“This goes down like a cup of hot cocoa–warm and sweet.” –Entertainment Weekly Nash Lamont is a man about as solitary as they come. That’s exactly why ranch life in middle-of-nowhere Happy, Texas suits him. So what the heck is he doing letting a beautiful widow and her three rambunctious children temporarily move in? Before he knows it, they’re stringing Christmas lights and decorating the … lights and decorating the tree… and he’s having the time of his life. But after everything he’s been through, Nash knows this kind of happiness doesn’t last.
Kasey Dawson thought she’d never get over the death of her husband. Nash, with his strong hands and infinite patience, is stirring something she hasn’t felt in a long time. Kasey knows the sexy cowboy isn’t telling her everything about this past, though. And she refuses to risk heartbreak all over again. But her kids have a plan of their own: Nothing will keep them from having a real family again-even if it takes a little help from Santa himself.
“Genuinely sweet.” —Publishers Weekly
The Happy, Texas series: Toughest Cowboy in Texas Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas The Luckiest Cowboy of All
more
I’ve been a fan of Carolyn Brown for a few years now. If I want a solid contemporary western romance, I know I can count on Ms. Brown to deliver one. And while I’ve enjoyed her books in the past, Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas has been my favorite read of hers to this point.
This book follows Kasey, a widow with three young children, and Nash, a former Captain in the military. They’ve both come to Happy, Texas to heal and pretty much get thrown together. Add in the holiday season and the sparks between them and there’s really no hope but for a happily ever after.
Having grown up as a military brat, I have a soft spot for romance books with a hero that is or was in service to our country. In Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas, both Nash and Kasey have a connection to the military and that’s really the basis of the story. They both have issues they have to overcome due to that service and it’s also what brings the two of them together. I think Ms. Brown dealt with the issues of loss and PTSD very well and she totally had me turning the pages as I had to know how the HEA was going to happen.
Ms. Brown toyed with my emotions during Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas as I loved every moment of it. The book was already a solid romance, but adding in the magic of the Christmas season and a couple of adorable kids and I was totally sucked into the story. And now I’m rather curious about Kasey’s brother, Jace’s story, which is told in the third book in the trilogy, Luckiest Cowboy of All, as he stood out among the secondary characters.
My review originally posted at Novels Alive.
My favorite author.
It’s little sister Kasey’s turn to find love and healing in Happy, Texas. And Santa might just be listening to a little boy’s Christmas wish for a daddy when his puppy finds its way onto Nash Lamont’s Texas Star Ranch. I can’t get enough of this author’s home cooked cowboy romances.
Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas is book two in the series, but it can be read as a standalone though the characters introduced in book one are all still around and part of this book.
Kasey Dawson is a widow with three children. It’s been two years since her husband died on a mission in Afghanistan and at the beginning of the story, she’s convinced that she’s only around to raise her kids and help out on the family ranch. But then Nash enters the picture and makes her come to life again. She’s got guilt, anger, fear, hope, and some smoldering attraction all balled up inside her.
Now Nash, he truly has some guilt weighing him down with survivor’s guilt and envying another man his wife because he was part of Adam’s team and his commanding officer when Kasey’s husband got killed. Between dark moments and figuring out how to come clean with Kasey, he just wants to really enjoy this Christmas season on his new ranch with Kasey, her kids, and her whole boisterous family.
The author can typically be counted on for a lot of laughs in her stories. And there were some, to be sure. But really, this one with its tougher subject matter and one character having recently lost a spouse, was more heartwarming and thoughtful, family and life struggles, the hope and magic of Christmas. It was a nice change up and I felt it was a great Christmas read.
Now, I’m looking forward to the last single Dawson of Happy, Texas to get his story. Who will tame Jace? Because that handsome playful cowboy is ready to settle down. Fans of contemporary western romance would be a great fit for this book.
I won this book from Goodreads giveaways. This was a wonderful book. I have read the first book in the series so it was great to have read about some of the characters prior. Nash was part of a team that went to help a kidnapped person, and was injured when he got back to base so he was not able to see the families of the team members he lost that day. Kasey has moved back to the family ranch and is raising her children after the loss of her husband who was a soldier. Little did she know that the man who moved into the ranch next door was the Captain of her husband special unit. He hasn’t dealt with all of his memories, he has a little PTSD and wants to find peace. She is trying just make it after two years. Little did she know the man next door would wake up a very lonely heart. He falls saving a kitten and she ends of saving him. She helps him because he can’t be alone. But little do they know that Christmas magic is wonderful.
Nash Lamont is an introvert and is suffering with PTSD caused by his last mission. He has come to Happy, TX to live on the family ranch to raise sheep for a year. Nash has met Kasey Dawson and can’t get her out of his head. When he falls off of a ladder, he sustains a concussion and thinks he is married to Kasey and that they have children together. She and the kids end up moving in with him until after Christmas. They put up a tree together, hang lights and Nash has opened up and came out of his black hole. He thinks he isn’t good enough for her and is suffering from guilt.
Kasey Dawson is still mourning the death of her husband. But, from the first touch of Nash’s strong, rugged hands, she feels desire stirring, something she hasn’t felt in two years. Nash is so patient with her and the kids but she knows that he is holding back, not telling her something important from his past. Nash doesn’t want to bring her more heartbreak but the kids plan on keeping him around, they want him for their own. They want a daddy, he wants to be a daddy, can the help of God and Santa make this happen?
This author is really going to drive me nuts. I don’t understand how some of her stuff is so amazing, and other things drive me crazy. This series had started off pretty strong with Toughest Cowboy in Texas. I had high hopes. While I absolutely still love the characters in this series, there were a lot of things in this one that made it not so great.
I often try to start with the good, so I’ll do that here. I felt the chemistry between Nash and Kasey immediately. Through the whole story they have such a special connection, and the way they are thrown together is really quite touching. Kasey’s kids are a real joy and there was also a wonderful chemistry between Nash and all of the kids. I also liked how Jace really stood up for Kacey with their family and how altogether involved (in a kind and good way) this family is with each other. They really care and look out for one another.
Here are my issues. I am well aware that I get annoyed by things others don’t even notice or care about, that’s why I’m going to spell this out. The things that annoyed me so much may not bother you at all and this book has such a great story and great connections that it may be worth a read to you. There are a lot of timeline/continuity issues. One minute Nash is saying he’s not taking pain meds anymore, the next minute he’s refusing a beer because it could mess with his meds. Kacey leaves the kids in the car (in their car seats so they cannot get out themselves) and the next moment they’re walking into the barn with her. Nash admits he wasn’t cut out for college yet he was a Captain in the Army. (Yes, I know there are ways that would be possible, but not with the amount of time he was active duty and not in the circumstances he describes.) With Nash’s rank there is no actual significance so I felt as though the author just picked a rank out of a hat and applied it to her hero.
I’m noticing more and more that this author falls back on her characters talking out loud to themselves for no discernible reason. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again…I feel she uses this tactic as a crutch. And it is used far too often in this story.
If you read the first book, you know there’s something that happened a long time ago between Kacey’s Grandma Hope and her neighbor Henry. Well, Henry is Nash’s uncle (great-uncle?) and from the bits and pieces included about Henry in this story I’m pretty sure he’ll be popping his head up in the next story. The problem with that is the way this information was included toward the end of this story was extremely awkward and didn’t flow with the way the story was going. It was seriously like the author went back after the book was complete and remembered she wanted to include a possible appearance of Henry into this story so she shoved two paragraphs where she thought they’d fit. It was quite strange.
I want to stress again that the story and chemistry in this story are fantastic so it is worth a read for that alone. Just know there are some annoying things along the way. Since I am invested in learning the story of Henry and Hope, as well as wanting to see Jace get his HEA, I will be reading the next book in this series. I’ll also be hoping it reads more like the first story and less like this one.
https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2018/07/06/long-tall-cowboy-christmas-book-review/
Carolyn Brown never disappoints me and her newest installment in the Happy TX series is a definite winner! Wonderful Christmas story! I loved this book and cannot wait for more!
This was a great book. Carolyn Brown always writes a superb story. It always holds your interest, touches your heart and keeps your faith in love and happy endings alive. I highly recommend it!!
After a tragic ending on his last mission, Special Forces officer Nash Lamont decides it’s time to leave the military behind, and settle into a more solitary life. Witnessing all he did has left a hollowed man, riddled with guilt, and a strong case of PTSD, all he wants is a quiet place to heal. So, when he comes across a secluded ranch in Happy, Texas he knows it is the perfect place to put down roots. And just when he starts to settle into his new life, a beautiful single mom and her three rambunctious children come crashing into his world and turn it upside down.
Kasey Dawson is struggling to pick-up the pieces of her shattered life after losing her husband overseas. Losing him and trying to care for their three children has surely taken it’s toll on her, then life deals her another blow and she winds up in need of a place to stay. Which brings her to the home of a certain sexy cowboy, which scares her a little more than she cares to admit, but also puts her at ease for the first time in a long while… and before long things start falling into place. And that sexy cowboy starts to show her a side she never knew existed… and she starts to fall hard for him!
This heartwarming holiday read is sure to put readers in the holiday spirit, and leave their hearts rejoicing! Ms. Brown has done it once again, her beautiful story has left me completely dazzled by her literary talents, and left me with a happy heart!! These characters were some of my favorites from her yet, before I knew it was happening they had snuck into my heart and made themselves at home. Their touching story was filled with moments that had me near tears, moments that had me swooning, and moments that had my heart singing Ms. Brown’s praises. If you are looking for a read that is packed with emotion, heart, and comes equipped with a smooth talking cowboy sure to steal your heart, then I highly recommend you get your hands on this one, it’s sure to hit the mark!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.
Scrumptious. Serious subjects, tender sweet moments and new beginnings are packaged inside this heartbreaker of a read. Life has not been kind to Nash or Kasey. Trapped in his own personal hell, Nash keeps to himself, grieving the man he used to be and despising the one he has become. Until a couple sweet faces and a beautiful woman turn this beast into a family man. Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas resonates, because we all have regrets and painful memories that litter our life. The key is to not let fear dictate our choices and hold us back, but push for something better.