Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: My Cowboy Homecoming
SERIES: The Cowboys #3
AUTHOR: Z.A. Maxfield
PUBLISHER: InterMix/Penguin
LENGTH: 317 pages
BLURB:
Love can heal the deepest wounds…
A sense of duty brings a soldier home…but a passionate cowboy makes him want to stay.
After his brother’s tragic death, Tripp has to leave the army and return to New Mexico to take care of his mother while his father is in prison for arson. Seeking work at the J-Bar Ranch, Tripp is immediately drawn to injured cowboy Lucho Reyes, whose foot was accidentally crushed by a rescue horse. But will the sins of the father interfere with the desires of the son? Tripp’s father may be responsible for the death of Lucho’s grandfather. Now Tripp must balance caring for his mother, repairing his father’s damages, and trying to win the heart of a man who has every reason to hate him and his family…
REVIEW:
I have to say I was very excited to see this book coming out…. I LOVED the first in the series, I liked the second one, and this one sounded right up my alley. A soldier and cowboys, with lots of drama. Just what I like. Guess what? I LOVED IT! It really was excellent.
Tripp is a Soldier returning home to New Mexico after eight years in the Army. He’s just a little bit damaged, but won’t admit it. His family is an absolute mess, his father is a crazy ass arsonist in prison, his brother died in a car accident, and his mother is… god, I don’t even know with her. All Tripp wants to do is settle down, get his mother sorted out, and get a job. He comes home to find the home they lived in a wreck, his mother so freaked out and messed up she barely leaves the house, a stack of unpaid bills, a piece of crap truck, and his brother’s room still looking like it did the day he died. He’s got some big issues to deal with, not only in the house, but the hatred he faces as his father’s son.
His mother is friends with the owners of the J-Bar Ranch, and asks Emma if they need any help. Malloy, the Ranch manager says he’ll meet with Tripp and talk to him, but when Tripp shows up Malloy is not impressed. He feels for him, but knowing who his dad is will be a problem, not to mention Tripp has no experience on a ranch. Tripp convinces him to give him two days to prove himself. One big issue he’ll need to work out is getting past Lucho Reyes, who he met when he got a ride from the bus station home.
Lucho is a big lovely cowboy, working at the J-Bar. He’s of Mexican decent, with a close-knit family. His grandfather was one of the victims of Tripp’s dad, who burnt down his restaurant. Grandpa had a heart attack shortly after and died, Lucho blaming the Tripplehorn family for his death. He is not at all thrilled to discover Tripp may be working at the J-Bar. Lucho had his foot smashed by a horse and is out of commission, but not willing to sit the hell down and heal. Nor accept the help of Tripp. There is immediate sexual tension, and attraction between the two, but a big dose of hatred on Lucho’s part.
So that’s how we get the two together. Tripp earns the chance at a job, Lucho’s foot gets worse and Tripp helps him, They flirt, Lucho is an ass, Tripp is sweet, and bam! We have a romance. We also have a fucked up mess of a story with Tripp’s family. I won’t go in to the details, other than to repeat that it is a fucked up mess. But Tripp is such a good man and tries so hard to work it all out and make everyone happy. His dad is horrible, his mom is horrible, the family lawyer is a slime ball, it’s all just a mess. The only good thing he has going is his job and the J-Bar. He’s wanted to be a cowboy his whole life and finally gets his chance. He’s like a sponge soaking it all up….
I loved this book. I loved everything about it. I loved Tripp’s calm strength and patience, I loved Lucho’s abrasive manner, the fucked up mess of a plot, although I hated Tripp’s mom! I loved the connection between Tripp and Lucho, both the sexual one and the emotional one. Happy emotions at times, and pissed off emotions as well. I loved seeing Crispin and Malloy, I loved the ranch scenes, I loved it all! ZAM is consistently one of my favorite authors and she did not let me down with this book. The writing was perfect, the sexual tension between Tripp and Lucho lasted just as long as it needed too, not drawn out for ever. The emotional connection between them was just right. She made me hate the characters that I should, and love the ones I should. I was totally and completely in to this story, in fact I was up until after midnight finishing it last night.
You could probably read this one as a stand alone, but I wouldn’t. I’d go get the first two books and read them as well. They will give you the background of the characters at the J-Bar that you’ll meet in this book. Trust me, it’s worth it. I love the community the ranch is becoming and I hope we get more books in this series! If you like cowboys this whole series is for you. They all are nice and dramatic, each about a couple but all interacting. This one is a nice 317 pages, long enough for ZAM to really develop some good characters and a great plot. I don’t remember the length of the others, but I do remember the nice, slow development of them as well. Especially the first with Malloy and Crispin, I loved them and their story.
So give yourself a holiday gift and buy all three of these books, and read them quick!
RATING: 
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