Please welcome Rhonda Griffith, reader extraordinaire, as this week's book club discussion leader. If you'd like to learn more about Rhonda, here's an interview she did a few weeks ago.
Today Rhonda is here to talk about The Cowboy's Rules by Maggie Carpenter.
Blurb: Chad Douglas, a successful western horse trainer, is facing a six hour drive back to his home, Horse Haven Ranch, when he receives a call from a friend begging him to come to the aid of a damsel in distress.
The damsel in question is Cassandra Davidson, and her distress is the desperate need for someone to drive her horses to a five-day show jumping event in which she is competing.
Chad has heard that Cassandra is a spoiled princess who can be difficult and demanding, but he has also heard she has a unique appeal that is truly endearing. His curiosity is piqued, and since the show is being held close to his ranch, he decides to come to her rescue. Though sparks fly when they first meet, their long road trip begins, but with a stern warning from Chad. “What you need is an old-fashioned spankin’, and if you don’t get your head on straight I’ll be happy to oblige.”
As their story unfolds, Chad discovers there is more to ‘Sassy Cassie’ than he first thought, and she is utterly captivated by the handsome, no-nonsense cowboy, but Chad lives by a set of rules, and if Cassie wants to spend time with him, she has to follow them or face the consequences.
The Cowboy’s Rules is an old-fashioned love story about a strong-willed cowboy, who has no qualms about yanking a disobedient female across his lap, and an equally strong-willed, defiant young woman, who thinks she’s smarter than the average bear. She is, but so is he.
Centered around a western ranch and a major show jumping event, The Cowboy’s Rules is a romantic page-turner, filled with passionate encounters, sexy spankings, and a love affair that will leave you sighing.
Take it away Rhonda....
It is no secret that I’m a big fan of past and/or present anything Cowboy. I could talk cowboys all day long with anyone that will listen. The Cowboy’s Rules has been on my “to read” list for a couple of months, so when Celeste gave me the opportunity to be apart of her Friday book club blog, I thought what the heck, I need to read the book anyway, so why not use the The Cowboy’s Rules for the book club discussion. Not only is the book a topic that I enjoy but I really like the author as well.
Book club questions for “The Cowboys Rules”:
- “The Cowboys Rules” focuses mainly on Chad & Cassandra but it also has secondary characters, Marty & Hannah. Do you enjoy books that not only follow one set of characters but two?
- In “The Cowboys Rules” Cassandra’s parents never said anything to her about her attitude towards people or bad habits like smoking, because of their own guilt over things that Cassandra witnessed as a child. How many times do we do things in the present that are based on feelings from the past, like guilt?
- Cassandra earned her first ever spanking in chapter two, by Chad who she had just met that day. Would you allow someone to spank you for your bad attitude if you had just met him?
- Chad thought that Cassandra was given everything that she had from her parents (horses, horse trail, barn). When in reality she bought that stuff with her winnings from her horse show jumping events. It’s only human nature to have first opinions of people we first meet. Have you ever had a first impression of someone to find out later you were way off base about that person?
- Chad told Cassie to lay back and relax after her first spanking. He said that she was strung so tight before the spanking, but had relaxed a lot after. Do you think a well deserved spanking can help you release tension that you have been holding onto?
Thank you Rhonda! These are some excellent questions and I can't wait to read the responses.
P.S. Next week Patricia Green will be leading a discussion of my latest book, Becoming Lady Amherst. I hope you'll all stop by for that discussion too. And if you haven't bought the book yet...
I haven't read this book yet, but it sounds hot and these are some great questions!
ReplyDelete1. I enjoy books that follow secondary characters as long as the secondary characters add something to the story, and it's fun if there's a sequel later on with the secondary characters.
3. It's sure fun to read about and fantasize about, but no, I don't think I'd let someone I'd just met spank me, even if he was a hunky cowboy.
4. Good question. I did not like my husband when I first met him. I didn't think he was very friendly and made it a point to avoid him. One night I got stuck working with him and we started talking, and I realized he was actually pretty darn nice.
5. Absolutely, I think spankings are great for stress relief.
Thank you Sue so much for taking the time to stop by.
DeleteIf I had just met someone and he wanted to spank me because I rolled my eyes (which I'm very good at) or me giving him attitude, I'd probably laugh in his face:) Hell, I'd never be out of trouble. haha!
Great questions, Rhonda.
ReplyDelete1. I like secondary characters as long as they aren't more interesting than the main characters.
