ABOUT THE BOOK:
It will take a miracle bigger than the state of Texas for these two feuding families to survive the holidays!
Opposites might attract…
The Brennans and the Gallaghers put aside their one-hundred-year feud every Tuesday for their weekly poker game. This week, the stakes are sky-high. Goaded to recklessness, Declan Brennan bets one thousand dollars that he can woo the next woman to walk into the saloon. A minute later, fiery-haired Betsy Gallagher pushes through the doors. If Declan can tame this wild Gallagher, he’ll have earned every penny.
If they don’t kill each other first…
Betsy can outshoot anybody in Burnt Boot and loves ranching more than anything—until she falls for Declan. He’s fallen for her too. But when she discovers what sparked their courtship, Declan will need a Christmas miracle to save his hide—and his heart.
NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author and RITA Finalist, Carolyn Brown, has published more than seventy books. These days she is concentrating on her two loves: women’s fiction and contemporary cowboy romance. She and her husband, a retired English teacher, make their home in southern Oklahoma.
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MY REVIEW:
A Cowboy Christmas Miracle by
Carolyn Brown
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
The Cowboy Christmas Miracle by Carolyn Brown is a 2016 Sourcebooks Casablanca publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Yes, it’s that time of year when reviewers are sampling the upcoming holiday themed books, recommending the ones that make us laugh, or warm our hearts and get us in the mood for the festive and magical season.
This is my first holiday themed book this year, and it’s off to a pretty good start!
There is nothing like a Texas themed holiday romp with sexy cowboys, humor, and of course a long running family feud….
The feud between the Brennan’s and Gallagher’s has been going strong for over a hundred years, but when a poker match between Delcan Brennan and Tanner Gallagher got a little out of hand, a dangerous bet takes place. Unfortunately, Tanner’s favorite cousin, Betsy, becomes the prize, when her arch enemy Delcan Brennan must win her heart in a month’s time or forfeit a thousand dollars.
During the holiday season, love’s magic is a little more potent than usual, but it still has to work extra hard to bring together two people who would never have given each other a chance under normal circumstances.
This book is laugh out loud funny, but there is an underlying bittersweet tinge to it because of the forbidden and unrequited love the couple felt they would have to live with forever because of their family names. But, when they begin spending time together, working on the church’s holiday program, they keep it a secret from everyone as they fall hopelessly in love. But, what happens when their families find out?
Since I have not read the previous installments in the series, I am not familiar with the dynamic or the secondary characters, so the church may have played a role in the series all along, but for me, I felt a little uncomfortable mixing church, praying, and the Christian holiday in with drinking, bars, sexy time, and cursing. It was a strange combination, but the pastor was pretty cool.
Other than that, this was a really cute story and has all the elements a good holiday romance should, infusing a nice amount of humor in with a spicy romance and a heartwarming happy ever after. So, when you begin picking romances for the fast approaching holiday season, be sure to add this one to your list!
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Hi! I'm twenty five years old and movie star gorgeous. The camera added thirty plus years and a few wrinkles. Can't trust those cameras or mirrors either. Along with bathroom scales they are notorious liars! Honestly, I am the mother of three fantastic grown children who've made me laugh and given me more story ideas than I could ever write. My husband, Charles, is my strongest supporter and my best friend. He's even willing to eat fast food and help with the laundry while I finish one more chapter! Life is good and I am blessed!
Reading has been a passion since I was five years old and figured out those were words on book pages. As soon as my chubby little fingers found they could put words on a Big Chief tablet with a fat pencil, I was on my way. Writing joined reading in my list of passions. I will read anything from the back of the Cheerio's box to Faulkner and love every bit of it. In addition to reading I enjoy cooking, my family and the ocean. I love the Florida beaches. Listening to the ocean waves puts my writing brain into high gear.
I love writing romance because it's about emotions and relationships. Human nature hasn't changed a bit since Eve coveted the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Settings change. Plots change. Names change. Times change. But love is love and men and women have been falling in and out of it forever. Romance is about emotions: love, hate, anger, laughter... all of it. If I can make you laugh until your sides ache or grab a tissue then I've touched your emotions and accomplished what every writer sets out to do.
I got serious about writing when my third child was born and had her days and nights mixed up. I had to stay up all night anyway and it was very quiet so I invested in a spiral back notebook and sharpened a few pencils. The story that emerged has never sold but it's brought in enough rejection slips to put the Redwood Forest on the endangered list. In 1997 Kensington bought two books for their Precious Gems line. Two years and six books later the line died with only four of those books seeing publication. But by then Avalon had bought a book and another, and another. Ten years later the list has grown to thirty nine. Last year Sourcebooks bought the Lucky Series which is in the bookstores now. They've also bought The Honky Tonk Series which will debut with I LOVE THIS BAR in June and will be followed by HELL, YEAH, MY GIVE A DAMN'S BUSTED, and HONKY TONK CHRISTMAS.
Folks ask me where I get my ideas. Three kids, fifteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren. Note: I was a very young grandmother! Life is a zoo around here when they all come home. In one Sunday afternoon there's enough ideas to keep me writing for years and years. Seriously, ideas pop up at the craziest times. When one sinks its roots into my mind, I have no choice but to write the story. And while I'm writing the characters peek over my shoulder and make sure I'm telling it right and not exaggerating too much. Pesky little devils, they are!
I have a wonderful agent, Erin Niumata, who continues to work magic and sell my work. I'm very lucky to have her and my editors who continue to believe in me.
Happy reading!
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