‘Tis the season for starting over for one military man turned cowboy in this new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Cowboy and His Baby. Former Navy master-at-arms Jason Clements is down on his luck and calling in one last favor. His cousin has secured him a job opportunity as a cowboy working at Price Ranch in Wyoming. Too bad Jason has never even saddled a horse. If he can … even saddled a horse. If he can keep this job without his PTSD getting in the way, it’ll be a Christmas miracle.
Local busybody Sage Cooper loves Painted Barrel something fierce, but it’s time for her to move on. Since her father passed away, the family ranch feels too big for just her, and there’s no chance of finding a husband in this small town. To the rest of the world, she’s just another local fixture, known for her closet full of ugly Christmas sweaters and being perpetually single.
It isn’t until Jason shows up in desperate need of a cowboy crash course that Sage discovers a tall, dark, and handsome reason to stick around. And with the holidays coming up, Sage is in need of a date for a special event—maybe they’ll turn out to be each other’s best Christmas present.
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Jason arrives in Painted Barrel ready to work at Price Ranch as a cowboy. One minor problem. Jason is ex-military and knows absolutely nothing about ranch life. He’s found himself here after losing multiple jobs, he was qualified for, but his PTSD wouldn’t allow him to keep.
Sage grew up in Painted Barrel and figured it was probably time to move on. This Christmas would be her last in her hometown. She has no familial ties, only the friendships she’d made over the years, but at her age she wanted more than friendships. Sage grew up a tomboy and the guys in town still treated her as such. She had never seemed to get anyone’s attention. There was one guy, but he loved someone else. Sage was looking for love and realized that the dating pool in Painted Barrel was limited. Very limited. That was, until she meets Jason.
Jason and Sage become great friends. She’s looking for a date to a special event and he obliges her, in turn Sage helps Jason learn how to be a cowboy. They become fake boyfriend/girlfriend. They get along perfectly so it’s no hardship. But it’s only pretend. No matter how much Jason hoped it was real. These are the facts-Jason’s PTSD has him really messed up. According to Jason, Sage doesn’t need a guy like him. Besides Sage’s heart belongs to someone else. Too bad he can’t read Sage’s mind, because then he would learn the truth about who her heart really belongs to.
WOW ! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK EMOTIONALLY DEEP CHARACTERS WITH REAL LIFE ISSUES, YOU CAN’T HELP BUT WANT THEM TO FIND LOVE AND HAPPINESS !
AMAZING STORYLINE THAT ENGAGES YOU FROM THE START AND KEEPS YOU READING UNTIL THE VERY END ! ! ! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK ! ! !
pleasently written boook
A COWBOY UNDER THE MISTLETOE is the third instalment in Jessica Clare’s contemporary, adult THE WYOMING COWBOY erotic romance series set in the town of Painted Barrel, Wyoming. This is former Navy master at arms Jason Clements, and twenty-nine year old, municipal clerk Sage Cooper’s storyline. A COWBOY UNDER THE MISTLETOE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.
Told from several third person perspectives including Jason and Sage A COWBOY UNDER THE MISTLETOE follows the building romance and relationship between former Navy master at arms Jason Clements, and twenty-nine year old, municipal clerk Sage Cooper. Jason Clements is struggling with severe PTSD and finds himself lying in an effort to work as a cowboy at the Price Ranch in Wyoming but Jason doesn’t know the first thing about ranching, and the anxiety is beginning to add to the ongoing battles with PTSD. Meeting Sage Cooper proves to be the balm to his angst, balm that is about to ask for a favor in return. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Jason and Sage, and the potential fall-out when Jason believes Sage had betrayed his confidence.
Sage Cooper is a twenty-nine year old virgin who has pined after her childhood best friend Greg for as long as she can remember but with Greg’s wedding to someone else, just around the corner, Sage is looking for a plus-one to prove she is worthy of happiness and love. Meeting Jason Clements, a wanna-be cowboy who is struggling with day to day living gives Sage an opportunity to prove she is capable of finding someone to love.
The slow burn relationship between Sage and Jason begins as kindred spirits; a ‘fake’ boyfriend/girlfriend relationship meant to convince her best friend that she isn’t destroyed by the impending nuptials. Jason is willing to take their fake relationship to the next level but discovers that he is hoping to make Sage his own happily ever after. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are reintroduced to Wyoming rancher Eli Pickett, and his wife Cassandra Horn(All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy #1), Dustin Worthington, and professional dog trainer Annie Grissom (The Cowboy and His baby #2), as well as Achilles the dog, and Sage’s childhood friend Greg Wallace.
