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Prairie Courtships #3
The Cattleman Meets His Match
GALAHAD IN A STETSON
Cowboy John Elder needs a replacement crew of cattle hands to drive his longhorns to Kansas—he just never figured they'd be wearing petticoats. Traveling with Moira O'Mara and the orphan girls in her care is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Yet despite Moira's declaration of independence, the feisty beauty evokes John's every masculine instinct to protect, defend…marry?
Moira is grateful for John's help when he rescues her—and she can't deny that his calm, in-control manner proves comforting. But she is determined not to let anything get in the way of her plans to search for her long-lost brother at journey's end. However, can John show her a new future—one perfect for them to share?
Cowboy John Elder needs a replacement crew of cattle hands to drive his longhorns to Kansas—he just never figured they'd be wearing petticoats. Traveling with Moira O'Mara and the orphan girls in her care is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Yet despite Moira's declaration of independence, the feisty beauty evokes John's every masculine instinct to protect, defend…marry?
Moira is grateful for John's help when he rescues her—and she can't deny that his calm, in-control manner proves comforting. But she is determined not to let anything get in the way of her plans to search for her long-lost brother at journey's end. However, can John show her a new future—one perfect for them to share?
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2014
45 people are currently reading
527 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 4, 2014
Sherri Shackelford has a wonderful way of writing about being a good Christian without quoting the Bible or preaching. I always finish reading her books with a smile on my face and an uplifted feeling in my heart.
This was an incredible story about love and forgiveness of ourselves as well as others.
John and Moira had plans for their lives but found out that God had an even better one for them. These good but flawed individuals both had to be humbled in order to see beyond the walls they had built around their hearts. The journey that God sent them on allowed the couple to better their lives and those of some orphans.
I am a firm believer that one person cannot change the world but we can do our best to make our piece of it a better place.
We can all learn from John and Moira. Thank you Sherri for a beautiful story.
I hope that the next book is about Robert and Darcy....
This was an incredible story about love and forgiveness of ourselves as well as others.
John and Moira had plans for their lives but found out that God had an even better one for them. These good but flawed individuals both had to be humbled in order to see beyond the walls they had built around their hearts. The journey that God sent them on allowed the couple to better their lives and those of some orphans.
I am a firm believer that one person cannot change the world but we can do our best to make our piece of it a better place.
We can all learn from John and Moira. Thank you Sherri for a beautiful story.
I hope that the next book is about Robert and Darcy....
August 28, 2021
An action pack historical story with strong characters, adventure, finding forgiveness and new beginnings.
This book was purchased at a library used book sale. I’m glad I had the opportunity to read this story that had everything I anticipate in a great Christian read. I have shared my own opinion.
This book was purchased at a library used book sale. I’m glad I had the opportunity to read this story that had everything I anticipate in a great Christian read. I have shared my own opinion.
January 3, 2017
3 stars
I wanted to like this more than I did because, come on! It's about a group of orphan girls who end up on a cattle drive in the 1800's. When John Elder is forced to fire his no good, lazy drovers, he's in dire straights. He has a herd of long horns he's bound and determined to move to Kansas so he can start a ranch of his own. When circumstances put a group of young orphans, including Moira O'Mara, a beautiful woman with a terrible secret, under his protection, he has no choice but to teach the girls how to manage the herd and lead it through dangerous Indian territory.
I loved the concept of this story, but the actual execution felt cliched and tired. The romance between the protagonists was sweet, but I was hoping for more action or excitement on the trail. This wasn't a bad read, it just isn't what I was longing for.
I wanted to like this more than I did because, come on! It's about a group of orphan girls who end up on a cattle drive in the 1800's. When John Elder is forced to fire his no good, lazy drovers, he's in dire straights. He has a herd of long horns he's bound and determined to move to Kansas so he can start a ranch of his own. When circumstances put a group of young orphans, including Moira O'Mara, a beautiful woman with a terrible secret, under his protection, he has no choice but to teach the girls how to manage the herd and lead it through dangerous Indian territory.
I loved the concept of this story, but the actual execution felt cliched and tired. The romance between the protagonists was sweet, but I was hoping for more action or excitement on the trail. This wasn't a bad read, it just isn't what I was longing for.
July 3, 2014
A good solid sweet historical western romance!
August 30, 2016
This is my favorite book of Sherri's so far. Very well written and she does a good job (too good) of keeping you interested until you have to finish it.
Great book.
Great book.
