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Cadence Creek Cowboys #3
Little Cowgirl on His Doorstep
Little cowgirl makes three
For Avery Spencer the sight of rugged, sullen and dangerously sexy Callum Shepard is enough to set her pulse racing. Too bad she's only on his ranch to tell him that her adorable baby niece is his daughter!
Tortured rancher Callum almost can't believe he's a father. But now he must learn to believe he does have what it takes to become a dad, and convince Avery that both she and baby Nell belong on the ranch - with him!
286 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2013
75 people are currently reading
412 people want to read
About the author
Donna Alward
286 books693 followersSince 2006, New York Times bestseller Donna Jones Alward has enchanted readers with stories of happy endings and homecomings that have won several awards and been translated into over a dozen languages. She’s worked as an administrative assistant, teaching assistant, in retail and as a stay-at-home-mom, but always knew her degree in English Literature would pay off, as she is now happy to be a full-time writer. Her new historical fiction tales blend her love of history with characters who step beyond their biggest fears to claim the lives they desire.
Donna currently lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband and cats. You can often find her near the water, either kayaking on the lake or walking the sandy beaches to refill her creative well.
Find out more at www.donnajonesalward.com
Donna currently lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband and cats. You can often find her near the water, either kayaking on the lake or walking the sandy beaches to refill her creative well.
Find out more at www.donnajonesalward.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 22, 2019
And still he'd been gentle with her, and patient, and best of all, giving. She hadn't known he could be like that. Hadn't known ANY man could. 82%
OK, so the little blurb Harlequin gives you in the front pages is not accurate. I'm not the first reviewer to mention that, and I can see why it would upset some readers.
Little cowgirl makes three
For Avery Spencer, the sight of rugged, sullen and dangerously sexy Callum Shepard is enough to set her pulse racing. Too bad she's only on his ranch to tell him that her adorable baby niece is his daughter!
Reclusive rancher Callum is shocked to discover he's a father. But now Callum must learn to believe he does have what it takes to become a dad, and convince Avery that both she and baby Nell belong on the ranch - with him!
This really doesn't tell you what kind of book you are getting, at all.
So. People always say, "Oh, romance. It's so light and fluffy. There's nothing deep or meaningful about it." Yet I always find tons of things to analyze and also think it is a great starting point for conversations about love, sex, marriage, child-raising and relationship dynamics.
So, my summary of the book would be
SUMMARY
Avery's younger, beautiful sister dies after giving birth. The father is a man Crystal had a one-night stand with. Although Avery has been given guardianship of baby Nell, she's too moral to let Callum live his life without knowing he's a father and depriving Nell of having a daddy.
Callum, who is a dairy farmer and former Canadian Armed Forces, is a taciturn and extremely private man. His whole section was killed by an IED in Afghanistan. He's got some problems, like this and also a bad past relationship.
Let's break this down.
ANALYSIS
There's a lot to cover here. I'll try to tackle things one at a time.
ONE: AVERY'S ETHICS
Avery is very moral. She takes an unpaid week off of work in order to hunt down Callum and inform him that he is a father. This is what she calls "planting the seeds of my own destruction." She's risking everything. He could demand full custody. He could demand his paternal rights.
And that was why she knew she couldn't lie, even though telling the truth complicated everything and risked the very relationship she cherished most. When it came to Nell, Avery had to know that every decision she made was true and honest. When the time came for Avery to explain about Nell's parents, she wanted to have a clear conscience. No white lies, no glossing over of the truth. Avery had been brought up that way and it had sucked. If there was any way at all that Nell could know her father, Avery wanted to make that possible. 9%
This also crops up later in the book when Avery has an opportunity to take money from Callum, but she won't.
She could take him up on his offer and that would solve her immediate money problem. Just her bad luck then that she was scrupulously honest, then. 23%
Callum grudgingly admires her for this, although he finds it a bit intimidating.
If she wanted full custody, she could have just let things stand and he never would have known the difference. Instead she'd come to find him, determined that he - and her niece - deserved to know each other.
He had to admire that. Except Miss Spencer gave him the impression that she always did the right thing, and that was a damned hard example for a flawed human being to follow. 21%
TWO: AVERY LIVING IN CRYSTAL'S SHADOW
Not sure exactly where Alward was going with this.
Crystal pales in comparison to her younger, more beautiful, flashier sister. You can scoff and see this as a romance trope, but it has very real basis. Many girls/women are passed up in various ways in favor of a more beautiful sister or best friend. Many women/girls pale in the shadow of their more attractive sisters/friends who are not only given much more chances and opportunities with various men, but also better jobs, better pay, better treatment, and all the various ways the world treats you better if you are pretty.
Sometimes romance books focusing on this can be viewed as cliché, but IMO there are not enough romance books that feature TRULY plain, ugly, or fat heroes and heroines. As Nenia Campbell says, and this isn't an exact quote, "If you are going to make your character an asshole commit to it. Don't just do it half-assed." I feel the same way about making romance heroes or romance heroines plain, ugly, or fat. Don't play up a fat heroine and then tell me she is a size 12. Don't tell me a heroine is plain or ugly but then reveal that SHE is the only one who sees herself this way - she is really beautiful.
An example would be The Rebel Rancher, where heroine Clara is plain. She's plain, she knows she's plain, the hero knows she is plain. There's no part where Alward pulls back and says, "Oh, wait, she is really beautiful!" I mean, she's not pretty. The end. That's a good example of sticking to it.