A COWBOY UNDER THE MISTLETOE is a story of family, friendship, struggles and love. The premise is heart warming and entertaining; the characters are colorful, energetic and real; the romance is captivating and intense. Jessica Clare pulls the reader into a love affair between two people who have waited a life-time to fall in love.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a cowboy romance and I’m definitely feeling festive (even though it’s only September) so I was excited to jump into A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe. We meet Jason who is a vet that is going through some PTSD. He lands himself a job as a cowboy on a ranch, but really has no idea what to do – he’s just happy he has a job at the current moment. Sage is the towns girl next door and a complete sweetheart. She always feels like everyone tramples over her and doesn’t take her seriously. She hasn’t had much luck with the men in town and is about to sell her ranch and move out of Painted Barrel. That is until Jason and Sage finally cross paths.
This was a very sweet romance and I enjoyed the progression of Jason and Sage’s relationship. I appreciate the fact that the author didn’t shy away from serious topics, such as PTSD and the fact that she gave our heroine a curvy figure that she owns. And although the I would classify this romance as a slow burn, Jessica Clare also knows how to write some very steamy scenes.
I enjoyed this sweet holiday romance, even though parts of the book dragged a little for me. Overall this was a great book and I would give it 3.5 stars.
**ARC provided kindly by Berkley and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**
If you follow me you know how much I love reading Christmas themed books. I’m not a fan of how early I have to read them but do enjoy sharing the ones I liked with you guys so that you’ll have some ideas on what to buy to read for the season.
A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe started out slightly slowly for me. I was a little lost and I don’t know why. I’m thinking it was just how the author started it. When he met Sage is about the time it started getting good.
After that I found the story to move at a very fast pace and I was able to get into and enjoy the story.
I really liked both Sage and Jason. I don’t know if I could have been like him taking a job at something I had no clue about doing. I’d be scared to death. I loved that he asked her to help him. It showed he wasn’t one of those guys who though only another man could help him.
Sage character is a ‘more than meets the eye’ type. You think of her in one way and shortly learn she so much more.
These two just needed someone to be there for them in a way no one else could or would. I think throughout the book that they each not only learn about each other but about themselves too. This makes it a very enjoyable story. Nothing to complex just a sweet Christmas story.
It’s December in Painted Barrel, Wyoming, time for Christmas celebrations. The residents of small-town Painted Barrel know how to celebrate the holiday.
Who takes a job as a cowboy on a cattle ranch with no experience with ranching or cattle and doesn’t even know how to ride a horse? Former Navy Master-at-Arms Jason Clements, that’s who. And he really, really needs this job. Call him desperate. Jason suffers from PTSD after a tramatic experience in Afghanistan and add to that he lost his support dog so he’s in a world of hurt. When he first arrives in Painted Barrel he meets a most generous soul, Sage Cooper. Jason doesn’t know why but he opens up to Sage when they first meet and the end result is that Sage will give Jason a crash course in ranching. In return she asks Jason to escort her to a special event. Did I mention that Sage is twenty-nine and has never been kissed? Hasn’t ever been out on a date? Well, there’s all that. Will Sage’s crash course save Jason’s job? How will their date turn out? Guess you will just have to read the book to find out.
A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe by Jessica Clare is the third book in her Wyoming Cowboy series. Seems each book in this series gets better and better. The storyline is quite interesting. How Jason’s PTSD affects him is heart-wrenching. Ms. Clare has a truly fascinating character in Jason. She depicts Sage as a big-hearted, generous woman who cares deeply for her friends and the town. She is the perfect partner for Jason. The dialogue, especially the texts, between Sage and Jason is very entertaining. So much fun to read! The small town atmosphere and Christmas festivities are a delight to read. All in all this is a fun, very entertaining Christmas read.
What a nice story even if it breaks your heart a little. Sage has been the assistant in the mayors office for ten years and not once did she get a date, she even put herself on dating apps and all she got were dirty old men. Sage has pined over her friend Greg since school but he is marrying Becca in a few weeks and has never seen Sage as anything but a friend.
Jason needs a job badly so when his cousin recommended him as his replacement on the ranch Jason was happy, problem was he had no idea how to do anything on a ranch. When he meets Sage as he was having a meltdown she agrees to help him and soon Sage the woman no one noticed is noticed by Jason. This story touches on a few things that you forget about like someone’s loneliness and how to help one another.
Reviewed on behalf of Once upon an Alpha