Her Stand-in Cowboy by Crystal Walton

 

When a wary farm girl takes on a big city chiropractor as her stand-in boyfriend, convincing her family they’re in love might be easier than convincing themselves they’re not.

There are certain things a single country mom learns to accept. Like the fact that she now shares a sacred bond of empathy with her dairy cow, that spit-up can reach places it never should be able to, and that a pretend relationship is far less complicated than one her southern mama insists on setting her up in. At least, it is when you have anyone’s luck besides Ainsley Jamison’s.

Only in Ainsley’s life would her imaginary decoy turn out to be a real-life city boy who is as hilariously wrong for her as he is persistent. With less than four weeks before her entire family shows up for Thanksgiving, they don’t have a cotton-picking prayer of turning Connor into a believable cowboy in time, let alone fix up her place while they’re at it.

Heaven knows Ainsley’s already maxed out her faith hoping she made the right choice raising her son there. But while praying she didn’t make a mistake taking on her daddy’s farm is one thing, praying she didn’t make one taking on Connor Allen is another entirely. One that’s about to turn everything in her life upside down.

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The premise of this book is fun and I always love to read fake anything that turns into something real.  The farm setting lends itself to many humorous situations because hello, animals are unpredictable.  There were many smile worthy moments- the goat and pig being some of them.  The author obviously understands the ins and outs of being a new mother and dealing with all the "fun" things that can create embarrassing and laughable situations.

 

I enjoyed the "family" of characters in this book and how, despite their quirks and oddities, they loved each other well.  The names of the animals made me smile.  Conner is such a good sport, at all times.  I loved his easy going nature, his desire to please and his consistency.

 

I've been reading (and loving) this author's books for a long time but this one felt different to me.  I think it might have been the attempt at lightness and humor which sometimes felt a bit far fetched when so many things happened at once, repeatedly. The real emotions were there but it was hit and miss because I was distracted.  It would feel like a Crystal Walton book but then it would snap out and feel like something else.  It didn't have that emotional build up that I've come to love from this author.  Maybe I just love her more serious stuff.  

 

I didn't LOVE this book, but I did LIKE it.  

 

Content:  kissing

 

- I picked this book up on KU.