He flips houses. She flips hearts… last thing Garrett needs is to become attached to anyone—or any place—or to get involved with silly Christmas festivities.Kindergarten teacher Nicole Russell adores Christmas and is counting on the holiday to get her through her recent at-the-altar break up. Tired of pitying looks from the townsfolk, she decides to chair the Honeysuckle Holiday Fundraiser. When she reaches out to the new owner of Cottonwood Ranch, the perfect venue site, she expects cooperation, not stonewalling. Undeterred, Nicole makes her case with persuasive arguments that the too-handsome stranger in town cannot dodge and they strike a bargain.Nicole and Garrett are at odds, but their holiday pact and the power of Christmas may change both of their lives forever.
more
A heartwarming holiday romance
Kindergarten teacher, Nicole Russell and house flipper Garrett Brown team up to make a memorable Christmas for Garrett’s nephew, Cody, who Garrett was raising after his sister passed away. Along the way, Garrett and Nicole heal each other’s hearts from their painful pasts.
This is a book that is easy to get lost in. The characters are both emotionally distraught and deserved to find some happiness. I kept cheering them on while their friends and Nicole’s family kept nudging them closer. Nicole was dumped at the alter months ago and was afraid to fall in love again. Garrett was still mourning his sister’s loss and doing his best to give Cody a good life. Garrett’s plan was to renovate his uncle’s house in Last Stand, Texas, then sell it and move to California. But sometimes life has a way of changing your plans and you just might find happiness where you least expect it. If you like small town romances with a lot of holiday spirit, this will be a good book for you.
This was a sweet, at times heartbreaking as well as heartwarming story that will touch your hearts.
Nicole Russell is a kindergarten teacher in Last Stand, TX. She loves her job and everything related to Christmas. Nicloe is still recovering from being jilted at the altar, but is determined to make the Christmas festival she chairs, the best ever. But to do that, she needs to get the new owner of the Cottonwood Ranch , also the uncle of one of her students, to agree in having the festival there.
Garrett Brown and his nephew Cody are only temporarily in town so he can restore the ranch and put it on the market. The plans are to move to California after the sale of the ranch.
Both have had great losses. Especially Cody, who first lost his dad and in the past year his mother, Garrett’s sister.
Garrett is not interested in Christmas, except to spend it quietly with his nephew. He certainly never planned to have the sweet, spirited, and very determined kindergarten teacher turn his life upside down.
As Nicole brings joy to Garrett and Cody, feelings develop. But Nicole knows Garrett is only temporary.
But what happens when the town embraces them? What happens when secrets are kept? Will plans change or will Last Stand be just a memory?
This story will touch your hearts.
Aside from the engaging plot, it also deals with the loss of a love one and how each individual deals with it.
This one is definitely a story worth your time.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Tule Publishing. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
I enjoyed revisiting Last Stand.
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Cody
Standalone
HEA
I look forward to reading more from this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from Tule Publishing.
Welcome back to Last Stand, Texas! It is definitely a great place to be for the holidays. Kindergarten teacher Nicole Russell was recently stood up at the altar and everyone in town seems to want to make her feel better or fix her up. Then we have Garret Brown and his nephew Cody who he is raising after the death of his twin sister. He is there taking over Cottonwood ranch and fixing it up in order to sell it after the death of his uncle, He meets Nicole when she comes out to the Ranch to talk to him about using it to host the annual Christmas festival the school always puts on, Also well Cody is in her class. These two adults who look like they would not be more than friends could end up as more. What a wonderful read for any time of the year.
This is a beautiful story that will draw you and keep you engaged a wonderful story about finding love where you least expect it and been willing to fight for it when you do
Nicole Russell is the kindergarten teacher in Last stand Texas she is also the woman that was stood up at the alter three months earlier by Johnny Dupree fed up of the pitying looks from all of the townsfolk she decides she need to get involved in something So the Honeysuckle Holiday Fundraiser is where she sets her sights ans she is hoping that and Christmas will raise her spirits and get the attention of her. it is decided that the perfect place for the fund raiser would be Cottonwood Ranch only thing the ranch has recently been inherited by Garrett Brown and he is intent on refurbishing it and selling it so that he and Cody the nephew he is raising can leave town and head to a new life in California. Will he allow them to use his ranch and has he spends more time with Nicole and she brings joy to his and Cody’s life will he rethink his plans You will have to read to see
4 1/2 STARS!
This sweet Christmas romance is sure to please as hearts are healed and dreams are made! With book two in her emotionally riveting Home to Texas series Charlene Sands delights her reader yet again with MERRY CHRISTMAS, COWBOY. The back stories of the main characters set an emotionally charged setting for their meeting and eventual pact to get through the holiday season and the holiday fundraiser. I enjoyed their stories and their connection.
Garrett has a sad soul and is quick to garner our attention and our sympathies. He’s got a heart of gold, but life hasn’t been easy on him and he doesn’t trust much anymore.
