“A heartwarming story about faith and starting over.” -Kirkus Reviews When a shy woman inherits a ranch, she’ll have to find an inner strength to succeed–and open herself up to love–in this heartwarming novel from New York Times bestselling author Victoria James. Sarah Turner has led a very sheltered life. So when her parents pass away tragically, suddenly she’s left in charge of the family … suddenly she’s left in charge of the family ranch with little know-how but plenty of will to keep it afloat. Determined not to lose her parents’ legacy or her newfound independence, she needs a hero fast–not to save her, but to show her how to save herself. But she’s unprepared for the ruggedly handsome cowboy who answers her ad.
“Cowboy for Hire,” the ad said, and Cade Walker is quick to respond. Betrayed as ranch manager by his former boss, he’s looking for a new place to put down roots–without the pressure to prove himself again. Except when he meets his new boss, it’s clear he’s not only there to run a ranch but to also teach Miss Independent how to run it. But as they struggle to make the ranch flourish, they’ll both need courage if they hope to find a family…together.
Each book in the Wishing River series is STANDALONE:
* The Trouble with Cowboys
* Cowboy for Hire
* Wishing For A Cowboy
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This book is a lovely written story about two people who were hurt by the negligence of those who should have loved them. Wonderful characters and a compelling plot make it an engaging read.
Until her brother, Josh, drowned when he was 12 and she 10, Sarah Turner had an idyllic childhood. But when he died, so did their family. When she did not speak for several months, her parents wrapped her in cotton wool, homeschooled her, so eventually she had no more friends or contacts outside of the ranch. Her father became a gambling drunk and her mother cold, so that only the housekeeper, Mrs. Casey, showed her any love. Her father refused to let her learn how to run the ranch, even though that had been her and Josh’s dream, to run the ranch together and raise their families there. At 26, her parents are gone, the foreman has just left and she needs a new foreman to teach her the ropes.
Cade Walker had the opposite upbringing, told that he was a mistake, never shown any love and learned to work hard just to earn himself a place. All he has is his pride, he doesn’t trust and doesn’t think that a relationship, or a family is in his future. He had been working at a neighboring ranch as foreman, but now that the prodigal son, and his friend has returned, he feels this opportunity would be perfect for him.
They are both immediately attracted to each other, but that can’t do, because she is his boss. He keeps her in the friend zone, while she fights him on making that decision for them both. He doesn’t believe that he is good enough for her. He makes mistakes and almost loses the girl, until his friends figuratively smack him upside of the head, to get him to realize that he does deserve a HEA.
It is heartbreaking how they both grew up and funny as Cade teaches Sarah how to live again. I was mesmerized by the story and had a hard time putting it down. I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
With the sudden death of Sarah Turner’s parents, she inherits her family’s ranch. She can’t stomach the idea of losing the ranch so she decides to find someone who can help her keep the ranch afloat. She’s not looking for someone to take over but someone who will teaching her everything she’ll need to know to keep it up and running. With absolutely no experience or know-how, and a ranch manager who abandons her, Sarah places an ad in the local paper. After some misunderstandings with the wording of the ad, her knight in shining cowboy books appears.
Cade Walker answers a local ad for a ranch manager and doesn’t expect the woman who comes to the door. He’s looking to change employment locations without having to prove he’s worthy. When he accepts the ranch manager position from Sarah Turner, he realizes he won’t just be running the ranch but also playing training specialist.
Both Sarah and Cade are wonderful characters. They both have emotional baggage but the author, as she always does, presents it with realism and believability. Sarah also suffers from migraines that for some reason has caused those in her life to treat her like a delicate flower. I also suffer from migraines and my triggers are chocolate, dill pickles, and stress; chocolate and pickles are primary and stress is secondary. My worst headaches debilitate me, as they do Sarah’s character, but other than leaving me alone during the episode, I don’t require coddling. I feel really bad for Sarah’s character in that respect.