2. Excellent question. I think that guilt or just things in the past that have affected us, play a big part in our actions today, but I think that, like your example, it is often most obvious in parenting. I have a friend who regrets that she spent so much time watching TV as a child so now her kids barely get to watch any (she's a bit nutty, IMO). Or parents who weren't popular doing everything they can to "give my kids what I didn't have" when in actuality they are trying to do it for themselves.
3. Probably not, but like Sue said, it's fun to think about.
4. I am usually right about the people I don't like immediately. Where I get burnt is liking people who later turn out not to be who I hoped they were.
5. Yes!
Thank you so much Celeste for giving me the opportunity to be apart of your weekly blog.
DeleteI'm like you, my first impressions are pretty right on. every time my husband hires someone, I'm always telling him either they are great or that they are snakes. I'm usually right:)
Thanks again:)))
Answers: #1- Yes I like the secondary characters because normally it leads to another book about them.
ReplyDelete#2 - No I hate guilt
#3- If he is sexy as hell... Yes!
#4- From what I have heard, Yes, but would like to experience this personally by the guy in #3.
Great Post Celeste. I like the interaction by asking the readers some questions.
We're here every Friday with a new book and lots of questions, so come back any time.
Deletethanks so much for posting LA Cloutier. I agree I hate guilt. It is what it is. i can't change the past. :)))
DeleteMaggie Carpenter here, and thank you for creating an anonymous option. I love the questions you've created, and I have a confession to make.
ReplyDeleteWithout giving away too much, let's just say that there was one aspect of the book I enjoyed writing so much, I borrowed from it in my second Cowboy Book. Please don't shoot me... :) My fantasies take over, and I'm sure you know what I mean. :) Thank you again, for featuring this book.
Thank you so much Maggie. I absolutely loved reading this book. I have my fingers crossed for book 2:)
DeleteI haven't read this book, but I love a good cowboy tale. (Have written a number of them myself.)
ReplyDelete1. Secondary characters need to remain secondary. If, near the end of the book, the author wants to hint that those secondary characters will soon have a book of their own, that's enough for me.
2. Guilt is a huge motivator. Just ask any Jewish mother. (I can say that because I was a Jewish mother.) :)
3. I would be unlikely to allow that. There's a trust issue to be overcome, and I would find it very difficult to trust anyone upon just meeting them.
4. Ahem. I gave my husband a total cold shoulder upon first meeting him. I had him pegged as a Lothario because of the girl he was with, but I was wrong.
5. Yes, a spanking is a very effective tension-reliever. But it's been said for a very long time that "a good cry" would make all the difference. I think that applies here.
Great questions, Rhonda. You're a terrific hostess.
Thank you so much Patricia:) I had so much fun doing this for Celeste:)
DeleteGreat questions, Rhonda!
ReplyDeleteI like secondary characters, especially when left open for sequels.
Even though I fantasize about it, I probably would not let a man I just met spank me.
I love spanking as a tension reliever, and like Patricia said, sometimes a good cry is sometimes what I need (with or without the spanking).
Maggie, this looks like a great book!
Congrats!
:)
Thanks Katherine. Maggie here.
DeleteI'm so grateful to Celeste and Rhonda for this. It's my first experience and I'm thoroughly enjoying all the responses.
Would I let a Cowboy spank me just after meeting me? It would depend on the sparks. It's never happened, (with a cowboy or any other man) and I can have a serious attitude at times, so if I was totally attracted, and I was deserving of it, I'd die of embarrassment and be totally turned on at the same time.
Maggie---glad you're having fun. We do this every Friday, so I hope you'll come back and visit. The schedule for the next few weeks is posted on the right---->.
Deletei agree Katherine. I really like secondary characters, especially when they get their own book:)
DeleteI'm so glad that Celeste and I made you happy wiht this blog Maggie. As much as you have been grateful for this blog I was also grateful (as a reader) to be asked to do the blog:)
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ReplyDeleteHaven't read this one, but it is rising quickly to the top of my TBR. I am going to tackle question 5. Do you think a well deserved spanking can help you release tension that you have been holding onto? My answer; hell yeah. Whether its a sexy spanking to relieve tension or a used as way of assuaging guilt and gain forgiveness, putting things to rest a good old fashioned OTK is an excellent tension reliever.
ReplyDeleteWhat's behind all this--oops, sorry for the pun--butt it's science. LOL oops I did it again!
