Kissed by A Cowboy - A Review

Published - February 2016, Thomas Nelson Publishers
Series - Four of Hearts Ranch Romance Book 3
Author - Debra Clopton
Title - Kissed By a Cowboy
Format - ebook, paper
Find on Amazon

Cassidy Starr has returned to Wishing Spring after hard divorce. She wants to put her aunt's farm back in operation and raise organic strawberries as well as open a bed and breakfast. She's done with love. Jarrod Monahan's got his own troubles. He's running the family cattle ranch and trying to track down some rustlers. He's never forgotten the girl next door though. When he learns that the one woman who stole his heart years ago has moved in next door, he can't help but see this as a second chance. Despite the fact that she wants nothing to do with him or love. But as their lives collide, will Cassidy recognize the fact that not all men are like her ex-husband, and will she give the cowboy she still loves a second chance?

Whenever I read one of Debra Clopton's books, I know a couple of things. First, there will be cowboys. Second, it's usually hilarious. This book is true on both accounts. It's the third in the series, but does stand alone.

I loved Jarrod's pursuit of Cassidy. I loved that he realized when he was rushing her and took a step back. But I also loved how he was the wonderful good neighbor and was there to help her out when she needed it. I thought that Cassidy was a little too determined to hang onto her plans.

The secondary characters, as usual, are delightful. I love the town of Wishing Springs and the people who live there. In this one, I really liked Doc's pig Clover.

It's a quick read. I also found it to be very light-hearted.

I received the Kindle copy for free from Booklook Bloggers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Debra Clopton, Love Inspired, cowboys, Mary Connealy, Janice Thompson, Lacy Williams

Rating - 4 stars

Counting on a Cowboy - A Review

Published - August 2015, Thomas Nelson
Series - Four of Hearts Ranch Romance Book 2
Author - Debra Clopton
Title - Counting on a Cowboy
Format - ebook, paper
Find on Amazon

Abby Knightly moves to the small town of Wishing Springs, Texas to start over. She's lost all that she holds dear and wants a chance to heal. When Abby meets Bo Monahan, she discovers that he could be a great friend. And at this point in her life, that's all she wants. Bo wants to do his part to save the family ranch while caring for his grandfather. He's not interested in seeing his little town become the new romantic destination or the women who flock there trying to catch his attention like he's Mr. Right. He certainly doesn't need the complications that come with a romantic relationship. When he first meets Abby, he's wary that she's like the other women who have flocked to his town. But as he gets to know her, he finds out she's not. Bo's thrown for a loop when the infant son he never knew about shows up on his doorstep. He knows even less about babies than he does about women. This confirmed bachelor needs help. Abby finds herself drawn to the baby and to his handsome daddy. As she helps him navigate being a parent, the two find themselves drawn to each other. Perhaps these two wounded hearts can find hope and love together.

Debra Clopton's books always make me giggle. This one was no exception. While it is book two in the series, it stands alone.

I love the way that Debra can create a town full of interesting characters. She's done that with her Mule Hollow series and she's done that again with this one. Even though the supporting cast may be more minor characters, they are delightful. I especially loved Pearl and Pops.

I really enjoyed getting to know Abby and Bo in this book. Getting a glimpse of Tru & Maggie from the previous book was fun too. I find that it is always fun to catch up with characters. I'm looking forward to the third book about Jarrod. These brothers have been fun to read about.

I received this book for free from BookLook Bloggers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Janice Thompson, Love Inspired, Debra Clopton, romantic comedy

Rating - 4 stars

Betting on Hope - A Review

Published - February, 2015, Thomas Nelson Publishers
Series - Four of Hearts Ranch Romance Book 1
Author - Debra Clopton
Title - Betting on Hope
Format - ebook, paper, audio
Find on Amazon

Maggie Hope is a journalist and the author of a popular advise column. When her friend needs her to fill in on a TV interview with horse trainer Tru Monahan, Maggie agrees because she knows what it could do for her column. When she makes a bet with him on camera, her producers and his sponsors want it to happen. Maggie never dreamed she'd go from having never been on a horse to entering a competition in just a few short weeks. Yet Tru's a good teacher and she soon finds her heart being drawn to the handsome cowboy doing all he can to save his family's ranch. Will Tru be able to see into Maggie's heart and that she really does belong in Whispering Springs?

I've read quite a few of Debra Clopton's Love Inspired Books over the years and I always enjoyed them. So when I had a chance to review this full-length novel, I was thrilled.

I loved how Maggie had to step out of her comfort zone to do something she wasn't sure about. I also loved how patient Tru was with her. I loved how he was determined to do whatever he had to do in order to save his family's ranch.

The cast of minor characters were delightful and I look forward to the stories featuring Tru's brothers.

I found the book to be a very quick read. It was filled with humor. I think I giggled all of the way through it.

I received this book for free from Booklook Bloggers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Janice Thompson, Love Inspired, cowboys, romance, Debra Clopton

Rating - 4 stars

An August Bride - A Review

Published - July 29, 2014, Zondervan Books
Series - Year of Weddings Novella
Author - Debra Clopton
Title - An August Bride
Format - ebook
Find on Amazon

Kelsey Wilcox has given up on love. And cowboys. And anything to do with ranching. She's happily running a popular bistro on the beach in Corpus Christi. She's also a bridesmaid in her cousin's wedding. When the Mule Hollow Matchmaking Posse arrives in town for the wedding, Kelsey hoped to stay under their radar. But no such luck with her aunt on the posse. Especially when she races into the ocean to rescue her aunt's puppy. Yet when the current pulls her down, she soon finds herself in the arms of a handsome cowboy. Brent Corbin thinks he's seeing things when he sees a mermaid struggling in the water. He quickly realizes that his mermaid is a beautiful woman. When he discovers that they are both in the same wedding, he hopes to build on the attraction between them. There's just a couple of obstacles in the way. The biggest being that she doesn't want anything to do with cowboys or ranches. With the encouragement of the posse, Brent takes a chance. Will Kelsey let him break down her barriers?