Here, Alward excites me with the idea that perhaps Avery is plain or even *gasp* unattractive, but it isn't really true. Instead, she's offering a heroine who is pretty, just not AS pretty as her younger sister. That's totally different, and IMO a let-down.
She looked pretty in a natural sort of way. So unlike her sister, who'd been fond of bright colors and painted nails and flawless makeup. There wasn't a man alive who wouldn't have his head turned by Crystal Spencer. She was a knockout.
...And Avery was as different from her sister as night and day. .... But there was something different about her, something easier. Simpler. Crystal had been a bombshell, but Avery was the girl next door.
In her own very natural way, Avery Spencer was stunning. 19%
It makes scenes like this, later, harder to sell to me:
"Tell me something, Callum. When you were at the wedding, who did you notice? Me or Crystal?"
When he didn't answer, she nodded. "That's right. Of course it was Crystal. And why not? It's always been that way, and maybe that made it easier for me. ... Don't get me wrong, I dated some. Had a boyfriend a few years back but it turned out he was dating me just to get close to her..." 43%
While I truly believe that Avery took a backseat to her sister in terms of looks, Alward's earlier writing leaves me skeptical that she couldn't find dates or that no man had taken a serious interest in her, bombshell sister or not.
The other way Alward could have played this is making Callum totally blind to Avery but having his eyes opened to her wonderfulness as he got to know her better. I thought maybe that was the way she was going.
"You were there?" he asked.
If that was an attempt to make her feel insignificant, it succeeded. Was she so plain that she wasn't even the least bit noticeable? The slightest bit memorable? Granted, she'd never been as beautiful as her sister and whenever they were together, Avery did tend to fade into the background next to Crystal's perfect figure and pretty face. But the confirmation that he didn't remember at all... 3%
This could be stunning if she actually followed through on it, but just a few pages later Alward reveals that he was lying, he not only knew she was at the wedding but he noticed her and thought she was appealing. That totally defeats the whole purpose. If you want an exquisite book that does this right - she-doesn't-even-exist-on-his-radar,-he-falls-in-love-with-her-purely-based-on-personality trope - check out the stunning Beard Science by Penny Reid.
Sad that Alward can't commit here to having either a.) a heroine who is actually plain or unattractive, or b.) having a hero who just completely is unattracted to the heroine until he gets to know her as a person. I felt she was trying to go somewhere with this, but she didn't succeed.
THREE: AVERY'S STRENGTH
"I'm not a father," he heard himself say. "It's impossible."
"I assure you it's not," she repeated. "You did have sex with my sister that weekend, didn't you?" She blinked at him innocently. "You'll notice I refrain from using the term 'making love' as I'm relatively sure love had nothing to do with it. Considering you'd just met and then never contacted her again." 5%
One thing Alward does do well is portray a woman who is usually not outspoken, confrontational, or spirited becoming that way out of love. Because she has a baby she is responsible for now gives Avery the strength to take on some character traits she doesn't usually express. I liked it.
FOUR: CALLUM'S PTSD / SURVIVOR'S GUILT / EX-GF FALLOUT
Callum is fucked up in the head for a number of reasons. He wasn't cut out for the Canadian Armed Forces, he hates taking orders. I can relate. He hates following orders, so when he gets out he decides to grow his hair long, become his own boss, and other things that are a non-toxic way of rebelling.
He's also consumed with guilt for being the only survivor of an IED.
Another thing that's fucking him up is his ex-girlfriend, who cheated on him while he was deployed to Afghanistan and got pregnant with another man's baby and then lied to him and told him it was his baby. Yeah.
So that was interesting. In the first part of the book, maybe the first 84%, I thought Avery was being too sensitive about Callum and his actions. He made perfect sense to me. He's stand-offish, taciturn, reticent, avid about his privacy, very difficult to read. It made perfect sense to me given his past and his temperament. Avery was freaking out over every little thing, and I was like "Just give him time."
However, all of this was shattered when at 84% Callum flips his lid over absolutely nothing, picks a huge fight with Avery and drives her away. It made no fucking sense. I can only imagine Alward did it because she felt the need to include some extra drama or make a huge dramatic separation. You should NEVER do this as an author if it is at the expense of the characters or the plot. Please make the drama fit in with the story and the characters' personalities. Readers can tell when you are just pulling shit out of nowhere.
FIVE: PATERNITY TEST
Avery acts like it is a personal insult that Callum demands a paternity test.
Meanwhile, I was applauding him. I can't understand Alward's attitude here. Obviously if a woman shows up on your doorstep with a baby she claims is from a one-night stand you had with her sister... you should demand a paternity test ASAP. It's not offensive, it's just fucking common sense. It's smart.
While I would agree that asking a wife or a long-term girlfriend to take a paternity test would be scummy and insulting, with a one-night-stand situation it is just obvious. Get a paternity test. I can't understand why Avery is so shocked and outraged that Callum asks for one.
This isn't a woman/man thing. I'm a woman. Men should protect themselves. I'm saying this as a feminist. Sure, Callum was obviously too fucking stupid to put on a condom, but he should absolutely not be MORE stupid and just blindly accept that the baby is his. It's ridiculous.
SIX: COOKING
Do not read this while hungry. Avery is a professional baker and a good cook to boot and there are lots of long food descriptions in here. You're warned.