Nicole is a delight. Life has hit her a good one a time or two, but she’s still out there giving it her all and being a great friend to all she encounters.
I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who loves a sweet romance in a small town filled with kind-hearted characters and the town that loves them.
This book was so sweet and sad at the same time. It is such a beautiful thing to watch couples fall in love despite the obstacles against them. Garrett has temporarily moved to Last Stand with his nephew Cody. Garrett is Cody’s sole guardian after Cody’s parents passed away, both at different times. That in itself was so sad. Little Cody was adorable and also a courageous little boy. With everything he has gone through in his five years of life, I thought he was brave and resilient. All Garrett wants is to flip the house his uncle left him, take the money and start a new life for him and Cody in California. Garrett’s mind is set and nothing is going to change it. After meeting Cody’s kindergarten teacher, Nicole, Garrett’s mindset starts to waiver. As he and Nicole become friends, their feelings for each other grow into something beautiful.
Personally, I loved that Garrett was a bit of a grump because it was fun to watch Nicole break down the walls around his heart. It wasn’t that Garret wasn’t capable of loving; because he adored Cody. Garrett was guarded because he couldn’t stand to lose another person that he loved. I won’t get into details so you can experience this story for yourself. I will tell you that this author did a great job engaging me in the story and endearing me to Cody, Garrett and Nicole. The Christmas theme was wonderful and I loved revisiting Last Stand, Texas for the Christmas holiday. I definitely recommend Merry Christmas, Cowboy.
This is my honest and unbiased review and I thank you for taking the time to read it. 🙂
A kindergarten teacher brings all the magic of Christmas t a rancher (determined to stay detached from the town) and his nephew. It is enchanting how threads of joy wind their way around his heart.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is book two of the Home To Texas series and I was given an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my review. I was waiting for this one because book one was so good and this book has some of the same characters. This one got to my emotional side as well with some real sad circumstances and then some wonderful heart warming moments and a real fun What If game. And a little boy waiting for snow for Christmas with a way different reason than the other kids.
Great addition to the series, I wholeheartedly recommend this for your holiday reading.
A sweet, heartwarming story with wonderful characters.
I am always ready to return to Last Stand, Texas, and Merry Christmas, Cowboy was the perfect story to make that happen in a world gone crazy out here on the other side of the computer (or e-reader) screen.
Merry Christmas, Cowboy not only gives us a taste of the holiday in Last Stand – it also shows that for some people there aren’t always huge emotional reasons to allow the joy of the season into their lives. Nicole was recently jilted at the altar, not something that most of us would bounce back from quickly or easily. Yet, Nicole is also a kindergarten teacher who loves her students like crazy and has always cherished Christmas traditions and events. So, this year, in spite of her own heartache she’s finding ways to embrace the season, like chairing a major local event, the Honeysuckle Holiday Fundraiser. She knows the perfect venue to hold this event at – Cottonwood Ranch. Unfortunately, Garrett doesn’t agree, at all.
Garrett is doing his best in the midst of intense heartache. He recently became the guardian of his nephew, Cody. They both lost a mother and a sister when Cody’s mother died. Garrett flips houses, and it’s his plan to fix up the ranch, sell it quickly, and head to California with Cody where he has a home to return to. He has no interest in getting to know the locals, helping out with seasonal events – he has a plan, a tunnel vision route of getting the house sold, and leaving town.
Garrett, whether he sees it or not, is reacting to his sister’s death by falling back into work he knows by rote – he’s not really seeing Cody’s view of a familiar place with people he knows, loves, and, frankly, needs in his life now. But one determined teacher, a woman who knows heartache quite well, is about to set out to change a stubborn man’s mind… and maybe win his heart as well.
There are books, stories that touch my heart so clearly that I am lost in another world with these characters, emotionally involved in the outcome of the words on a page. Merry Christmas, Cowboy was such a story for me. Frankly, my heart broke for Nicole, Garrett, and Cody for far different reasons… and throughout the course of their story that heart of mine was slowly healed again by possibilities, by not only the love of two people but of their love for one little boy. In a world that is far from the norm for any of us… the future of Nicole, Garrett, Cody – their story was one that I really needed to experience.
If you love a really good story that will grab you by the heartstrings and not let go until that happy forever ending is found, then you need to pick up Merry Christmas, Cowboy right now.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Tule Publishing. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
I received this arc from Tule Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book in the Home to Texas series. In this story we learn that Nicole, who we met in book one was recently left at the alter by her now ex fiancé. Nicole is the kindergarten teacher who is everyone’s friend and involved in projects in the school and community. We meet Garrett whose twin sister was killed in an accident leaving her son Cody to be raised by his uncle. After he inherits his uncle’s ranch in Last Stand he and Cody move there from Colorado. Garrett flips houses and his plan is always to fix up the ranch, sell it and move to California. Both Garrett and Nicole are vulnerable and say they aren’t looking for a relationship.
