Publisher: Samhain
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: eARC from publisher
The moment Carson McKay saw the sexy blonde at the dance hall, he wanted to throw her over his saddle and gallop hell-bent toward the closest church. Given his reputation as a lover and a fighter–not necessarily in that order–it wasn’t surprising she gave him the cold shoulder. But he hadn’t expected the mean right hook when he tried to steal a kiss.
Carolyn West might look sweet and innocent, but she’s no fool. The good-looking cowboy with the heart-stopping smile didn’t really want to marry her; he just wanted to take her for a test ride. But when he kisses her a second time, she doesn’t fight her burning attraction to him…until she learns he’s one of the McKay cowboys she’s been warned about.
Carson doesn’t care about the long-standing feud between their families; he knows that Carolyn was meant to be his. And the more intimate they become, the more Carolyn sees the real man behind the wild cowboy reputation–a man who wants the same forever kind of love she does…and who will lead her into a love story that spans fifty years.
Warning: Crazy, hot, sexy and sweet–good girl meets bad boy cowboy and they prove lust can last a lifetime.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I have been a fan of this series for a long time now, so getting to the end is so bittersweet. But going back to where it all started was absolutely brilliant on James’s part.
Carson McKay sees Carolyn West from across the bar and knows that he is going to make her his. He wants to marry her on the spot, but their last names pose more than a little problem, given their family feud stretches back generations. But Carson doesn’t care about all that, he just wants Carolyn as his wife, and he will do anything to keep her.
With a love that stretches generations, Carson and Carolyn go through good times and bad as they fall in love, start their life together, and learn to stay married to the one person that has always had their heart.
The set up of this book was so great, I love the way that James flashed back throughout Carson and Carolyn’s life, showing all the ups and downs of their romance throughout the years they were married. Getting to see how they met and fell in love, all while knowing that their present day situation is a tough one was so wonderful. I absolutely loved it.
I was a little worried about how James was going to write the super sexy books that she is known for, knowing that much of Carolyn and Carson’s romance took place in a time when pre-marital sex was frowned upon. However, I loved the way it turned out. I loved that we got to see how their relationship and love, in both an emotional and physical way, changed throughout their years together.
I thought this book was a perfect way to tie up the series as a whole. We get the chance to see each and every one of the McKay’s that we’ve come to love, in different lights. I loved getting to see Cord, Colby, and Colt as kids. I loved getting to know more about Carolyn and her sister’s Kimi’s relationship. I loved watching Carson and his brothers interact with each other over the years. If anything, this book made me want so much more of the McKay/West clans. I would LOVE to see a story of Calvin and Kimi, or even Charlie and Vi.
With the last few books in the series, I felt like things were starting to get a little… stale. However, with this book, I felt a renewed love for all things McKay, and I’m now extra bummed to say goodbye to this series. There was just so much to love about this book, and the years that it spanned, that I couldn’t contain my emotions. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, I was sad. But through it all I couldn’t help but fall even further in love with every single character in the series. Such a perfect ending to such a wonderful family saga.
All in all, I thought James really knocked this book out of the park. It was the very best way to wrap up the series, and like I said, it had me wanting so much more. I love the way that we finally got to learn the secrets between the West and McKay feud, as well as some other great little tidbits along the way. Carolyn and Carson might be my new favorite McKay couple yet!
I give Cowboy Take Me Away an A