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Almost Perfect
The Ride of His Life
Footloose cowboy Jake Meredith was perfect at rabble-rousing and rodeo riding. But instant parenthood to his tiny orphaned niece and nephew scared him spitless. Jake was terrified he would fail as a father. Where to turn for help?
Where else but to Maggie Templeton, the gangly, freckled best friend of his youth. Now a city pediatrician, his long-distance pal came to his rescue, working wonders with his little wards--and with him. But Maggie's stay was only temporary. She had another life to return to in another city...unless Jake could convince her to become a permanent part of their lives.
Footloose cowboy Jake Meredith was perfect at rabble-rousing and rodeo riding. But instant parenthood to his tiny orphaned niece and nephew scared him spitless. Jake was terrified he would fail as a father. Where to turn for help?
Where else but to Maggie Templeton, the gangly, freckled best friend of his youth. Now a city pediatrician, his long-distance pal came to his rescue, working wonders with his little wards--and with him. But Maggie's stay was only temporary. She had another life to return to in another city...unless Jake could convince her to become a permanent part of their lives.
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2003
1 person is currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Judy Duarte
325 books96 followersWhen life threw Judy Duarte a curve twenty years ago, she did what many newly single mothers do. She pulled herself and her four kids together, became even more determined to come out on top, and decided to start following her dreams. What better role model could she provide her children than to show them that anything is possible? So, she returned to school, graduating from UC Irvine about the same time her oldest kids hit the teen years.
With her dream of getting her degree having come true, another dream presented itself by way of a new, perfect mate. Life was good again, but one dream still nagged at her:
"I always knew there was a book inside me, but since English was my least favorite subject in school, I never considered myself a writer."
All her life Judy has been spinning stories--telling tales to her kids as they grew up, plotting stories and creating characters to fill the time during carpool days and all those commutes back to college...and she never stopped dreaming of putting those stories on paper. Determined to follow her yearnings, she joined Romance Writers of America and met her critique partners Crystal Green and Sheri WhiteFeather (both are now multi-published award-winning authors and the trio have worked together and encouraged each other ever since).
“I might not have been a born writer, but I was a storyteller. The characters and plots came easy, but I had to learn how to make the scenes in my head come alive for the reader. And that meant I had to learn how to write.”
Judy's determination to become a published author grew and she began focusing on creating poignant stories designed to touch a reader's heart. As she fine-tuned her writing style and learned her craft, she found herself writing the stories she liked to read. Stories about families, second chances, and true love. In creating her own happily-ever-after stories she took ordinary characters, put them in emotionally compelling situations, and forced them to grow. They learned, as she had, that when a door is closed, they must look for that open window.
“Since I love books and movies in which people must overcome insurmountable odds to win and earn their happy-ever-after, those are the kinds of tales I like to create.”
Judy's unpublished stories won not only the coveted Emily (West Houston RWA Chapter) and Orange Rose (Orange County RWA Chapter) awards, but also earned her the status of a double RWA Golden Heart finalist in 2001.
Then Judy's dream became a reality in March 2002 when Silhouette Special Edition released her first book, COWBOY COURAGE. Since then, she has published seventeen books and is contracted to write three more. Her stories have touched the hearts of readers around the world. Her tales of redemption and renewed trust generate many fan letters from readers who tell her of the positive impact reading her stories have had in their lives.
A woman who had been shattered by her husband’s recent betrayal and desertion had not been able to read or watch anything that had a romance involved writes: I saw your book in the store, and the title caught my eye. (I have a thing for cowboys.) When I read the back cover, I bought it and couldn’t put it down. I finished it in one day. I still have my doubts about meeting a decent man and trusting again. But maybe in time I will be able to love again. I will be watching for your next book.
In July 2005, Judy won the prestigious Reader's Choice Award for THE RICH MAN'S SON.
“When I received the call telling me I had finaled in the Reader’s Choice, I was thrilled beyond measure. Being judged by real readers and recognized as a finalist was a joy in itself. I went to the ceremony honored to be in attendance. And when they announced me the winner, tears came to my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. It took days for my feet to touch the ground.”
Judy makes her home near the beach in Southern California with her husband, their son, and a cat
With her dream of getting her degree having come true, another dream presented itself by way of a new, perfect mate. Life was good again, but one dream still nagged at her:
"I always knew there was a book inside me, but since English was my least favorite subject in school, I never considered myself a writer."
All her life Judy has been spinning stories--telling tales to her kids as they grew up, plotting stories and creating characters to fill the time during carpool days and all those commutes back to college...and she never stopped dreaming of putting those stories on paper. Determined to follow her yearnings, she joined Romance Writers of America and met her critique partners Crystal Green and Sheri WhiteFeather (both are now multi-published award-winning authors and the trio have worked together and encouraged each other ever since).
