BOOK REVIEW - RHINESTONE COWGIRL

RHINESTONE COWGIRL,
by Denise Belinda McDonald,
an August 2011 release from Siren Book Strand Romance.

Another “poor little rich girl?” Not likely! This heroine is her own woman, no matter how much money she has. Portia “Poppy” Dumphry has spent the first thirty-two years of her life in Beverly Hills, wondering why she neither looks like nor fits in with the rest of her family. Her loving mom--the only adult in her world who approved of her--died when Poppy was in high school. Rejecting her family’s enormous wealth, Poppy set out to make her own money and succeeded in the fashion world as assistant to a haute couture designer. When Walter Dumphry III, dies, Poppy finds old letters her mom wrote but never mailed to a man in Rowdy, Texas. What she learns from reading the letters explains why the Dumphry family, other than her two siblings, dislike her. She has the name of the man who is her biological father, and, at the very least, she wants to meet him and see his world firsthand. Though the people in Rowdy are suspicious of her glamorous big city looks, she proves she isn't afraid of hard work.

What is it about a sexy cowboy that makes female readers drool? Whatever it is, Cale Hollander fills the bill. Cale is a rancher and rodeo bronc rider. At thirty-eight, he’s getting too old for the rodeo circuit, but feels he has to prove himself to his late father. Cale lives with his grandfather when the man isn’t off courting his octogenarian girlfriend. Cale knows that city girls won’t stay in the rural West Texas ranch country. He learned that from his ex-wife when she left him. He certainly doesn’t plan to fall for another city girl, and you can take that to the bank.

Denise Belinda McDonald writes a sexy, fast-paced story that kept me engaged until the end. Her descriptions paint vivid images and her characters are three-dimensional. I loved both Poppy and Cale, as well as each of the secondary characters. I don’t even mind that I have Glen Campbell singing “Rhinestone Cowboy” in my head since I read this book. I’ve been a fan of Denise’s writing for several years, but I believe this is her best book. The buy link is http://www.bookstrand.com/rhinestone-cowgirl

Join me on Wednesday, August 24th through Thursday, August 25th, when Denise Belinda McDonald will be my interview guest. Until then, happy reading.