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 … 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.
Praise for The Trouble with Texas Cowboys:
“Humorous, heartwarming, and full of sass and spunk.” –RT Book Reviews, 4 stars
“A delightful romance amid hilarious feuding families…What a treat to be back in Burnt Boot!” –Fresh Fiction
“Captivating…filled with love and laughter!” –The Romance Reviews
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This has been a riot of a fun series from start to finish with sassy cowgirls, flirty cowboys, and a family feud that was over the top hijinks. It was fitting that the last book was told against a holiday that calls for ‘peace on earth; goodwill toward men’ because maybe- just maybe the Gallaghers and the Brennans can find a way to call an end to their feud. Betsy Gallagher and Declan Brennan sure hope so because they do not want to be the Burnt Boot version of the doomed Juliet and Romeo.
As the fourth and final book in the series, this is not the best one to read out of order. Both characters and the situation were introduced earlier in the series.
The story opens with Declan participating in the weekly poker game with his cousin and two of the enemy Gallaghers. Things get heated as they generally do between the two rival families and Declan ends up losing a bet. He has to make the first woman through the doors of the bar fall for him in thirty days or lose. And in struts his secret childhood crush, Betsy Gallagher. Declan isn’t the only man at the table to groan in frustration. Her own cousins know what will happen if Betsy finds out she was the object of their bet, but pride kicks in and the bet goes forward. Declan is more frustrated than ever over the stupid feud that won’t allow him to straight up ask out Betsy or have a chance of a future with her, but now, he doesn’t know what to make of this situation caused by the bet.
Betsy is frustrated. Because of the stupid feud, her grandmother and the Brennan’s matriarch have both refused the usually funds to have the church Christmas programs and Nativity Play. Betsy’s cousin is even more sad because it was to be her baby that would be the baby Jesus. She begs Betsy to think of a way for the Christmas activities to go on. Betsy has to find a way to do an end around her grandmother. She leaves the bar to head out to her favorite thinking spot only to encounter her childhood secret crush, Declan Brennan parked under her tree by the river.
The meeting at the river results in the two pairing up to help save Christmas. And all this sneaking around leads to some sizzle between the pair that take advantage of an ice storm, closed roads, a hotel room, and all that lovely snow to ignore the feud and find time to be together. As Christmas draws near, the pair of them have to decide what is most important to them and will they go for a chance at happiness or heed family duty.
These are light and fun stories and I enjoy the easy of reading them. I was not surprised to finally have a romance pair from both the feuding families and see that this might indeed be the shake up that it would take to bring it all to a head. The two were peas in a pod and I loved seeing them figure it out and work together along with the growing feelings that they want more.
The Christmas backdrop was sweet and I loved all the small town festivities. Christmas was a strong theme that blended well with the romance.
All in all, this was heartwarming and fun with a pinch of Christmas spice. I’ll miss the series and this whole group of small town characters. Those who enjoy light cowboy romance should definitely give these a try.
Carolyn Brown doesn’t disappoint. The Burnt Boot , Texas series was a great read. Best to read them in order.