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A Cowboy Worth Waiting For–Rodeo Matchmaking
A Cowboy Worth Waiting For
by Melinda Curtis
Why are cowboys so appealing? I think it is because their job is a tough one requiring strength and endurance and is embedded in the natural world, the outdoors. Cowboys are by their very nature high on the masculinity scale. That includes Wade, a bareback bull rider and his family of non-biological brothers who are former fosters on the D Double R ranch. These young men faced tough times in their pasts, but were successfully guided by Mary and Frank Harrison through the hurts that landed them in the foster system. The men view Mary and Frank as parents and have chosen to stay on working the ranch that supplies horses and bulls for rodeos.
Wade lost his wife Libby to a brain tumor. He continues to isolate himself from hurt by distancing himself from people. The exception is his foster family and his tweenage daughter Ginny. Ronnie, who was Libby’s best friend, promised Libby that she would find a new wife for Wade who was also a longtime friend of Ronnie’s. Her means to accomplish this end (while disguising it) is starting a matchmaking business for cowboys, cowgirls, and all who enjoy rodeo. Ronnie, known for her kind heart, also has a reputation for messing things up—from the businesses she starts to navigating the physical world.
All the characters are likable, and young Ginny is realistic as she bounces back and forth between being a little girl and wanting to be “grown up.” The brothers have different strengths and strong bonds; they enjoy a lot of good natured ribbing. Ronnie is a fun character; she has resolved not to fall in love and can’t see the romance right in front of her while she successfully matches up other couples.
If you like clean romances and cowboys or are just intrigued by the cowboy life and lifestyle, I think you will enjoy A Cowboy Worth Waiting For. Knowing author Melinda Curtis’ expertise with series that revolve around families, I would expect this to be only the first of some good stories about each of the brothers.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance
Notes: #1 in The Cowboy Academy series, a Harlequin Heartwarming book
Publication: March 28, 2023—Harlequin Digital
Memorable Lines:
There was the Ronnie in her head, the one who planned romantic picnics. And then there was Ronnie out there in the world, spreading her picnic blanket over a fire ant mound. After her last date had called her a menace and was trying to sue her for damages, she’d come to a decision. Men were safer without her.
Ronnie’s cheeks heated until they felt hot enough to sizzle bacon.
In a nearby chute, a cowboy lowered himself on the back of Hustle Train, a beefy Brahman mix who delighted in turning on a dime to rid himself of pesky cowboys with dreams of grandeur.
A Cowboy Thanksgiving–Thanksgiving with Christmas themes thrown in
A Cowboy Thanksgiving
by Melinda Curtis
If you are searching for a good seasonal read, look no further than Melinda Curtis’ final book in The Mountain Monroes Series. Although you might think it would be daunting to start reading the series with the twelfth and last book, I think you would be pleasantly surprised. Characters from previous books are mentioned or have a recurring role, but their connections are either explained or are not critical.
A Cowboy Thanksgiving focuses on Bo Monroe, the last of the Monroes to come to Second Chance, Idaho, to weigh in on the decision he and his cousins would have to make a year after they inherited the town from their beloved Grandpa Harlan. Bo brings along a friend’s cousin, Max, whom because of a bad phone connection, he assumes will be a boy. Instead, he is tasked with providing a good holiday for Maxine. Her survival technique is to erect barriers to avoid being hurt as she has been in the past as “an unwanted orphan” who later in life is “crushed by a disappointing marriage and a calculated divorce.” Max is accompanied by her precious four year old daughter Luna.
To her surprise, Max finds herself warmly embraced by the huge Monroe family who has gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving and compete in the Monroe Holiday Challenge, a week long event of fun and games that the handsome, charming, and competitive Texan Bo has never won.
The challenges combine cowboying, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with a backdrop of snow. Because so many of the Monroes are young, the competitions have been designed with their limitations in mind so the week will be fun for everyone. Contests include scarecrow stuffing, sleigh decorating, gingerbread house decorating, and snow skiing behind a horse with the skier carrying a pumpkin head to top his team’s snowman at the end of the course. Bo, Max, and Luna comprise “Team Bo,” one of five teams, while the rest of the Monroes, spouses, and children gather round to help with preparations and support the teams.
While all this is happening, Max and Bo get to know each other better. Max does not fit neatly into Bo’s list of the ideal woman’ characteristics. Will Bo discover that the heart is stronger than the head? Will Max overcome her trust issues? It is fun to watch the journey of these two. All of the Monroe clan can see the attraction and the reader watches the relationship develop along with the Monroe cousins.
The author ends the book and series with an epilogue that explains the status of the various Monroes, tying up any loose ends. She also chimes in with what Grandpa Harlan would think about his grandchildren and the legacy he passed on to them as he took the silver spoons from their mouths and gave them the opportunity to develop strength of character and discover their individual paths in life.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance
Notes: #12 in The Mountain Monroes Series. This is a family saga, but each book focuses on a different one of the twelve cousins. Melinda Curtis says she enjoyed “the challenge of making each book connected yet stand-alone.”
Publication: August 23, 2022—Harlequin Heartwarming
Memorable Lines:
“Luna will never know what it’s like to be an afterthought. I don’t want her to learn how to hold back her tears because she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. She should’t have to walk on eggshells wondering when the next moving day will come.” She shouldn’t have to store important possessions in her suitcase for fear she’d leave something dear to her behind in the next move.
“As a fellow engineer, I know it’s habit to follow a logical plan. There’s safety in blueprints and standard processes. But sometimes you have to embrace the unknown and trust that your ability to creatively problem-solve will lead you to a more satisfying result.”
There were more Monroes swarming about the log cabin looking for clues about who had lived there than there were ants on a potato chip dropped at a summer picnic. They all wanted to know if their grandfather had stayed here during his visits.
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