If Santa Were a Cowboy by Melissa Cutler

Title: If Santa Were a Cowboy (One and Only Texas #2.5)
Author: Melissa Cutler
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas
Length: Novella
Publisher: Swerve
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3
Heat Rating: 3
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

This Christmas, Santa wears a Stetson.

Paul Savage loves Christmas at Briscoe Ranch Resort, when he gets to take a break from being a back country guide to play Santa in the resort’s lobby and talk to kids about toys. The last thing he expects is his high school crush to come waltzing in as his new assistant photographer, wheeling a suitcase that's more naughty than nice.

Kelly Walker is a disaster. All she’d wanted was spice up her life by saying ‘yes’ to every opportunity, which is when the universe started pelting her with ‘no’s. So when she comes across a job listing for a holiday photographer working with the sweet, scrawny boy whose advances she’d laughed off in high school, she jumps on the chance to turn her bad Karma around by giving Paul a second chance.

Trouble is, Paul’s anything but scrawny anymore, and his cowboy swagger throws her grand plans for a loop—especially when he tempts her with a red hot proposition of his own. Kelly’s in way over her head, but as she gets swept up in the magic of Briscoe Ranch’s holiday charms—and Paul’s—could Kelly’s year of ‘no’s be leading up to the ‘yes’ of a lifetime?

If Santa Were a Cowboy got off to a bit of a slow start - but by the end I was in love. Paul and Kelly have a history, and it's one full of hurt and rejection - this gets mentioned a bit too much sometimes. I knew what happened and it just kept being said over and over. Both characters are running in their own way - running from their past. Paul just did it a lot sooner than Kelly.

But now Kelly is hoping that Paul will consider taking a bit of his past back - specifically her. She doesn't go about this in the best way, and Paul isn't afraid to let her know. There's some really great dialog and I love how into being Santa Paul gets - you can tell he really loved the tradition.

The character that stole the show though - the dog. I want her. She's just too adorable and is eventually the reason for the HEa - but I won't say too much on that. Overall, a cute Christmas story.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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