November 18, 2024
So, if I were rating this book on its plot alone, it would probably get 3.5 stars. The plot was interesting-a group of orphan girls and a woman acting as the crew for a guy's cattle drive. Most of the learning to be a cowboy was skipped, though, leaving me wondering about it a bit. And there were some unbelievable things--a trail-smart cowboy goes crawling into a bobcat cave because a little girl asks him to do it!
The romance was spontaneously introduced. It was there--then it didn't seem to be there. I think he kissed her three times in the same incident relatively early in the book, and I was getting worried because I was not sure just how far they were going to go. (Thankfully, they were interrupted.) I was not really expecting this. I half wonder if the author writes more steamy novels under a different name.
The 2-star is because this is a book put out by a publishing company, and it seems to have skimped on the editing. Two sentences joined by "and" (as the last one I wrote was) require a comma. This is not a style thing, but this is a grammatical rule that cannot be broken. The person responsible for editing this book either didn't know that or didn't care. Even more concerning is that s/he used the comma if the sentences were connected by "but." There were also comma splices and other editing issues.
As a professional editor, I know editing is expensive. Right now, I would charge about $700 for a single book of this length. If a self-published author does his or her best to edit their own work, I try not to come down to hard on them for it. In this case, the company pays more than what I make to its editors and clearly has the budget for them--I think they get something like $400 million profit per year. It is uncalled for to have so many editing errors that it distracts from the reading.
The romance was spontaneously introduced. It was there--then it didn't seem to be there. I think he kissed her three times in the same incident relatively early in the book, and I was getting worried because I was not sure just how far they were going to go. (Thankfully, they were interrupted.) I was not really expecting this. I half wonder if the author writes more steamy novels under a different name.
The 2-star is because this is a book put out by a publishing company, and it seems to have skimped on the editing. Two sentences joined by "and" (as the last one I wrote was) require a comma. This is not a style thing, but this is a grammatical rule that cannot be broken. The person responsible for editing this book either didn't know that or didn't care. Even more concerning is that s/he used the comma if the sentences were connected by "but." There were also comma splices and other editing issues.
As a professional editor, I know editing is expensive. Right now, I would charge about $700 for a single book of this length. If a self-published author does his or her best to edit their own work, I try not to come down to hard on them for it. In this case, the company pays more than what I make to its editors and clearly has the budget for them--I think they get something like $400 million profit per year. It is uncalled for to have so many editing errors that it distracts from the reading.
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February 23, 2022Absolutely awesome novel!
Yet again Sherri captivated my mind and transcends me into the life of her novel. I read until the end, yet again. And I'm moving on to the next book in the series right away. I know I'll be just as mesmerized and transcended into the suspense, drama and our unadulterated romance of her novel...
Yet again Sherri captivated my mind and transcends me into the life of her novel. I read until the end, yet again. And I'm moving on to the next book in the series right away. I know I'll be just as mesmerized and transcended into the suspense, drama and our unadulterated romance of her novel...
November 27, 2022
Good read
Loved the story and all the characters except for Wendell. Hope Karma caught up with him. Moira is a wonderful character and she shows her love of her Lord by wanting to give her love to others.
Loved the story and all the characters except for Wendell. Hope Karma caught up with him. Moira is a wonderful character and she shows her love of her Lord by wanting to give her love to others.
December 19, 2024
Wounder
Love The way this book brings in characters from the first two intertwines. Everyone together captivates your attention so that you don't want to put it down til the end.
Love The way this book brings in characters from the first two intertwines. Everyone together captivates your attention so that you don't want to put it down til the end.
January 28, 2025
I loved the ending
September 21, 2014
Thank you to Goodreads for helping me to get this book through the Giveaways.
I guess I forgot that this book was kind of Christian based, and I appreciated that, although I know that some people will be thrown off by it or will not appreciate it in the story. I love the old West and cattle drives and cowboys, so the protagonist was a plus. It's a romance novel, so, yes, everything is tied together in a bow at the end, but that's what you're looking for when you read one of these books, so that wasn't a negative. I really liked the story, although I felt it was a little flat right in the middle. The tension kind of waned a bit as the book went on. It was kind of in the middle of trying to decide how much plot to put in. It couldn't have too little, but there weren't enough pages to put a lot of plot, so it kind of got stuck in the middle and was only mildly satisfying in that area. However, if you're looking for a quick, cute, uplifting read, this is a good book, and the writing style was fine. I enjoyed it.
