COWBOY by Jas T. Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Cowboy is book #3 in the Shadow-keepers (paranormal) series of books. It opens in The Old West during 1869. We meet William Jess Bailey, and learn about his early years of hardship in a frontier town. Jess is described as having a split personality; an invisible friend lives inside his head, whom he names Sundown.
As a young man, Jess joins a gang of thieves, and a large reward is offered for his capture, which a deadly bounty hunter seeks to collect.
The book then leaps forward 200 years, to modern day San Francisco, where we meet Detective Beth Daniels who is investigating a series of murders. Jess, we discover, was saved from the horrors of death by Bounce, a warrior who fights against rogue demons. Jess is granted immortality; in return he must join a group called The Grid, and become a fighter for them.
I was at a disadvantage, when reading this book, because I haven’t read any others in the series, so I had to play catch-up on some of the back stories of both characters and situations. I suspect, for instance, Jess’s other voice, Sundown, has played an important part in a previous book, so that followers of the series will understand the part he plays. Certainly, the 200 year leap in the story-line was a shock I didn’t see coming and it took a while to get my head around the new story threads.
The fiery relationship between Beth and Jess was enjoyable, especially the way the modern city girl was persuaded to change he opinion about Country music. I was keen to learn more about The Grid and Lucifer’s personal plans in the larger game he was planning, but was left a little frustrated, so I think I should have begun with book #1 of the series.
I recommend this book, in the series, to those who enjoy their paranormal mixed with strong language and hot romance.
View all my reviews on Goodreads
Book Description
Welcome Back to The Grid
Jess William Bailey has a history of being a very bad man. But that was the past—now he’s the most brutal of the bad-asses as leader of the Wires—the toughest and deadliest warriors on The Grid. He makes no excuses, feels no guilt for what he has to do and keeps both at bay with women, drink and violence. But his time is quickly running out and Jess has a solitary goal to make sure he leaves at least one good thing behind—his daughter, Sophia. A child that has been raised by the woman he still loves, Emma and the man that used to be the former dark-side of his split personality, Reno Sundown.
The last thing Jess has time for with his collapsing time frame is the beautiful, tough San Fran police detective, Beth Daniels getting in his way.
Beth has always been the one to handle everything that came her family’s way and all she has left is her mother who isn’t able to take life’s hard hits. Beth has worked obsessively in the police department to become one of the toughest detectives with a high crime solution rate. But there’s a serial killer in San Francisco and the city’s women are the targets for the cold-hearted murders. She thought she found the psycho doing the deed. But Jess William Bailey is a whole different brand of killer—one she’s told to stay away from. Which she would be glad to do—if somehow she could.
The Cowboy is totally country.
The Cop is completely rock-n-roll.
Can their two very different beats combine to form a heartbeat of a lasting kind?
And can it survive when Hell wants to kill the song?
About the author
Jas T. Ward has always used writing as a necessary escape. With a past that is marred with a difficult childhood and domestic violence as well as being homeless as an adult, Ward lost her creative voice when she lost her soul mate to suicide.
Finding that creative voice once again in writing in social media via blogs and creative writing groups, it was the fans that encouraged her to put her literary weavings to paper for them to enjoy.
Ward lives in Texas with her dog and cat- Author Dog Pumkin and Writer Kitty Orleans and is the proud parent of three independent children.
When asked why she writes, Ward answers simply:
Reading saved me. It was my salvation and my haven. I now strive to pay that gift back by writing books that can give the same to others. And to keep myself sane.
Rosie Amber 
Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog and commented:
Check out the book, Cowboy, by Jas T. Ward, as featured on the Rosie Amber blog
LikeLike