Judy D. -
Snowflakes and Stetsons
The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle By Jillian Hart
Caleb McGraw has just been released from the Territory prison. He served seven years for a crime he did not commit. He was shunned by the town's people and found out his fiance has died and that he has a son. This new information brings Caleb to Moose, Montana and to Caroline Dreyer's home. And face to face with his six year old son, Thomas.
A man was stealing Kringle, her horse. Caroline runs outside with her gun but don't have the courage to shoot and the snow is coming down too heavy to see. Out of nowhere comes a new voice and before she knows it the horse thief is tied up. Her handsome hero comes into view and everything changes.
Caroline figures out Caleb is Thomas's father and she wants him to stay, at least for Christmas. The sullen boy is cheerful and the season is the best since losing her husband and son four years ago. When Caroline finds out the Caleb's past, will she see the man he is accused of being or what her heart knows is the truth?
I was so excited to see the McKaslin's again. Mac is the sheriff of Moose and his folks own the bakery, where Caroline works. We met these folks in A Season of the Heart: Rocky Mountain Christmas. Another excellent story!
Christmas at Cahill Crossing by Carol Finch
Lucas Burnett is an outcast in society. His mixed blood was good enough to help settle the area and to be a Texas Ranger but he is not accepted socially. And it's fine by him to stay on his ranch and raise his special breed of horses. He has his appaloosa, Drizzle and his dog, Dog. And then an angel appears in his life.
Rosalie Greer is known in town as a dressmaker. No one knows she is an heiress from the East. She goes out to get her special gifts for Christmas and on the way home a Texas blizzard hits and when the horses get skittish the wagon ends up in the ditch. Rosa is not dressed for the cold.
Lucas and Dog hear some odd noises and skittish horses. He wants to ignore it but when the wolves get louder and horses more upset he sets out to help. He finds Rosa near death and brings her to his cabin.
After leaving Lucas, Rosa is determined to get him involved in town. She invites him to the Christmas festivities and he comes. He even enjoys meeting his neighbor, Quin Cahill.
In November The Lone Rancher will be released. This is Quin's story and Rosa's cousin from the East, Adrianna.
**Sexual situations
A Magical Gift At Christmas by Cheryl St. John
U.S. Marshal Jonah Cavanaugh is on the train to Denver. Three other Marshal's are in other cars. Jonah has his eyes on the man who will be trying to steal the gold shipment. He has to do something before they reach the rest of Bloom's gang. Jonah decides he'll disconnect the mail car from the train. Little does he know what that decision will cost him when all is said and done.
Meredith Abbott is riding in her father's Pullman car. Hayden & Jillian are stowed away in the baggage car. Jonah now has three more lives in his hands. He's surprised to find that Ms. Abbott does all she is told without a case of the vapors. She is tough, brave and beautiful. For a socialite she truly surprises him.
Meredith has always done what others expected. She was heading to Denver to marry a man her father wanted her to marry. Jonah actually asked her what she wanted to do and let her make up her own mind. She loved the freedom she had while they were waiting for help to come. Although a snow storm would delay rescue and the thieves. The four of them made the best of the situation. They were together over Christmas and Meredith was able to see what little it took to make the children happy. She always had everything she needed and more. It was a great Christmas, stuck in the middle of nowhere in the train car.
By the time they get into Denver, Meredith is a new woman. Will she be strong enough to choose love over duty, if Jonah even wants her?
The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle By Jillian Hart
Caleb McGraw has just been released from the Territory prison. He served seven years for a crime he did not commit. He was shunned by the town's people and found out his fiance has died and that he has a son. This new information brings Caleb to Moose, Montana and to Caroline Dreyer's home. And face to face with his six year old son, Thomas.
A man was stealing Kringle, her horse. Caroline runs outside with her gun but don't have the courage to shoot and the snow is coming down too heavy to see. Out of nowhere comes a new voice and before she knows it the horse thief is tied up. Her handsome hero comes into view and everything changes.
Caroline figures out Caleb is Thomas's father and she wants him to stay, at least for Christmas. The sullen boy is cheerful and the season is the best since losing her husband and son four years ago. When Caroline finds out the Caleb's past, will she see the man he is accused of being or what her heart knows is the truth?
