Lori S. (sugarandgrits) -
Helpful Score: 2
I was so excited when I saw that Sharon Gillenwater was going to be releasing Jenna's Cowboy, the start of a new series! I remember reading her Palisades romances back when I was just discovering Christian Fiction romance; they were wonderful books. I must say that she has far exceeded my expectations with her newest release. I was hooked from page one, and couldn't read fast enough to see what was gonna happen next. She successfully brings her character to life, so much so, that I could easily picture everything as it was happening. I told my husband, as I was reading the last few pages, that this book would make a wonderful movie.
Jenna Callahan Colby and her 2-year-old son, Zach, have recently moved back to her family's ranch in Callahan Crossing, Texas after her divorce from NFL footballer, Jimmy Don Colby. She has deep, painful scars left over from her failed marriage, and stays hidden away on the ranch for six months before she allows her best friend, Lindsey Moore, to finally talk her into volunteering at The Mission in town. Once she decides it's time to start living her life again, she meets with Pastor Brad, who helps her to begin healing both spiritually and mentally.
Zach Colby is one of my favorite characters...he is just the sweetest little boy. He reminded me so much of my 2 nephews. You never know what he's gonna say, or do, next. Zach has the whole Callahan ranch wrapped around his little finger, even down to the ranch hands! He loves horses, cars, trucks, and Elmo. He and Nate become fast friends, and their relationship is wonderful to watch.
Nate Langley is finally home for good, after two tours of duty. He has spent time in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and was wounded during a rescue mission a few months before returning to the states. Nate's life is quickly changing once he gets home, and not for the better. He is starting to lose his mind! He doesn't understand exactly what's wrong with him, but is afraid to mention his terrifying nightmares, memory lapses, and hair-trigger temper. All of these things, combined with his daily flashbacks, are causing him many sleepless nights; which in turn, is affecting his everyday life. Nate is afraid what people will think of him once they find out about his problems.
After a really close call with his best friends (Chance and Will Callahan), Jenna's parents, Dub and Sue, decide it's time for an intervention. The whole Callahan family sits down with Nate and eventually convinces him that he needs professional help, if he wants to lead a normal life again. As it turns out, Dub had similar problems when he returned from Vietnam, so he is very understanding of Nate's situation.
I didn't know anything about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but Sharon does a great job of helping her readers understand what Nate, as well as his family and friends, is going through. This is a very touching story, and I'm excited to find out what happens next. I'm assuming the next book will be about Chance, since he recently met someone who could possibly steal his heart very quickly. This book will definitely be going on my "keeper" shelf!
Oh...let me mention (again!) that I absolutely love this cover, and have a feeling it's gonna be my favorite for 2010! *sigh*
Jenna Callahan Colby and her 2-year-old son, Zach, have recently moved back to her family's ranch in Callahan Crossing, Texas after her divorce from NFL footballer, Jimmy Don Colby. She has deep, painful scars left over from her failed marriage, and stays hidden away on the ranch for six months before she allows her best friend, Lindsey Moore, to finally talk her into volunteering at The Mission in town. Once she decides it's time to start living her life again, she meets with Pastor Brad, who helps her to begin healing both spiritually and mentally.
Zach Colby is one of my favorite characters...he is just the sweetest little boy. He reminded me so much of my 2 nephews. You never know what he's gonna say, or do, next. Zach has the whole Callahan ranch wrapped around his little finger, even down to the ranch hands! He loves horses, cars, trucks, and Elmo. He and Nate become fast friends, and their relationship is wonderful to watch.
Nate Langley is finally home for good, after two tours of duty. He has spent time in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and was wounded during a rescue mission a few months before returning to the states. Nate's life is quickly changing once he gets home, and not for the better. He is starting to lose his mind! He doesn't understand exactly what's wrong with him, but is afraid to mention his terrifying nightmares, memory lapses, and hair-trigger temper. All of these things, combined with his daily flashbacks, are causing him many sleepless nights; which in turn, is affecting his everyday life. Nate is afraid what people will think of him once they find out about his problems.
