Cowboy Charming

Cowboy Fairytales, Book 2

De: Lacy Williams

Narrado por: Lara Asmundson

There's nothing glamorous about Ethan Townsend's life. At 25, he's given up his college education and pretty much everything else to run the family dairy farm in north Texas and provide for his two spoiled stepbrothers. When he meets a real-life princess, he can't help but be attracted to her beauty -even though he knows she's way out of his league.

Princess Mia of Glorvaird is visiting the States to help manage her sister's upcoming engagement ball. As a bonus, she can escape the media blitz over her last-very public-breakup back home. When she meets hard-working Ethan, she realizes she's been looking for love in all the wrong places.

Even though attraction sparks, how can Ethan expect to build a real relationship with a princess? Especially when his stepbrothers sabotage him at every turn?

Cowboy Charming is a contemporary western retelling of the Cinderella fairytale.

©2016 Lacy Williams (P)2016 Lacy Williams

Great Twist on this Classic Tale!

Where does Cowboy Charming rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the very best! I loved it!

What other book might you compare Cowboy Charming to and why?

Well, it is similar in style to the first book in the series, simply because it has the same narrator and is part of the series. It's a great and fun contemporary fairytale.

Have you listened to any of Lara Asmundson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I really enjoy this narrator and enjoyed her in book one, as well.

If you could rename Cowboy Charming, what would you call it?

I have no idea! I think it is a great name.

Any additional comments?

Great, enjoyable romance that had a wonderful happily-ever-after type ending for the two characters.

Cowboy Charming

This was a great addition to the series. I love that the engagement ball was included in this story it really brought some of book one into the story and created a familiar feeling. And the boot incident reminded me of Cinderella in reverse!

4.5 Stars!

Life of Glorvaird royalty continues with Princess Mia's story in this Cinderella re-telling. Ethan is a dairy farmer raising his two step-brothers while also working odd jobs to make ends meet. While working on Gideon's ranch (introduced in Once Upon a Cowboy) he meets Princess Mia and a friendship blossoms.

I love re-tellings of classic stories, fairy tales, etc. and Cowboy Charming was one of the first re-tellings that I could actually see the obvious correlations to the original tale. I really enjoyed that fact since most re-tellings are so loosely related that it's hard to differentiate the connections.

As much as I enjoyed the first book, I liked this one even more. What's odd is that this one was half the length of the first book in the series, but for a novella, it was a great read. I really liked the hero, Ethan. Mia was a great heroine, as well, but Ethan stole the show. He was a genuinely honorable man and I felt bad when he was often taken advantage of by his step-brothers. At the same time, Mia was a strong and independent woman who quickly saw the real Ethan and didn't judge him by his circumstances.

As Mia and Ethan's story ties up in this book and Gideon and Alexandra's continues to move towards their wedding, the next book's main characters is introduced.. It sounds like a good one and I'm looking forward to more in this series.

Audiobook notes: I both read a digital copy and listened to an audiobook of Cowboy Charming. As with the first book the narrator does a great job. While I often speed up audiobooks to 1.25, I found that I preferred the narrators natural pacing. This was a first for me, because I tend to be a fast reader and find most audiobooks painfully slow.

Still Smiling!

Would you listen to Cowboy Charming again? Why?

I would listen to it again! It is short enough to listen to it over and over, and sweet enough to want to! :-) Plus, the story, itself just makes you feel happy.

What did you like best about this story?

I just finished Book 1 in the series and without even reading what Book 2 was about, I just started listening. I knew that it was going to be about a princess falling in love, but that is about it. I had no idea that the stories (and princesses) are connected to one another! I didn't realize that, though, until a few chapters in when the characters from Book 1 entered the scene and became part of the story...I was so excited!

What about Lara Asmundson’s performance did you like?

She has a perfect voice for these stories! Her voice is sweet, but not too sweet. She has good volume, inflection, and speaks clearly. She was easy to listen to...I would definitely listen to her again. No complaints at all!

Who was the most memorable character of Cowboy Charming and why?

The Princess in each story is the most memorable and likable! It is her story, so the reader/listener forms a bond with her right from the beginning. I almost felt as if it was my story and I was her...well, minus the princess part. Hehee!

Any additional comments?

I can't wait to listen to Book 3! I like that it is a female who is the main character. So many times it seems like I read books where the main character is a guy who has money and power and finds a poor woman to take care of. Not even close to the scenario in these books! I am really enjoying the series. Also, at the end of the story, the author, Lacy Williams, has left the listener a surprise little gift! I don't want to say any more because I don't want to give it away. Make sure you listen all the way through! Thank you so much, Ms. Williams! I was thrilled! I recommend these books to those who like a feel-good, light listen that is only about 3 hours long. Perfect for me! I'm looking forward to Book 3! Thank you!

Such an adorable princess romance!

I am thoroughly hooked on this series of audiobooks. It is so charming, and it makes me feel happy. This short audiobook (almost 3 hours) is "clean" - no sex, just kissing. There not even a mention of sex, and the two primary characters are virgins in their 20's. Somehow, this situation feels totally plausible while listening to this story.

There was barely any mention of God, so I do not classify it as a Christian romance, although Christian romance readers would probably like it. I would call it a sweet contemporary romance with a fairy tale plot.

This Cinderella story has a man (Ethan) as the downtrodden, self-sacrificing good guy who is badgered by his two ungrateful younger stepbrothers. Ethan's parents had died when he was young. Then, when he was 19, his unpleasant stepmother died, and he volunteered to become guardian to his 9- and 10-year-old stepbrothers, delaying his dream of becoming a veterinarian. He meets Mia, a princess of a small European kingdom. She is visiting her sister Alessandra, who is engaged to an ex-Navy SEAL who runs a ranch in Texas (see Book 1). Mia has been unlucky in love and does not want to rush into a relationship with the wrong man again. Both Mia and Ethan are so likeable and have admirable characteristics.

Although this audiobook is not perfect, I was highly entertained by it. There are short bits of awkward wording, and the writing might be a bit too simplistic sometimes. However, this story really cheered me up. Mia and Ethan were so sweet together!

The narrator was pretty good. To my Southern ears, her Texas accents seemed very authentic. She did not attempt to give the European princess a European accent, but I was able to ignore that snafu after a short time. She was passable at men's voices. She occasionally made the book sound a little too hokey with how she sometimes pauses and overemphasizes certain words in a sentence. Still, I think the narrator has a very pleasant voice, and I was mostly pleased by her performance.

This series is best listened to in order because there are a couple of story arcs that stretch beyond each novella. Also, some characters from Book 1 get a couple of chapters in this Book 2, which I enjoyed. I also liked how the last scene of the audiobook is a teaser for what will happen in the next novella. In addition, a short excerpt from Book 3 is included at the end.

I love this contemporary twist on Cinderella with cowboys and princesses. Lacy Williams has made such a charming series of audiobooks that I can't wait to listen to the rest of them. Books 1 & 2 are going in my list of beloved audiobooks that put a smile on my face.

I received a free copy from the author, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.