I was so excited to see the McKaslin's again. Mac is the sheriff of Moose and his folks own the bakery, where Caroline works. We met these folks in A Season of the Heart: Rocky Mountain Christmas. Another excellent story!
Christmas at Cahill Crossing by Carol Finch
Lucas Burnett is an outcast in society. His mixed blood was good enough to help settle the area and to be a Texas Ranger but he is not accepted socially. And it's fine by him to stay on his ranch and raise his special breed of horses. He has his appaloosa, Drizzle and his dog, Dog. And then an angel appears in his life.
Rosalie Greer is known in town as a dressmaker. No one knows she is an heiress from the East. She goes out to get her special gifts for Christmas and on the way home a Texas blizzard hits and when the horses get skittish the wagon ends up in the ditch. Rosa is not dressed for the cold.
Lucas and Dog hear some odd noises and skittish horses. He wants to ignore it but when the wolves get louder and horses more upset he sets out to help. He finds Rosa near death and brings her to his cabin.
After leaving Lucas, Rosa is determined to get him involved in town. She invites him to the Christmas festivities and he comes. He even enjoys meeting his neighbor, Quin Cahill.
In November The Lone Rancher will be released. This is Quin's story and Rosa's cousin from the East, Adrianna.
**Sexual situations
A Magical Gift At Christmas by Cheryl St. John
U.S. Marshal Jonah Cavanaugh is on the train to Denver. Three other Marshal's are in other cars. Jonah has his eyes on the man who will be trying to steal the gold shipment. He has to do something before they reach the rest of Bloom's gang. Jonah decides he'll disconnect the mail car from the train. Little does he know what that decision will cost him when all is said and done.
Meredith Abbott is riding in her father's Pullman car. Hayden & Jillian are stowed away in the baggage car. Jonah now has three more lives in his hands. He's surprised to find that Ms. Abbott does all she is told without a case of the vapors. She is tough, brave and beautiful. For a socialite she truly surprises him.
Meredith has always done what others expected. She was heading to Denver to marry a man her father wanted her to marry. Jonah actually asked her what she wanted to do and let her make up her own mind. She loved the freedom she had while they were waiting for help to come. Although a snow storm would delay rescue and the thieves. The four of them made the best of the situation. They were together over Christmas and Meredith was able to see what little it took to make the children happy. She always had everything she needed and more. It was a great Christmas, stuck in the middle of nowhere in the train car.
By the time they get into Denver, Meredith is a new woman. Will she be strong enough to choose love over duty, if Jonah even wants her?
4amreader -
Jillian Hart's story-Enjoyable the whole way through. The "discovering a lost child" plot was handled differently than I've seen before. That was refreshing. Her writing is engaging and the character's growing attraction and relationship was fun to read, mainly because each character was aware they were attracted to the other and didn't try to hide it. that was also refreshing! The heroine could have exhibited a bit more faith at one point but then the story would have been over too soon.
Carol Finch-I have tried numerous times to read this author's work. I know she receives consistently high marks from ratings seen here so I tried again. Disappointingly, after forcing myself to read over half of the story, I just could not continue. For me her writing style falls flat. Had I been able to finish and enjoy this story as well, my star rating would have been higher for the overall book.
Cheryl St.John-An engaging read and wonderful story that I wish had a bit more romance in it. The bulk of the action took place on a Pullman railway car, a private, luxurious train car. The writing was solid and the action exciting but I would have enjoyed more of the characters emotions and attraction to each other revealed throughout the story. An excellent story the whole way through, it fell shy in the romance department.
The Cover-what is up with putting a kid on a cover of a romance book?
Carol Finch-I have tried numerous times to read this author's work. I know she receives consistently high marks from ratings seen here so I tried again. Disappointingly, after forcing myself to read over half of the story, I just could not continue. For me her writing style falls flat. Had I been able to finish and enjoy this story as well, my star rating would have been higher for the overall book.
Cheryl St.John-An engaging read and wonderful story that I wish had a bit more romance in it. The bulk of the action took place on a Pullman railway car, a private, luxurious train car. The writing was solid and the action exciting but I would have enjoyed more of the characters emotions and attraction to each other revealed throughout the story. An excellent story the whole way through, it fell shy in the romance department.