After a really close call with his best friends (Chance and Will Callahan), Jenna's parents, Dub and Sue, decide it's time for an intervention. The whole Callahan family sits down with Nate and eventually convinces him that he needs professional help, if he wants to lead a normal life again. As it turns out, Dub had similar problems when he returned from Vietnam, so he is very understanding of Nate's situation.
I didn't know anything about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but Sharon does a great job of helping her readers understand what Nate, as well as his family and friends, is going through. This is a very touching story, and I'm excited to find out what happens next. I'm assuming the next book will be about Chance, since he recently met someone who could possibly steal his heart very quickly. This book will definitely be going on my "keeper" shelf!
Oh...let me mention (again!) that I absolutely love this cover, and have a feeling it's gonna be my favorite for 2010! *sigh*
Cindy H. (Cindy84) reviewed Jenna's Cowboy (The Callahans of Texas, Bk 1) on + 118 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Taken From princessbookie.com
My Thoughts: Every once in a while I need a southern romance to tide me over. We meet Jenna who has a son and an ex husband who ran away to play a sport. We meet Nate who was Jenna's first real love back in high school. He's back in town after serving in the war. Jenna and Nate become intertwined once again. Nate is helping out on Jenna's families range so he's around a lot plus he likes spending time with Jenna because they were such good friends and more at one time. He is a little bit damaged due to the war so he is a little bit edgy sometimes. Jenna and Nate begin to spend time together and fall in love with each other again. Or did they ever really fall out of love to begin with? Yes, she moved on and had a baby with someone else but life goes on. I really enjoyed reading this book. It gave me enough of the southern twang and the heartfelt romance. You know the kind, that makes you want the two lead characters to end up together even through the hardships they have faced. I thought this was a really sweet book and if your in the mood for some Texas hunk this is the book for you. And Nate is adorable. He's sexy and so sweet, take for example when he takes her to the homecoming game. This book is a must read for any romance fan, especially if you like the cowboy type of guy!
Overall: Really loved it. It was a great book!
My Thoughts: Every once in a while I need a southern romance to tide me over. We meet Jenna who has a son and an ex husband who ran away to play a sport. We meet Nate who was Jenna's first real love back in high school. He's back in town after serving in the war. Jenna and Nate become intertwined once again. Nate is helping out on Jenna's families range so he's around a lot plus he likes spending time with Jenna because they were such good friends and more at one time. He is a little bit damaged due to the war so he is a little bit edgy sometimes. Jenna and Nate begin to spend time together and fall in love with each other again. Or did they ever really fall out of love to begin with? Yes, she moved on and had a baby with someone else but life goes on. I really enjoyed reading this book. It gave me enough of the southern twang and the heartfelt romance. You know the kind, that makes you want the two lead characters to end up together even through the hardships they have faced. I thought this was a really sweet book and if your in the mood for some Texas hunk this is the book for you. And Nate is adorable. He's sexy and so sweet, take for example when he takes her to the homecoming game. This book is a must read for any romance fan, especially if you like the cowboy type of guy!
Overall: Really loved it. It was a great book!
Margaret C. (cherryblossommj) reviewed Jenna's Cowboy (The Callahans of Texas, Bk 1) on + 157 more book reviews
It is plain to see in reading this story that Sharon Gillenwater is good at her research and explains things very well. I know nothing about ranching or farming, but I felt from the explanations and pictures drawn by her imagery were great. I thoroughly enjoyed the romance of the story and the cover is perfect for the character of Nate. While reading this book I was thinking about the different things that I was going to say in the review about how much I enjoyed the characters and the visualizations as well as their witty banter. Easily I could say that I enjoy this author and look forward to reading her books in the future. However, I felt that the last three chapters were such a lurch from the rest of the story. Perhaps I am on my own in that opinion, but I felt that it went in rather abruptly and then the story just ended. I know why "it" happened and understand that, but I feel that the "big event" could have had more closure. It felt to me that the story was going along great, and then just amidst the action it ended and did not wrap down. It leaves me feeling like I missed something and I think could have ended better. Overall great writing though and enjoyable.
Mary N. (maggysue) reviewed Jenna's Cowboy (The Callahans of Texas, Bk 1) on + 811 more book reviews
I wish I could better express how good this book is. The story is set on a big cattle ranch in West Texas. Jenna and her small son, Zach, have moved back in with her family following a devastating divorce. Her old friend Nate has just returned home from Afghanistan and Iraq, and the sparks fly. Zach, however, is have a very hard time with post traumatic stress syndrome. With the help of Jenna and her family, Zack eventually seeks help. I didn't know much about PTSD. Jenna's father, who was a Viet Nam vet, was able to help Nate as he struggled with recovery. This was a hopeful and upbeat book, for the most part. The setting is great. I enjoyed the part about the huge Homecoming corsages in the small football crazy town! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!
Sherri H. (mamadoodle) -
This book started out good but quickly moved into unbelievability. I'm a fan of inspirational reads but even for me, this was a bit cheesy. The story suggested that PTSD could be overcome with prayer and "light" medication. Just didn't ring true to what I personally know of PTSD. 1.5 stars
Barbara L. (Barbllm) reviewed Jenna's Cowboy (The Callahans of Texas, Bk 1) on + 241 more book reviews
I read the Kindle edition of this book, which is the first in a series about the Callahan family of Texas.
Jenna Callahan Colby is surrounded by friends and family in her little Texas town. Having been married and divorced from a Dallas Cowboy (the football kind), she doesnt know if shell ever fall in love again.
Then Nate Langley shows up. Nate was the towns hero, both on the football field and on the battlefield. He returns from a tour of duty in Iraq, looking for a fresh start. Jenna and Nate were sweet on each other back in high school, and it doesnt take long for their love to rekindle. However, they both have issues: Jenna is still reeling from her divorce, and Nate is suffering from PTSD.
The descriptions of PTSD are realistic enough, but it was surprising how long it took the rest of the characters to realize that this was Nates problem. This would have been enough conflict for a romance, but then the author decided to add in a natural disaster, and this felt tacked-on and forced, and really did nothing for the story. Nevertheless, its a sweet, small-town romance that is an easy read.
Jenna Callahan Colby is surrounded by friends and family in her little Texas town. Having been married and divorced from a Dallas Cowboy (the football kind), she doesnt know if shell ever fall in love again.
Then Nate Langley shows up. Nate was the towns hero, both on the football field and on the battlefield. He returns from a tour of duty in Iraq, looking for a fresh start. Jenna and Nate were sweet on each other back in high school, and it doesnt take long for their love to rekindle. However, they both have issues: Jenna is still reeling from her divorce, and Nate is suffering from PTSD.
The descriptions of PTSD are realistic enough, but it was surprising how long it took the rest of the characters to realize that this was Nates problem. This would have been enough conflict for a romance, but then the author decided to add in a natural disaster, and this felt tacked-on and forced, and really did nothing for the story. Nevertheless, its a sweet, small-town romance that is an easy read.
I really enjoyed this book. Did it have flaws? Certainly. However, the author was able to give a glimpse into PTSD as well as what it's like to live in a small town. She either knows about ranching or did some really good research because her descriptions of life on the ranch were right on. She also did a great job of explaining the cotton farmer part.
I enjoy Christian romance and this one wasn't too over the top, in my opinion. It was a sweet story about kids who didn't know they were in love until they grew up. Yeah, there were a couple unbelievable parts - like him not being with a girl - but it's a novel. I'm going to go check out some of the author's other books.
I enjoy Christian romance and this one wasn't too over the top, in my opinion. It was a sweet story about kids who didn't know they were in love until they grew up. Yeah, there were a couple unbelievable parts - like him not being with a girl - but it's a novel. I'm going to go check out some of the author's other books.
