Catching the cowboy

Spoiled heiress Emery Brighton indulges in one mimosa too many, attempts to steal a horse, and winds up in jail. A sentence of community service leaves her at the mercy of strangers on a remote ranch near a small town in Oregon. Adjusting to country life is hard enough, but she has no idea how to handle her growing affection for a surly cowboy and his adorable daughter.

Steady and dependable as the day is long, rancher Hudson Cole just wants to raise his little girl and be left alone. When his grandmother invites a lawbreaker dressed in Louis Vuitton to Summer Creek Ranch, Hud is convinced Grammy has lost her ever-loving mind. Determined to detest Emery, he instead finds himself doing the one thing he vowed would never happen again: falling in love.  

With one foot out the door, will love be enough to convince Emery to stay?

This sweet romance offers a funny, delightful happily ever after adventure in a quirky small town. Discover a meandering goat named Ethel, meddling matchmakers, and a community that feels like home in a story filled with heart, humor, and hope.

My review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Emery is a spoiled rich girl, who finds herself in a jail cell one day after a whole string of bad decisions. Her uncle, who is a judge, and her father decides to send her to Summer Creek Ranch. They have very fond memories of the place and hope that Nell and her grandson, Hudson, can help Emery get her life together and on the right track. Hudson is a single father, and very leery of Emery, as she reminds him of his ex-wife. He was not happy at all with his grandmother’s decision to let Emery into their lives.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Emery is painted in quite a bad light in the first chapter, but you soon realize that she is actually really sweet, just misguided. As expected, she struggles initially with her new surroundings and community service jobs, but she finds her groove and a place for herself on the ranch and in the town. Hud really didn’t want Emery there, but he is a good man, and can’t stop himself helping her as much as possible.

Nell and Cricket (Hud’s daughter) were two great characters and very entertaining. I really liked the project that Emery took on to breathe new life into the town’s old buildings and to bring in more tourists.

The romance between Hud and Emery developed very slowly. Hud and Emery did get to know each other quite well over time, but not really on a romantic level. They went on one date, which they considered to be a non-date at the time. And then Hud asked her to marry him so she would stay there. I would have liked to have some more romantic moments between them before they came to that big decision.

I can definitely recommend this as a cozy romantic read.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of the book. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was I hooked by this book? Yes.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

about the author

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, this hopeless romantic is out to make it happen, one story at a time. When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, and Romance Writers of America.