As per every review I do for a book by Victoria James:
Victoria James is one of my absolute favorite authors. Her writing is realistic and her subject matter for each book is believable. Her heroines and her heroes are not perfect, but they are perfect for one another. There is a reason that Victoria James is one of my all-time favorite authors – she writes impassioned and realistic contemporary romances. To date, I’ve read most of her books and each one manages to evoke emotional responses from me. At the very least, I always tear up during some part of the novel. Her characters are believable and realistically written.
Victoria’s writing is phenomenal. Her characters, the plot, themes, drama, and passion pull the reader in and keeps them engaged. There is true emotion that can be felt by those readers that become one with the books they read. I get lost in the novels and put myself right into the middle of them. I feel for the characters and drawing on my emotions is what makes a book worth 5 stars for me. If I hurt with them, cry with/for them, laugh, or get angry, then the author did a fantastic job and has written the perfect book (or in the case of Victoria…books) for me. Victoria James is amazing!
Loved it! I was hooked from the start, loved Sarah and Cade, the growth of their relationship and the time it took for that to build. The story is light with moments that grip your heart, moments that made me giggle and just an all round enjoyable read. This is stand alone within a series and I will definitely be checking out book one.
Sarah wants to break free from her old sheltered life and the first step she makes is to hire a ranch manager who will teach her everything about running a ranch. Cade is ready for something more in his life and working for Sarah is the start. What both didn’t count on was a mutual attraction on which Cade doesn’t want to act one. But he is willing to show Sarah many new things. Cade makes the mistake of keeping secret from Sarah. Will she be able to forgive him? This is a lovely heartwarming love story between two lonely souls and I really enjoyed reading it.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley
This was such a sweet romance–I loved Sarah and Cade’s story!
It starts out on an LOL moment–a mixup with Sarah’s online ad that isn’t ever fully explained–and just takes off from there. Both of them have issues galore, stemming from pasts that weren’t what they deserved and definitely what they should have been able to expect, and watching them both overcome those pasts to be together was all kinds of rewarding.
Frustrating as heck at times–Cade, I’m looking at your obstinate self!–but that ending? Made everything worth it. And now I’m finding myself suddenly craving peach rings…no idea why… 😉
Cowboy for Hire is the second book in the Wishing River series, but it could work fine as a standalone if needed. If you have read the first book ( The Trouble with Cowboys ) though, you’ll love seeing all of your Wishing River favorites here again–Lainey comes back!–and will undoubtedly join me in wondering how long Ms James is going to make us wait for Dean and Hope’s book…
(Please, don’t make us wait too long!)
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
This is a very sweet story about a sheltered woman who’s a ranch owner, Sarah. Her ranch manager quit and left with no notice, so she puts an ad in the paper. A very experienced ranch hand and foreman, Cade, gets the job. Cade is a man who can make any lady “nervous just by standing there.” He’s the consummate alpha gentleman. Sarah’s one caveat is that she wants Cade to teach her to run the ranch alongside him. Good thing Cade has infinite patience. Along the way, their attraction to each other grows, but Cade is extremely closed off. And Sarah is inexperienced with relationships and very awkward.
I enjoyed the story line and the characters. I felt that homeschooling was misrepresented in the book. Sarah was basically shut off from the world. I’ve been home educating for 20 years and my family is not isolated, my children have many friends, and are involved in extra-curricular activities. I felt that the book could’ve been a bit shorter and still been a wonderful story. It just kind of dragged on over each characters’ personality flaws/deficits. Also, this book just didn’t have the steamy parts. I would rate it G/PG. So I’m rating this story 3.5 stars.
Victoria James is another new author for me. She has been around the romance world since about 2012 so I’m not sure how I have missed her since she has hit both the USA Today and New York Times Bestselling Author lists. Cowboy for Hire is the second book in the Wishing River Series. Grab your morning coffee and let’s chat about Cowboy for Hire Victoria James.
Imagine running an ad in the local paper (print and online) for a ranch foreman only to find that the print version got more than a little mixed up. Instead of “Foreman for Hire” it said “Cowboy for Her” and included job duties along the lines of an escort. The online ad was correct so Sarah prayed that cowboys lined up for interviews were actually there for the foreman job. It was the day that Sarah had been waiting for her entire life, her first day running her family ranch and it was a disaster until the most beautiful man that she has ever seen walked through the door. Cade Walker was more than qualified for the job of an escort but he was actually there for the job of ranch foreman and what do you know, he was qualified for it as well. However, was the qualified cowboy willing to train Sarah on how to run the ranch?
