Can you love someone and hate them at the same time?
Previously titled Cowboy’s Don’t Marry Their Enemy
She led him on, lied about him, then dumped him for his cousin.
She was his enemy.
He walked.
But he loved her still.
Can people change?
Cora Fischer knew they could. Heartbreak, abject poverty and a mother’s bear instincts to protect her children at all costs could turn a selfish, spoiled girl … Heartbreak, abject poverty and a mother’s bear instincts to protect her children at all costs could turn a selfish, spoiled girl into a strong, formidable woman.
But first loves die hard.
They were enemies, never lovers, despite what she told her family and the town. She hated him then, and he hates her now.
But she can give him what he wants, and she’s willing to make a deal. Is she strong enough to conquer her foe and not destroy herself?
Or maybe she could write new chapter: old enemies make the best husbands.
Reviews for The Cowboy’s Enemy:
★★★★★ “Abner and Cora’s story is a wonderful testament to the power of love and forgiveness.” – Charlene
★★★★★ “Abner knows the Lord works in mysterious ways and this story tells of one of an undying love. It will make you laugh, and cry, and feel that annoying unease when you are waiting like Abner for Cora’s decision.” – M.K.
★★★★★ “I just can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. I never purchase Christian books but I will be continuing in this series. This author has converted me. I really enjoyed her characters and couldn’t wait to read their happy ever after. The book maintains Christian values without feeling preachy or judgmental. Simply excellent.” – KM
★★★★★ “I love all of Jessie Gussman’s books. Keep em’ coming! I was worried for a while it wouldn’t end happy but alas it didn’t let me down. I absolutely love Abnar’s character too. Good book.” – Amazon Customer
★★★★★ “If you want a fairy-tale with perfect people, this is not the book for you. As for me? I LOVED it. These characters are not perfect, and it was a refreshing story. A happily ever after where both leads make big mistakes and show how a real relationship is work – it was so nice to read.” – Jess
Books in the Sweet Water Ranch series:
- The Cowboy’s Best Friend
- The Cowboy’s Secret Baby
- The Cowboy’s Beauty
- The Cowboy’s Best Friend’s Sister
- The Cowboy’s Convenient Marriage
- The Cowboy’s Fairy Tale
- The Cowboy’s Secret Romance
- The Cowboy’s Bargain Bride
- The Cowboy’s Enemy
- The Cowboy’s Mistletoe Christmas
- The Cowboy’s Marriage Mistake
more
Jessie Gussman proves that things are not always what they seem. I really enjoyed this story.
Another really good book in the Sweetwater Ranch Series. I really enjoyed listening to Jay Dyess narrate this story on Audible. He brings out the stories and makes them seem so real and brings life to the words on the page. He makes you feel like you are right there among everyone as the story unfolds around you.
Jessie Gussman does an awesome job writing the story and between the two you have a wonderful romance story. As you listen to the other stories you kinda get to know Abner a little and this is his story so you get to know him a lot better. Cora is his first love and he has never ever forgotten her.
A really good book that you will not want to miss
Cora has made wrong choices with men & now has 6 kids. She has woken up to what she needs to do now to make her life better. Then her first love Abner comes back to town. He is so different from the other men who have been in her life. She doesn’t know what to make of him. Can they make it together? I loved this story very much. Also, I loved Mr. Gussman’s reading of it.
The Cowboy’s Enemy is another great book by Jessie Gussman. This is book 9 in the series Sweet Water Ranch and featuring characters we have grown to love from the previous books. This story is the private things that Abner has kept secret for several years that come out when his Grandma dies and he goes back to Ohio for her funeral. We find out about the one girl that Abner loved and left in Ohio and why he has never dated since. Cora met Abner when he was enrolled into public school after his father’s death and he was sent to his biological mother to raise at 13. This removed him from his Amish community and family although he has held onto his Amish upbringing all his life. But, the secret she told about Abner years ago is why he ran away from her and never had been back. However, Abner knows the Lord works in mysterious ways and this story tells of one of an undying love. It will make you laugh, and cry, and feel that annoying unease when you are waiting like Abner for Cora’s decision. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and as the last book. . . we get a “sneak peek” as to Mack’s story will be next!!!
