Reunited with the Cowboy
(Heroes of Shelter Creek #1)
By Claire McEwen
By Claire McEwen
Adult Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback & ebook, 368 Pages
July 1st 2019 by Harlequin Heartwarming
She can save his ranch…
But can he forgive her?
Maya Burton knows she’s the last person rancher Caleb Dunne wants to see. After all, she survived the crash that killed his sister, and then left town. Now she has to convince the stubborn cowboy that she can help him save his ranch. But once she earns his trust—and his heart—will she be able to walk away?
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My Thoughts
Sometimes you start reading a series romance –
expecting it to be good in the ordinary way – only to discover that you hold a
gem in your hands. Reunited with the Cowboy by Claire McEwen is a romance
with emotion, complexity, and rich characterization. I was caught up from the very
first page and enjoyed this engaging story.
Maya and Caleb are appealing and relatable characters, but with no surface-level perfection. Instead, they are realistically flawed in such a way that readers can’t help but root for them. Maya comes to her grandmother’s home in California, on a two-month assignment for the Department of Wildlife to study pumas – specifically, to figure out why they were eating local sheep. But a tragic past travels with her, and her practice of coping through the safety of solitude just might be about to change. Maya “knew what to expect when she was on her own. Friendship, love, family – it was all so risky.” Caleb has also been through tragedies that no one should have to experience and felt that his life “contained troubles too big to share.” Rather than seeking help in coping with his guilt and grief, he had gone down the path of self-destruction.
I’ve always thought of predators like mountain lions as dangerous animals to be feared, but I learned a lot from this story and came away with a new insight and appreciation. For the ranchers determined to shoot these creatures in order to protect their livestock, it’s about education and learning preventative methods they can implement. But ranchers aren’t easily open to change and Maya often meets with closed minds. It’s here that one of my favorite fictional groups enters the picture, several senior adult friends of Maya’s grandmother called the “Book Biddies.” They offer some lighthearted and tender moments, and warmed my heart with their wisdom, unflinching loyalty and support of Maya.
One of my favorite scenes is when Maya comes upon a three-legged dog by the side of the road, determines to rescue him, and names him Einstein. Similarities to Caleb were obvious to Maya … “Caleb was like this dog. Wounded. Trying to reach forward for connection. Retreating back into his fear. Growling to cover it up.”
Only one thing marred this book, and that’s the frequent use of mild profanity. The story is clean otherwise, which I expected from the Harlequin Heartwarming line, but the occurrences of profanity were totally unexpected and unwelcome. With that one caveat, Reunited with the Cowboy is a wonderfully engaging, memorable story.
I received a copy of this book through Prism Book Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Maya and Caleb are appealing and relatable characters, but with no surface-level perfection. Instead, they are realistically flawed in such a way that readers can’t help but root for them. Maya comes to her grandmother’s home in California, on a two-month assignment for the Department of Wildlife to study pumas – specifically, to figure out why they were eating local sheep. But a tragic past travels with her, and her practice of coping through the safety of solitude just might be about to change. Maya “knew what to expect when she was on her own. Friendship, love, family – it was all so risky.” Caleb has also been through tragedies that no one should have to experience and felt that his life “contained troubles too big to share.” Rather than seeking help in coping with his guilt and grief, he had gone down the path of self-destruction.
I’ve always thought of predators like mountain lions as dangerous animals to be feared, but I learned a lot from this story and came away with a new insight and appreciation. For the ranchers determined to shoot these creatures in order to protect their livestock, it’s about education and learning preventative methods they can implement. But ranchers aren’t easily open to change and Maya often meets with closed minds. It’s here that one of my favorite fictional groups enters the picture, several senior adult friends of Maya’s grandmother called the “Book Biddies.” They offer some lighthearted and tender moments, and warmed my heart with their wisdom, unflinching loyalty and support of Maya.
One of my favorite scenes is when Maya comes upon a three-legged dog by the side of the road, determines to rescue him, and names him Einstein. Similarities to Caleb were obvious to Maya … “Caleb was like this dog. Wounded. Trying to reach forward for connection. Retreating back into his fear. Growling to cover it up.”
Only one thing marred this book, and that’s the frequent use of mild profanity. The story is clean otherwise, which I expected from the Harlequin Heartwarming line, but the occurrences of profanity were totally unexpected and unwelcome. With that one caveat, Reunited with the Cowboy is a wonderfully engaging, memorable story.
I received a copy of this book through Prism Book Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
About the Author
Claire McEwen writes stories about strong heroes and heroines who take big, emotional journeys to find their happily-ever-after. She lives by the ocean in Northern California with her family and a scruffy, mischievous terrier. When she’s not writing, Claire enjoys gardening, reading and discovering flea-market treasures. She loves to hear from readers! You can find her on most social media and at www.clairemcewen.com.
Tour Schedule
Tour Giveaway
1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon eGift Card
Open internationally
Ends July 24, 2019
Open internationally
Ends July 24, 2019
Congratulations on this great review! Cowboys are my favorite romantic heroes so I'm sure that I will love this story. Thank you for sharing the book info and for offering a giveaway!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations !!! I like the cover and the excerpt.
ReplyDelete