SEVEN: QUESTIONING YOUR GOODNESS
The baby Nell really forces both Avery and Callum to look at themselves hard and ask, "What kind of a person am I?" It's pretty obvious from the beginning that Avery is going to step up to the plate. Take responsibility for a baby who is not hers and whom she didn't ask for. Be a good mother, even if it means doing things that could hurt her personally.
With Callum, it's a lot more of a struggle. Even if he hasn't been a mensch in the past, is he going to step up now and be a responsible adult? Is he going to do the right thing? He's got to ask himself that and struggle with both his past and present actions.
What kind of a man was he? Callum asks himself at 22% I was right there with him. The kind who got a woman pregnant on a one-night stand? The kind who will refuse to accept paternity? The kind who will refuse to support his daughter financially? The kind who will not try to be part of his daughter's life? Maybe Callum never thought he'd have to deal with these types of questions. It's easy to just assume you are a good person when you never face the hard shit. But now he's facing some difficult shit. How will he react?
I have to agree with Avery at 43% when she says, It was hard to resist a man who admitted he was flawed and then turned around and did what was right. That's true.
EIGHT: DISHONESTY IN THE BLURB
More than ever, Avery felt the urge to start over, make a new life here in Cadence Creek.
But Callum hadn't so much as breathed a word about her staying. 82%
This is what I was saying. Callum never talks about his feelings. He never asks Avery to stay on his farm or even hints that he would like her to stay in Cadence Creek. He never makes any attempt to convince her to come and live in Alberta with him. He's totally ready and willing to let her walk out the door and back to Ontario. The blurb makes it seem like he actually tells Avery he loves her and that he wants to be a part of her life and Nell's life but that is wildly untrue. Avery has to make all actions and decisions on her own and under her own steam, with no encouragement from Callum.
HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN?
These two DO have premarital sex, but it is completely off-page. They have a huge fight, then they are suddenly kissing and having sex. I hate when this happens. I'm not buying it. And I don't like it.
TL;DR This book gave me a surprising amount of things to analyze and discuss. While it's not going to the top of any of my romance lists, I was not unhappy I read it. There's no sex - that's a negative. However, Alward did take what could have been a very cliched plot and made it more realistic.
ROMANCE CATEGORIES:
Contemporary Romance
Cowboy/Western Romance
Military Romance - He used to be Canadian Armed Forces
Non-Virgin Heroine - They never mention one way or the other. Surely Alward would mention if Avery was a virgin, right?
Secret Baby - Nell is four months when she meets her father.
He's a Dairy Farmer and former Soldier; She's A Professional Baker Specializing in Cakes.
NAMES IN THIS BOOK
OK, so the little blurb Harlequin gives you in the front pages is not accurate. I'm not the first reviewer to mention that, and I can see why it would upset some readers.
Little cowgirl makes three
For Avery Spencer, the sight of rugged, sullen and dangerously sexy Callum Shepard is enough to set her pulse racing. Too bad she's only on his ranch to tell him that her adorable baby niece is his daughter!
Reclusive rancher Callum is shocked to discover he's a father. But now Callum must learn to believe he does have what it takes to become a dad, and convince Avery that both she and baby Nell belong on the ranch - with him!
This really doesn't tell you what kind of book you are getting, at all.
So. People always say, "Oh, romance. It's so light and fluffy. There's nothing deep or meaningful about it." Yet I always find tons of things to analyze and also think it is a great starting point for conversations about love, sex, marriage, child-raising and relationship dynamics.
So, my summary of the book would be
SUMMARY
Avery's younger, beautiful sister dies after giving birth. The father is a man Crystal had a one-night stand with. Although Avery has been given guardianship of baby Nell, she's too moral to let Callum live his life without knowing he's a father and depriving Nell of having a daddy.
Callum, who is a dairy farmer and former Canadian Armed Forces, is a taciturn and extremely private man. His whole section was killed by an IED in Afghanistan. He's got some problems, like this and also a bad past relationship.
Let's break this down.
ANALYSIS
There's a lot to cover here. I'll try to tackle things one at a time.
ONE: AVERY'S ETHICS
Avery is very moral. She takes an unpaid week off of work in order to hunt down Callum and inform him that he is a father. This is what she calls "planting the seeds of my own destruction." She's risking everything. He could demand full custody. He could demand his paternal rights.
And that was why she knew she couldn't lie, even though telling the truth complicated everything and risked the very relationship she cherished most. When it came to Nell, Avery had to know that every decision she made was true and honest. When the time came for Avery to explain about Nell's parents, she wanted to have a clear conscience. No white lies, no glossing over of the truth. Avery had been brought up that way and it had sucked. If there was any way at all that Nell could know her father, Avery wanted to make that possible. 9%
This also crops up later in the book when Avery has an opportunity to take money from Callum, but she won't.
She could take him up on his offer and that would solve her immediate money problem. Just her bad luck then that she was scrupulously honest, then. 23%
Callum grudgingly admires her for this, although he finds it a bit intimidating.
If she wanted full custody, she could have just let things stand and he never would have known the difference. Instead she'd come to find him, determined that he - and her niece - deserved to know each other.
He had to admire that. Except Miss Spencer gave him the impression that she always did the right thing, and that was a damned hard example for a flawed human being to follow. 21%
TWO: AVERY LIVING IN CRYSTAL'S SHADOW
Not sure exactly where Alward was going with this.