“I might not have been a born writer, but I was a storyteller. The characters and plots came easy, but I had to learn how to make the scenes in my head come alive for the reader. And that meant I had to learn how to write.”
Judy's determination to become a published author grew and she began focusing on creating poignant stories designed to touch a reader's heart. As she fine-tuned her writing style and learned her craft, she found herself writing the stories she liked to read. Stories about families, second chances, and true love. In creating her own happily-ever-after stories she took ordinary characters, put them in emotionally compelling situations, and forced them to grow. They learned, as she had, that when a door is closed, they must look for that open window.
“Since I love books and movies in which people must overcome insurmountable odds to win and earn their happy-ever-after, those are the kinds of tales I like to create.”
Judy's unpublished stories won not only the coveted Emily (West Houston RWA Chapter) and Orange Rose (Orange County RWA Chapter) awards, but also earned her the status of a double RWA Golden Heart finalist in 2001.
Then Judy's dream became a reality in March 2002 when Silhouette Special Edition released her first book, COWBOY COURAGE. Since then, she has published seventeen books and is contracted to write three more. Her stories have touched the hearts of readers around the world. Her tales of redemption and renewed trust generate many fan letters from readers who tell her of the positive impact reading her stories have had in their lives.
A woman who had been shattered by her husband’s recent betrayal and desertion had not been able to read or watch anything that had a romance involved writes: I saw your book in the store, and the title caught my eye. (I have a thing for cowboys.) When I read the back cover, I bought it and couldn’t put it down. I finished it in one day. I still have my doubts about meeting a decent man and trusting again. But maybe in time I will be able to love again. I will be watching for your next book.
In July 2005, Judy won the prestigious Reader's Choice Award for THE RICH MAN'S SON.
“When I received the call telling me I had finaled in the Reader’s Choice, I was thrilled beyond measure. Being judged by real readers and recognized as a finalist was a joy in itself. I went to the ceremony honored to be in attendance. And when they announced me the winner, tears came to my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. It took days for my feet to touch the ground.”
Judy makes her home near the beach in Southern California with her husband, their son, and a cat
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 23, 2018
What a great book I loved it then I had a sexy hot alpha cowboy with a soft spot can't wait to read more books by this author
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January 20, 2021La trama no es agradable, pero la escena en la que el "héroe" juzga a su padre por haber cometido suicidio... ¡Atroz! 😖 Nadie tiene derecho a juzgar a una persona que comete suicidio... ¡Y menos alguien con una vida NADA EJEMPLAR! 😖😖
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2018
very good book
February 14, 2026
es una historia tan boluda, PERO ME ENCANTÓ. Me emocionó en cad momento y me no me daban ganas de dejar de leerlo. EN JN DIA LO LEI, un limite te pido nena.
3★ y ½
3★ y ½
October 4, 2015
Almost Perfect by Judy Duarte was an excellent book, it wasn’t just about romance, it had more to offer than that. I am glad that I found it in my stack of books because Jake and Maggie were still trying to find their selves. I also really enjoyed Sam and Kayla, they were adorable. This book touches on a lot of things. Overcoming failures, disabilities, being different, friendship, love, family and turning your life around are just a few.
Jake Meredith has pretty much been running all of his life; he left home when he was eighteen and didn’t look back. He did visit his sister and niece nephew though, but the not looking back held a different meaning for him. Jake is the only family that Kayla (5) and Sam (18 months) have left after their mom and dad die in accident. Jake isn’t sure that he is right to be their guardian; he cannot see himself as a father at all. He is terrified he is going to let them down in more ways than one, but the court ruled him as their new parent.
Maggie Templeton is Jake’s best friend; they’ve kept in touch last fifteen years. They however, have not seen each other since the last summer she stayed at Buckaroo Ranch. They call each other all the time and this time Maggie has a favor she needs from Jake. She asks him to be her ‘date’ to a hospital function since her husband and she have divorced. The pretend to be together for the night, but when they get back to her place Jake gets a call that changes a lot of things.
Jake is going to have to be without Rosa for almost two months, she helps Jake with not only the kids but things around the house. Since his sister’s death Rosa has been the one that has more less looked after the kids, did the chorus in the house, did the books so the ranch hands would be paid. She even read to Kayla his niece who because of bad experiences in school he couldn’t get courage to read out loud to her.