In an effort to not spoil Cowboy for Hire for anyone, I am going to stop right there with my summary of the book. I really want to do the book justice with a great summary but I am not sure how to do it without spoiling it. I read the synopsis but it did not prepare me for the emotional journey that Victoria James was going to take me on with Cade and Sarah. If I really get into a book, I typically cannot put it down. With Cowboy for Hire, I found myself taking breaks because I was becoming emotionally drained but as soon as I put it down, I wanted to pick it right back up. Victoria spent a lot of time in character and back-story development that was needed to make the reader understand the complex characters of Cade and Sarah.
My rating for Cowboy for Hire by Victoria James…5 out of 5 propellors! Hint: Have your box of tissues close at hand but I promise you that it will be worth it.
This is book 2 in the series and it features Cade and Sarah. Sarah is probably the most sheltered normal person I’ve ever read about. Her brother drowned when they were kids and her parents never recovered except to make sure she was NEVER doing anything that could be considered dangerous. For Sarah that meant never leaving the ranch again. Years later and Sarah is in charge and trying to learn how to run her own ranch. Cade, her new ranch foreman, is the perfect one to teach her. Can these two work side-by-side, every day, and not feel the attraction that’s growing between them? Can she break down the walls Cade had built around himself?
Fantastic story line! It was great getting to see the characters from book one often in this story. Character growth was tremendous for everyone in this book. I’m left with a sense of completeness after reading the last chapter and I’m looking forward to the next book in this series!
Interesting storyline that kept me wanting more. While I enjoyed this book, it definitely left me with a lot of questions and wishing there was more backstory and explaining. After tragedy has continued to strike Sarah’s life, she’s finally getting to a point where she’s on her own and works towards making a life for herself that she had planned with her brother. Cade has a rough past of his own, and when he sees an ad in the paper he responds looking to further his career. This pair navigated their feelings towards each other as well as their individual feelings of personal and professional growth and fought the relationship for a good portion of the book. While I enjoyed the book, I was left really wanting more because I felt like I was missing something or was just getting surface information where I wanted more details.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
This was a great get away with the openness when you are not allowed out. also it helped I had ventured into the first one and was satisfied especially with the place. Sarah will have a large challenge with her character being one you easily like. When she needs a hand with that coming in the form of Cade then they both will be doing the learning curve as they find their way. Delving into these two lives was a great way to see another picture of how love can mend.
3.5/5 stars
Book 2 in the Wishing River series. Ok read. Had some good laughs. Sarah and Cade were a good couple. Two broken people brought together to make the other whole. Slow and sweet romance so if that is what you are looking for then this is for you.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a honest review.
The storyline was well written and the characters were so well defined that I ended up reading this book in one sitting!
I liked this book but it had some problems that I had difficulties overlooking.
The book is about Sarah Turner who just lost her mother and inherited the family ranch. She has lived a very isolated life since her brother died in an drowning accident when she was ten. Since he died the family fell apart and closed of all communication with people all around them and she was homeschooled. She wasn’t allowed to do anything that could hurt her.
Now she has lost both her parents and she can do anything she wants including running the ranch, go on cattle drives, have friends and maybe go on dates and fall in love.
Her big problem is that her ranch foreman left without warning so now she needs a new foreman who will teach her everything about ranch life.
Cade Walker gets the position but is he willing to take her on cattle drives and teach her about the ranch business when he finds out that she has a medical problem that she will not tell him about?
Cade has been a ranch hand on the neighbor ranch for years and now he is ready to stand on his own for the first time in his life. He was the boy from the wrong side of town but was rescued by the owner of the neighbor ranch.
Can these two very lonely and troubled people find a common ground and understanding in the work of a ranch in trouble? And what happens when they fall in love but he doesn’t find himself good enough for the owner of a ranch?
I liked the story plot and I hoped I would love the story but I had big problems liking Sarah who seemed very entitled and spoiled and every time he tried to be levelheaded and say no she through a hissy fit and said “I am the owner I can do what I want”. So when she grew stronger and more mature, he became annoying and immature. The writing was also very repetitive.
Watch I liked was their friendship and that he really wants to help her and some of her growth throughout the book.
I got this book from Entangled Publishing and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much.
Cowboy for Hire is a sweet romance. I enjoyed every moment of this one. You feel for Sarah and how sheltered she has been most of her life. I love that she has her mind set out to prove that she is capable of running her ranch. Cade will make your heart swoon as he takes over the managing aspect of the ranch. I love the give and take between Cade and Sarah. They are sweet together. There love is a slow burn as Cade helps Sarah spread her wings. You feel for both Sarah and Cade as you learn their past. I loved watching the changes in both Sarah and Cade by the end of this book. I loved every moment of reading this one.
I love cowboy stories! I started reading romances by reading them and I just love the simplicity and sweetness of the romance in the country. Ms. James has a wonderful writing style and created in this book a sweet story about a shy but strong female character who must be in charge of her family business and is not afraid to ask for help. Cade has been through a lot in life and is trying to find his place in the world and seeks for another position as a farm manager.
Little does he know that his life will change forever upon meeting and helping Sarah. These characters are so great and this story so endearing.
I loved this book!
I had high hopes for this book but at best all I can say is that it had it’s moments and then at times it was sunk in a lot of repeated memories. It left me with mixed feelings. Oh, there’s nothing wrong with them having their own painful emotional memories but at times it felt repeated a bit too much. In fact, at times it felt like it kind of drowned out some of the romance between the two. Because I often wasn’t feeling it.
Both Sarah and Cade were good people, no mistaking that. Cade carried the pain of always having to prove his worth to someone or else he was kicked to the curb. Sara was kind of like a young woman who was so overprotected that she was stunted. The only person who really had cared for her was the family’s longtime housekeeper. Who by the way, I really disliked for a very long time. Yes, yes I know her actions were because she loved Sarah like a daughter.
So I guess the final answer is yes, I enjoyed some of the humor, and Cade’s friends but it was just missing something.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
Under the skin and into the heart. Victoria James connects deeply with readers because the emotion that her stories convey is real. Cowboy for Hire should be a walking heartache, but instead turns out to be a tale of empowerment. Sarah Turner is finally learning to spread her wings after years of self-doubt. Cade Walker is at a crossroads. Trust does not come easy for this loner cowboy. When life veers off track, fate has a few tricks up it’s sleeve. Cowboy for Hire is a story of hope that enlightens the heart and brightens the soul.
Cade and Sarah are both dealing with complex pasts. Sarah has lost all her family and is now the owner of the ranch. She is working very hard to break out of her past, the shelter her parents placed around her after her brother died when she was 10. She hires Cade as the ranch foreman with the stipulation he has to teach her how to run the ranch. Cade works to keep a place for himself after growing up in a world where no one wanted him, which built the foundation of how he views himself and his place in life. The one thing neither expects is the spark between them. To me it spoke to a kindred spirit even though their childhoods were very different, deep down there are similarities with feeling abandoned or lost. Sarah is bold in her fears as she works to rebuild a life for herself, making friends and embracing things she loved that she stopped doing after Josh died. Her courage really is the catalyst for Cade to conquer his fears and acknowledge that love is possible for him to have. I love the town of Wishing River which provides a safe place to land for both Sarah and Cade. I was treated to a beautiful journey for Sarah and Cade. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
A cowboy read with a different twist. This started out funny and I really thought there would be more humor throughout. Felt rather sad for Sarah and thankful it was Cade who came into her life. He also had problems, but between the two, they worked out the kinks, not without mishaps and misunderstandings, they did make it work. A happy ending for two rather lost souls who found their other half!
Sarah had perfect family and in one moment that chanced, she grew up sheltered from life. Now she has to take care of the ranch her parents left her and she needs foreman to run that ranch and teach her.
Cade got a job as foreman at Sarah’s ranch, he is attracted to her, but he knows he is not worthy of her.
Wonderful sweet story.