Matchmaking the Cowboy by Emily Conrad Review

 

I first visited Redemption Ridge last year when I read Bidding on a Second Chance by Emily Conrad. I was so excited to get a chance to read her newest book, Matchmaking the Cowboy, and return to Redemption Ridge. 

In this book we are treated to Lucy and Hollis's story. Lucy is the veterinarian that comes out to help Hollis with his beloved horse Pepperjack. Neither one of them is looking for a relationship, but it appears someone has a different idea and is trying to get them together. 

Hollis is dealing with the death of his father and plus issues that are affecting his family's ranch. Lucy is not interested in starting a relationship with anyone because of the bad experience she had with her ex. Let me tell you, that ex was a piece of work and I couldn't stand him and his mentally abusive ways. So, I was invested in these characters and their struggles. And I needed to see how the ex was going to be put in his place. I couldn't believe the way he was trying to ruin not only Lucy's life, but Hollis's as well. 

I loved the Christmasy events and activities that took place in the story as Lucy joined with her friends, including Hollis who was the "unsuspecting" recipient of Lucy's inept matchmaking. I especially loved that we got to see Piper and Graham again. 

I was eager to find out how long it would take for Lucy and Hollis to realize they had feelings for each other and what they would do about those feelings. 

And the interactions with the animals were heartwarming and hilarious at times. My daughter just loves cows, and wants one so bad, so it was fun to read a book where the main character has two cute Highland cows who were quite important to the plot. 

And faith played an important part in this story. There was the reminder to seek God's will and trust in Him. 

Definitely a book I highly recommend. 

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - November 15, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I'm reading Christmas in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell.

I'm also reading An Unexpected Catch by Abbey Downey, the second book in her Adventurous Hearts series. This book releases next week.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  Christmas in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell:

"Ellie Sawyer looked at the time in the corner of her computer screen."

I wondered what was important about the time.

An Unexpected Catch by Abbey Downey:

"'Miss Curran, say you'll be my wife.'" 

Hmm, I wondered if this was a welcome propasal or one Miss Curran wanted to avoid.

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Christmas in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell:

 

"Memories of all the times that church members had invited her to small groups or cookouts rushed in-along with how she had said she was too busy, every single time. But the truth nudged her heart. She hadn't actually been busy every time. . . just worried that if she let others into her life, they might think she was uninteresting or awkward. It was easier to push people away than risk rejection, and so she'd allowed her teaching and studies to take precedence over everything in her life for these past few years-even God."

An Unexpected Catch by Abbey Downey:

"Then the women disappeared into the building and Emmett was left alone, trying to decide what he was going to do. Grandmother's words had been direct enough. But still, he hesitated. The sharp ache in his skull intensified."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. Here is the link to one of them. I am still reading the other one.

Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller

Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller Review

 

I really enjoyed Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller, the third book in her Horizon series. I was excited to get to know Ruby and read her story. Ruby is one of the daughters of Paisley and Tyler, the main characters from book one of this series. Ruby and her siblings are all grown now. Ruby is still at home with her parents and has been helping out financially with her job at the local newspaper. A job which she is so excited about, except for the fact that she has to deal with an ornary boss and annoying, stuck-up co-worker.

We also meet Jake Lynton and get to see the story from his point of view. He's living as a recluse on a nearby, rundown farm that he is trying to spruce up. Because of things in his past he just wants to keep to himself and doesn't appreciate that he keeps coming face-to-face with Ruby, especially when she is tasked with approaching him for a story.

As much as he tries to keep to himself, and as much as he doesn't think he needs anyone else, including God, we can see that God is working in his life. The story is a bit of that of the prodigal son from the Bible and forgiveness plays a big part in the story.

I loved seeing the relationship between Ruby and Jake change and evolve. There were a lot of emotions evoked in this book, and I found myself both laughing and crying, both sad tears and happy tears. So be prepared. There is also a bit of peril with a bad guy, though nothing too extreme.
I'm loving this series and can't wait for the next book.