The bottom is a key erogenous zone. You know how it feels when your lover squeezes, pats and caresses it. Often, it requires a bit of attention to stimulate the nerves below a luscious bootay because they are buried deep, some deeper than others. That’s why our booties can tolerate quite a bit of, um, let’s call it stimulation. That stimulation, whether by palm, paddle or crop, can trigger a physiological response like kisses and caresses do, also leading to sexual arousal. Spanks just kick it up a notch. Blood flow to the area through spanking, swatting, rubbing, and squeezing also stimulates the other erogenous zones nearby—namely clit, vagina and anus—for you beginners .
Of course, good old adrenaline (physiolgical excitement) and endorphins (natural pain killers) all play a role leading up to the big “O”, if in the right hands, or under the right hand as the case may be. To wrap up this simple question I again say, hell year. What a better way to release tension other than a well applied OTK and a big “O”? Its no wonder we spankos are hooked.
Thank you so much Maddie for responding today:) I think, after reading these responses, the next time I feel stressed, I may just ask my sweet husband to bend me over and see what happens:) LOL!
Delete1. I am actually so-so on secondary characters UNLESS it's done by Maggie Carpenter. I mean, I do enjoy it from other authors, don't get me wrong, but when Maggie does it, it's magic.
ReplyDelete2. Guilt is a huge thing, but as such, leads to young ladies who need many spankings. :)
3. Um, I am not quite sure I would. I have a spanking fetish, but for punishment? Yeah, I definitely wouldn't do that. thanks for helping me work that one out. :) It's just too intimate an activity to share with someone you don't even know.
4. First impressions, man. Of course, we all have a tendency to judge, it's just human nature. And of course we're not always right, if ever.
5. YES! Sometimes I get spankings purely for the relaxation of it, so that's a big yes from me. (If you couldn't already tell!)
I agree with you Dinah. Maggie does a great job with secondary characters:)
Delete1) I not only enjoy secondary characters but I count on them to parallel what's going on in the story besides the focus of attention, which is usually the hero and heroine. I also write my secondary couple in my own books and I find it does add more to look at, read and sometimes they're a comic relief. All in all, I can't make a blanket assumption, each book of characters needs to be read and enjoyed for who they are in that particular story.
ReplyDelete2) Alot. I feel like people tend to do things because of guilt, to avoid guilt or even in spite of it. For the most part, it seems many people try to avoid that heavy burden of guilt and will even go so far as to be neglectful (which also causes guilt!) in order to avoid it. It's a tricky one.
3) I'm married, so no. But when I was 22 and freshly engaged (5 years ago) my fiance did that and we'd only met face to face twice before. I would have easily let him put me across his knee from day one so long as I knew for a fact that there were boundaries and they wouldn't be crossed. A disciplinary spanking is just that, therefore I wouldn't really take an issue with someone giving me one to straighten me out. Back then, anyway.
4) Not often, but I have been wrong, yes! I try very hard not to make ANY assumptions about anyone and try to get my information about that person by building a relationship with that person directly, asking them questions and learning about them. Not by sight, not by rumours or gossip or even assumptions because they usually turn out wrong. Plus, it hurts when I discover people make assumptions about me. I don't like to put what makes me sad on other people.
5) For me, personally, I don't feel relaxed no, I feel lighter from my misdeeds or the guilt being out in the open. Transparency makes me feel alot better, when there are no secrets and the slate is clear. The actual spanking doesn't physically do much for me except hurt. For me the discipline is deeply emotional. Not sure why :/
thank you so much Bella for your response. I agree with you that people tend to do things out of guilt. I wish people could just get over the past and move on. It is what it is and you can't change anything that happened in the past.
DeleteWow! What a wonderful discussion today! Thanks everyone, and special thanks to Rhonda for leading the discussion and coming up with such interesting questions.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Celeste for asking me to do this. I had a GREAT time hosting you weekly Friday Book Club Blog. I loved the responses a lot. Very interesting:) having some of my favorite authors respond to this post, has not been only a thrill but an honor.
DeleteI've had so much fun, I hope I get the opportunity to host other blogs in the future.
Anonymous Maggie again. :Finally to sleep, and what a better way to turn out the light for the day than to catch up on this. So many thank you's... if I could pluck out the red roses in the background, I'd give you all a bunch. Have a wonderful, spanky weekend. xxxxx Maggie.
ReplyDelete