Cowboy Watch (The Watchers #1) by Petie McCarty

ABOUT THE BOOK

Someone is watching Kellen. She can sense it. But who . . .

Kellen Brand’s inheritance comes as a monumental shock—a rundown farm in West Virginia she doesn’t want and one paroled Watcher all her own, a fallen angel with a single chance at redemption. Seriously? A Watcher?

Only her eccentric mother . . .

Since Kellen vows that no sane woman would choose to live in Riverside, she’s on a mission to dump the old farm fast and to the first buyer who comes along. Unfortunately for her, the only buyer is spurned by a townful of objectors and one handsome cowboy—her neighbor, Luke Thornton. Luke must block Kellen’s farm sale or risk exposure of his own family’s secrets. He can ill afford his immediate and compelling attraction to his new neighbor.

Someone is watching Kellen, but not who she thinks. Someone deadly and intent on scaring her out of town. Or worse. Luke has a hellish choice to make—step in and rescue Kellen from her threats, or to protect his family, stand by and watch . . .

MY REVIEW

A woman goes home to sell her mother’s house, but finds trouble and romance along the way. I have to admit I judged this book by its cover, but I realized it wasn’t what it seemed. The cover gave me creepy vibes, and I thought it was a horror story, but it is actually a light romance with mystery, suspense, and a little bit of paranormal thrown in.

Kellan has worked hard to build her independence and confidence, becoming someone she can be proud of. I admire her bravery in facing the bullies she grew up with and meeting the danger her property represents head-on. She loved her mother dearly, and having to pack up her possessions after her death is a difficult task. Throw in a couple of warning shots across the bow, things that are going bump in the night in the old mill, and a gorgeous, nosy neighbor determined to convince her not to sell her property to a developer, and she has her work cut out for her. Now, if only the guardian angel (The Watcher) her mom wished to look over her would do their job. Or are they?

Luke is Kellan’s grumpy, tight-lipped neighbor, and he has a lot riding on Kellan not selling her property, but what is he hiding? He’s a stubborn, hot-headed dude who seems a bit sinister at first, showing up and startling Kellan a few times, but he proves his worth by saving her bacon several times, leading to a slow-burn friendship that becomes much more. I appreciated Luke’s spidey sense, which kept Kellan safe; it saved her life a few times.

As they dance around their attraction, Kellan and Luke slowly fall in love despite the obstacles. The suspense is well done, with frightening moments that kept me glued to the pages, and the mystery plot is well thought out and thrilling. It definitely kept me on my toes!

The typical small-town vibes of Riverside include a close community, a slow, unhurried pace, and town gossip. The supporting characters are charming and caring, with a few villains thrown in to make it interesting.

If you enjoy an engaging mystery with a paranormal twist and a touch of romance, give this book a try.

Thank you to Ms. McCarty for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Petie McCarty will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—”The Most Magical Place on Earth”—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said goodbye to her “day” job to write her stories full-time.

These days, Petie spends her time writing new tales for her Cinderella series, her new The Watchers series, sequels to her Regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and more contemporary romance standalones, along with her two previous releases—Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy Smart-Assy, who makes a cameo appearance in Christmas Watch, Book 2 of The Watchers series.

Visit Petie at her website to get to know her, learn about her current projects, and discover her other published works.

Follow Petie on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Bookbub, and Amazon.

EXCERPT

Without warning, a gunshot sounded, and the bullet ricocheted off a tree about twenty feet away. The Appaloosa jerked hard at the sound of the shot and then reared, ripping the reins from Kellen’s grasp. She grabbed the saddle horn with both hands and concentrated only on staying in the saddle before the horse tumbled her off. The frightened Appaloosa reared a second time and bolted for open ground, leaving Kellen to hang on for dear life.

Two leaping strides and Lily had surged to a full-on gallop, streaking for the wide-open grassy hills. Thundering hooves sounded behind them, and Luke shouted for Kellen to stop. She was helpless, too scared to even glance back at him for fear her grip would loosen. The reins trailed beneath the Appaloosa’s pounding hooves as the mare continued her panicked race to nowhere. If the mare’s hooves got tangled up in the dragging reins, they would both go down.

A fallen tree appeared directly in the mare’s path, and Kellen let loose a scream as the sure-footed horse gamely cleared the tree trunk like a thoroughbred jumper. Kellen slipped to the right side of the saddle when the Appaloosa landed, and they raced on across the open field. One leg still straddled the saddle, and her other leg dangled precariously between the matched pairs of pounding hooves. She heaved her leg up as tight as she could to the mare’s belly and prayed it didn’t get tangled with Lily’s legs, but her muscles weakened with every stride and bounce she sustained. And still, the Appaloosa galloped, sheer adrenaline keeping the mare out in front of the mighty Windsor, intent on catching her.

Bred for endurance, the mare focused on putting as much distance between her and that gunshot as possible. Her powerful hooves hammered across the open pasture. Kellen’s arm and leg muscles burned, and she didn’t know how much longer she could maintain her balance. If she slipped off the mare, she would be trampled to death the second she hit the ground.

As that thought flashed through her brain, Lily hit a gully that waggled her stride enough to send Kellen further off-kilter. Her knuckles turned white from the pressure of her death grip on the saddle horn, and her legs had nothing left to give. She prayed that if she slipped further, she could muster hidden strength to push off and roll away from the deadly hooves.

The mare careened toward a small copse of trees perched on the side of a hill, and a fresh wave of terror slammed through Kellen. Low-hanging limbs would tear her from the horse. Suddenly, Luke appeared alongside. His long arm snaked around her waist and yanked her off the panicked Appaloosa. He slowed Windsor with each stride until he could bring the stallion to a stop and gently lower Kellen to the ground. Her legs gave way the second her feet touched solid ground, and she crumpled to the grass in a heap.

Before she could suck in a full breath, two strong arms lifted her, and Luke crushed her tight to his chest. She could feel his heart pounding out its cadence, as Windsor’s hooves had done moments before. A single sob erupted when she tried to draw a breath, and she clung to him with what little strength she had left. Her muscles quivered, and she didn’t care. For once in her life, she didn’t want to be tough. She just wanted this big, strong man to hold on tight.

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