Crystal pales in comparison to her younger, more beautiful, flashier sister. You can scoff and see this as a romance trope, but it has very real basis. Many girls/women are passed up in various ways in favor of a more beautiful sister or best friend. Many women/girls pale in the shadow of their more attractive sisters/friends who are not only given much more chances and opportunities with various men, but also better jobs, better pay, better treatment, and all the various ways the world treats you better if you are pretty.
Sometimes romance books focusing on this can be viewed as cliché, but IMO there are not enough romance books that feature TRULY plain, ugly, or fat heroes and heroines. As Nenia Campbell says, and this isn't an exact quote, "If you are going to make your character an asshole commit to it. Don't just do it half-assed." I feel the same way about making romance heroes or romance heroines plain, ugly, or fat. Don't play up a fat heroine and then tell me she is a size 12. Don't tell me a heroine is plain or ugly but then reveal that SHE is the only one who sees herself this way - she is really beautiful.
An example would be The Rebel Rancher, where heroine Clara is plain. She's plain, she knows she's plain, the hero knows she is plain. There's no part where Alward pulls back and says, "Oh, wait, she is really beautiful!" I mean, she's not pretty. The end. That's a good example of sticking to it.
Here, Alward excites me with the idea that perhaps Avery is plain or even *gasp* unattractive, but it isn't really true. Instead, she's offering a heroine who is pretty, just not AS pretty as her younger sister. That's totally different, and IMO a let-down.
She looked pretty in a natural sort of way. So unlike her sister, who'd been fond of bright colors and painted nails and flawless makeup. There wasn't a man alive who wouldn't have his head turned by Crystal Spencer. She was a knockout.
...And Avery was as different from her sister as night and day. .... But there was something different about her, something easier. Simpler. Crystal had been a bombshell, but Avery was the girl next door.
In her own very natural way, Avery Spencer was stunning. 19%
It makes scenes like this, later, harder to sell to me:
"Tell me something, Callum. When you were at the wedding, who did you notice? Me or Crystal?"
When he didn't answer, she nodded. "That's right. Of course it was Crystal. And why not? It's always been that way, and maybe that made it easier for me. ... Don't get me wrong, I dated some. Had a boyfriend a few years back but it turned out he was dating me just to get close to her..." 43%
While I truly believe that Avery took a backseat to her sister in terms of looks, Alward's earlier writing leaves me skeptical that she couldn't find dates or that no man had taken a serious interest in her, bombshell sister or not.
The other way Alward could have played this is making Callum totally blind to Avery but having his eyes opened to her wonderfulness as he got to know her better. I thought maybe that was the way she was going.
"You were there?" he asked.
If that was an attempt to make her feel insignificant, it succeeded. Was she so plain that she wasn't even the least bit noticeable? The slightest bit memorable? Granted, she'd never been as beautiful as her sister and whenever they were together, Avery did tend to fade into the background next to Crystal's perfect figure and pretty face. But the confirmation that he didn't remember at all... 3%
This could be stunning if she actually followed through on it, but just a few pages later Alward reveals that he was lying, he not only knew she was at the wedding but he noticed her and thought she was appealing. That totally defeats the whole purpose. If you want an exquisite book that does this right - she-doesn't-even-exist-on-his-radar,-he-falls-in-love-with-her-purely-based-on-personality trope - check out the stunning Beard Science by Penny Reid.
Sad that Alward can't commit here to having either a.) a heroine who is actually plain or unattractive, or b.) having a hero who just completely is unattracted to the heroine until he gets to know her as a person. I felt she was trying to go somewhere with this, but she didn't succeed.
THREE: AVERY'S STRENGTH
"I'm not a father," he heard himself say. "It's impossible."
"I assure you it's not," she repeated. "You did have sex with my sister that weekend, didn't you?" She blinked at him innocently. "You'll notice I refrain from using the term 'making love' as I'm relatively sure love had nothing to do with it. Considering you'd just met and then never contacted her again." 5%
One thing Alward does do well is portray a woman who is usually not outspoken, confrontational, or spirited becoming that way out of love. Because she has a baby she is responsible for now gives Avery the strength to take on some character traits she doesn't usually express. I liked it.
FOUR: CALLUM'S PTSD / SURVIVOR'S GUILT / EX-GF FALLOUT
Callum is fucked up in the head for a number of reasons. He wasn't cut out for the Canadian Armed Forces, he hates taking orders. I can relate. He hates following orders, so when he gets out he decides to grow his hair long, become his own boss, and other things that are a non-toxic way of rebelling.
He's also consumed with guilt for being the only survivor of an IED.
Another thing that's fucking him up is his ex-girlfriend, who cheated on him while he was deployed to Afghanistan and got pregnant with another man's baby and then lied to him and told him it was his baby. Yeah.
So that was interesting. In the first part of the book, maybe the first 84%, I thought Avery was being too sensitive about Callum and his actions. He made perfect sense to me. He's stand-offish, taciturn, reticent, avid about his privacy, very difficult to read. It made perfect sense to me given his past and his temperament. Avery was freaking out over every little thing, and I was like "Just give him time."
However, all of this was shattered when at 84% Callum flips his lid over absolutely nothing, picks a huge fight with Avery and drives her away. It made no fucking sense. I can only imagine Alward did it because she felt the need to include some extra drama or make a huge dramatic separation. You should NEVER do this as an author if it is at the expense of the characters or the plot. Please make the drama fit in with the story and the characters' personalities. Readers can tell when you are just pulling shit out of nowhere.