I've always enjoyed Debra Clopton's books. This one was no exception.

I found it to be full of humor and very sweet. I really loved Brent. Handsome cowboy who is a sweetheart? That's like a swoon worthy combination. I loved how he was so patient with Kelsey. Yet he was determined to show her that not all cowboys are the same. And of course I loved the Posse. They are always a hoot whenever I stumble across them.

I think that romantics everywhere would enjoy this. It is one of my favorites in the Year of Weddings series.

This one is probably my second favorite of the series so far. My fave being March Bride. :)

I received this book for free from BookLook Bloggers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of weddings, novellas, Love Inspired, Debra Clopton

Rating - 4 stars

Four Weddings and A Kiss - A Review

Published - Thomas Nelson Books, June 2014
Title - Four Weddings and a Kiss.
Authors - Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Mary Connealy, Robin Lee Hatcher
Format - ebook, paper
Find on Amazon 

A collection of four western novellas that center around unlikely matches.

Spitfire Sweetheart - Mary Connealy
Maizy Place is a tomboy to the extreme. When she causes an accident that seriously injures neighbor Rylan Carstens, she decides that the only way she can make amends is become his caregiver. Neither expects to fall in love.
My thoughts - This was by far my favorite of the collection. I loved the dynamics between Maizy & Rylan. I thought that they were both great. Rating - 4.5 stars.

Love Letter to the Editor - Robin Lee Hatcher
Molly Everton is outspoken and hoping her father will give her the editor's position. Needless to say, she's shocked when the position is given to newcomer Jack Ludgrove. Molly then tries everything in her power to get him to leave town. Jack's not intimated. In fact, he likes the spitfire personality she tries so hard to hide. Before they know it, they are falling in love.

My thoughts - This one was really slow moving for me. I liked the characters, but I thought that the plot really just plodded along. Still it was cute. Rating 3 stars.

A Cowboy for Katie - Debra Clopton
Katie Pearl is afraid. She lost her father and her home in a recent tornado and she's trying to survive on her own. The townspeople think she's crazy. When drifter Treb Rayburn arrives in town, she hires him to help her build her house. She doesn't expect that this drifter could teach her a couple of lessons along the way.

My thoughts - I've read a lot of Debra Clopton's books before and have always really enjoyed them. They make me laugh. This one, I didn't connect with. It had a way more serious tone than I've come to expect from a Debra Clopton book. I think that this one was probably my least favorite of the four novellas. I easily found myself putting it down and not picking it back up. Rating 2 stars.

Courting Trouble - Margaret Brownley
Grace Davenport is either a killer or just very unlucky. When her third husband is found dead, she is arrested. Her young son hires attorney Brock Daniels to help her. Brock isn't interested in the case until he meets the beautiful young woman. Then he sets out to prove her innocence. But along the way, will these two lonely hearts find love?

My thoughts - I enjoyed this one. Not as much as the Mary Connealy one, but I did enjoy this one. I thought that Grace's son was absolutely precious! I loved how Grace and Brock came to fall in love. Rating 4 stars

Overall thoughts - I loved how these four novellas were tied together in the prologue and the epilogue with the pastors telling the stories of these unlikely couples. While this collection was not my favorite of these authors, I enjoyed it.

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson's Booklook Bloggers program for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of historical fiction, novellas, Love Inspired Historicals

Overall rating - 3 stars.

Bride for All Seasons - A Review

A mail-order bride catalog whose facilitator of the ads submitted has a tendency of editing the ads admits that his "edited" ads have helped four couples find happiness. But what happens when the couples find out about the "creative editing? Four talented authors combine to write these novellas.

And Then Came Spring - Margaret Brownley - Gambler's daughter, Mary Jo Parker, arrives in town to discover that not only has her fiance died, but that he left behind an 8 year old son that was never mentioned in his letters. Yet it's the boy's uncle that finds her hoping for more.

An Ever After Summer- Debra Clopton - Widower Matt McConnell was very specific in his ad for a mail order bride - Bible believers need not apply. All he wants is a practical woman to be a mama for his daughter. When Bible believer Ellie shows up, he's so desperate for help that he accepts her as is. But will love follow?

 Autumn's Angel - Robin Lee Hatcher - Aspiring opera singer Luvena Abbott from a privileged childhood arrives in rural Idaho with her nieces and nephew in tow to answer the ad that Opera House owner Clay Birch placed. He specifically stated that widows with children should not apply. What will Clay do when Luvena takes an add out of her own?

Winter Wedding Bells - Mary Connealy - David Laramie wants a woman who will care for his children when he dies. But no young woman with dreams of her own would even consider his ad. Then Megan shows up. Seems that David's edited letter made no mention of him dying.

My thoughts

I have read books by each of these authors before. So when I saw that they were writing a novella book together, I knew I had to add it to my to-read list.

I wasn't disappointed in the book. Each author brought her own style to the book, and each story had characters that were endearing. I laughed my way through one of the stories, and sighed happily after reading others. This is a very enjoyable read. I'd have to say that my favorite story was Winter Wedding Bells mainly because I just adored Megan. I think that this book would be great for a beach, a pool side, a family vacation, or anything else going on in the summer.

I received the Kindle edition of this book for free from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Mary Connealy, Debra Clopton, Robin Lee Hatcher, Margaret Brownley, fun reads, historical romance, mail order brides.

Rating - 4 stars