REVIEW WEDNESDAY - The Cowboy's Second Chance

 Good morning!

Another hot day in the Ozarks. May I reinterate, I'm so ready for fall.

This week's novella is The Cowboy's Second chance. The title caught my attention immediately because 'second chance' stories are my favorite to read and what I write.

AMAZON

BLURB:

Will the billionaire philanthropist get a second chance to win the lady of his heart?

He's a billionaire that's supposed to be dead.

She's the woman who chose his best friend over him.

They've forged a strong online friendship over two decades as she's raised her eight kids alone, and he kept the promise he made to her husband.

She doesn't know who he really is - the entire town of Sweet Water attended his memorial service.

When they finally meet, will the friendship they've forged be strong enough to weather the deception and the explosive secrets he's hiding?

I was not a fan of the blurb. Did you notice we aren't introduced to the characters by name? The blurb reads more like a 'will they - won't they' than using basic etiquette to introduce us. I do get this from the point of we don't have the hero's actual name in the beginning... just Oilman. That lends an air of mystery. However, this isn't a mystery. It's a small-town, sweet, contemporary romance between a couple in their possibly mid-to-late fifties forging a path to their forever.

I loved how the couple find their way back to one another. After twenty years of emails, they know one another pretty well, though Oilman knows a lot more about the younger version of Bonnie than he can let on. 

There are other books in this series - the Sweet Water Ranch Western Cowboy Romance-  and I hope one will bring Bonnie's errant son back to the fold. I get the feeling he was young when her husband past and being angry is a valid feeling for someone young who's lost a parent.

You'll find out more about Jessie Gussman and her books by following any of the links below. For a direct link to this story, you'll find that below the cover.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   YOUTUBE

GOODREADS   NEWSLETTER

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

I'm giving The Cowboy's Second Chance...

All my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Jessie Gussman

 Good morning, friends!

Hot weather has returned to the Ozarks. I'm so over the heat. I'm not very productive, even with the AC unless I can crank the temp down to just above frigid. What about you?

This week's author is Jessie Gussman. If the name seems familiar, it is. I featured her back in June.

Jessie is a farm girl. I invite you to check out all of her links below, but especially her YouTube link.

Here's more about Jessie Gussman:

USA Today best-selling author Jessie Gussman writes sweet and inspirational romance from her farm in central Virginia. Having attended, but never graduating from the school of hard knocks, Jessie uses real life on the farm to inspire her cowboy, rural and blue-collar fiction. 

When she’s not chasing kids, cows and the occasional roll-away haybale, Jessie enjoys wading in Naked Creek and not cleaning her house. Most of the time her main goal is to keep from catching herself on fire…again. 

If you enjoy fun stories with vivid characters showcasing strong families with a ribbon of faith tying everything together, you might enjoy Jessie’s books.

As an additon, check out her voice actor.

Listen to Jay Dyess perform Jessie's books - for FREE - on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/SaywithJay

Subscribe to her newsletter and find out why readers say, "I eagerly look forward to Tuesday mornings" and "Jessie's newsletter is the only author newsletter that I read every word." https://dl.bookfunnel.com/97elto4gwl

You'll find out more about Jessie by clicking any of the links below.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   YOUTUBE

GOODREADS   NEWSLETTER

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

 I'll be back tomorrow with a review of The Cowboy's Second Chance.

All my best!

~ Angela

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, friends!

You'll see a 'friend' theme in this month's posts. 

All my best!

 ~ Angela

FRIDAY PHOTO

 Good morning, friends!

 As we roll towards fall, I thought we still needed a bit of summer inspiration.

Courtesy of Pixabay

All my best!

~ Angela

CONFERENCE INFORMATION- Ozark Creative Writers aka OCW

 Good morning, friends!

OZARK CREATIVE WRITERS - aka OCW

I wanted to remind you about the Ozark Creative Writers Conference coming up in October. We gather in Eureka Springs, Sarkansas the second full weekend of October - October 8-10th this year. Please click on the conference link below the image for a complete list of speakers.

This year marks the 60th consecutive year (except for that one year where no one went any where).

You get A LOT for your money at this intimate, multi-genre conference. Aside from great keynote speakers, breakout sessions, you get the opportunity to network with talented authors like yourself. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. That's just some of the reasons I will be marking my 30th year. 

For the price of your registration fee, you also have the opportunity to enter a myriad of contests - all with cash prices for First, Second, and Third Place. To enter those, you must register before the end of this month. You'll find that list HERE.

Aside from everything else, there is fabulous food provided by Best Western Inn of the Ozarks staff. There is a historic restaurant connected to the hotel. Myrtie May's is featured in all of my Eureak Springs series. 

Bring the family and let them do some shopping, enjoy the last visages of summer in the pool or the enclosed hot tub. There is also an outdoor game pagoda with lots of classic 'yard' games and a pool table. 

