Caught Up in a Cowboy by Jennie Marts

This cowboy plays to win

Rockford James was raised as a tried and true cowboy in a town crazy about ice hockey. Rock is as hot on the ice as he is on a horse, and the NHL snapped him up. Now, injuries have permanently benched him. Body and pride wounded, he returns to his hometown ranch to find that a lot has changed. The one thing that hasn't? His feelings for high school sweetheart and girl-next-door Quinn Rivers.

Quinn had no choice but to get over Rock after he left. Teenaged and heartbroken, she had a rebound one-night stand that ended in single motherhood. Now that Rock's back—and clamoring for a second chance—Quinn will do anything to avoid getting caught up in this oh-so-tempting cowboy...

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
This second chance at romance really shows what happens when a person acts on impulse and lives to regret the decisions they made.

Rockford James, an up and coming hockey player, decides to tackle life as a pro hockey player as a single man rather than taking his longtime girlfriend with him. You get the sense that he regrets his decisions almost immediately but when he comes home, he finds that his girlfriend has moved on – and gotten pregnant by another man.

Quinn was devastated when Rock left her when he went pro. Although she made a bad choice in men, she wound up with the best thing in her life – her son Max. She's raised Max on her own for the past eight years, his father denying paternity and leaving town almost immediately after he was born, she knows that she can stand on her own and doesn't need to rely on any man to support her.

When Rock comes home to recuperate after a bad injury on the ice, it’s the first time since the summer he left that they have spent any time together and it’s almost as if he had never left. What she doesn't expect is how much Rock seems to care for Max. He listens to her son, takes an interest in what makes him tick, and wants what’s best for him.

When Max's father makes a sudden reappearance in their lives, Rock has a hard decision to make. Does he stand his ground and continue his relationship with Quinn or step aside to give Max what he's always wanted: a family with his real father?

Both Rock and Quinn's characters are complex and well-written. I like the way the writer incorporates Max and his feelings into the main aspect of the story.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance

Rock was young and impulsive when he decided to leave his longtime girlfriend for the big leagues of hockey. He knew that he wanted to pursue that and also knew what that would entail... travel, girls, fame, and fortune. What he didn't realize was how much he was going to miss Quinn. She was the love of his life and despite his impulsivity, I think deep down, he thought she might wait for him. When he learns that she didn't, he throws himself into his career. When he's injured, he heads home to heal and reconnect.

Quinn has always loved Rock. When he chose hockey over her, she was devastated. Despite making some less than ideal choices in friends and men, she wound up with Max. He is a smart, energetic kiddo who loves his family, but misses not having a father. Quinn wants to make sure Max has the life he's always dreamed about, but at what cost?

When Quinn and Rock reconnect, Quinn realizes how much Rock has grown up. He truly listens to her and to Max. He's genuine and really wants to show Quinn that he wants her and Max in his life. When Max's father comes back into the picture, it threatens to break apart Rock and Quinn’s tenuous connection. Can Rock truly walk away? Can Quinn let him?

I think my biggest complaint about this was the ending. It was very abrupt for me. However, overall, this was an enjoyable story and I really liked the secondary characters.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
As a fan of books about sexy cowboys and sports romances this definitely hits the spot. Whilst the sport is not current, it has affected the whole of Rock's life, and in all honesty, Quinn's too.

This second chance romance, between two neighbours who grew up together and then split as Rock went off the play hockey, ultimately for the NHL, is beautifully done. There are plenty of funny moments, most especially when Rock catches someone sneaking out of the Rivers’ house at the same time as him, some very cute ones involving Rock and Max, and some sad ones, also involving Max.

As we discover, these two have never really stopped loving each other, they have just made the best they could with what they've had. So it is easy to see the chemistry reignite, even if they don't communicate very well about the long term. Thankfully Ms. Marts has a plan up her sleeve, and we get the story we desire, although right up to the wire.

I am looking forward to future installments of this series, and hopefully a catch up with this new family unit.

Jennie Marts is the USA Today Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”

She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.

Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky hockey-playing men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and the small-town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek Romances.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Caught Up in a Cowboy (Cowboys of Creedence #1) by Jennie Marts to read and review.