Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses

April 29, 2024
Sparks fly between handsome cowboy Colton Walker and exasperated West Coast transplant Riley Thomas in this lighthearted debut. After relocating to Nebraska, Riley’s family insists on embarking on an Oregon Trail tour, an outdoorsy survival reenactment run by Colton’s family. Though initially at odds, Riley and Colton soon grow closer as they traverse the trail; Colton realizes that Riley has survival capabilities he’d never suspect from a California girl, and Riley falls for Colton once she learns that his sweet, soft-spoken country gallantry is genuine. But there are plenty of perils on the trail, including buffalo stampedes, familial tumult, and the sudden appearance of Colton’s loudmouth rival, whose competitive streak against Colton once again rears its head in his pursuit of Riley. Then life-changing news from her mother forces Riley to decide whether Nebraska—and Colton—will be in her future at all. The Oregon Trail setting provides an evocative backdrop against which Riley and Colton’s snappy banter and push-pull dynamic plays out. Well-worn romance tropes delivered via tightly paced writing teeming with sunshiny vibes make this a swoony and uplifting read. Main characters read as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jordan Hamessley, JABberwocky Literary.

May 15, 2024
A quiet Nebraska cowboy and an unhappy California transplant are inexplicably drawn to each other in this wholesome enemies-to-sweethearts debut. Seventeen-year-old talented artist Riley Thomas' world has been turned upside down. Her parents' new jobs require her family to relocate to small-town Nebraska from Southern California the summer before her senior year. Even worse, Mom and Dad are dragging Riley and her younger brother on a week of forced family fun with the Oregon Trail Adventure Co. Cowboy Colton Walker is the reigning 18-and-under solo lasso champion and the strong, silent type, whose family's business is guiding wagon trains along the trail. When the teens first meet, they feel an instant mix of attraction and annoyance. But throughout the laid-back days and starry nights on the Nebraska plains, they're drawn together as they begin to realize that there's more to the other than meets the eye. Emmel does a beautiful, unhurried job of drawing out the transformation of Riley and Colton's relationship from awkward tension to tentative friendship to budding romance. Readers will root for these two stubborn souls to let down their guards and get out of their own ways. The family relationships are realistic and nuanced, and Riley's fury and frustration toward her parents is relatable to anyone who's ever had to relocate against their wishes. Fans of Jenny Han and Kasie West will especially enjoy the innocent portrayal of first love. Main characters are cued white. A sweet, slow-burn romance with a swoon-y payoff. (Romance. 12-18)

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July 1, 2024

Gr 7-10-Two earnest teenagers find love on the Oregon Trail in this gentle contemporary romance. As if moving from California to Nebraska the summer before her senior year in high school isn't bad enough, Riley's parents have scheduled a family trip across a portion of the Oregon Trail, covered wagons and all. When she meets Colton Walker, handsome son of the family that owns the tour company (who happens to look great on a horse), she has just said goodbye to her friends and her old life, is frustrated with her parents' decision, which didn't seem to take her desires into consideration, and has lost her luggage. Colton quickly labels her a spoiled "prairie princess," and that would be the end of it if they weren't so attracted to each other. The sweet, slow-burn romance between Riley and Colton is the main thrust of the narrative, with her attempts to come to terms with her family's move, and his rivalry with a ladies-man colleague adding conflict and emotional depth. Both teens initially fall back on their own experiences to make snap judgements about the other but learn to look past first impressions while out on the trail. VERDICT A fun setting and a couple who readers will root for make this a great light romance selection.-Beth McIntyre

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