Saddling Up: Exploring Black Cowboys and Cowgirls in Black Romance Books

Octavia Marie: 00:00:36

Hey girl, hey.

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This is Octavia Marie and this

is my podcast Culture Lit.

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Since the release of Beyoncé's Cowboy

Cotter, I've been seeing a lot of I'm

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in my cowboy era posts with Beyoncé's

name on them next to cowboy romances

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written by and about white folks.

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Insert hard side-eye

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It's making me feel a certain kind of way

and me and my homegirls don't like it.

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Someone was going to have to say this.

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So I'm going to.

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Like country music, romance,

specifically cowboy romance, have

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been predominantly white narratives.

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And that quote unquote tradition is

alive and well today in this genre.

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Beyonce in her announcement of the

name of the album made a point to state

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that this project . came from her lived

experience of feeling unwelcome in the

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country music space because she's Black.

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Every track on the album is a

celebration of Black people,

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history, music, women, culture.

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It was lovingly and intentionally

crafted to make Black folks feel seen

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and celebrated, to lift up those voices

who have been fighting for visibility

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in a space that is not built for them.

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It feels lacking in self awareness to

then use this moment, this piece of

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art that for many of us has a profound

meaning and use it to shout out books

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that center white stories and characters.

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The romance genre has

an anti Black problem.

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At a time where the bestsellers

lists are dominated by the genre,

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only two Black authors have hit

the New York Times list since: 2021

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And it's not because the

stories are not deserving.

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It's because even when there's a moment

ripe to reach for them, Readers don't.

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There are phenomenal Black authors writing

cowboy romances and have been for decades.

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Needless to say, if Cowboy Carter has you

in your cowboy western era and you find

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yourself with an itch to dust off those

cowboy boots, Or maybe by your first pair.

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And are dreaming of days out on

the ranch and oh, I don't know,

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hoping for a little cowboy or

cowgirl to sweep you off your feet?

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Then you are certainly not alone.

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Don't worry.

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I did all the work for you and reigned

in some of my favorite black cowboy

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romance books that will make you long

for sunset fields and horseback riding.

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So grab those Levi jeans

and then put on the song.

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But before we dive into the captivating

world of romance novels, I want

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to just take a moment to honor the

legacy of black cowboys and cowgirls.

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Born out of a necessity and fueled by

a spirit of adventure, Black riders

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forged their own path in the American

West despite facing discrimination

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and hardship along the way.

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The

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Black cowboys played a vital

role in the development of

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the American cattle industry.

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Some were even former slaves

who used their with horses and

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cattle to carve out a new life for

themselves after the Civil War.

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But here's the thing.

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The stories and contributions

of Black writers have often been

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overlooked and underrepresented,

especially in romance novels.

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From the post Civil War era to the

frontier days of the Wild West, black

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cowboys and cowgirls played a vital

role in shaping the American West.

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Yet their stories have been marginalized

and erased from mainstream narratives.

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We've seen countless tales of white

cowboys finding love on the open range,

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but what about black cowboys and cowgirls?

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Join me on this journey through the

dusty trails and open plains of the

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old and new west, guided by masterful

storytelling of acclaimed black

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authors like Beverly Jenkins, Rebecca

Weatherspoon, and Brenda Jackson.

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Their stories are a testament

to resilience, courage, and

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determination in the face of adversity.

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From wrangling cattle to breaking

barriers, black cowboys and cowgirls

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left an indelible mark on the frontier,

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challenging stereotypes and

defying the odds with each ride.

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Now let's turn our attention to the

incomparable Beverly Jenkins, her

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own right and a beloved figure in the

world of historical romance literature.

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Ms.

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Jenkins has brought to life a

rich tapestry of characters and

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settings, including the vibrant

world of black cowboys and cowgirls.

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I'd start with the classic Topaz,

which is absolute perfection.

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Her ability to weave together

historical detail with

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compelling romance is unmatched.

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And Miss Bev is amazing.

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Not only is she a phenomenal writer, but

she is also so fabulously interesting.

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She once came to a Zoom reader

author group and she told some

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of the most intriguing stories.

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It's one of my fave author events ever.

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In novels such as Indigo and Wild

Rain, she transports readers to the

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heart of the Old West, where love and

adventure await around every corner.

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Her heroines are fierce and independent,

her heroes are rugged and honorable,

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and together they embark on journeys

of self discovery and passion amidst

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the backdrop of a changing frontier.

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In Wild Rain, the romance between

Spring and Garrett is tender and

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passionate, offering a fresh perspective

on traditional Western tropes.

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Spring is a horse rancher living in

Wyoming and Garrett, a reporter for

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a black newspaper who has traveled

out west to interview Spring's.

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Brother.

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Spring is independent, prickly, and

extremely competent, and Garrett is

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charmed by her almost from the first

moment he meets her, which happens

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when she rescues him after he falls

off his horse during a blizzard.

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Wild Reign contains many of

the elements that feel like

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a traditional western to me.

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Scenes of blizzards and horse breaking,

confrontations in the local saloon,

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slick shysters from out east coming

to take advantage of the locals.

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But the central characters buck

the stereotypes in numerous ways.

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It's Garrett, who is the gentle,

softly spoken bookish one in Wild

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Reign, the good listener, the fish

out of water, and Spring, who is the

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hot tempered cowboy with the rakish

past who tames wild horses and carries

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a gun that she is not afraid to use.

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I like that Garrett is not portrayed

as weak, even though Spring is more

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physically competent than he is.

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In fact, his respect for and acceptance

of Spring to me is a sign of his

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strength and confidence in himself.

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I also liked how good hearted Garrett was.

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You just knew from the start that Spring

was safe with Garrett on every level.

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There wasn't the slightest trace

of macho bullshit about him.

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There was some fascinating

family dynamics here too.

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Spring's background is pretty harrowing,

and I liked how it was resolved.

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The layers in her relationship

with her brother were particularly

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well done, and Garrett's father's

ambitions for his children.

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And the way he was portrayed as being both

highly sympathetic, but also very wrong.

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As I'm sure we all know and understand,

families are not always easy.

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Most of the conflict in this book

came from outside of the relationship.

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Spring and Garrett got onto the same

page pretty quickly and stayed there.

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Though it took a while for Spring

to extend her full trust to Garrett.

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For me, this actually worked really well.

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Because the external threat

was pretty horrific and flagged

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quite early in the story.

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I think if Spring and Garrett hadn't had

so much tenderness and respect between

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them so early, it would have been hard

to bear the anticipation of that threat.

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Wild Rain has a lot of angst, the

threat that looms over Spring throughout

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that story adds a significant amount

of dread and tension to the story.

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and can make for some tense reading.

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But the sweetness of the relationship

between Spring and Garrick brings balance.

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It was also refreshing to read a

Western set romance with Black and

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Native American characters living side

by side with their white neighbors,

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perhaps not always in harmony, and

never without an awareness of race,

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but, as a community, nonetheless.

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But Jenkins is not alone in celebrating

black cowboy and cowgirl romance.

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Authors like Rebecca Weatherspoon and

Brenda Jackson have also made significant

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contributions to the genre, each

bringing their own unique perspective

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and voice to cowboy storytelling.

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The legendary Brenda Jackson

has an entire catalog of cowboy

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romances, the Westmoreland series.

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That series has over 30 books.

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Brenda Jackson's Secret Love

is part of her Madaris series

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and follows the story of Jacob

Madaris and actress Diamond Swain.

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Despite their complicated

past, their love story is both

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captivating and heartwarming.

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In Secret Love, Jacob is a handsome

cattle baron, who reluctantly

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fulfills a poker pal's request to host

beautiful actress Diamond Swain for

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a three week respite at his sprawling

Texas ranch, Whispering Pines.

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Worried that the star's arrival

would disrupt the smooth operation

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of his successful business, and

distract his workers, Jake decides

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to keep Diamond's presence low key.

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Although he has vowed to never let a

sophisticate like his nasty ex wife

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into his heart again, and Diamond's

own bitter divorce from an abusive

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husband makes a romantic match with Jake

unlikely, the relationship still develops.

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Confronted with unwanted media attention

after eventually going public with

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their love, Jake and Diamond rely on the

support of his large and loyal family.

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Ms.

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Jackson's talent for character

development imparts credibility to

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the otherwise improbable marriage

that the couple manages to keep

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secret for more than a year.

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Rebecca Weatherspoon has a phenomenal

cowboy trilogy set in California that

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are retellings of some favorite fairy

tales like Cinderella, sleeping,

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beauty and Beauty, and the Beast.

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Rebecca Weatherspoon's A Cowboy

to Remember offers a modern twist

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on the cowboy romance genre.

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The chemistry between Evie Buchanan

and Zach Pleasant is electric and

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their journey to rediscover love

is both touching and memorable.

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In "A Cowboy to Remember", Chef Evie

Buchanan is perched on the edge of stardom

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with a headline spot on a hit morning show

and truly mouth watering culinary skills.

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But at an industry party, a

fall lands Evie in the hospital

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with no memory of who she is.

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Scrambling to help, Evie's assistant

contacts the only family Evie has left,

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close friends who run the Luxury Dude

Ranch in California where Evie grew up.

