Review: COUNTRY MUSIC COWBOY by Sasha Summers

Sasha Summers is an author we adore on this blog, and The Kings of Country series has been a favorite of our sister reviewers, Amber & Crystal. They couldn’t wait to get their hands on the third installment of the story… and to tell you all about it!

Author: Sasha Summers
Series: Kings of Country, #3
Release Date: August 24, 2021
Pages: 288
Review Copy: NetGalley*

Blurb:

What’s a country music star to do when his world is falling apart around him?
Can he find his way back home?

According to his record label, Travis King’s drinking and partying has to stop. Or else… Image rebranding means joining AA and singing opposite one of the industry’s rising stars at an upcoming awards show. It wouldn’t be so bad if Loretta Gram wasn’t cold as ice. No matter how hard he turns on the charm, she won’t give him a break. It looks like this cowboy has finally met his match.

Loretta is still grieving the death of her original singing partner, and she doesn’t have it in her to deal with playboy Travis King. But her career is all she has, so if singing with the Three Kings is what she needs, she’ll do it. Loretta isn’t as cold as she lets on, but she’s had more than her share of heartache. When she finally shows Travis who she is, he knows he’ll do anything to be her forever cowboy.

Initial Thoughts/Expectations:

The Sisters could not wait to return to the world of the Kings and to see Travis get his moment in the spotlight…. something it turns out he felt he didn’t deserve! In previous books, Travis often served as comedic relief but we always sensed there was more to him. We also relished the idea of getting a male take on the family drama.

What We Loved:

Country Music Cowboy picks up about a year after book two in the Kings of Country series by Sasha Summers. Travis’ overindulgence and partying led to scandal and need for soul searching in the previous year which brings us face-to-face with the real Travis, the one hiding behind the “fun guy” persona up until now. It turns out that Travis, also known as “The Golden King”, “The Casanova of Country Music”, “The Heartbreak King”, “King of Smiles”, “King of Charm” feels like anything but. Surely not the amazing and talented singer/performer that those who love him know him to be. Watching Travis grow and come into his own is a highlight of the book for us.

Travis’ story is heavily shaped by his family and we love the fact that being a King continues to mean having a great support system. The love between the Kings (minus CiCi) continues to shine in this book. It is what brings us back and it never disappoints. Krystal and Emmy Lou are beyond adorable and their beaus kick the adorableness up several notches.We lived for those King family moments – they laugh together, tease each other and fiercely stand up for one another. Loretta Gram and her chosen family fit in perfectly with the King family, and we appreciated the moments when everyone was all together just enjoying simple downtime.

The Romance….

Give us a book in which the two main characters simultaneously desire to scratch each other’s eyes out and want to fall into bed together and you’ll not hear one complaint from us. Loretta Gram is known as the ice queen in the country music circle, and while she’s not necessarily cold in our view, she does often come across as extremely guarded and rigid. With the tragic passing of her music partner Johnny and her money-grabbing father popping up around every corner, it became quickly apparent why Loretta put up a wall which made us even more eager for Travis to enter her life and knock it down. Loretta doesn’t believe that Travis has changed his partying and playboy ways so she’s instantly turned off by him. Resolute not to fall prey to his charms. Thankfully, fate requires they make a partnership work to achieve a country music comeback, and being on tour together forces Travis and Loretta to endure one another’s company nonstop – we get to see sparks fly both on and off of the stage. Travis knew just how to get under Loretta’s skin and Loretta’s mere presence drove Travis to distraction, but when they were singing together or writing music it flowed and was a thing of beauty. Their push and pull relationship kept us in suspense and provided a diversion from all the King family drama!

What We Didn’t Love:

We loved everything about this story and our fingers are crossed we get more Kings of Country. However, we hate CiCi with a searing passion. It is a testament to Sasha that she can write such a hateful character who we’d like to see eaten by pigs but who is probably responsible for the whole story and most of what we like about it. If she had never been part of the story, we wouldn’t have the Three Kings. If she weren’t the detestable snake that she is, that King family dynamic of loving and protecting each other fiercely wouldn’t be as well-honed as it is.

Final Thoughts:

This book gave us so much to be happy about. Ultimately, seeing all the King siblings happy and thriving, having faced challenges they were presented head-on makes our hearts smile. While drama brought on by family is sometimes the hardest to overcome, the Kings show us that building and trusting a support system is the key. We want more and hope we’ll get it in Sawyer’s story…. because he has to have a story, if only because there is at least one more King that deserves his HEA!