A Touch of Forever (Cowboys of Colorado #3) by Jo Goodman book review

I’ll admit right away that my romance consists of Regency England and sometimes Scottish historical fiction. I also read small town contemporary romance. Also, erotica. Lots and lots. I get derailed by the things I really love and don’t always try new things. So, this book seemed like it would be a cowboy western romance, which it sort of was...but wasn’t. I’ve probably only read a couple books in this genre and this author was new to me. Even though she has written tons of book. I’m glad I took a chance on it. Yes, it takes place in Colorado in the early 1900’s (ish?). The railroad is being built and cowboys do exist. But Roen came from a pretty wealthy family in New York City, so he’s not really a cowboy. He’s a talented artist (not sure if he would be considered a cartographer) in the book he is a railroad engineer and kind of running away from a stalker. He likes the outdoors and working as a freelancer for the railroads suits him just fine.

Lily Salt is a widow who has sworn off men for good reason. She is a survivor and her story comes out throughout the book. When the two meet, there is instant attraction although Lily nor Roan would admit to that. Lily comes with kids and Roen is from out of town. It seems like the odds are stacked against them. Roen (I really like his name...it’s hot) gets a message he decides that a marriage of convenience would be a good answer. It would help him out and it would help Lily out. Things weren’t necessarily easy for single women in her time. This was a very slow-burn romance and normally I don’t wait that long to get to the good stuff….but this story was so good, that I had to keep reading. The kids and the people in the town were so well written that they were captivating in their own right. The nuances of racism towards Chinese Americans was historically accurate and powerfully woven into the story.

I may have fallen in love a little bit with Roen. But it was ok that Lily got him ;) This book is part of a series, but since I read it as a standalone and it was my first Jo Goodman book, it doesn’t have to be read in order. Even though I am a stickler for reading things in order. I guess I made all sort of exceptions by delving into this book. All in all, I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to anyone willing to settle into a longer romance book. Oh, and the cover is really sexy.  I think the cover models chosen did the characters justice.