Wow. I’m speechless. In the first chapter alone I was thrown for so many loops. Total bombshell. I stopped halfway through that chapter and I just sat, shellshocked. This book was very serious and sobering. There was a strong theme surrounding forgiveness for past mistakes and hope for the future. These characters were very well done. I liked the bit of Amish that was woven in. This book definitely didn’t have as much of the lightheartedness that most of these books have, but it was really well done and there was still a good amount of humor and teasing.
Audio:
I loved this audio. Abner’s voice showed such care!
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
As with all this authors books that I have read, I enjoyed this one very much. Her books are always clean and full of romance with no graphic details of sex or foul language.
Abner and Cora had some history. He loved her and she betrayed him. He left but has never found another woman that he loved like he loved her. His grandmother died and he returned to the place he grew up only to find Cora with her six kids living with his mother. Unbeknownst to him, his grandmother had mothered Cora and her kids. She had provided a safe place for them to live recently. Now he was facing her again and while he was still angry, he found that he still loved her and the more time he spent with her and her kids, the more he loved them, too. But, Cora was determined to be independent and do right by her kids. She didn’t need a man, even a good man. . . or did she?
This was a wonderful second chance romance with a happy ending.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
Cowboys Don’t Marry Their Enemy by Jessie Gussman (5 stars)
I’m not usually one for a ton of angst and miscommunication, but it sure made sense in this story. When two people are as hurt as these two, miscommunication and angst are kind of a given.
I loved Abner and Cora’s story! It was full of real-life issues and decisions made by real-life people. Such tragic pasts that when they finally communicate and open up to one another, the reader knows that it is exactly what each of them needs and that their love will last. A story of the redemptive power of love.
Intense, gripping and sigh-worthy. Another amazing story by Ms. Gussman!
*poor, **ok, ***good, ****very good, *****something special
She hurt him once and it wasn’t going to happen again. But there she was living with his mother and taking care of her along with her own six kids. He wanted nothing to do with her. There problem was, he still loved her.
I received this book free for my honest review.
Each story in this series has been about the letter and it’s recipients and has had a subtle message delivered by this author. Each character has in some way touched your heart and Abner did that in a special quiet unassuming way. He has been portrayed as the sweet easy going guy that has a secret that shows the shadows and pain. e doesn’t really talk about his past but is everything his friends need at anytime. This is his story. A story that will break your heart as it shows bad habits and patterns that can be destructive to all involved. His heart has been claimed for awhile and now it’s time for him to deal with his past and the decisions he made.
Love this series and hate that Abner didn’t get a letter too but I do love his strength in character and principal. I absolutely loved it and will continue to look forward to this author and her clean reads with their subtle yet intense messages.
I think I say this with every one of the book reviews from this series by Jessie Gussman: “Cowboys Don’t Marry Their Enemy” was different and really made me think. This book about Abner, who so intrigued me in previous books in which he appears, was not what I was expecting – well, actually I didn’t know what to expect. But the reality of who his ‘enemy’ was … not it. I confess I didn’t really get the appeal and connection at first between these two, but as their characters are revealed and their histories fleshed out, the match made more and more sense. At the end I was totally on board. I read an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary review.
This is a poignant, emotional tale of young love, secrets and misunderstandings between Abner and Cora. This book takes place many years later when these two characters are reunited following the death of Abner’s grandmother in Ohio. I enjoyed this interesting story showing Abner’s upbringing and why he is the man that he is today. He certainly has a big heart of gold that never stopped loving Cora even though she really hurt his pride and his ego. It was nice to learn that both characters could move past that and forgive each other as well as themselves. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
I have read every book in this series and I love them. In books 7 & 8 you find the character of Abner. From those stories Abner is solid and fairly unemotional. In this book he is anything but. It’s interesting to see the past come unraveled as Cora and Abner both see it from the others perspective. Of course it takes a while for that to happen. Thanks Jessie for such a great story!