The Cover-what is up with putting a kid on a cover of a romance book?
jjares reviewed Snowflakes and Stetsons: The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle / Christmas at Cahill Crossing / A Magical Gift at Christmas on + 3275 more book reviews
Although I'm less familiar with Jillian Hart's work than the other two, I'm particularly fond of Cheryl St. John's stories. I've also read a good number of Carol Finch's works and find her to be a fine writer. Thus, I was looking forward to reading this trio of short stories about Christmas.
The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle (Jillian Hart) -- This story fluctuates between trite and corny. I hate to waste the paper describing it. Caleb McGraw, just out of jail for a crime he didn't commit, finds out he has a son. He travels to see his son, just once and meets the woman who took the child into her home. Feeling too guilty to explain, Caleb falls for Caroline (a widow who also lost her son in the past). When she finds out the truth, she doesn't want to hear Caleb's explanation. (frankly, who cares?) (2 stars)
Christmas at Cahill Crossing (Carol Finch) -- This short story was released about the same time as the book listed below. It is tangentially related to the Cahills of that series. Rosalie Greer gets caught in a sudden blizzard and is fortunately found by ex-Texas Ranger Lucas Burnett before she freezes to death. There is instant chemistry between the two but Rosie is a fashionable business owner and Lucas doesn't think they belong together. This is a charming story about opposites that have much in common. (4.5 stars)
A Magical Gift at Christmas (Cheryl St. John) -- US Marshal Jonah Cavanaugh and three other marshals are protecting a gold shipment on a train traveling to Denver. Meredith Abbott is traveling in a private Pullman car on the same train, at the end, with the mail car. Johan finds two stowaway hiding in the mail car, children hoping to travel to Denver to find their father (because their mother has died). Now, suddenly, Jonah is responsible for three others, as well as the gold shipment. The shootout causes damage to the Abbott's train car, but Jonah keeps everyone safe.
When they arrive in Denver, Meredith's intended asks her to marry him. But the two children have gotten under her skin and Meredith decides that she wants more than a society marriage. This is a great story; just what one would expect from this author. (5 stars)
Series contributed to: Cahill Cowboys
The LoneRancher (2011)
The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle (Jillian Hart) -- This story fluctuates between trite and corny. I hate to waste the paper describing it. Caleb McGraw, just out of jail for a crime he didn't commit, finds out he has a son. He travels to see his son, just once and meets the woman who took the child into her home. Feeling too guilty to explain, Caleb falls for Caroline (a widow who also lost her son in the past). When she finds out the truth, she doesn't want to hear Caleb's explanation. (frankly, who cares?) (2 stars)
Christmas at Cahill Crossing (Carol Finch) -- This short story was released about the same time as the book listed below. It is tangentially related to the Cahills of that series. Rosalie Greer gets caught in a sudden blizzard and is fortunately found by ex-Texas Ranger Lucas Burnett before she freezes to death. There is instant chemistry between the two but Rosie is a fashionable business owner and Lucas doesn't think they belong together. This is a charming story about opposites that have much in common. (4.5 stars)
A Magical Gift at Christmas (Cheryl St. John) -- US Marshal Jonah Cavanaugh and three other marshals are protecting a gold shipment on a train traveling to Denver. Meredith Abbott is traveling in a private Pullman car on the same train, at the end, with the mail car. Johan finds two stowaway hiding in the mail car, children hoping to travel to Denver to find their father (because their mother has died). Now, suddenly, Jonah is responsible for three others, as well as the gold shipment. The shootout causes damage to the Abbott's train car, but Jonah keeps everyone safe.
When they arrive in Denver, Meredith's intended asks her to marry him. But the two children have gotten under her skin and Meredith decides that she wants more than a society marriage. This is a great story; just what one would expect from this author. (5 stars)
Series contributed to: Cahill Cowboys
The LoneRancher (2011)
MS. OLLIE W. (HollyWoods627) reviewed Snowflakes and Stetsons: The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle / Christmas at Cahill Crossing / A Magical Gift at Christmas on + 20 more book reviews
I loved the Cahill series. This story was too short. I would love to read more. The additional stories were a bonus.
