Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

I truly loved reading this book. Steve-frecking Springfield was a wonderful hero and his four adorable children. The children were such a fun addition to the story. Camille was a shy introvert that had a phobia of being around people and she was tongue-tied while around them. This was a true joy. The book was beautifully written and I was engrossed right from the beginning.

The suspense part of the book was a real shocker. I never would have guessed who would be causing the fire (minus the first one.) I highly recommend this book to everyone. I hope that the brothers get their stories told!!!

I am so glad Steve got his own book. This is such a sweet story with fun characters. I normally do not like a quirky character, but Camille makes me smile. Her quirkiness is so endearing that you can’t help but like her. I really enjoyed the family aspect of this story (and Steve’s kids are a hoot). It is nice to see “real people” in what could be a “real story”. Great start to what I know will be a great series.

When I saw Katie Ruggle and cowboys, I said, “Yes please, sign me up for an advance copy of this one!” True to form, Ruggle delivers action packed suspense and steamy romance with a side of laugh-out-loud humor and a great deal of heartstring tugging, but this time with small-town charm, nosey neighbors and outlandish, but hilarious gossip. And cowboys. Ooo! And firemen.

Camille has lived in Borne all her life. For years is was just her and her grandma, but now it’s her, her artist’s workshop and her cat Lucy. Camille has always been quiet, awkward and artistic, and her solitary life suits her. She gets along much better with her welding torch and her internal dialog than she does with other people. When her nosey but well-meaning neighbor thinks Camille has gotten lost, the search and rescue team sets out to look for her. And who should be the first to find her, not at all lost but scavenging parts for her sculptures, but her high school crush, Steve Springfield!

After the death of his wife and trying to make it alone raising his four kids, Steve and his children move back to his family’s ranch in Borne to help out with the ranch business and have the support of his brothers. He’s always been a little intrigued with Camille, and when she agrees to sell her sculptures at his family ranch’s Christmas store, Steve and his children get a chance to get to know her. It was entertaining watching Camille dodge Steve’s brother, Ryan’s, flirting and heartwarming to see her get to know and interact with Steve’s kids.

First, let me tell you the one liiiittle critique I have and then we’ll get to the good stuff. What I took exception to is who the bad guy turned out to be. There were plenty of red herrings pointing to someone else, but when the bad guy was revealed, there wasn’t much explanation for the other guy’s misdirecting behavior. As to the bad guy, unless I wasn’t paying attention at all, there was nothing pointing to him. No off behavior, no strange looks, and no comments to give the reader any clue. That is, until right before the final conflict, and he tells Camille that he won’t let her get hurt. The statement came from so far out in left field it gave my brain whiplash, and the story’s flow abruptly stopped for me as I questioned where the statement was coming from and why he would say that when no one expected him to keep Camille safe.

Aside from that, there is so much to love about this book. I adore Camille with her social awkwardness and tendency to babble when she’s nervous, and she was wonderful with Steve’s kids. Steve wasn’t an alpha hero or a bad boy, but an all-around great guy who genuinely cares about helping people and thinks he’s fumbling his way through adolescent parenthood. His kids are really great – bright, funny, compassionate and with very individual personalities. If anything, they were a little too perfect, with only a minor eye roll or grumble, but no tantrums, arguments or squabbles between them.

Along with a great plot and storyline, the characters were exceptionally well thought out and developed, including the four children. That’s a place where some authors cut corners, but each of these kids had their own distinctive personalities, were highly entertaining, and endearing in their own special way. This book is as sweet as it is steamy and as hilarious as it is heartfelt. It made me laugh, made my allergies act up (that has to be why my eyes were watering), and made my heart happy to see Camille, Steve and his kids get their forever together. If you like a story where the shy, awkward girl gets the regular but great-guy hero as well as his kids, you’ll love this fun, fantastic, heartfelt story. Just have a tissue handy for those allergies.

This White Christmas brings unexpected gifts and consequences…

Immerse yourself in the pages of this latest book by Katie Ruggle – Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas.

You’ll be swept up in Camille and Steve’s heartwarming, budding romance – that is beautifully captured with relatable, impeccably crafted characters. The connection to their past and an even more tempting future. Reserved yet an inherent need of the other, their behaviours so relatable, it will have you smiling out loud and frustrated, you want to cheer Camille on and say “you can do this girl”.

Set amidst the beautiful backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, there is a lurking danger that adds a wonderful dramatic suspense. One that provides a unique twist that was totally unexpected. All the Springfield men need a story. Such complexities in this family dynamic… had me totally intrigued. Steve’s children… OMG such dynamite, charming personalities – you will fall in love with them. I wonder what Katie Ruggle has in store for us. I hope there is more to come.

It’s a beautiful, heartwarming story that is packed with some dramatic suspense, adrenaline-filled moments, twisted turns that eventually comes full circle in more ways than they can ever imagine.

A page-turner from the very first word to the last word. Get caught up in the enchantment of Christmas and the festive air that is Camille and Steve’s journey. Starting over and under some adverse conditions can be rocky at best but with Christmas magic, anything can happen. It’s dramatic, romantic suspense, it’s doing your utmost to protect those you come to care for even when you are feeling so out of your depth. A recommended read!

Loved this story and I’m so glad to see it’s just the start of a new series from this author. This is a story of family, romance, and love with a bit of mystery and suspense thrown into the mix. If you read this author’s K-9 Unit series you might recognize firefighter Steve Springfield. He and his four precocious kids have now returned to the family Christmas tree ranch. His kids and their antics really make this story. Couple that with Camille and all her fun quirkiness and you have a fun holiday read. I must say I didn’t see the ending coming as the mystery of all the weird fires is solved. When you find out who is responsible I think you’ll be shocked! I definitely think this one should be on everyone’s must read list.