I guess I forgot that this book was kind of Christian based, and I appreciated that, although I know that some people will be thrown off by it or will not appreciate it in the story. I love the old West and cattle drives and cowboys, so the protagonist was a plus. It's a romance novel, so, yes, everything is tied together in a bow at the end, but that's what you're looking for when you read one of these books, so that wasn't a negative. I really liked the story, although I felt it was a little flat right in the middle. The tension kind of waned a bit as the book went on. It was kind of in the middle of trying to decide how much plot to put in. It couldn't have too little, but there weren't enough pages to put a lot of plot, so it kind of got stuck in the middle and was only mildly satisfying in that area. However, if you're looking for a quick, cute, uplifting read, this is a good book, and the writing style was fine. I enjoyed it.
July 1, 2020
The heroine wanted to find her brother which she hadn't seen for a long time. One time she received a letter that could lead to whereabouts of her own brother so off she go. Unbeknownst to her, the town where her brother last have been, her brother made an enemy. Upon her stay on that said town she was seize but the sheriff of the town because her brother's enemy had her arrested by accusing her a thief. So since there are no other place to put her, the sheriff lock her on a room full of girls who are down on there luck and ended up thieving.
So the hero helped them escape when he saw them coming down from a window of the room where they have been put for the night. The hero has no idea of the girls past and stories but he knew he has to help them. Anyways the hero needed hands for his long horns herd because he have just dismissed his current hands due to their drinking habits.
In the end they worked together. The heroine and the girls learned to herd the cow in exchange for their safety, food and some money that they will make as soon as they reach their destination.
So the hero helped them escape when he saw them coming down from a window of the room where they have been put for the night. The hero has no idea of the girls past and stories but he knew he has to help them. Anyways the hero needed hands for his long horns herd because he have just dismissed his current hands due to their drinking habits.
In the end they worked together. The heroine and the girls learned to herd the cow in exchange for their safety, food and some money that they will make as soon as they reach their destination.
October 26, 2014
What a great idea for a story. Girls that have been living on the street can do about anything with a little encouragement and instruction. Even drive a big herd of cattle across the country.
We get to see John Elder prove himself both to himself and his brothers. He might not have accomplished the full extent of what he set out to do, but sometimes what a person plans to do isn't what God plans for them. And the new plan fit who he is so much better.
Moira O'Mara has spent years thinking her brother left because of her actions and that he hasn't been in contact because he can't forgive her. She finds evidence that he's been in Fool's End and makes her way there. Upon meeting a rag tag bunch of girls, they escape from a holding cell of sorts and land in John Elder's lap. John ends up rescuing them and then they help him accomplish what he couldn't have done without them.
We get to see John Elder prove himself both to himself and his brothers. He might not have accomplished the full extent of what he set out to do, but sometimes what a person plans to do isn't what God plans for them. And the new plan fit who he is so much better.
Moira O'Mara has spent years thinking her brother left because of her actions and that he hasn't been in contact because he can't forgive her. She finds evidence that he's been in Fool's End and makes her way there. Upon meeting a rag tag bunch of girls, they escape from a holding cell of sorts and land in John Elder's lap. John ends up rescuing them and then they help him accomplish what he couldn't have done without them.
July 6, 2015
A lovely little afternoon read. The development of the main male character, John, starts off a little slow. He consistently seems hesitant and insecure although his inner monologue suggests that he feels pressured by others to be a follower instead of his own person. This is something he struggles with throughout the book before finally giving himself a break and recognizing that he CAN do plenty by himself but it doesn't hurt to ask for and accept help. The main female character, Moira, is obsessed with finding her brother and righting a past wrong. Forgiveness is a big theme in this story and comes about gently and naturally at the end. The orphan girls add adorableness to the story, each with a great personality and the cattle drive keeps things interesting. A typical Christian Romance novella, it ties up all the strings and seals the story with a kiss.
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January 12, 2016"This story, featuring another Elder brother, is a true western and the time period is very well presented. The characters are delightful and play well off one another" (RT Book Reviews). 4 1/2 stars
August 23, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. Sherri Shackelford has created a wonderful story of forgiveness, strength and love. I definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading many more stories by Sherri Shackelford in the future.
October 23, 2015
Wpg library - a sweet and wholesome read that accurately represents the Wild West - and highlights honesty and family. Rated only four stars because in my person ratings, a boom must make me cry to earn that 5th star !
August 31, 2014
Nice western
I liked that it showed h girls doing a job that m e n usually do and doing it well. Loved the ending.
I liked that it showed h girls doing a job that m e n usually do and doing it well. Loved the ending.
October 4, 2015
I really liked this one. Interesting mix of girls put together with a cowboy and his cook.
June 28, 2021
Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews