Find your very own cowboy to keep warm these long, wintry nights as you cozy up with six sweeping, epic tales of heroism, passion, family and celebration from bestselling authors Leigh Greenwood, Rosanne Bittner, Linda Broday, Margaret Brownley, Anna Schmidt, and Amy Sandas.Fall in Love with ChristmasWhether it’s a widower finding an unexpected new start, a former outlaw and his new wife … former outlaw and his new wife welcoming their very own Christmas miracle, a long-lost lover returning just in time for a special holiday celebration, a second chance at love between two warring hearts given peace at last, an unlikely pair working together to bring joy to a small Texas town, or a cowboy and his dark-eyed beauty snowed in one unforgettable wintry eve…every Christmas with a cowboy is filled with light, laughter, and a forever kind of love.
What People Are Saying:
“Greenwood is a master at westerns.” —RT Book Reviews for Leigh Greenwood
“An emotional powerhouse! This classic historical western is destined for the “keeper” shelf.” —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick for Rosanne Bittner
“Fun and sensual…great for fans of history, romance, and some good old Texas grit.”—Kirkus for Linda Broday
“A great story by a wonderful author.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author DEBBIE MACOMBER for Margaret Brownley
“The perfect read.” —RT Book Reviews for Anna Schmidt
“A genuine page-turner…electric and absorbing.” —Kirkus for Amy Sandas
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This a book of short Christmas stories revolving around women and cowboys. Each couple has a different situation. The women are all capable women and stand on their own if necessary. The men are not looking for love or companionship but it finds them. I enjoyed reading about the couples as they found each other and some of the challenges they went through to be together. These stories showed how people have to bend, give in to emotion, sacrifice for each other and let go of the past and move forward. All of these couples were lucky enough to find love for Christmas. Great read. Received this book from the publisher for my honest review.
Highly entertaining, fun, engaging and emotional collection of romantic adventures set in wide open spaces…. Loved it! Each one of these stories are filled with intriguing charters, witty banter, heartwarming holiday cheer and undeniable passion. Excellent reading from beginning to end.
Longing For a Cowboy Christmas is an anthology of, well, cowboy Christmas stories set in the late 19th century. Some of these authors were familiar to me; some were new. I thought perhaps it was too early for me to get into the holiday spirit. I started this late yesterday afternoon. I guess it wasn’t too early for me – I couldn’t put this book down and totally forgot that it was 90 degrees in Southwest Georgia! These stories are perfect for any season.
Leigh Greenwood’s A Fairly Tale Christmas featured Nan, who is asked to care for an extremely ill stranger, Will, and his adorable daughter Clara. Rosanne Bittner’s Christmas in Paradise brought back her characters Sage and Maggie, newlyweds who are expecting a blessed event. Linda Broday’s A Christmas Wedding is a return to Hope’s Crossing where Rebel, whose man Travis was taken by a bounty hunter and she has no idea of his fate, tries to bring Christmas cheer to the entire town. Margaret Brownley’s A Love Letter to Santa has school teacher Holly and newly arrived blacksmith Tom joining forces to bring gifts from Santa to the community’s children during hard times. Anna Schmidt’s One Snowy Christmas Eve is a second chance romance for Colin and Evie, who parted ways when Evie left for medical school. And last but not least, Through the Storm by Amy Sandas gives us George and Lucy, who are trapped in Lucy’s cabin after she finds George lost in a snowstorm.
There is not a single dud in this entire collection; I was enchanted by them all. However, there are some standouts. Linda Broday had me absolutely bawling like crazy when Rebel and Travis are reunited, and a devastating hardship occurs. My poor puffy face! Margaret Brownley also had me crying over her sweet story. Seriously, who can resist a Christmas story with a lovable dog? No one, that’s who! And Amy Sandas brought the heat with George and Lucy, trapped in their isolated hideaway complete with a fireplace and furs. Treat yourself to this beautiful anthology to prepare you for the Christmas season.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
A Fairy Tale Christmas by Leigh Greenwood
Set in 1880, spinster Nan is the owner of a nice farm in the Shenandoah Valley. Just a few days before Christmas, businessman Will Atkins and his daughter Clara wind up on her doorstep when Will falls sick and there’s nobody else available to take him in. On his way to leave Clara with her maternal grandparents because he’s unable to look after her, Nan could be the answer to this lonely pair’s prayers.
Two things struck me about this one; first of all, no cowboys? Which seems kind of odd in an anthology with a cowboy theme? Setting that one aside, this felt way more like a marriage of convenience story which could eventually turn into a love story than two people falling deeply in love in the space of a week, probably because it WAS just so very convenient for both of them to do so. Will securing his future in the valley without actually sharing his plans with Nan beforehand and asking for her input and opinion was just the icing on the don’t-like-this cake for me. Two stars.
Christmas In Paradise by Rosanne Bittner
Apparently this is something of an extended epilogue to another book by the author, so if you read that book and fell in love with the two main characters, you might absolutely love this. I hadn’t read it and didn’t feel like I really got to know Sage and Maggie here. What I did learn was that they’d been through a lot of Drama and Sage was a thoroughly decent sort of man, since Maggie had been not only married before but also violently gang-raped just before they met, and was carrying a child of that abuse which Sage vowed to raise as his own. Part-Cheyenne, it’s also nice to see a hero of color in a Western historical romance. I’ll give this one four stars.
A Christmas Wedding by Linda Broday
If you’ve read any of Linda Broday’s books about the people of Hope’s Crossing, a town of former outlaws trying to ‘go straight’, you’ll recognize Rebel, the former saloon girl who dreams of a respectable life, the two children she adopted after they were freed from an asylum, and Travis, the young outlaw who loves her. This charming novella follows Rebel and Travis being reunited at Christmastime and Rebel’s determined efforts to make a place for herself in the community of Hope’s Crossing. There’s lots of found-family sweetness, but readers familiar with Broday’s work should be aware she doesn’t shy away from the gritty realities of life in the Old West. The only thing which disappointed me here was that Travis’ release from jail was very much skimmed over in passing, after having been made much of it being a major problem for Rebel. Four stars.
A Love Letter to Santa by Margaret Brownley
An absolutely adorable tale set in 1886 in Haywire, Texas, this is the story of schoolmarm Holly who desperately wants to make sure all the town’s children have something to smile about on Christmas morning. Though she’s being courted by the richest man in town, it’s the new blacksmith Tom and his idiotic dog Winston who tug at her heartstrings. Full of delightful plot moppets and with the spirit of Christmas imbuing every page, this is sweeter than a candy cane. Five stars.
One Snowy Christmas Eve by Anna Schmidt
This is a second chance romance and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why Evie would even consider taking Colin back. He treated her like a possession when he asked her to marry him the first time around, completely disregarding her wishes and goals for her life, and now that she’s achieved her dream and become a doctor, he’s no better. He doesn’t even want her to treat him when he’s literally dying of pneumonia because ‘if the fellas back at the ranch found out he’d gone to see a female doctor, he’d never hear the end of it’. Riiight. Sounds like someone really secure in his masculinity, huh? A man who’d love and support his well-educated wife in her career? NOT. I wanted so much better for Evie, and honestly when she made the decision to accept Colin without even talking about how the future might look for them, I wanted to scream. Two stars.
Through The Storm by Amy Sandas
I have to admit I love Trapped Together In A Snowstorm as a trope, and this is done really well, with George and Lucy having just one brief encounter before they end up snowed in together at Lucy’s cabin. George chivalrously steps in when a creep is hassling Lucy – although she doesn’t need his help, and he recognises that – and then she actually saves his life when he’s lost in the blizzard. They get to spend enough time together to really fall for each other, and I absolutely believed in the romance between them. Five stars.
Overall, this was a collection which I found wildly variable in terms of quality. There were a couple of stories I really loved and a couple I might well have DNF’ed if they’d been full length rather than short novellas I could get through quickly. Of the authors I hadn’t read before, I’ll definitely be looking to check out more of Amy Sandas’ and Margaret Brownley’s work. As a whole, I’ll give the collection four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
This anthology consists of six Christmas stories set in the American West in the late 1800’s. These have different tropes and levels of romance from sweet to steamy. Each one brings a couple together and sometimes includes children during the season of miracles. I liked a few stories more than the others, but that’s only my personal preference. Recommended reading for the holidays.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
This is a wonderful collection of Christmas short stories – each one giving a couple hour dose of a feel-good story to snuggle up with. I totally read this book out of order, going first with the stories I was looking forward to the most and working my way through the rest, and not being disappointed in any of them!
Christmas in Paradise by Rosanne Bittner
I was so thrilled when I found out we were getting more of Sage and Maggie from Paradise Valley (one of my favorite RB books)! I had faith going in I’d love the follow up to their story, and I wasn’t disappointed. Sage is still all protective of Maggie, and patient with her as she’s settling into her spot as his wife. He knows he’s got a treasure in her and makes sure she knows it deep down. Maggie is still as sweet, determined, and strong, as much as she’s vulnerable and struggles with some insecurities. But Sage won’t let those fears keep their grip on her. Loved the touch of adventure and drama, and the beauty of their Christmas miracle, both in seeing them settled, and in seeing their happily-ever-after come full circle. Honestly, this just made me want even more of their story, and I’d love to see a sequel novel someday for Sage and Maggie and their family.
A Christmas Wedding by Linda Broday
Christmas in Hope’s Crossing, pouring out good on people who deserve all the good they can get! Loved getting to know Rebel even more, watching her big heart dig deep to find joy and spread it around. And then Travis finally getting the new start he needed and finding his way home again to wrap his family up in his protective arms and shower them with love. Add in some breath-catching moments and some giggles along with a few tears, and you get a sweet addition to Linda Broday’s Outlaw Mail Order Brides series. So glad that there’s more coming for this town and hopefully we’ll get to see more of Rebel and Travis in future stories.
Through the Storm by Amy Sandas
Through the Storm starts off with a sweet, slow burn that builds to an inferno, keeping you needing more. George is fully captivated by Lucy when he first meets her, and fate helps to bring her back to him. George is an interesting character with his charm and gentleman ways mixed in with outlaw edginess. Lucy is an adorable mix of sweet and capable, the best match for George! Loved watching the embers of their attraction grow into a steady burning flame. This story probably surprised me the most in how much I ended up enjoying it!
A Fairy Tale Christmas by Leigh Greenwood
This is a super sweet story of a man and a woman who both desperately need something the other can provide, but fears and plans and a touch of stubbornness get in the way. Nan desires a family with everything she has, but isn’t willing to settle for less than what she deserves or wants. But she does know how to open her heart and grasp to what she is given. Will has a mapped out plan for his life, even if he’s struggling with some of the consequences and hanging onto the past. Luckily, a winter storm, the love of a child, and some words of wisdom combine to grant dreams and love to three people who deserve their family and own special happily ever after.
A Love Letter to Santa by Margaret Brownley
Holly and Tom’s story melted my heart with all the joy and goodness that Christmas can bring. Holly brought a smile and cheer to a town that was hurting, and wiggled her way into the heart of a man who was lost. Loved her heart and charm. Tom proved to be a man worthy of his Holly, and had a heart of gold as well. This story left me with a few tears but a heart overflowing with good. Definitely a Christmas story to experience! Also, despite being a short novella story, I felt like I got all the feels for a full length novel!
One Snowy Christmas Eve by Anna Schmidt
Evie and Collin’s story is one of second chances, letting go of pride, and chasing down your hearts’ desires. A little bit of fate stepped in to give them the opportunity needed to reflect on the past, where they’re at now, and grasp hold of what they still want now. Toss in a little meddling and a leap of faith and you have a delightful Christmas blessing story! I loved how we got flash backs of their history, giving us a deeper sense of their connection and showing what was worth fighting for.
This is a collection of Christmas shorts not to be missed!!
Anytime of the year is a great time for a Christmas story or two (or six) set in the Old West. Each story in this collection presents a strong female character who is fully capable of tackling the harsh frontier, and many of these women reverse the stereotype and ‘rescue’ the main male character from certain death. How refreshing!
Each story promises a romance that is completely sweet and sometimes steamy enough to cut through a Christmas Eve blizzard.
A Fairy Tale Christmas by Leigh Greenwood starts this collection off with a beautiful story about a child and her father bringing joy to Nan’s heart and brightening a Christmas destined to be lonely and bereft of family and joy.
Christmas in Paradise by Rosanne Bittner shifts into a somewhat different theme as the main female character, Maggie, was brutally mistreated but now finds herself surrounded by love and acceptance and hope for a bright future with Sage Lightfoot, who loves her unconditionally.