FIVE: PATERNITY TEST
Avery acts like it is a personal insult that Callum demands a paternity test.
Meanwhile, I was applauding him. I can't understand Alward's attitude here. Obviously if a woman shows up on your doorstep with a baby she claims is from a one-night stand you had with her sister... you should demand a paternity test ASAP. It's not offensive, it's just fucking common sense. It's smart.
While I would agree that asking a wife or a long-term girlfriend to take a paternity test would be scummy and insulting, with a one-night-stand situation it is just obvious. Get a paternity test. I can't understand why Avery is so shocked and outraged that Callum asks for one.
This isn't a woman/man thing. I'm a woman. Men should protect themselves. I'm saying this as a feminist. Sure, Callum was obviously too fucking stupid to put on a condom, but he should absolutely not be MORE stupid and just blindly accept that the baby is his. It's ridiculous.
SIX: COOKING
Do not read this while hungry. Avery is a professional baker and a good cook to boot and there are lots of long food descriptions in here. You're warned.
SEVEN: QUESTIONING YOUR GOODNESS
The baby Nell really forces both Avery and Callum to look at themselves hard and ask, "What kind of a person am I?" It's pretty obvious from the beginning that Avery is going to step up to the plate. Take responsibility for a baby who is not hers and whom she didn't ask for. Be a good mother, even if it means doing things that could hurt her personally.
With Callum, it's a lot more of a struggle. Even if he hasn't been a mensch in the past, is he going to step up now and be a responsible adult? Is he going to do the right thing? He's got to ask himself that and struggle with both his past and present actions.
What kind of a man was he? Callum asks himself at 22% I was right there with him. The kind who got a woman pregnant on a one-night stand? The kind who will refuse to accept paternity? The kind who will refuse to support his daughter financially? The kind who will not try to be part of his daughter's life? Maybe Callum never thought he'd have to deal with these types of questions. It's easy to just assume you are a good person when you never face the hard shit. But now he's facing some difficult shit. How will he react?
I have to agree with Avery at 43% when she says, It was hard to resist a man who admitted he was flawed and then turned around and did what was right. That's true.
EIGHT: DISHONESTY IN THE BLURB
More than ever, Avery felt the urge to start over, make a new life here in Cadence Creek.
But Callum hadn't so much as breathed a word about her staying. 82%
This is what I was saying. Callum never talks about his feelings. He never asks Avery to stay on his farm or even hints that he would like her to stay in Cadence Creek. He never makes any attempt to convince her to come and live in Alberta with him. He's totally ready and willing to let her walk out the door and back to Ontario. The blurb makes it seem like he actually tells Avery he loves her and that he wants to be a part of her life and Nell's life but that is wildly untrue. Avery has to make all actions and decisions on her own and under her own steam, with no encouragement from Callum.
HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN?
These two DO have premarital sex, but it is completely off-page. They have a huge fight, then they are suddenly kissing and having sex. I hate when this happens. I'm not buying it. And I don't like it.
TL;DR This book gave me a surprising amount of things to analyze and discuss. While it's not going to the top of any of my romance lists, I was not unhappy I read it. There's no sex - that's a negative. However, Alward did take what could have been a very cliched plot and made it more realistic.
ROMANCE CATEGORIES:
Contemporary Romance
Cowboy/Western Romance
Military Romance - He used to be Canadian Armed Forces
Non-Virgin Heroine - They never mention one way or the other. Surely Alward would mention if Avery was a virgin, right?
Secret Baby - Nell is four months when she meets her father.
He's a Dairy Farmer and former Soldier; She's A Professional Baker Specializing in Cakes.
NAMES IN THIS BOOK
April 15, 2013
Very good book. Avery has come to Cadence Creek to tell Callum he is a father. Her sister had a one night stand with him at a wedding a year earlier, but never told him she was pregnant. Her sister left her as guardian but Avery doesn't feel right keeping Nell's existence from him. She is shocked to see how much he has changed from the man she met at the wedding. She wants nothing more than to take Nell back home with her but having grown up without a father herself she doesn't want that to happen to Nell. But Callum's initial reaction isn't promising so she prepares to take Nell back home with her. Then Callum has a change of heart and asks her to stay a couple weeks so he can get to know Nell. When she and the baby move in with him she starts to see signs of the man she first met and her feelings for him start to grow even though she fights it knowing that she'll be going home soon. She also doesn't believe he could care for her as she has always been overlooked because of her sister's more flamboyant looks and personality. She is also very cautious and likes to plan and know what will happen before she takes an action. Although she has a very sweet and shy personality she is also a lot stronger than she thinks she is. I loved the way that she stood up to him at the beginning to make sure that he understood that Nell was his. I also loved the way that she took to life in Cadence Creek during her visit and how she made friends so easily. I also loved the way that she had the strength to take charge of her feelings and her future at the end.
Callum had returned to Cadence Creek after getting out of the military. He was carrying a lot of guilt over the loss of several of his friends and was pretty much hiding out on his dairy farm. When Avery arrived to tell him about Nell he didn't believe her at first. He had been deceived and badly hurt by another woman which made him very slow to trust Avery. Once he accepted that she was telling the truth he invited her to stay a couple weeks so he could get to know Nell. He still didn't feel that he would be the right person to raise her because of the way he felt about his actions. But the longer that they stayed with him the closer he got to Nell. He also was more and more drawn to Avery's quiet beauty though he had a hard time convincing her. I liked the way that being around them started to overcome his need to hide out and how he started to open himself up to the more positive feelings. I loved watching him grow closer to Nell and become the father that Avery knew he could be. He wanted to ask Avery to stay but he was afraid to open himself up to more hurt.