Maggie agrees to help Jake and with that helps, even the advice she gives he starts improving. His sister never would let Kayla on a horse because she has Cerebra Palsy (mild to moderate is her condition). His sister treated her with kid gloves, but Maggie tells him it’s a good idea so he takes her horseback riding. He even gives her a horse, Sunflower is her name. Jake is happy spend time with Kayla on his time, but he still can’t over come his fear of reading out loud. That doesn’t matter to Kayla anymore once she is spending time with Jake.
Sam who is eighteen months old when the book starts is sweet little boy who loves making messes. They all fall for Maggie and when she leaves to go to the practice in California they all miss her. It takes Kayla’s words about Soccer and a nightmare that Jake has to set him on the right course after he dropped out night school. He hadn’t wanted to tell anybody he was going back to get his G.E.D. so if he failed then he would only know, but he finally confesses to Maggie. The confession only took three some odd weeks after she’d left and a trip to California, but he gets the girl back.
Judy did an excellent job with this book; it surpassed what the back of the book told about it. The dream that Jake had of turning the Ranch his sister left him into more than a place for the rich to come warmed my heart. I fell in love with the family and I knew that Jake could turn his life around. Maggie and his past both haunted by parents that were lacking in the parenting department. This deserves more than a five stars that’s for sure.
Jake Meredith has pretty much been running all of his life; he left home when he was eighteen and didn’t look back. He did visit his sister and niece nephew though, but the not looking back held a different meaning for him. Jake is the only family that Kayla (5) and Sam (18 months) have left after their mom and dad die in accident. Jake isn’t sure that he is right to be their guardian; he cannot see himself as a father at all. He is terrified he is going to let them down in more ways than one, but the court ruled him as their new parent.
Maggie Templeton is Jake’s best friend; they’ve kept in touch last fifteen years. They however, have not seen each other since the last summer she stayed at Buckaroo Ranch. They call each other all the time and this time Maggie has a favor she needs from Jake. She asks him to be her ‘date’ to a hospital function since her husband and she have divorced. The pretend to be together for the night, but when they get back to her place Jake gets a call that changes a lot of things.
Jake is going to have to be without Rosa for almost two months, she helps Jake with not only the kids but things around the house. Since his sister’s death Rosa has been the one that has more less looked after the kids, did the chorus in the house, did the books so the ranch hands would be paid. She even read to Kayla his niece who because of bad experiences in school he couldn’t get courage to read out loud to her.
Maggie agrees to help Jake and with that helps, even the advice she gives he starts improving. His sister never would let Kayla on a horse because she has Cerebra Palsy (mild to moderate is her condition). His sister treated her with kid gloves, but Maggie tells him it’s a good idea so he takes her horseback riding. He even gives her a horse, Sunflower is her name. Jake is happy spend time with Kayla on his time, but he still can’t over come his fear of reading out loud. That doesn’t matter to Kayla anymore once she is spending time with Jake.
Sam who is eighteen months old when the book starts is sweet little boy who loves making messes. They all fall for Maggie and when she leaves to go to the practice in California they all miss her. It takes Kayla’s words about Soccer and a nightmare that Jake has to set him on the right course after he dropped out night school. He hadn’t wanted to tell anybody he was going back to get his G.E.D. so if he failed then he would only know, but he finally confesses to Maggie. The confession only took three some odd weeks after she’d left and a trip to California, but he gets the girl back.
Judy did an excellent job with this book; it surpassed what the back of the book told about it. The dream that Jake had of turning the Ranch his sister left him into more than a place for the rich to come warmed my heart. I fell in love with the family and I knew that Jake could turn his life around. Maggie and his past both haunted by parents that were lacking in the parenting department. This deserves more than a five stars that’s for sure.
August 24, 2013
In Duarte’s romance novel, cowboy Jake Meredith is great at rodeo riding. But when he finds himself taking on his orphaned niece and nephew he finds himself terrified and unsure what to do. His childhood friend, now Dr. Maggie Templeton, comes to his aide working wonders with the small family. But Maggie’s plans were short-term with a practice of her own waiting for her in another town unless Jake can convince her to stay.
A solid contribution to the Cowboy at Heart series.
A solid contribution to the Cowboy at Heart series.
December 31, 2015
This is a romance that falls into the 'unintelligent romance' category. Granted, it was better written than some other stuff I've read but the shifting POV within sections made me want to beat my head against the wall. There was no real plot beyond the romance, something that always annoys me. Still, it was a fluff read that I had borrowed from my sister so it did deliver what I was expecting.
March 9, 2011
It was okay, but I never really got emotionally invested in the characters. The phrase "the vixen" to describe a woman who was after the hero was so overused that I wanted to scream!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews