Goes Well With: A spicy bowl of chili, warm bread, and a tall drink o’ water
Every Saturday night, Ally and her best friend, Lillian, get all dolled up in their fanciest duds and head out to the Lonesome Star Karaoke Bar, where Ally sings her heart out to her handsome cowboy, Nick.
For Ally, it was love at first sight. Since then, she’s been trying to win Nick’s heart by dressing in uncomfortably tight outfits and spending hours on her hair and makeup before she goes out every week. It’s definitely worked—he can’t take his eyes off her—but now she’s afraid that she’ll lose him if he ever finds out who she really is.
Meanwhile, Nick is afraid that he’s fallen in love with a woman who’s totally out of his league. She’s gorgeous and perfect—and she has a beautiful voice. But this country-singing angel would be horrified if he ever brought her out to the ranch to meet his hard-working family.
Karaoke Cowgirl is a simple, down-home romance about the uncertainty of new love. Like Ally and Nick, we’ve all tried—at one point or another—to make ourselves more attractive or more interesting or more fabulous than we really are, just to get the attention of a good-looking stranger. Most of the time—at least in real life—it doesn’t end well. But, well, this isn’t real life—so, before you even start reading, you’ll already know how it’s going to end.
As Colleen has pointed out before, it’s difficult to get to know a character in just a few pages. Fortunately, though, Dawn understands her limitations, so she keeps her characters simple. She doesn’t try to throw in any bizarre personality traits or decades-old baggage. She doesn’t try to get too in-depth into their stories, either. And though they’re not exactly realistic characters (especially Nick, who’s just way too good to be true), they’re likeable and down-to-earth—making it easy for readers to relate to them and their situation.
While it isn’t especially new or surprising, Karaoke Cowgirl makes for a pleasantly light little lunch-time read. Dawn writes her characters well, and the story comes together in a neat and fluffy (and, of course, happy) ending. It’s simply a warm and cozy romance that any cowgirl can enjoy.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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