Callum had returned to Cadence Creek after getting out of the military. He was carrying a lot of guilt over the loss of several of his friends and was pretty much hiding out on his dairy farm. When Avery arrived to tell him about Nell he didn't believe her at first. He had been deceived and badly hurt by another woman which made him very slow to trust Avery. Once he accepted that she was telling the truth he invited her to stay a couple weeks so he could get to know Nell. He still didn't feel that he would be the right person to raise her because of the way he felt about his actions. But the longer that they stayed with him the closer he got to Nell. He also was more and more drawn to Avery's quiet beauty though he had a hard time convincing her. I liked the way that being around them started to overcome his need to hide out and how he started to open himself up to the more positive feelings. I loved watching him grow closer to Nell and become the father that Avery knew he could be. He wanted to ask Avery to stay but he was afraid to open himself up to more hurt.
December 23, 2015
A cute story
April 4, 2017
I wanted to like this story. The premise was decent and the dust jacket claimed it would be about Callum trying to convince Avery she belongs on the ranch with him. Unfortunately, whoever wrote that little blurb lied like a yellow dog because Callum never once asks Avery to stay and since we spend virtually no time in his perspective if he was secretly thinking about it we'd never know. Speaking generally, Callum and Avery's interactions throughout the book are so stilted and superficial that there's really no romance at all. Everything they do centers around Nell and being polite to each other. There was just no spark between them. They were both so guarded in their feelings that they didn't dare show any kind of warmth toward each other.
And then out of nowhere Avery threw herself at Callum one night and he actually turned her down for sex, saying it was best for Nell if they didn't jump into a relationship. Basically at every turn they threw the "it's best for Nell" wall up to prevent the romance from getting going. And it worked. The entire book passes with Avery and Callum just being super awkward and polite to each other but not really getting close. Then when they finally sleep together near the end of the book it was so unromantic and cringe-worthy I had to skim read most of that section.
P.S. I did like the parts where Callum interacted with his daughter. They were believably written and Callum was a good dad right from the start. There was none of the stereotypical "She's so tiny I'm afraid I'll break her" nonsense you so often see in romance novels. He just stepped up and handled things.
And then out of nowhere Avery threw herself at Callum one night and he actually turned her down for sex, saying it was best for Nell if they didn't jump into a relationship. Basically at every turn they threw the "it's best for Nell" wall up to prevent the romance from getting going. And it worked. The entire book passes with Avery and Callum just being super awkward and polite to each other but not really getting close. Then when they finally sleep together near the end of the book it was so unromantic and cringe-worthy I had to skim read most of that section.
P.S. I did like the parts where Callum interacted with his daughter. They were believably written and Callum was a good dad right from the start. There was none of the stereotypical "She's so tiny I'm afraid I'll break her" nonsense you so often see in romance novels. He just stepped up and handled things.
March 4, 2013
This is a charming book. thier are a couple of love scenes at the end that I skipped.
Warning you might want to go to a bakery or hold a cute baby after reading this book.
Avery Spencer loves her niece and her job. She is Nell's mother now, since her sister died after having the baby. Avery's sister has not told the father that he is one.
Avery disgreed with her over that so she has tracked him down and showed up on his doorstep to tell him about Nell.
Callum Shepard does not believe he is a father. He does not trust easy now these days.
He asks for a paternaty test. Avery agrees to it.
Avery missed having a dad around. She wants Avery to know her father.
Callum has sunk everything he has into his dairy farm. He likes to be by himself with his animals. He has a lot of guilt of surviving when everyone else in his unit died.
He can't see himself as a father anymore. But when Avery has left to fly back home
Callum stops her and asks if she can stay awhile so he can get to know his daughter.
Callum slowly accepts his daughter and comes to care for her. He also starts having feelings for Avery.
Avery's work has had to close down for repairs after a fire next door. She loves to make cupcakes and fancies them up. She starts baking at Callum's place more than they can eat. So they take them to a haven that helps women get on thier feet after abuse.
Avery starts making herself useful and fitting into Callum's world.
This is a fast read. I enjoyed reading it. Plan to read more of Donna Alward books int the future. Now I want a cupcake but not a hot one.
I was given this ebook to read by Netgalley and asked to give honest review when read.
Publisher: Harlequin Romance (March 1, 2013) 192 pages ASIN: B00A9V1AUY
Warning you might want to go to a bakery or hold a cute baby after reading this book.
Avery Spencer loves her niece and her job. She is Nell's mother now, since her sister died after having the baby. Avery's sister has not told the father that he is one.
Avery disgreed with her over that so she has tracked him down and showed up on his doorstep to tell him about Nell.
Callum Shepard does not believe he is a father. He does not trust easy now these days.
He asks for a paternaty test. Avery agrees to it.
Avery missed having a dad around. She wants Avery to know her father.
Callum has sunk everything he has into his dairy farm. He likes to be by himself with his animals. He has a lot of guilt of surviving when everyone else in his unit died.
He can't see himself as a father anymore. But when Avery has left to fly back home
Callum stops her and asks if she can stay awhile so he can get to know his daughter.
Callum slowly accepts his daughter and comes to care for her. He also starts having feelings for Avery.
