Chloe Daniels is an actress determined to gain a breakthrough part. She needs to have experience working around horses, so she books herself a month on a holiday ranch in hot Maryland. Secretly, she’s afraid of riding. In THE COWBOY’S CLAIM, get ready to admire this lady a great deal as she toughs it out beyond any other guest.

Tristan Tillbridge is a family member in this ‘Tillbridge Stables’ series, and he’s establishing his right to be part-owner of the business. He was estranged from his late father as his stepmother came between them. Therefore he doesn’t trust another city-type elegant woman who says she’s keen to learn about horses. One gold-digger in the family was enough.

I laughed as Chloe – rebuffed from her horse quest – pitches straight in with the restaurant work and from there moves on to any other work needed. She makes herself so darn useful around the place that everyone likes her and is ready to give the stable manager a hard time. Just as much, I started to admire the rest of the kind staff, with all the organising and sheer hard work that goes into the care and feeding of many guests. Not to mention the horses.  

If you want to read an enjoyable outdoor romance about a contrasting couple, Nina Crespo has penned a great start to her series. The cast are interesting and have well-considered backgrounds, and I can see that plenty of potential arises for new characters to arrive as guests, staff or specialists. I learnt a little about acting, and the pressures on an upcoming actress who has to try hard to be likeable to the director and not appear a prima donna to the crew. Meanwhile, the Maryland folks enjoy their cook-outs and dancing, and who can blame them with good food and excellent appetites.

THE COWBOY’S CLAIM is a fun contemporary Western romance, which I recommend to horse lovers and romance fans everywhere. I’ll be watching for more ‘Tillbridge Stables’ books. Grab your boots and Stetson, those horses won’t groom themselves.  

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