A Christmas Wedding by Linda Broday is a wonderful vignette from the Outlaw Mail Order Brides series that focuses on one of my favorite characters, Rebel Avery. Rebel’s character in this series is interesting and full of opportunity for more development, so having a little story about her and her Christmas wish will definitely be an added bonus for fans of this series.
A Love Letter to Santa by Margaret Brownley has both humorous and serious moments, offering two main characters, Holly and Tom, who get off to a rocky (and noisy) start. Both are goodhearted and magnetically drawn to each other. The way Holly addresses her students’ letters (and Tom’s discarded letter) to Santa is heartwarming, inspiring, and delightful.
One Snowy Christmas Eve by Anna Schmidt is a unique story because Evelyn is a new doctor in town who faces the uphill battle of being taken seriously as a female physician. This story has another unique feature in that Evelyn has a past history with the man she tirelessly nurses back to health. Evelyn and Colin have obviously been brought back together for a reason, but will they give each other a second chance?
Through the Storm by Amy Sandas ends this collection with a blizzard, an outlaw Scotsman, and a woman living alone in the mountains. When said blizzard traps these two together in a small cabin, the sparks can barely be contained. The dynamics between George and Lucy are both steamy and lovely, and they both discover that it is okay to let someone into your heart and trust them to fill the next chapter of life with love and hope.
As you can see, all of these stories will capture your heart; kindle the spirit of the season, and fill your imagination with romance, second chances, and a Christmas miracle or two.
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
What a delightful Anthology. I’ve always loved anthologies because you get a bunch of short stories by authors you most likely have never heard of before. In my case, Longing for a Cowboy Christmas had six stories by authors I had never had the pleasure of reading.
In this Anthology it’s all about Christmas, second chances & finding love. Some stories made me laugh, some made me cry, but in the end, I enjoyed them all.
A Fairy Tale Christmas by Leigh Greenwood was about Nan, who is going to be all alone this Christmas. Well, right up until Will and his Daughter Clara show up at her door. Will is sick and he needs someone to look after him. Nan takes up the task of making him well again and in the process she can’t help but fall in love with him and his sweet daughter.
Christmas in Paradise by Rosanne Bittner is a short story about two characters from the book Paradise Valley. In this story it’s a small continuation of Sage & Maggie’s love story. They have been married only for 5 months and Maggie is expecting. Without spoiling the story, I can tell you that the author provides enough back story that you won’t need to read Paradise Valley to enjoy this.
A Christmas Wedding by Linda Broday is about a woman names Rebel who is taking care of 2 small children that were rescued from an Asylum. Travis, the man she is in love with was taken by a Bounty Hunter and she has not heard from him since. Between her and the children, they are missing him like crazy and with Christmas coming it seems everything is going wrong. Trying to bring up everyone’s spirits, Rebel comes up with a way for the whole town to come together and bring joy to everyone in Hope’s Crossing.
A Love Letter to Santa by Margaret Brownley was my favorite of them all. In the little town of Haywire things have been pretty rough for the residents due to the bad economy. Holly, a school teacher has a plan though. She is going to have all her students write a letter to Santa. As a matter of fact, all the towns children are writing Santa letters and Holly is bound and determined that each child will get his or her wish. Tom has just come to Haywire after the passing of his uncle. He is undetermined if he will stay as he has not been very impressed by the town or the people. Until he meets Holly that is. Once these two get a chance to know each other, they cannot help but fall in love.
One Snowy Christmas Eve by Anna Schmidt is about Colin & Evie. Two people who 5 years ago were madly in love. Things didn’t work out the way either of them thought they would when Colin proposed marriage. When Evie wanted to go off and become a doctor instead of a housewife, Colin walked away. Regretted it everyday too. Now, Colin is sick and finds himself outside the Doctors office where Evie is working. Evie loved Colin. Still loves him and hopes this time they can get things right.
Through the Storm by Amy Sandas is about George and Lucy. George was just playing some cards in town when Lucy shows up. Standing outside by her horse, she is accosted by a man who thinks he can just have her now that her father has passed away. George was not about to let her get attacked by this guy and steps in. After she leaves, George decides to head back home but gets caught in a blizzard. Lucy finds him and takes him into her home. These two had some explosive chemistry and being stuck together during a snowstorm… Things are about to heat up. literally.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for short & sweet Christmas stories.
– ARC provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca & NetGalley –