The Heart of a Cowboy (Colorado Cowboys #2) by Jody Hedlund

 

Brilliant scientist Linnea Newberry is on the adventure of a lifetime, traveling the Santa Fe Trail with her grandfather, Dr. Powell, on a botanical expedition to Colorado Territory. She longs to be taken seriously by the other team members, but at every calamity she faces, her grandfather threatens to send her home.

After watching his ma suffer and die in childbirth, Flynn McQuaid has sworn off women and marriage forever. Headed west to start a new life, he has his hands full not only taking care of his younger siblings but also delivering cattle to his brother. He doesn't need more complications.

When Flynn rescues Linnea from drowning during a river crossing, Dr. Powell promptly hires Flynn--unbeknownst to Linnea--to act as her bodyguard for the rest of the trip. As Flynn fights against the many dangers of the trail, he soon finds himself in the greatest danger of all--falling for a woman he's determined not to love.

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Oh!  I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.  Which is ridiculous to say because I knew I was going to like it.  I love this author and I liked the first book in this series so of course I was going to like it, right?  But I REALLY liked it.  Devoured it.  I had hours of uninterrupted reading time so I had minimal distractions and it was lovely.  

The characters really came to life for me throughout the course of this story.  My heart was bursting for Flynn and all he was dealing with.  What a loyal, hardworking and considerate man.  I wanted to wrap him up in a big mama bear hug with all kinds of "build him up" words.  Fortunately, Linnea is also good at building words and she uses them frequently and with kindness toward Flynn.  Beauty, smarts and kindness- the triple threat.  Flynn doesn't really ever stand a chance against Linnea.

I'm loving this series.  We get a little sneak peek at the next book and wow, I wish I could read it right now.  My heart.  The McQuaid family.  I just love them.

Content:  mild peril, mild violence, kissing

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

A Cowboy for Keeps (Colorado Cowboys, #1) by Jody Hedlund

 

Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing little sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order bride has died. Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.

Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family. And the mayor, who has promised to try to help Greta, has just the candidate in mind for Wyatt to marry.

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Ooh, I'm so excited about this new series by author Jody Hedlund and after reading this book I'm even more excited!!  

I love a good cowboy story and Wyatt is the very vision of all I imagine a strong, rugged cowboy to be.  This story has a lot of different dynamics with a mail order bride, a sick little girl, bandits, secrets, and unfortunate events but all throughout is growing friendship and trust, healing and love.  It was such a good blend of emotions, engaging me from start to finish.

The epilogue gives a glimpse into Wyatt's family and set things up nicely for the next book.

Content:  mild peril, mild violence, kissing

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.