A swoon-worthy YA rivals-to-lovers romance between a Nebraskan cowboy and California girl, thrust together on the Oregon Trail.Anything’s possible under a prairie sky...Riley Thomas is feeling stuck—she’s moved from California to Nebraska, she’s on a weeklong Oregon Trail family bonding excursion, and her luggage is lost. There’s no one her age on the trip except a tall, dark and irksome cowboy who wrongly assumes she has zero ability to handle the great outdoors. She can’t wait for this misery to end—even though going“home” isn’t even possible anymore.
Lone wolf Colton Walker loves the simpler life of the plains and his family’s tourism business that helps protect them. He’s a stand-up guy—not a love ‘em and leave ‘em type like his rival, Jake. And he knows better than to take his chances with a prairie princess like Riley.
But Riley’s got more sense than Colton thinks–and he’s not nearly as inflexible as he seems.And under a wide prairie sky of puffy clouds and bright stars, everything comes into focus–including a cowboy’s heart.
Katrina Emmel’s Near Misses and Cowboy Kisses will take you on a sweeping journey across the American prairie . . . once you love a boy in a Stetson, you’ll never be the same.
Introduction
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A cowboy romance with all (well, some) of the conveniences of modern day? Yes please! This is very much in the Hallmark vein of stories, making a cosy read that's perfect to curl up with on a lazy afternoon.
Plot Summary
Riley's family have just moved to Nebraska and she's not feeling too happy about it. She's definitely not happy to be stuck on a week long wagon trip designed for tourists to safely experience the Oregon trail. And when she and one of the workers keep encountering each other? Things just get worse.
The overall theme in the book is not taking things at face value. Colton and Riley both make assumptions about each other and have to backtrack when they're proved wrong.
Characters
Riley and Colton are our main characters. In keeping with the genre, they're both hyper competent; Colton is amazing at everything to do with being a cowboy and has even won awards, while Riley has learned all about camping and fishing from her grandfather and is also an amazing artist. I would have liked them to need to learn something, but that's not the point of the story!
Writing Style
Fast paced and with a decent amount of banter. It's very common in this kind of book but I thought the romance developed very quickly - they were exchanging 'I love you's after just a few days. However, the tour was due to last only a week so the speed is understandable.
Setting
The descriptions of the plains were absolutely amazing. I could picture them perfectly and I've added Nebraska to the list of places I'd like to see in the world! Genuinely stunning.
Conclusion
A great addition to the romcom canon, the joy of this one was in the setting, which sets it apart from other novels. It's a very cute read.
Author Information
Katrina grew up in New Hampshire, and has a love for literature and science. She studied biochemistry in college before moving to the Midwest for graduate school, where she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry. Continuing her journey to the West Coast, Katrina lives in an active household that includes her husband, two children, father-in-law, and their rascally pup. She works as a chemistry consultant, and writes YA fiction and children’s fiction and non-fiction. Katrina loves chai, science and nature, trying out new recipes, music, and crafting.
Katrina grew up in New Hampshire, and has a love for literature and science. She studied biochemistry in college before moving to the Midwest for graduate school, where she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry. Continuing her journey to the West Coast, Katrina lives in an active household that includes her husband, two children, father-in-law, and their rascally pup. She works as a chemistry consultant, and writes YA fiction and children’s fiction and non-fiction. Katrina loves chai, science and nature, trying out new recipes, music, and crafting.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200555187
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593708148
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/near-misses-cowboy-kisses-katrina-emmel/1144337561
IndieBound: https://bookshop.org/p/books/near-misses-and-cowboy-kisses-katrina-emmel/20734839
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