Cowboy’s Don’t Marry Their Enemy captured my interest in the first pages and kept it throughout the story. This book is a lot different than the others in the series. Cora and Abner’s story id very complicated. This story has six children, lies, miscommunication; it is a lot of drama. Can Abner and Cora’s love survive all this? Will Abner stay this time? These characters are both strong , each in his/her own way. Ms. Gussman’s stories are always well written, thoughtful and stay with me long after they end.
I had an ARC copy of this book, but this is my voluntary and honest opinion. Jessie has done it again. Her Cowboy books are great. I really enjoyed the characters in this book and the plot. I keep thinking she can’t top this one and the next book is just as good as the one before. Her story lines are interesting and keep you reading the book.
Poor choices and second chances.
Abner had left the small town he had been raised in but now he is back because of loss. What really has him troubled is that he might run into Cora and it would bring back all the hurt and pain he had experienced before. This one was a bit hard to read it was so realistic. Abner had a rotten life with a stepmother who did not want him and a mother that enjoys having uncles around and Cora she may have been the worse. Cora’s life was not so great she was like Mother Hubbard she has so many kids she did not know what to do. There is a solution for both of them will they take it or not that is the question? The author must have put her very heart into this book it was totally captivating and was a brilliant piece. This is a must-read book and I highly recommend it. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
Abner has had an unconventional life, which he never talks about. His parents never married, so he was raised by his Amish father and his step-mother. Tragedy dropped him into the world of the Tragedy dropped him into the world of the ”English”. Then, Cora, the only woman he ever loved, had a baby by another man and tried to say that it was his. He left for a life on the road as a migrant farmer.
Now, he must return home for his grandmother’s funeral and face his past. However, not everything is as he once thought it was. Can he find the courage to overlook past hurts and reach for what he truly wants?
A beautiful book of love overcoming adversity and seeing the beauty in everyone.
Abner, the main male character in this book was introduced earlier in the series and he was quite mysterious, likable but unknowable as he kept his personal information to himself. I loved his complicated story and enjoyed seeing how love and forgiveness conquered all as he returned home to a dysfunctional family and the former love of his life who had betrayed him. This was a page turner! Highly recommend! I received a copy of this book from the author and my honest review is voluntarily given.
Abner left Cora more than ten years ago when she got pregnant and she tall him it was his child. It was a lie and they both knew it. When Abner comes back to Ohio, to her grandmother’s funeral, Cora is living with her mother and her six children, without a husband? Can Abner learn the truth about what happened in the past and to win back Cora’s love? CAn Cora trust a man again after all her past mistakes and with her children a home and a family? A sweet love story, about commitment, forgiviness and true love.
What I enjoyed:
• I liked the witty banter between Abner and Cora. Laughter is a great attention getter and makes for a very enjoyable book.
• Cora’s children added a lot to the story. They were sweet, cute and sometimes funny. Without them, the story would have lost its uniqueness.
• I liked the premise that God gives us many chances to become a better person. Cora and Abner must realize this, when viewing each other and themselves.
• The descriptive wording the author used immersed me into the scenes of the story.
• I did not find this western Christian romance preachy. Religion was just a natural part of the characters’ lives. No lectures.
• This was a clean read and I appreciate authors who write that way.
• This book had a very satisfying ending.
What was missing in this book for me:
• I had trouble really believing there was an emotional connection and love between Abner and Cora.
I was given an advance copy of this book by the author. My review was voluntary and my opinions were my own. I will be reading more books by this author. I have really enjoyed the Sweetwater Ranch series.
Abner… who would’ve thought… what a surprise 🙂
The worm scene is hilarious – “She was the only one supporting the worm. It was a lonely team of two.” hehehe