Review: Big Sky Summer by Linda Lael Miller

Big Sky Summer
by Linda Lael Miller
Series: Swoon-Worthy Cowboys #4
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication date: May 28, 2013
Genre: Adult Small-town Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher in exchange for unbiased review
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The "First Lady of the West," #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller, welcomes you home to Parable, Montana-where love awaits.

With his father's rodeo legacy to continue and a prosperous spread to run, Walker Parrish has no time to dwell on wrecked relationships. But country-western sweetheart Casey Elder is out of the spotlight and back in Parable, Montana. And Walker can't ignore that his "act now, think later" passion for Casey has had consequences. Two teenage consequences!  Keeping her children's paternity under wraps has always been part of Casey's plan to give them normal, uncomplicated lives. Now the best way to hold her family together seems to be to let Walker be a part of it-as her husband of convenience. Or will some secrets-like Casey's desire to be the rancher's wife in every way-unravel, with unforeseen results?

I love small-town series and when you add in swoon-worthy cowboys it easily becomes one of my favorite new series. Big Sky Summer is the fourth book in the Swoon-Worthy Cowboy series and we finally get Walker and Casey’s story.  From the moment I stepped back into Parable, Montana I was captivated and consumed this in one sitting. While they can each be read as a standalone I think you’d miss getting to know the folks of this small Montana town. Three word review: Fun, sweet and enjoyable.

With Casey Elder back in town, Walker cannot help but question his decisions regarding their past relationship and the two children they produced. It is complicated, and there were a lot of hurt feelings, but the kids only know him as Uncle Walker. Casey’s plan was to always keep her kids paternity a secret, but she realizes it might have been a mistake just like she should have told Walker she wanted to be a rancher’s wife.  The tale that unfolded was sweet, filled with a little heat and kept me entertained.

I have always liked Walker; he is an honorable man, great with kids and respects the ladies. He is also a dolt and I wanted him to just take command of Casey. *wipes brow* Ok, I got that out of my system.  Casey is a successful country-singer but has decided the kids are growing too fast and stops touring for awhile. She is also slowly admitting she wants Walker and always has. At times I wanted to scream, because she seems like an intelligent woman and I wanted her to realize you can have it all! Not one or the other. It was fun watching these to tango. I loved the respect they had for one another and giggled over some heated moments. Their kids reacted to the situation differently and it added to the tale. Opal was back, but her role was much smaller. Hints about townsfolk have me curious, and I am worried about one particular lady. Brylee Walker’s sister was present and I am really hoping we get her story soon.

Despite my issues with the characters’ behavior, I quickly became caught up in the tale. Miller brings heart to her characters. I love the sense of community this small town has and the way they all step up and look out for each other. The romance was sweet, with a few hot but relatively clean moments. The tale flows wonderfully, and had some interesting thread. Miller gets you tied up in the characters and I love that I actually talked aloud to them when they annoyed me! We know we are going to get our HEA, and I enjoyed the ride.  We see lots of small town life; horses, rodeos and even get a cute animal story. Overall, this was a great escape and I look forward to the next book.

Fans of cowboys and small-town series will enjoy Big Sky Summer and the town of Parable, Montana. Big Sky Wedding is the next book due out in August 2013 and features a character whose story I have been waiting for! 

Three and half cups of coffee out of five