Nicole is the chairperson for the upcoming Honeysuckle Holiday Fundraiser. It has been held at the Cottonwood ranch that Garrett now owns. She goes to meet him and ask about holding the event at his ranch. He tries to come up with an excuse but she wears him down and he agrees to host it. She realizes Cody, one of her students is his nephew. He admits that he plans to ignore Christmas so he and Cody aren’t so sad. Nicole decides it is her mission to show them all the fun events of the holiday season in Last Stand and get them to enjoy it in spite of the loss they suffered. It is Nicole’s plan to celebrate all the fun events so she can forget about her own loss of her fiancé.
Garrett and Cody get invited to each event in town and they meet Nicole’s friends and are included. As Nicole and Garrett spend time together, they both realize the feelings they have for the other. Neither wants to voice them since both have reasons they didn’t want to get involved. There is a bit of angst when the reader isn’t sure what will happen between the couple. It is a wonderful holiday story and a sweet romance that puts you in the festive mood by reading about all the fun events. I found The characters to be extremely likable and was glad to see the ones from the first book also show up in this story. It was heartwarming to read about the care Garrett showed to Cody. I rate this as a 5 star book.
I really enjoyed reading this one,it gives you all the feels,loved the characters especially little Cody.I honestly didn’t want it to end.I can’t wait for book 3 in this series.
Merry Christmas, Cowboy (Home to Texas #2) by Charlene Sands gives us another bride. Unlike the first book this bride was left at the altar. Now Kindergarten teacher Nicole Russell has moved on and wishes the rest of her small town would do the same. Garrett Brown has come to Last Stand, Texas for a short time to flip a ranch. He is so not planning on staying.
Christmas in Last Stand, Texas is one to remember. For Nicole and Garrett as well as Garrett’s nephew, kindergartener Cody who he is now unexpectedly raising. Garrett is doing his best to give Cody a good Christmas but he is a bit of Scrooge. Nicole has Christmas spirit to spare. So these two are at odds. Interesting look at how attitudes can be changed for the better. Love is still the grea conqueror.
An ARC of the book was given to me by Tule Publishing which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Merry Christmas, Cowboy by Charlene Sands
He flips houses. She flips hearts…
Independent contractor Garrett Brown hopes to survive Christmas in Last Stand, Texas, without too much fuss. Not interested in the rancher lifestyle, he plans to flip the house he inherited on Cottonwood Ranch and move onto his next project. Little Cody, the nephew he’s raising, needs stability, and he’s got a home waiting for them in California. The last thing Garrett needs is to become attached to anyone—or any place—or to get involved with silly Christmas festivities.
Kindergarten teacher Nicole Russell adores Christmas and is counting on the holiday to get her through her recent at-the-altar break up. Tired of pitying looks from the townsfolk, she decides to chair the Honeysuckle Holiday Fundraiser. When she reaches out to the new owner of Cottonwood Ranch, the perfect venue site, she expects cooperation, not stonewalling. Undeterred, Nicole makes her case with persuasive arguments that the too-handsome stranger in town cannot dodge and they strike a bargain.
Nicole and Garrett are at odds, but their holiday pact and the power of Christmas may change both of their lives forever.
This is Nicole Russell and Garrett Brown’s story.
Nicole Russell walked her class out to the pickup line at Honeysuckle Elementary, her fourteen kindergarten students eager to greet their mom or dad. It was an especially cold December afternoon, even for Last Stand, Texas. Late last night, they’d had an unexpected snowstorm, enough white powder to blanket the streets and make for a frosty landscape. This morning, her students had been thrilled to slosh through the snow. It was an unusual sight and one worthy of all the hoopla. Nicole was careful to make sure the little ones put on their jackets before going outside for pickup.
The cars drove up and one by one, Nicole escorted the child to their parent. She knew many of the adults from childhood, so as she handed them off, she smiled and waved. Too often she’d receive a sympathetic look in return. Still. It had been three solid months since she’d been left at the altar in the church just a few blocks away. Three months since her beautiful one-of-a-kind wedding gown had been tossed aside. Three months since the food had spoiled at the reception that didn’t happen.
How could she have been so wrong about Johnny Dupree? How could she have not seen it coming?
Garrett Brown, who inherited the ranch from his uncle, will follow suit.”
“That place is perfect,” another committee member said. “Cottonwood Ranch isn’t too far from town, and being a nonworking ranch means we have full use of all the facilities.”
“I hope it won’t be a problem,” Cathy Jacoby said. “Mr. Brown has been coming into our store a lot, picking up supplies, and my Wes says he’s quiet, businesslike and never cracks a smile.
I highly recommend reading.
Merry Christmas, Cowboy by Charlene Sands is a wonderful well written 5 star book.
I am looking forward to reading more books by Charlene Sands.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.