Cowboys always seem to have the most spectacular butts, probably from all that hard riding in the saddle. But Melody Spencer had long-ago wiped the dust of Cupid, Texas off her cute shoes…and done her best to forget the chiseled jaw, strong arms and those other assets of cowboy Luke Spencer. Their families might be part of a long-time feud, but he was her very first love even if it turned out they never wanted the same things.

But now Luke’s come striding back into her life, tempting her with the memories of long, lazy evenings and hot, passionate kisses. And he has an ulterior motive-as Mayor of Cupid, he knows Melody’s business savvy can help save their beloved hometown. His smooth-talking might get her to Texas, but that doesn’t mean he’ll get her in his bed. Still, people do say love can be more perfect the second time around…

We start this book in Manhattan NY. This is where Melody works as a Ad Executive and is dating Jean-Claude and top-tier photographer. She thinks she has it all and is on her way to meet her boss to score a promotion to Creative Director...but in one short meeting Melody losses it all.

Fired and homeless, Melody doesn't know what to do, until Hometown mayor and a member of the family hers has been feuding with, come to save her. But Luke Nelson also need her to save their town, so they join forces, but also stir up a hornets nest to go along with their mutual attraction.

This was a good book. Personally I found Melody too strong of a character and Luke a little weak, but other than that it was an enjoyable book. The feuding families gave me a big giggle. The book was well written and even paced.

Love with the Perfect Cowboy earns a 7 out of 10 from me. ( )

Fifteen years ago a decade old family feud and the horrific events of one fateful night drove Melody Spencer and Luke Nielson apart. Their young love just wasn't strong enough to fight both their families. Now fifteen years later Luke is convinced Melody is the answer to all his prayers, both personally and professionally. After Melody loses both her job and her home in NY, Luke convinces her to come back to Cupid to help him save the drought stricken town with her marketing magic.

This is a great story of a young love that wouldn't die and the events that can heal not only broken hearts but also a severed community. Wonderfully written and the characters of Cupid never fail to entertain. This is a great conclusion to the series and I recommend it for everyone. ( )

I've been reading a lot of Lori Wilde's romance novels lately, particularly the series set in the mythical Twilight, Texas, which is based on my town of Granbury.

At a local event honoring Lori last month, I received a free copy of this book. It's part of a different series, set in another make-believe town, Cupid, Texas, which is based on Fort Davis, the seat of the real Jeff Davis County, in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. Marfa, which is mentioned in the story, is thirty miles away (page 206); Alpine, Marathon, and the McDonald Observatory are nearby.

As one might guess from the cover art, this book has a lot more sex than the Twilight series (only one book of eleven in that series - the novella - has a sexy man on it). Melody Spencer and Luke Nielsen are from feuding families, who were in love as teens. Torn apart, he stays in their hometown, running the family ranch and becoming Cupid's mayor, while she moves to New York City to follow her dreams. When the story opens, she's fired from her advertising job for being too honest, and finds her boyfriend has dumped her from both his life and his apartment.

Enter Luke, in town to offer her a job attempting to boost tourism in Cupid, which is suffering from a drought (shades of Granbury!). He takes her back to his hotel as she has no place else to sleep, but of course they have hot sex. They continue to have lots of hot sex as the story continues back in Cupid, and Melody tries various events (including a hilarious bachelor auction) in an attempt to bring in visitors.

Romance tropes in the story include forbidden love, cowboy, fling, return to hometown, and maybe reunion and politics. This is the last book in the Cupid, Texas, series, but it stands alone just fine.

I thought it amusing that the cover art does not match the text - at least, if the man on the cover is supposed to be hero Luke. Some examples:
- page 66: "The top button on his shirt had come unbuttoned, revealing a tuft of soft brown chest hair."
- page 208: "The sun was up enough now for her to make out the sprinkling of hairs on his chest."
- page 277: "He was so damn beautiful. Hard, lean, a fine spray of dark hair between his nipples."

No matter - I prefer guys with some hair on their chests. I read this at the end of my cruise vacation, and it was perfect for that.

