Search - Cowboy Christmas

I read the title of this book and plunged in, thinking I might read about a cowboy Christmas. What does that look like? If you are looking for the answer to that question you won’t find it here. What you will find is one wild, action filled adventure story, cowboy style. I’m so glad I received a review copy of this book.

Mary Connealy doesn’t hold back in this Christmas tale, get a grip on your seat belt when you start reading this book. On the first page there’s fist fighting, gun slinging and everything breaking loose at the seams. I’ve read some of Mary’s other books and they are a hoot. This one’s no exception.

Mary usually has at least one character in her stories that just gets under your skin, in this book it’s Annette Talbot, her main character. Annette is the smartest dumb person I’ve read about. She’s a strong willed, stubborn young lady that doesn’t know when to give up when the getting’s good! Ha! Ha!

Elijah the other leading character is crazed by Annette and her ways. He’s fed up with her and her stubborn streak. Why won’t she just listen to reason? After all he was the man and knew about things out in the west. Elijah thinks this about Annette, “even if he couldn’t quite pin down Annette’s lies, he knew for a fact she was a full-blown idiot. She’d pretty much only survived this long through direct, miraculous intervention from God. A woman shouldn’t need a miracle a day to stay alive. Not even God had time for that nonsense. A person needed some survival skills and Annette had none.�

Annette did trust God with her life how did she end up in such a mess? Hadn’t she heard and followed his lead?

If you are looking for a cozy, warm and fuzzy Christmas story you won’t find it here. What you will find are every loveable, characters like Ruby Elijah’s mother who loves the Lord with all her heart and her son knows that and so does Annette.

Ruby takes a liking to Annette and tries to do a little match making. She tells Elijah to lighten up in regards to giving Annette a bad time. It’s almost Christmas they have to enjoy the time they have and forgive. They all had a past they needed to get unstuck from, so they can enjoy the future. Don’t miss another wild adventure from Mary, it’s guaranteed a good time, with a good message just in time for Christmas.

Nora St.Laurent
Finding Hope Through Fiction
www.psalm516.blogspot.com

Cowboy Christmas Cowboy Christmas by Mary Connealy


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At first while reading the latest of Mary Connealy, a special Christmas book, "Cowboy Christmas", I was not quite as impressed as every other western comedy romance that I have read by such a fabulous author. Yet then I got to read chapters twenty-six and twenty-seven and every reason that I love to read Mary's books came out. I was just about hooting and hollering with chuckles. I even kept reading segments aloud to my dear hubby, who just does not care, yet even he enjoyed them. With this story, overall I love it. But I never really did connect to the main protagonist Miss Annette Talbot. She frustrated me too much. The character in this novel that I really enjoyed and anticipated each next page about was the other protagonist Elijah Walker. It was just everything about him that I loved.

This is a Christmas novel, yet can be enjoyed anytime of year. The plot just tells and anticipates of the special day to come. Once again we have a fabulous cast of characters with the good guys and the bad. This time we have both a woman that needs to understand growing in her faith, and a man who needs to find it again. Trust is a big issue, and moving past pain is another. Serious events are portrayed and of course the wonderful Mary laughs are filled through out bringing a fabulously enjoyable lightness to a page turner.

*A copy of this book to review was provided thanks to Angie Brillhart of Barbour Books and NetGalley.*

Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy Mary Connealy's books? She is one of only a handful of authors where I feel that if they write a book, I must buy it. Period. Everything she writes brings me joy and makes me laugh, and in today's society I'll take my laughs anyway I can get them... so bring on Mary's new book!

Cowboy Christmas is her new stand alone book and it is great. Two broken, hurting people meet on a stagecoach where sass and sparks fly, but roles are laid out. Annie is the innocent young woman setting herself up for disappointment as she travels back home to her father after years away and is hoping for a happy ending. Elijah is the rancher that is recovering from his father's death a year ago at the hands of his then fiancee who is now languishing in prison. He has lost his faith, is full of guilt and to top it off he is now falling into the role of protector over this young thing that he knows is going to be heart broken when she gets out to her father's ranch.

Annie is hiding some secrets of her own (a boatload of them really) and is being tracked by some people that do not have good intentions for her. Can Elijah protect her when she doesn't want protecting and can he save his heart from hurt again? In typical Mary style, we travel the road to the answers with many smiles along the way. I will add this book to my Mary Connealy shelf and at the rate that she writes, it will be full very soon!

I absolutely loved this book! I didn't want to put it down! When I had to put it down, I was thinking about it wondering what the characters would get into next! Mary Connealy is one of my favorite western, christian romance writers!

Love this author! If you want good christian reading that is interesting and spiritually inspiring, this is a great read! I love coming away from a book wanting to be more Christ like! Thank you Mary Connealy for your excellent writing!
Mary Clemons

I enjoy reading anything by Mary Connealy and this book doesn't disappoint. It has everything in it that one comes to expect from Mary. I will definitely be recommending this book to family and friends. I look forward to reading her next story.