4.5 Stars ( )

If I'm correct, this is the author's very first book. I haven't read her recent books, so I couldn't track her progress over the years, but the writing itself was really good in my opinion. That wasn't the problem.
I liked the steamy scenes, even though it was a bit too much toward the end.
I liked...

Well, that's about it unfortunately.

There was just too much happening all at once, and everything was so far fetched, and just plain stupid, unbelievable and ridiculous. Too many problems stuffed into this long book. From the moment Jasper gets on a plane to spend a week on a ranch in Wyoming, everything goes downhill for him. I would say the poor guy has bad karma or something for all his troubles. He wanted to get away from the city and relax, he got exact opposite.

And also instalust is so not my favorite. Unless it's an ABO book, and the MC's are fated mates. ( )

Probably more like a 3.5. Cowboys always get an extra star from me and I liked Jasper and Calum just fine but I had to wonder if I'd stumbled into a soap opera. If it could go wrong it did go wrong. Both guys pasts were a mass of 'bad' experiences.
But if you're willing to put that to one side and suspend some belief, the relationship is worth it. ( )

Cowboys Down by Barbara Elsborg is a bittersweet romance between English stockbroker, Jasper Randolph and the young cowboy artist, Calum Nielson. The two men meet while Jasper is in Wyoming on a well-earned vacation. Jasper hates his job in London and is looking for a break. He wants to learn how to relax and get dirty. Calum, on the other hand, is looking to keep under the radar of his stiff, conservative father while helping out on the family ranch.

Almost as soon as these two lay eyes on each other the attraction ignites. Neither is looking for a quick hook-up, at the same time there's not much future in a romance between a visiting English stockbroker and Wyoming cowboy. Still, fire is fire and their both hot for each other.

Cowboys Down is not a light-hearted read; Elsborg draws some strong characters with deep pain in their backgrounds. Jasper and Calum are the main characters, but there are strong appearances by supporting characters. In London, Fintan charms with his art gallery and Jasper's mother made me want to cry. In Wyoming, Calum's family members-- father, mother and step-sister all evoke real emotions. Calum's sister is a sympathetic young girl with a learning disability who adds a sweet touch to the tail with her glow-in-the-dark bead bracelets; while his father provides much of the conflict in the novel with his intransigence.

Cowboys Down is an entertaining tale of cowboy love that kept me reading long hours into the night. Elsborg is a fine writer of western love stories and Jasper and Calum's tale is no exception. This one earns 4 stars easily. I really enjoyed reading about Jasper and Calum's search for love in the wilds of Wyoming.

Reviewed by Creative Ink Romance Reviews ( )

The father/son murder plot was a little too much melodrama, so one star off for that, but otherwise, I loved this! ( )