Space Cowgirl: Houston, All Systems Go

Space Series, Book 2

By: Sara L. Hudson

Narrated by: Samantha Brentmoor, Lee Samuels

NASA astronaut Julie Starr knows nothing is earned without blood, sweat, and frizzy hair. Recently returned from orbit, Jules is on her way to becoming the youngest flight commander ever. So she isn't about to let a creepy stalker derail her goals. Or a chivalrous, wealthy rancher either, for that matter.

Holt West doesn't mess with flirts. And that's exactly what Jules is. He has enough on his plate, working the ranch he inherited from his grandfather while making sure his siblings follow their dreams. He doesn't need to be distracted from his responsibilities by the smart-mouthed, long-legged astronaut clad in leather pants and biker boots.

But when Holt's brother and Jules' best friend decide to get married, they're thrown together as best man and maid of honor. Jules takes the opportunity to hide out from her stalker at the West Ranch under the guise of planning the barnyard wedding of a lifetime. She might not know the difference between tulle and toile, but she’s an astronaut for god's sake. How hard could it be?

Between Jules vying for a record-breaking promotion while outmaneuvering a stalker and Holt fighting a losing battle with his heart, can the two of them get it together long enough to say yes to the ride of their lives?

Or is this mission a no-go?

©2020 Sara Neiss (P)2020 Sara Neiss

Space Cowgirl

This is the second book in the Space series. This book is about Julie Star and Holt. This is one of the funniest books I have listened to. Amongst the laughs there is a serious problem that Julie is hiding from everyone. She is trying to deal with a stocker by herself. I can’t wait to start the next book! Samantha Brentmoor and Lee Samuels did an absolutely fantastic job narrating this book.

Fabulous RomCom & Listen🎧 A Captivating Delight!

This book is awesome and I loved every thing about it! This is the second audiobook in Sara L. Hudson’s amazing “Space” series and it is as enjoyable and delightful as the first book “Space Junk: Houston, We Have a Hottie”. She is a gifted author, the creates original and interesting storylines that are captivating from start to end. The characters are well developed, they are likable, realistic and easy to relate to and connect with. This book is Julie “Jules” Starr and Holt West’s story, both made appearances in the first book. Jules is an astronaut and on of NASA’s stars, with the help of Jackie she saved the day and the mission she was on. Back on the ground, she is asked to be Jackie’s maid of honor, thrilled to be a best friend she plans on taking role very seriously. She also has some drama going on in her personal life, an unknown person stalking her and sending her frightening messages. She does not want to ruin her chances of being promoted or chance being grounded so she keeps it to herself. So using much accumulated vacation time she takes a break and goes off to stay on a ranch to help plan Jackie and Flynn’s wedding. Holt West is a straight laced, no nonsense man, he took his role of looking out for his brother and sister very seriously, made sure they had what they needed and do what they want. He lives a simple life, residing in his late grandfather’s home and running the family’s ranch. The home has not been renovated for years and with Jackie and Flynn wanting their wedding on the ranch he thinks it is time to renovate and upgrade. It is the least he could do as Flynn’s best man. What he did not plan on was having Julie Starr move in to his house to help plan Jackie and Flynn’s wedding. I loved her take charge attitude and how she threw Holt off balance. The chemistry between them was smoking hot and I could not wait for them to act on it. This is the type of book you do not want to put down, it puts a smile on your face and keeps it there the entire time. Thee story is brilliantly plotted and there is never a dull moment with plenty of drama, laughs, the stalker storyline adds a bit of mystery and some thrilling and suspenseful moments, it was great when Julie figured out who was behind it. There is also sweet and emotional moments and some hot romance. Sara L. Hudson, thank you for another marvelous story, I love these characters and hope Trish and Rose gets their own story too.

Samantha Brentmoor & Lee Samuels continue to bring these characters to life, giving each their own voice and personality. They do an awesome job portraying the characters, Samantha Brentmoor perfected Jules’ persona and Lee Samuels’ Holt was spot on too. They sounded as I pictured them to sound. They were awesome performing the voices for the secondary characters too. They are entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another awesome listen🎧

Girl Power!

I love this series! Definitely a “the princess rescues herself” kind of story. I read Space Junk prior to this, but I don’t think someone would miss too much if they skipped it and went straight for this one.

A story about a female astronaut who has always had to prove herself is my kind of hero. She didn’t go running for help at the first sign of trouble, but she did end up realizing she has a great support system.

Not too much angst, some laugh out loud moments, and a hot cowboy. Such a fun read!

The astronaut and her cowboy...

Is there such a thing as a romcom-suspense? Glad you asked because this book sets a new standard!
Set on a cattle ranch outside of Houston, the story is of a female astronaut, who has had to work hard to break that glass ceiling...first, as a daughter of a military general, then in the Air Force and now at NASA. Then there is the straight laced rancher, who doesn’t like to cuss! Throw this pair together to plan a wedding for his brother and her best friend and the result is explosive. There is also a stalker to keep the story from getting too light hearted. Overall a great story from this new-to-me author...with excellent narration by new-to-me team! Definitely recommend a read/listen...and now I have to find the other books in the series!
I accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Strong Women FTW

I LOVE this book. Both characters are thoroughly developed and Jules was awesome. Such a strong and successful woman, and a perfect match with Holt. Although a second book in the series, it holds up perfectly as a stand-alone. I don’t feel I missed anything but not listening to the first book.

Super fun and funny!

I thoroughly enjoyed this listen.

Jules' OCD list making tendencies and take charge attitude made for some great moments. Especially when those characteristics are paired with her keen observations and big heart.

