes of country romance fans and the author's classy style made it worth a try.
The plot sounded great in theory: small towm bartender and hunky local sheriff rekindle their high school romance. But these two had so much going on in their heads and not even on the page. Eli had the cowboy cop thing down, but he was kind of dumb. He admits in his head that he betrayed his high school sweetheart. But when he reaches out and she's reluctant, he can't even give a simple apology. Brynne and I did not mesh. She refuses to date cops, not so much because they have a dangerous career but because her ex cheated on her. That just didn't compute.
This series has me longing for Miller's Big Sky or Wedding series. This one doesn't have the bubbly, fun feel or the dynamic romantic tension. I was hoping "Strong" was a fluke but I was disappointed in "Proud " too. This one just fell pretty flat for me. Nothing about the first few pages of this book grabbed me. Eli's experience as a cop is pretty much thrown in as information dump rather than an exciting intro. And he came off as really old for a romantic lead, like past middle age. No one under the age of 60 thinks of a smart watch as a Dick Tracy gizmo. Brynne was also hard to relate to at first. She can't get the hang of email? Her attitude toward sex wasn't exactly likely to be understood by prudes or the happily permiscuous or anyone in between. And why we were talking about it on page fifteen, I didn't know. Then, sadly, I was just never hooked. There's a curious lack of early feedback on this book so I can't tell if it's just me. Fans of sweet, holiday romances may find something sparkling here, but I'd say a very open mind is needed.
(NS)
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