The conference hotel, Best Western Inn of the Ozarks rooms fill up fast. Even though there is a block of rooms for the conference, rooms fill up fast. However, there are several lovely hotels in town as well as possible AB&B on rental cottages. 

Eureka Springs is a quaint Victorian community with lots of history such as the Crescent Hotel and the Basin Park Hotel. 

I hope to see you there!

All  my best!

~Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - Her Hidden Falls Bronc Riding Cowboy

 Good morning, friends!

If you like stubborn cowboys or a story with a bit of glitz then you're going to love HER HIDDEN FALLS BRONC RIDING COWBOY.

AMAZON

BLURB:

A small town cowboy. A Billionaire. And the woman who has to choose between them.

Beau Hardman, bronc rider and proud owner of the Hardman Ranch, doesn’t need a woman to make his life complete. Sure, it’s nice for his brothers to settle down and find love but he’s always been the lone cowboy and been just fine with it. Too bad his brother’s best friend is putting the moves on his best friend. Pfft. Beau could care less about the rich billionaire and all of the flowers he’s buying Star. Did you hear that? He doesn’t care a bit.

Star Haven has always been content in Hidden Falls. Content, running the family Inn she was instrumental in restoring. Content, dating here and there and enjoying her small town. Until Richard Chavez shows up and invites her to a ball at his estate. A ball he plans to send a helicopter to pick her up for.

When Beau discovers Star's thinking of leaving Hidden Falls--for good, he has to come clean about his feelings….or is it too late?

Will Beau and Star be able to dig through complicated pain of the past and make a happily ever after together? Or will Beau be left in the dust by the rich billionaire and his helicopter?

I wasn't completely sold on this story at first. The conversation between Star and Charlotte left my mind a bit jumbled as to who the others they mentioned fit in. Then things began to click.

A true friends-to-lovers romance between Beau and Star. Star is more down-to-earth and settled running the Inn she inherited after her parents were killed whereas Beau is still a big kid at heart chasing his dream of winning the PRCA bronc riding trophy. He also lost his parents so seeing the juxtaposition of how he and Star each handle their grief is presented in such a way that we actual see how their lives were shaped differently by their individual loss.

Enter Richard Chavez, the billionaire who wants Star. Not in a 'I'm rich I get what I want kind of way' but truly humbled by seeing the differences between past women in his life and what he could have with Star. I may need to see if he gets his own book as this would have been a great way to kick off another series. 

Her Hidden Falls Bronc Riding Cowboy is Book 4 in a 6-book series. I think they are all worth a read. You will find them by following the link to Taylor Hart's Amazon Page, as well a long list of other books with promise from this USA Today Bestselling Author. 

I did see one small slip in a scene between Beau and one of his brothers but I'll see if you can spot it. Definitly not worth knocking points off. 

I'm giving, HER HIDDEN FALLS BRONC RIDING COWBOY ...

All my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Taylor Hart

 Good morning, readers!

We'll be reading some summer romances this month.

This week, we're getting to know, Taylor Hart.

The sticker in the corner of her hedshot speaks volumes but let's check in with her.

BIO:

★ USA TODAY BESTSELLER, AMAZON BESTSELLING AUTHOR, and TOP KINDLE ALL STAR! ★

Taylor Hart writes inspirational and Christian romance and is a best-selling author of over eighty-five books with fans in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and all over the world.

I wanted to tell something meaningful about myself, but let's start with the important stuff--I love swoon-worthy heroes. The kind of heroes that are strong and would take a bullet for you, but also want to open your door and listen to you pour out your heart.

What else? I grew up moving. If you’ve read my books, you won’t be surprised by this. I have a lot of moving themes through my books centered around characters experiencing pain from someone moving.

It was hard. But, I believe there’s always a seed of good that comes out of everything hard, so I think the best thing that came from it was that I learned to love books.

 And I had to learn a lot of mad skills on friend making. It gave me a love of people…good people, compassionate people. Interesting people of all kinds.

What else about me? I am a mother and wife! I have four amazing boys that are like little ninjas running around. I love them so much and I’m so grateful for my amazing husband who doesn’t get intimidated by all the billionaire men in my life.

I have a fierce love of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for Him and for the healing and forgiveness I’ve gotten to experience in my life. This is a theme in many of my books.

I love being an American. I am so proud of the men and women that support and preserve our freedom. This is another theme you will find in my books.

I am so grateful for my fans and for the support and love you all show me! Don’t stop reading!

That's quite a bio but I wanted Taylor to speak for herself, from the heart. I'm looking forward to reading one of her eighty-plus books.

You'll find more about Taylor Hart by following any of the links below.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   IG 

GOODREADS   BOOK BUB   YOUTUBE

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

I'll be back tomorrow for my review of Her Hidden Falls Bronc Riding Cowboy

All my best!

~Angela