Holt's gruff nature weakens with exposure to Jules and she helps him realize that he can go after happiness for himself, not just cheer lead and sacrifice so that everyone else follows their dreams.

Put these two in close proximity to plan for a family wedding in less than 2 months, add in a stalker that no one knows about, an adorable baby cow, a bunch of amazing kids, and you've got a great fun read.

The world has been well crafted and the secondary characters are delightful. I want to know more and see what happens next. I really hope there is more to come in this series.

Narrators Samantha Brentmoor & Lee Samuels did a great job bringing these characters to life. I was able to relax into the story and never wanted to leave.

not a fan of jules

Jules' brash attitude was off putting. If she was all that why did she RUN to Holt for protection asap??? Too much hotshotting is very irritating and unattractive. It doesn't make you less to ask for help when it's needed. I loved Holt's characters- soft yet malleable. Evil gets its' due. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrators did a good job.

Fantastic Audible Book!

I asked to receive this free review Audible book and wrote this unbiased review. Sara Hudson is a new author to me and I totally enjoyed this story. Her characters are realistic, strong, and sexy. Jules has conquered many obstacles in her quest to become an astronaut. Her drive has left her no time to have a love interest. Holt has been too occupied with running the ranch and watching over his siblings. The author does an amazing job of character and plot development when she brings these two together to plan a wedding. You can't help but want them to be together and boy do the sparks fly when this happens. Now add a stalker and things heat up more.

The narrators are also new to me and they provide perfect voices for all of these characters. They portray the emotions and personalities of these characters and bring them to life. The narrators are fascinating storytellers and are a true joy to listen to. I highly recommend this Audible book.

Nine Plus Hours I Will Never Get Back

I want to preface this review by saying I wanted to like this book. I enjoyed the previous book but what made that book enjoyable didn't seem to transfer over to this one. So, let's do this review (with some spoilers).

Story: 1/5 Stars

Main Characters: I really loved the hero Holt. While the author seemed to portray him as a "throwback" I found him to be caring and a gentleman. Holt was all about his family and was a prisoner of his past at the expense of his own wants, needs, and dreams. I thought that he and his personality didn't fit with Jules, the heroine.

Let's talk about Jules. I just never warmed up to her. She's abrasive, a self-professed "bad-ass" and "strong woman." Jules is all about her career as a NASA astronaut. She's not only married to her career, she's got some heavy tunnel vision when it comes to her role as NASA's star. Unfortunately, Jules pushes away her friends, family (I don't blame her for that), and long-term, serious relationships (more hookups than dating but the author never addresses it). She's also being stalked which she doesn't disclose to NASA (unrealistic if she wants to be a mission commander) or her friends like Jackie (who she supposedly considers a best friend). I didn't like how Jules copped out about how her "strong" personality was often mistaken for more unfavorable traits (because she was a woman, had to work twice as hard as a man, etc.). This is a deflection that both the reader and even the hero Holt could identify.

Supporting Characters: Appearances were made by Jackie and Flynn (main characters from the previous book), along with Rose (Flynn and Holt's sister) and Trish. The author revealed a little more of Trish's backstory which I hope leads to a book for her. I enjoyed the interaction between all the characters but especially amongst Rose, Jackie, Trish, and Jules.

Plot: Wedding planning and "a little" stalking added to the mix but fell flat for me. Jules is Jackie's maid of honor for her upcoming wedding and in that vein appoints herself unofficial wedding planner. She's also being stalked (more virtually via threatening texts, gifs, and pics) and this along with the wedding planning is the convenient inducement Jules needs to hide out at Holt's ranch. At first, Jules doesn't want anything to do with the wedding planning and then she's fully onboard. Is it because of the stalking or does she really want to help out her bestie? The stalking is portrayed as very immediate and dangerous at first when Jules accepts a beer from someone she doesn't know (not a badass move) but then she realizes she's been drugged by the person stalking her. Jules has a near death experience toward the end of the book (she almost drowns because the stalker somehow trespasses onto federal/NASA property and messes with her oxygen gauge). Just not realistic given the high security presence at military installations and federal/government properties.

Epilogue: Not really an epilogue. A couple of weeks after the main events in the book does not make an epilogue.

Narration/Performance: 2/5

Lee Samuels and Samantha Brentmoor were a good match for the male and female characters. However, there were at least two mispronunciations of words that were odd, especially for these narrators. While Lee Samuels has a strong male voice, his female voices need work. The same is true for Samantha Brentmoor and her male voices.

Overall: 1/5

This audiobook was lacking in story and character development, plot, pacing, and chemistry between the two main characters. I didn't feel any connection to Jules like I did with Jackie from the second book. I rooted for Jackie as well as her relationship with Flynn. I can't say the same for Jules. I felt like Holt was a really sweet guy and not the right fit for Jules. That is not the kind of reaction an author like Sara Hudson should want to convey in readers. Her portrayal of Jules was just too over the top verging on alpha bitchiness (yep, I went there). All of Jules' hard edges seemed ever sharp until her mask and/or facade started to slip. But, by then, I was more intrigued by what was going on with Trish and her backstory. At the end of the book I was left to wonder at the potential for a committed, long-lasting relationship between Jules and Holt without some serious therapy. I'm just not seeing how these two will get together without major compromise and work (especially on Jules' end).

Final thoughts: I'm really disappointed that I couldn't like this book after my enjoyment of the previous one. I had a lot of trouble finishing this audiobook and was left puzzled at unexplainable inconsistencies. I'm honestly surprised this book is rated so well. I think that negative reviews carry weight for me now more than ever given how different my experience was to that of other reviewers.