© Amanda Pape - 2015

[I received a free copy of this book - it will be passed on to someone else to enjoy. This review also appears on Bookin' It.] ( )

Excellent conclusion to the Cupid, Texas series. In this one Cupid really has his work cut out for him. Fifteen years earlier Luke and Melody had snuck around behind their families' backs and enjoyed being young and in love. But tragedy followed when they were discovered, and the feud got even worse. Melody had gotten to the point where she couldn't wait to get away from Cupid and all the memories. Meanwhile, Luke was happiest where his roots went deep.

Now the town of Cupid is in trouble, thanks to the drought drying up the tourist trade. Luke is desperate for help to save the town and thinks that big city advertising exec Melody is just the person to help. All he needs to do is convince her to come home. So he heads off to New York to do his best.

Melody has been living the good life in the city. She has a job she likes and no one getting into her business. She has the feeling she has nowhere to go but up, as she's been putting in long hours hoping for a promotion. She hasn't thought (much) about Luke in the years she's been gone, until she spots him on her way into work. Avoiding him isn't easy, but she manages, and gets to work in time to be called to her boss's office. Thinking she's about to get the good news she's been hoping for, she's stunned to find out she's being fired instead - for being too honest, of all things. After spending some quiet time trying to think of her options, she heads for the apartment she shares with her boyfriend, only to discover that he's evicted her and left the country. Into this disaster of a day comes Luke, picking her up and taking her back to his hotel to recover.

That night, Luke and Melody discover that they are still wildly attracted to each other. Taking advantage of being away from Texas, they indulge in a night together knowing that nothing more can come of it. With nothing keeping her in New York, Melody goes to Cupid to see what she can do to help.

Some things never change and the feud is alive and well. Melody and Luke would like to spend time together, but their families would have a conniption. Both of them are disgusted with the whole thing, but each has a different idea on how to deal with it. Having stayed in Cupid, Luke has gotten very good at keeping a lid on everything. He believes that stirring things up will only create more trouble. Since he's sure that Melody would never stay in Texas, he can't see creating havoc for something that won't last. Melody, on the other hand, feels that nothing will change until the whole feud is brought out into the light where everyone can see just how stupid it is. She has some ideas on how to do it, and help the town at the same time, but Luke forbids it. When she takes matters into her own hands, it's sometimes hard to tell if it's working or not.

Luke and Melody manage to find ways to spend time together, and even though they claim it's just for sex, it's obvious that they are falling for each other all over again. But until they can get their families to give up on the grudges of the past, things look pretty hopeless for them. It takes Melody doing what she feels is the right thing, even against Luke's wishes, to get the ball rolling, and a near tragedy for the families to finally see the light.

There were quite a few fun moments, including the bachelor auction, where Luke gets purchased by the last person he'd ever want to get stuck with. There were also the sad times, such as Melody's first sight of Cupid under its drought conditions. And then there was the truly heartbreaking, when Melody put her love out there for everyone to see and Luke wouldn't even give her a chance. Fortunately, Cupid's streak remains unbroken and they get their happy ending after all. ( )

Contemporary, Romance

New York City & Cupid, Texas

Melody Spencer thought that when she wiped the dust off her shoes from Cupid, Texas, she was gone for good. She did everything she could to forget the strong arms and chiseled jaw of Luke Nielson. Their families were part of a very long standing feud but Melody never felt that way about Luke. He was her first love though in the end they both wanted different things.

Now Luke has come striding back into her life reminding her of long, lazy evenings and hot, passionate kisses. He is now the mayor of Cupid and he has an ulterior motive for coming back into her life. Luke knows that Melody’s business savvy can help save their hometown. He might be able to get her back to Texas with his smooth talking but that doesn’t mean he will be able to get her into his bed. People say that love the second time around is so much better.

This is a book that adds a great deal to a series that has proven to be already wonderful. Each book can be read as a standalone but are so much better when read as a series. The characters are such that they are what you would expect to find in any small town and prove to be very fun and interesting when the reader gets to learn more about each and every one. Reading how Melody and Luke find their way back to each other and how to deal with their family feud make for a read that is very hard to step away from. The reader gets sucked into the story line and won’t want to leave Cupid for any reason at all. This is proving to be a series that is a must read especially for readers that enjoy small town romances. ( )