Steve Springfield has moved back to his hometown of Borne, Colorado with his four children. They are now living on the family Christmas tree farm. Steve’s wife and the children’s mother died eight years ago. Moving back to his hometown means having family close by to help with the kids. In addition to working on the Christmas tree farm Steve is a volunteer firefighter in Borne. He has lots of experience since this was his full-time career. The volunteer fire and rescue squad gets called out to find a missing person, Camille Brandt, folk artist and the town’s resident eccentric. Her nosy neighbor, Mrs. Lin has reported her missing. Steve finds Camille in an old junkyard. She is not really missing or in trouble. She is there scavenging items to use in her art sculptures. Steve remembers Camille from high school. Back then she was a sweet, shy girl who kept mostly to herself and didn’t talk much. Now he finds her to be a beautiful woman and he is attracted to her in spite of her shyness. Camille most definitely remembers Steve. She had a crush on Steve-freaking-Springfield back then and her attraction to him comes rushing back. Steve and Camille dance around their attraction to each other at first. The story of their Happily Ever After is heartwarming and entertaining.

Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas is the first book in author Katie Ruggle’s new series, Rocky Mountain Cowboys. In this book she paints the picture of life in Borne, CO and the interesting cast of characters who live there. We meet Steve Springfield who loves his children very much but has doubts about his parenting abilities as his kids grow older. We see this over and over again throughout the story. We meet Camille who is very shy around people but who finds she can talk to Steve’s kids and be comfortable with them. And she becomes very comfortable around Steve too! We meet Steve’s kids who are truly remarkable and quite interesting to read about. Their antics and conversation contribute greatly to the story. They also contribute some “booms” from some amazing experiments done by one of the kids with her siblings’ assistance. We also get to see the fun Christmas spirit of the area especially from the point of view of the Springfield family who run the Christmas tree farm. Katie Ruggle has them using their horses like Buttercup to drag the tree selected by the customers to their car while their kids get to ride the horse back from the forest. This bring families from all over the area there. I love reading about these types of Christmas traditions. This author does a good job of bringing the Christmas spirit to light in this book.

Another great read from Katie Ruggle that had a wonderful romance wrapped in a great mystery/suspense.

I just loved Camille. She was definitely not your typical heroine – she’s quirky, very shy, and tends to be a bit socially awkward. She’s not had an easy time of things growing up and has always found solace in her art. It was fun to see her lose her cool when she runs into “Steve freaking Springfield” as an adult – she had a big crush on him in high school and she’s not quite sure what to do with that awareness now that he’s back in town, and she really finds herself quite a bit out of her comfort zone every time she’s around him. But boy did I love seeing her find her way as their friendship begins and then blossoms into a romance, all while she has a chance to get to know his kids and build relationships with them as well.

Steve “freaking” Springfield was just such a wonderful hero. I loved the bit parts that he played in the authors “Rocky Mountain K9 Unit” and was so happy he was going to get a chance to find his own HEA – even if that meant returning home to give his family the safety and security they needed to thrive. He was so great with his kids – being a single dad he didn’t always have it easy when dealing with his kids, but he always seemed to find a way to give all his kids just what they needed.

I really enjoyed the family aspect of the book and loved having Christmas woven into the story line. From getting to see the family’s Christmas tree ranch in action to Camille’s featuring her work in the gift shop, there was such a cozy holiday theme throughout the book. The Springfield family is close and I really just loved all of Steve’s kids.

Although I loved how the danger and mystery in the book brought Camille and Steve together, and there was definitely the level of action and suspense I expect from a Katie Ruggle book, my only complaint would be was that I wasn’t entirely thrilled with the ending. I think things tied up a bit too quickly and without enough detail, but I’m hoping that the rest of the series will help fill in some of the blanks for me.

Katie Ruggle has quickly become one of my go-to authors when I need an action packed romantic suspense read and I really love the start to this new series. I’d definitely recommend this book to any romance or mystery reader.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley which I voluntarily reviewed.

This totally got me in the Christmas mood! There were so many good things in this story!

Camille, the heroine is described as a socially awkward hermit who spends all of her time creating beautiful pieces of artwork out of metal. I really wish I could have seen some of these pieces in real life based off of the way they were described. I was fascinated by Camille.

Steve, the hero is a cowboy, volunteer fireman, a widower with 4 very smart kids and one of them also suffers with social anxiety. He works with his 3 brothers on their family ranch selling Christmas trees.

This background setting is what truly will put you into the Christmas mood. They use horses to take families out to the rows of trees to pick one for their home. The kids get to ride the horses while the horses pull the tree to the cars.

The kids in this were such a great addition to the story line. Will, the oldest boy is friendly, outgoing and always happy. Micah, is the youngest boy who suffers from social anxiety who also happens to be an artist. His interaction with Camille will make you want to cry! Then there is Zoe, the oldest girl. She’s a genius with mechanics. There are few explosing from her experiments that will make you laugh. Then there is Maya, the youngest girl. She is just very loving and as adorable as you think a little girl would be.

The overall feeling of family is felt in almost every page. I love to read about socially awkward characters find that one person who accepts them for who they are. When you add in that person getting a full family when she only every had her Grandma, just gives me the warm and fuzzies!

This was very well written and I would love more from these characters.