Avery's work has had to close down for repairs after a fire next door. She loves to make cupcakes and fancies them up. She starts baking at Callum's place more than they can eat. So they take them to a haven that helps women get on thier feet after abuse.
Avery starts making herself useful and fitting into Callum's world.
This is a fast read. I enjoyed reading it. Plan to read more of Donna Alward books int the future. Now I want a cupcake but not a hot one.
I was given this ebook to read by Netgalley and asked to give honest review when read.
Publisher: Harlequin Romance (March 1, 2013) 192 pages ASIN: B00A9V1AUY
May 21, 2013
This book tell the story of Avery, who bought her baby niece to Callum’s doorstep and announced his parentage to him. The news caught him by surprise and all he did was asked Avery to leave. Nell is now under Avery’s custody as her sister died at childbirth. She feel that Callum have the rights to know about her existence even though her sister has disagreed with the notion. Callum is pretty cautious now when comes to parentage issue due to his ex fiancée who tried to passed the paternity of her unborn child to him. But he tracked Avery out and asked her to stay on for awhile, enough time for her to do a paternity test to confirm that Nell is indeed his daughter to which Avery has agreed. During her stay with Callum, he begins to feel for Baby Nell and comes to care for her. So is Avery in adapting to her new life at the ranch. She begins to mix around the neighborhood and has begin to bake cupcakes for charity events.
This story is a fast read for me and I enjoyed reading about Callum and his baby daughter very much. It is so sweet to see how the father and daughter started to develop as the story goes. Not much complexity in the story line and I do enjoyed reading the story very much.
This story is a fast read for me and I enjoyed reading about Callum and his baby daughter very much. It is so sweet to see how the father and daughter started to develop as the story goes. Not much complexity in the story line and I do enjoyed reading the story very much.
May 15, 2013
Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge through NetGalley for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.
Really interesting tale that had my attention the whole time. The pace was wonderful and the characters engaging. Great dynamic in the relationship that made it very believable. Beautiful storytelling that entertained the whole time!
It had really great flow and did the job of making me think at times. I love a book that taps into my emotions. I am a real sucker for a sexy romance!! I laugh, I cry and I wish the hero were real so he could be mine! LOL
I would love to see more from this author! Definitely one to watch in the future.
Really interesting tale that had my attention the whole time. The pace was wonderful and the characters engaging. Great dynamic in the relationship that made it very believable. Beautiful storytelling that entertained the whole time!
It had really great flow and did the job of making me think at times. I love a book that taps into my emotions. I am a real sucker for a sexy romance!! I laugh, I cry and I wish the hero were real so he could be mine! LOL
I would love to see more from this author! Definitely one to watch in the future.
March 12, 2013
Little Cowgirl On His Doorstep by Donna Alward is a sweet and charming romance novel that will leave you with a warm feeling.
Avery Spencer has always done the right thing, as the older sister she had to set an example for Crystal her little sister. Only now that her sister has died leaving her in custody of her baby niece, doing the right thing and telling the father that he has a baby will not be easy.
Callum Shepard wants nothing to do with the woman on his doorstep or the baby she claims is his. All he wants is to be left alone in his misery. He thinks that he should have died with the other men on his army squat and that he doesn’t deserve to live or to have a family. Read More...
Avery Spencer has always done the right thing, as the older sister she had to set an example for Crystal her little sister. Only now that her sister has died leaving her in custody of her baby niece, doing the right thing and telling the father that he has a baby will not be easy.
Callum Shepard wants nothing to do with the woman on his doorstep or the baby she claims is his. All he wants is to be left alone in his misery. He thinks that he should have died with the other men on his army squat and that he doesn’t deserve to live or to have a family. Read More...
December 27, 2019
Really enjoyed this story, I didn’t realise it was a series this is book number 3. But will be reading the other, Rey good book lovely story. Avery brings a daughter to a ranch, knocks on the door. The guy who opened the door is about to have his life changed. By a little daughter he never knew he had. ....
Back story as far as I know .... they met at a wedding and both sisters were brides maids, Avery along with her sister attend the wedding party. That night her sister has a one night stand with the best man....
He knows nothing of the pregnancy, as he never saw her again until avery turns up on his doorstep with baby nell.....
Back story as far as I know .... they met at a wedding and both sisters were brides maids, Avery along with her sister attend the wedding party. That night her sister has a one night stand with the best man....
He knows nothing of the pregnancy, as he never saw her again until avery turns up on his doorstep with baby nell.....
February 19, 2013
As I've loved many of Donna Alward's books in the past, I was excited to discover I'd won a copy of this one and couldn't wait for it to arrive. I don't like rating books as for some reason saying it only rates 3 stars feels like a bad review. Which this isn't. It says 3 stars is for 'liked it' and that fits perfectly. I did like it. I enjoyed the down to earth, sweet romance of the entire story. Its well written and realistic in its portrayal of how characters in real life might deal with similar situations. I look forward to more books by Donna.
April 8, 2013
It was a lovely quick read that had a small baby girl brings her aunt who has been raising her since her sister died and the father who knew nothing about her. These 2 lonely people bond over this beautiful little girl but both fight the feelings they are experiencing as they just don't think it would be a good idea to get involved more than they already are. I really like Donna Alward's books and she did not disappoint with this one either.
