Stephanie G. (thestephanieloves) reviewed on 6/19/2014 + 241 more book reviews

This is one of those second-chance love stories that I thought I'd enjoyI mean, cowboys? Texas? A forbidden relationship? What's not to love?but there are so many issues I had with it. It's not a complete carwreck, I'll admit; it has a linear plot, characters easy to sympathize with, and the occasional witty line. But overall, I just didn't find it a very palatable novel.

Melody Spencer traded the wide skies of Cupid, Texas for the bright lights of New York City fifteen years ago, and hasn't looked back since. When her first lovethe one with whom things never worked out because of a family feudshows up in the Big Apple at her weakest moment, begging for her help, she can't help but remind herself thateven though she left Cupid behindit is where her roots are, and she needs to do her part to save the crumbling town.

The aspect of a family feud keeping the two once-lovers apart attempts to create a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story, but it just didn't seem very complicated or tragic to me. I know the taboo aspect of the relationship is supposed to be sexy, but because Lori Wilde gave no depth to either character, it was hard to follow the romance.

Melody and Luke's cheesy instalove is also a huge problem. The moment Melody lays her eyes on Lukeagainher knees weaken, she swoons, she realizes she still loves him, etc. etc. etc. Every other line in the book is Luke noticing Melody's beauty or intelligence or kindness, which isn't only irritating, but also detrimental to the story because it reduces Wilde's style to simplistic telling, not showing. The dialogue and superfluous descriptions are not only stilted, but they're also ridiculous; I was literally laughing at the writing.

A few examples of the cringe-worthy dialogue and wording:
"'You're a terrific catch. Looks like someone would have snared you by now.'
'Thanks for the compliment," he said. "But I could ask you the same thing.'
...how romantic, how smoldering, how smooth!

"A seductive purr hummed over her lips, and a heavy breath drove her exquisite tits straight up into his chest. Through flaring nostrils he inhaled her feminine aroma, the flirty flavor of spice, licorice, and kiwi perfume permeating his olfactory receptors, sailing into his brain, flitting between neurons and skimming over synapses, firing off a timeless male response.
Exotic."
...flaring nostrils? Olfactory receptors?? A timeless male response???? What the fuck!!

"God, she was beautiful and sexy and irresistible. Luke genuinely liked her. She was quick-witted and professional, eager, goal-oriented, a real-go-getter. Beautiful and self-confident in maturity. Multifaceted."
...why don't we just put the thesaurus down, Lori, and stop going on like this..

"She wriggled beneath him and he was instantly hard enough to cut sheet metal with his dick."
...well, at least it's original.

"'Do you have any idea how damn sexy you are?' he whispered.
She laughed. (I would have laughed too.)
Of course she did, the seductive wench."
...seductive wench???/ ?? Is that normal??

"Did she have any idea what she did to him? Wearing that little red dress held up by strips of material no thicker than a strand of linguini?"
...beautiful and poetic, as you can see.
"He imagined chewing those straps right off her body, and licked his lips."
...okay, this is where I lost it. As did Lori Wilde.

Pros: An okay standalone novel, although it's the fourth (and last) in the series // Quick read; fast-paced

Cons: Romance is hardly romantic // Even the plot outside the romance, regarding saving Cupid, isn't well done // Both characters are idiotsno character development or depth at all // Instalove... or re-instalove? // Everything, from the flirting, the backstory, and the sex, is stilted, rushed, and just hard to get into // Unrealistic // Annoyingly repetitive

Verdict: While the author hasn't committed any major crimes in Love with a Perfect Cowboy, it was a sore disappointment because of how shallow and lacking the characters, the romance, and the subplots were. The synopsis seemed intriguing, but the "forbidden relationship" isn't explored deeply and just comes off as outrageously ignorant, and the forced dialogue and laughable descriptions don't help its case either. Maybe diehard Lori Wilde fans will be able to enjoy this last installment in the Cupid, Texas series, but I sure don't recommend it.

Rating: 4 out of 10 hearts (2 stars): So-so; reading this book may cause wrinkles (from frowning so much).

Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher via tour publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Harper Collins and Tasty Book Tours!).

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