THE COWBOY AND THE ANGEL - Marin Thomas

Book Review

Title: THE COWBOY AND THE ANGEL

Author: MARIN THOMAS

Line: Harlequin American Romance

Release Month: November

The S-Factor: Sensual

Back-Blurb:

‘Tis the season for miracles?

Renee Sweeney will do whatever it takes to keep a roof over the heads of Detroit’s street kids. Even if it means stepping in front of a ten-ton wrecking ball aimed at their temporary home. And especially if it means clashing with gorgeous corporate cowboy Duke Dalton.

To Duke, the blue-eyed blonde seems more like an angel than a social worker. Until he discovers a group of runaways camping out in his warehouse! The Tulsa businessman came to set up shop in a new town, not provide free housing for the masses. But Renee and the kids are making him rethink his bottom line. . . and what the spirit of the Christmas season really means.

Now this cowboy Santa is looking to give Renee – and her young charges – a gift straight from his heart!

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

This book starts out: “Renee Sweeney stood defiantly in front of the ten-ton wrecking ball and glared at the crane operator inside the cab.” Oh my! Marin had me right there! I was not about to put this book down any time soon.

Renee was a social worker in the city of Detroit. She was good at what she did, because she cared. Like a lot of people who care, most of the time she was in trouble with her boss, who only cared for the bottom line, and doing things by the book. When Duke Dalton met her, he was rather upset, and was not really in a mood to listen to anything she had to say. That’s why she had to show him. What was his reaction to finding out that there were six young children living in cardboard boxes on the top floor of the building he was trying to tear down? This was winter. Detroit in winter is not warm by any stretch of the imagination.

Though I have to hand it to Duke, as soon as he got over the shock of this discovery, he did what was necessary, not only to help Renee do her job, but to help keep the kids together. He was pretty much what you’d call an alpha male, strong and forceful, and he definitely wanted his own way, but he was smart enough to know a good thing when he saw it, and Renee was a good thing! Even though he did not want to, and it cost him many thousands of dollars that he couldn’t afford, he still did what he could to get those kids the help they needed.

Marin’s handling of this very touchy subject was phenomenal! This wasn’t what I would call a weepy story, but it brought tears to my eyes several times as I read about what those children were going through, and made me snarl with anger when she described how callous and hard-hearted some of the “city fathers” were when she wanted to improve things for all children in this position. I was totally in Renee’s shoes every step of the way through this story.

The romantic part of it, the sex scenes, the passion, were all wonderfully done. The twists and turns that kept them together, then tore them apart, then brought them back together again – a must in every well-written love story, were extremely well done.

Marin’s depiction of the homeless children of Detroit was so well done that I shudder every time I think of small children living that way. One usually envisions a homeless person as a down-and-out alcoholic or someone who has done something to cause himself/herself to be there, but not children. A story that came straight from her heart, I’m sure. Marin Thomas is definitely going on my must buy list.

Hero Hotness Factor: ♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor: ♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor: ♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor: ♥♥♥♥♥
Humor Factor: ♥
Weepy Factor: ♥♥

Reviewed by: Donna B