August 7, 2014
What a cute romantic story. Avery is granted guardianship of her niece when her sister dies shortly after delivering her daughter Nella. Four months after Nella is born Avery flies out to where Callum is living. Callum has no idea that the one night stand that he had with Averys sister resulted in a pregnancy. Callum eventually asks her to stay on his farm so he can get to know his daughter. Eventually the two of them finally admit their feelings towards one another.
July 24, 2016
This was the story of Avery and Callum. Avery shows up at Callum's door with her niece in her arms to tell Callum that he is the baby's father. It's a lovely story of Avery and Callum developing feelings for each other, but fighting the eventuality of Avery's leaving and taking the baby with her. Their relationship developed in a way that left you never doubting it, even though there was very little time.
I really enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed it.
May 3, 2021
Callum Shepard feels tortured by things in his past. Callum stays to himself and works hard on his ranch. His life is turned upside down when Avery Spencer shows up and tells him he's a father to her late sisters little girl Nell. You'll fall in love with Callum, Avery, Nell and the entirety of the Cadence Creek cast.
April 17, 2021
Lost in ones past
The past is horrible at times and in Callum’s past was just that. Avery lost her sister and became in instant mom. Read this amazing book and discover what becomes of them!
The past is horrible at times and in Callum’s past was just that. Avery lost her sister and became in instant mom. Read this amazing book and discover what becomes of them!
February 9, 2013
I spent the whole story feeling sorry for the dead sister.
March 13, 2013
Really great read. Donna drew me in right away with her lovely characters and plot. Hero is totally swoon worthy.
October 25, 2014
Really sweet story. Great main characters. Alward's writing style and plotting kept me engaged and turning pages. I definitely plan to read more books by this author.
Currently reading
January 7, 2017Nice Read
A heart warming,funny story.One of those stories that has a little bit of everything.Makes you route for the good girl.
A heart warming,funny story.One of those stories that has a little bit of everything.Makes you route for the good girl.
June 27, 2018
cute fast read, nice storyline
May 3, 2020
Romance. Not smutty
April 9, 2021
This was a sweet story and a lovely read. I would definitely try this Author again.
August 12, 2020
I swear, I know better, it grossed me out, but I keep getting sucked into this siblings sharing lovers trope that I may have to discuss it with my therapist. Arrghh, I'm a masachocist!
I can't even say well this doesn't count as gross because it was just a one-night stand with the H and the h's dearly departed sister (h seemed to think it was fine, while the H felt it was weird and mentioned its messed-upness a number of times, glad I'm not the only one). It's gross but not as gross as One Good Reason so it gets two stars, it would have been 2.5 if the paternity test proved H wasn't the father and 3 stars if the baby was the h & H's niece.
I can't even say well this doesn't count as gross because it was just a one-night stand with the H and the h's dearly departed sister (h seemed to think it was fine, while the H felt it was weird and mentioned its messed-upness a number of times, glad I'm not the only one). It's gross but not as gross as One Good Reason so it gets two stars, it would have been 2.5 if the paternity test proved H wasn't the father and 3 stars if the baby was the h & H's niece.
September 26, 2023
Sweet story.
Callum opens the door... Hello?? A lady and a baby. Surprise! Callum is a man who has been hurt in the past and is suffering from battle PTSD. But this isn't even the classic "Surprise!" starting point because, yes, the baby is his, Nell, but the lady is not the baby's mother. Avery is her aunt, her sister having died leaving Avery as Nell's guardian. Can Callum accept Nell as his? Love her? Or will her just tell Avery to take Nell right back where they came from? This is a heartwarming story of 2 people coming together to form a family with a new baby, and finding love all around in the bargain.
Callum opens the door... Hello?? A lady and a baby. Surprise! Callum is a man who has been hurt in the past and is suffering from battle PTSD. But this isn't even the classic "Surprise!" starting point because, yes, the baby is his, Nell, but the lady is not the baby's mother. Avery is her aunt, her sister having died leaving Avery as Nell's guardian. Can Callum accept Nell as his? Love her? Or will her just tell Avery to take Nell right back where they came from? This is a heartwarming story of 2 people coming together to form a family with a new baby, and finding love all around in the bargain.
March 29, 2025
This is a story by a new author to me and I must say I enjoyed the writing style and likeable characters. As. A surprise baby for the cowboy, the babies mom has died and she is being raised by her aunt in another city.
She comes to tell him he’s a father but past hurts keep him abrupt and brash until they worm the way into his heart. He has lots of surprises coming his way. A Clean and interesting read. You won't be disappointed. I loved the characters Inc side characters and felt the emotions
Thought it needed an epilogue tho as felt a bit unfinished.
She comes to tell him he’s a father but past hurts keep him abrupt and brash until they worm the way into his heart. He has lots of surprises coming his way. A Clean and interesting read. You won't be disappointed. I loved the characters Inc side characters and felt the emotions
Thought it needed an epilogue tho as felt a bit unfinished.
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August 12, 2023❤️❤️
October 10, 2023
Positively surprised how much I enjoyed that story, I not usually one for the baby tropes, but this struck me as a really fun and sweet story.
November 25, 2024
Tugger
Life can throw you whoppers. This story made me hold my breath, what was going to happen next with these two. Guess timing is everything.
Life can throw you whoppers. This story made me hold my breath, what was going to happen next with these two. Guess timing is everything.
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December 29, 2014Miniseries: Cadence Creek Cowboys
Category: Contemporary Romance
Category: Contemporary Romance
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