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Evie has no recollection of them

until former rodeo champion, Zach

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Pleasant walks into her hospital

room and she realizes his handsome

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face has been haunting her dreams.

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Zack hasn't seen Evie in years.

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Not since their families

conducted a campaign to make

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sure their childhood friendship

never turned into anything more.

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When the young cowboy refused to admit

the feelings between them were real,

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Evie left California making it clear

she never wanted to see Zack again.

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Now, he refuses to make

the same mistake twice.

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Starting fresh is a risk when they

have a history she can't recall.

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But Zack can't bear to let her go now.

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And we are left to wonder, can Zack

awaken the sleeping beauty inside

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her who might still love him?

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And then in Weatherspoon's If the Boot

Fits, we're treated to another delightful

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romance set on a luxury California ranch.

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The banter between Sam Pleasant and

Amanda is charming, and their chemistry

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sizzles off the page with two characters

who are stuck in their Hollywood careers.

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Sam Pleasant is a movie star who

just won an Oscar for a film he's

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ambivalent about and is burnt

out and unsure what to do next.

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Amanda is an aspiring writer who's

let her day job as an actress's

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personal assistant take over her life.

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Her boss is a diva whose tantrums

keep Amanda too stressed to

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pursue her screenwriting dreams.

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After a friend gets Amanda a ticket to

an Oscars after party, she and Sam have

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an off the page one night stand, with

Amanda sneaking out the next morning,

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assuming they'll never meet again.

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But Hollywood is a small place, and

these two keep running into each

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other, starting with the wedding

of a mutual actress friend that

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just happens to be held, where?

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At Sam's family's ranch.

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I picked up this rom com during a week

when I desperately needed a laugh,

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and it was the perfect comfort read.

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I love the consent seeking cowboy

and science fiction loving fangirl.

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And If the Boot Fits gave me both.

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They meet in la, but fall in

love while bantering about the

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cattle, dogs, and horses in a

setting that serves as a refuge.

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Amanda and Sam are so obviously into

one another and yet so deliciously

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clueless about each other's interests.

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It was a pleasure watching them slowly

figure out how much they have in common

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and flirt shamelessly as they do.

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Amanda initially lies to Sam,

telling him she's a busy screenwriter

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instead of an underappreciated

assistant who must keep answering

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demanding calls about lunch orders.

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It takes her forever to come clean

though, which I found stressful as

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fuck, but this obstacle is eventually

resolved in a minimally frustrating way.

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I appreciated the many plus size

characters in this book, including

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Amanda who is matter of fact about it.

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If you are looking for a fat heroine

who loves her body and has zero baggage

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about her size, this is your book.

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Amanda is confident about her appeal,

even as she's embarrassed by her job.

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To my surprise, one of my favorite things

about this story was a three dimensional

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villain, Amanda's awful boss, Drew.

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She is demanding, superficial,

and spoiled, but she's neither

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stupid nor totally unsympathetic.

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Drew is a biracial woman in a tough

industry, and I could understand

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how Amanda would get sucked into a

codependence dynamic with her, even

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though I spent much of the book internally

screaming at Amanda to quit her job,

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move to the ranch, and sit on Sam's face.

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This loose retelling of Cinderella

is funny, charming, and felt

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like a down to earth fairytale.

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I love revisiting the Playful

Pleasant clan too, with their

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unique mix of Black Hollywood

royalty and Western style chivalry.

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In these Black Cowboy romance books,

we encounter a diverse cast of

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characters grappling with love, loss,

and redemption on the open range.

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From forbidden romances to second

chance encounters, these novels

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offer a tantalizing glimpse into

the lives of Black riders and the

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women who captured their hearts.

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And that's just a snippet.

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There are countless black and

brown cowboy romances out there.

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As we come to the end of our

journey, let's take a moment

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to reflect on the importance of

representation in romance literature.

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The stories we've explored today are more

than just tales of love and adventure.

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They're a celebration of diversity,

resilience, and the power of storytelling.

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By amplifying the voices of Black

authors and celebrating the rich

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history of Black cowboys and cowgirls,

we honor their legacy and ensure that

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their stories are never forgotten.

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Don't forget to check out the works of

Beverly Jenkins, Rebecca Weatherspoon, and

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Brenda Jackson and immerse yourself in the

captivating world of black cowboy romance.

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Read with intention, folks.

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And in the words of QueenYonce,

can we stand for something?

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Now is the time to face the wind.

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Now ain't the time to pretend.

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Now it's time to let love in.

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As always, thank you for

joining me on this adventure.

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Stay tuned for more episodes

celebrating the beauty and

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diversity of romance literature.

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Until next time, happy

trails and happy reading.