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Christmas in the Cascades Review

 

Christmas in the Cascades was an enjoyable anthology. I discovered this anthology through one of the authors, Cali Black, as I have been on some of her launch teams. I loved the sound of this book and was willing to give it a try, even though I didn't know the other authors. 

I loved reading about Dane's Creek through the years. Reading the story of the bell for the bell tower being created in the first novella, and then seeing the significance of the bell to the town in each story, though it did seem more significant in some stories more than in others. I loved the way the final novella brought it all together, very nostalgic, and I love nostalgia. I definitely found myself tearing up at the end.

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - November 8, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I'm reading Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller, the third book in her Horizon series. This book released this past week.

I'm also reading Matchmaking the Cowboy by Emily Conrad. This book also released this week.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller:

"For a moment, she was the world-famous reporter, Ruby Shepherdson, author of the latest award-winning article."

Lovely dream and goal.

Matchmaking the Cowboy by Emily Conrad:

"'You are not Dr. Carter.' Hollis fought the urge to cross his arms and stand like a barricade at the entrance to the Price Quarter Horses stable." 

So, if the person he was talking to wasn't Dr. Carter, who was he or she. And why didn't Hollis want this person coming in the stable. 

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller:

 

"Oh, the things a bank robber could tell. The life he must have lived. . .
For everyone had a story.
Even criminals."

Matchmaking the Cowboy by Emily Conrad:

"This insight into Hollis pulled at her allegiances at a much deeper level than attration had. She needed to comfort him, but what could she say that wouldn't seem trite or like she was minimizing his pain?"

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. Here are the links to the reviews:

Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens

Sookie's Silence by Marisa Masterson

Sookie's Silence by Marisa Masterson Review

 

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. I had chosen it because it was recommended for one of my reading challenges. I needed a book that had a deaf or mute character. 

Sookie had lost her ability to speak because of an accident she was in. She and her sister were struggling to make ends meet when she was given the opportunity to move west and become a wife and mother to a widower and his young daughter. She was also needed as a school teacher for the town in Nebraska. 

Unbeknownst to the sisters, there was someone who had some nefarious plans for them. I loved this added suspense in this marriage of convenience story. I also loved seeing Sookie and Onie's relationship develop. 

There were a couple of things that bothered me a bit, so I did lower my rating by one star, but all in all this was a great story, and a quick read.

Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens Review

 

Oh my goodness, she's done it again! Dragonfly Ashes is another awesome Christian suspense by C.C. Warrens. I absolutely loved it.

Noelle is an author who is struggling with coming up with an idea for her next book. She is living in the house she purchased at the beginning of the first book, Firefly Diaries, but she now has an adopted daughter, Skyler, living with her who she is determined to keep safe. Thankfully she doesn't have to protect her daughter all by herself. There is also Walt, the old guy who lives on the property and Noelle's boyfriend Derek, who also happens to be a police captain.

But when a stalker (or is it more than one stalker) appears, and barns are set ablaze, and murders occur, will Noelle be able to keep her daughter and herself safe, even with the help of Derek and Walt? Will they be able to discover who the murderer/arsonist is before more people die? Are the stalker and the arsonist connected? And how exactly does it all connect to the Dragonfly killer from decades ago?

The author gripped me with the first line and I remained rivetted to the story. 

I've been in love with the author's Holly series since I read the first book. And now I'm loving reading her Cherry Creek Mysteries. I loved Firefly Diaries, but this one was even better. It has the author's wonderful storytelling, including edge of your seat suspense and witty humor. I found myself literally laughing out loud multiple times, and constantly highlighting quotes, and sharing them with my family.

The mystery in this was intriguing and the suspense was intense. I DID NOT see the ending coming at all. Quite the twist. And faith is integral in the characters' lives.

I loved revisiting the characters from book one abd getting to see relationships evolve.

Definitely a book I highly recommend, but make sure to read book one first. 

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.