Review: Outlaw Cowboy by Nicole Helm (Big Sky Cowboys #2)


Note: This ARC was provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review.

A bad boy trying to walk the straight and narrow in hopes of keeping the family ranch going and no longer being a disappointment to his wheelchair-bound father and his two sisters and the bad girl who is prepared to do whatever it takes to protect her sisters, even if it means pushing her way back into the life of the only boy who's ever cared enough to keep her safe are in the forefront of author Nicole Helm's second novel in her Big Sky Cowboys series, Outlaw Cowboy. I may have really liked the series starter, Rebel Cowboy, which was about the now-married Mel Shaw and Dan Sharpe, but I loved this story about Caleb Shaw and Delia Rogers. This was a tale that toed the line between two popular tropes: friends to lovers and enemies to lovers. Yep, it sounds weird, but Caleb and Delia were friends for years until an act that he thought would save her ended up with her blaming him for destroying her life. So, there you have the whole friends to enemies then to lovers thing, and it was a ride filled with lots of sarcasm and passion. Another strange sounding combination but with someone like Delia who uses her sarcasm to push Caleb's buttons, and Caleb trying to keep his growing passion for her under wraps, it certainly worked quite well.

Caleb Shaw still craves having a drink in his hands but he knows that it's the last thing he needs. He's kept his distance from all the vices of his past that have led to nothing but trouble, but when he stumbles upon trouble hiding out in an abandoned cabin on his family's property, Caleb knows getting rid of Delia Rogers is easier said than done. She's as feisty as ever, and while she may technically be trespassing, Delia is going to force the issue. She needs to stay hidden, what with a warrant out for her arrest, no thanks to her drug dealing ex-boyfriend, and she has to find a way to get her youngest sister out of their abusive father's house. She's already helped her three other sisters and with one left, Delia is this close to finally seeing all those years of scrimping and saving being a success. But Caleb can't afford to have Delia around, not when there's a deal on the table to bring in some much needed income to the ranch and it requires Caleb stay away from those he was known to associate with before. Unfortunately, Delia tempts him to associate with her in ways he can't help but fantasize about. Both Caleb and Delia have end goals to meet and family issues to be resolved. With way too much baggage, will being with someone bad prove to be a good thing?

Delia and Caleb are far from perfect and these two have issues that are still hounding them, especially when it comes to family. There was many a time that Delia's snarky comments and thinly veiled taunts at Caleb made me want to strangle her, but you quickly realize that these are defense mechanisms for her. She does what she has to and wards off attempts at kindness because she doesn't want to be indebted to anyone. She's been so used to being alone and having to do things on her own, so even though I was peeved that she didn't even make an effort to say thank you to Caleb the first few times he helped her out, she is the way she is because of her crappy home life growing up. You see the kind of woman she is--a survivor and a heroine--when you find out what she's done for her sisters. So, even though her attitude in the first half of the book may have pissed me off, I couldn't help but admire her until I eventually found myself liking the sarcastic woman! Then there's Caleb, whose own story broke my heart, because he still has to struggle with his demons and simply wants to find a place in this world where he belongs. Outlaw Cowboy was a story about love, family, and redemption and I enjoyed every single page of it. Five stars. ♥

Date Read: 04 May 2016

Learn more about Nicole Helm.

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