Lovers of sweet romances will take Hired By The Cowboy to their hearts. It’s a marriage of convenience story set in Canada and it’s sweet, really sweet and endearing as a basket of fluffy kittens. I was all set to get cynical about it, but my attitude didn’t last the first chapter.

Alexis Grayson is alone and in dire straits. Her parents were killed in a crash and they left her very little money. Lonely and longing for love, she fell for a smooth talking dude named Ryan who bailed on her when she became pregnant. Alex has been working in a tavern and sleeping on the floor of a friend’s house and worrying herself sick about how she is going to care for her child. It doesn’t help that she has morning sickness, and one day in an overheated store she passes out.

Connor Madsen is chivalrous down to his boots. He takes charge of Alex, and before she knows it, he’s gotten her something to eat and drink and taken her to a cooler place. Connor is charmed by Alex’s independence – having grown up around strong women he appreciates them – and he promises to stop by and see how she is doing later.

Connor is in almost as dire straits as Alex. There’s disease in some of the cattle herds and the US and other countries have stopped imports of Canadian beef. Connor has cash flow problems, but he has a trust fund that would help. The problem is, he can’t get to the trust fund until next year when he’s thirty, and by then it would be too late. However (you knew this was coming), if he marries, Connor can access the trust fund and save his ranch. He proposes a marriage of convenience to Alex; he’ll take care of her and the child until she can get on her feet and get access to the trust fund. Alex is not all that sure, but she is in a real bind and finally agrees.

Yes, this story is pretty well improbable but I was charmed by it and my cynical self went off to sulk while I oohed and ahhed over the sheer sweetness of the book. Connor is perfect – just perfect – and when my cynical self whispered “How come this paragon of perfection hasn’t married already?” I kicked Ms Cynical back in the corner. He was waiting for Alex – that’s why. Alex was sweet too, although she had a bad tendency to go into fits of “I’m not worthy”! at times. But I forgave her – she was just so sweet!! And Connor’s grandmother Joanna – she was sweet too. Sigh.

Maybe I’ve read one too many erotic tales, or encountered too many alpha heroes, but I was totally taken in by this sweet, romantic tale. It’s kind of like a fairy tale for adults, and there are times when we need them. Hired By The Cowboy Donna Alward’s first book and she makes a strong debut. If you love sweet stories, this is exactly the book for you.