What do you think?
Rate this book
The Trouble With Mini Cows
In Anacortes, small cows can be big trouble.
Tessa Calhoun has gone with the flow her entire life. At thirty she feels stuck in a rut and ready to make some changes. Then her grandmother goes missing and it’s up to Tess to deal with an entire herd of miniature dairy cows that are violating the law.
Attorney Nate Hale has had enough. He needs the cows to go away, but he’d rather like Tess to stick around.
Tess has serious doubts that she can keep her gran out of jail when she finally returns, and save the mini cows at the same time. Being distracted by a charming attorney with his own agenda sure isn’t helping…
Tessa Calhoun has gone with the flow her entire life. At thirty she feels stuck in a rut and ready to make some changes. Then her grandmother goes missing and it’s up to Tess to deal with an entire herd of miniature dairy cows that are violating the law.
Attorney Nate Hale has had enough. He needs the cows to go away, but he’d rather like Tess to stick around.
Tess has serious doubts that she can keep her gran out of jail when she finally returns, and save the mini cows at the same time. Being distracted by a charming attorney with his own agenda sure isn’t helping…
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
14 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Juliet Chase
11 books4 followersJuliet Chase was raised in the urban wilderness of the Pacific Northwest and now makes her home there with her bouncy dog, Ella. She splits her time between writing, photography, and jewelry design with occasional forays into the garden.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 16, 2014
I have to admit, when I first started reading, I thought, "Great. Another one of these sad sack heroines who lets others [her mother] boss her around." I soon realized, though, it wasn't so much that she let her mother boss her as that she truly cared about her family, including her missing grandmother. Tess wants to do right by her grandmother ... and the mini cows. I mean the many cows. Wait. The many mini cows.
Then there's Nate, the city attorney, who wants the cows gone. Our first impression of him isn't completely clear. Is he an obnoxious jerk in his giant truck? But wait, he's hauling flowers in his giant truck for his mother. See? It could go either way.
The Trouble With Mini Cows has humor, chemistry, meddling family members, a hero who knows what he wants, and a heroine who isn't sure what she wants (in regards to just about anything). Side characters are, for the most part, likeable and entertaining, with the exception of Brendan--and no spoiler alert, but what was Gran thinking with that little plot? Yeesh!
I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and look forward to more by this author. No explicit sex (implied, but not explicit).
Then there's Nate, the city attorney, who wants the cows gone. Our first impression of him isn't completely clear. Is he an obnoxious jerk in his giant truck? But wait, he's hauling flowers in his giant truck for his mother. See? It could go either way.
The Trouble With Mini Cows has humor, chemistry, meddling family members, a hero who knows what he wants, and a heroine who isn't sure what she wants (in regards to just about anything). Side characters are, for the most part, likeable and entertaining, with the exception of Brendan--and no spoiler alert, but what was Gran thinking with that little plot? Yeesh!
I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and look forward to more by this author. No explicit sex (implied, but not explicit).
November 18, 2025
Tess has just been drifting through life, working from home as a script writer. When she learns her grandmother has gone astray, leaving an entire herd of miniature dairy cows behind, it’s up to Tess to travel to her Gran’s home and sort out the mess. The last Tess knew, her grandmother had a few mini cows, but when she arrives she finds an entire herd of them. Tess doesn’t know the first thing about cows, but she’s about to learn. Attorney Nate needs something to be done about the cows yesterday. He wants them gone, although the more time he spends with Tess the more he hopes she’ll stick around. With the entire town placing bets on their burgeoning romance, it’s up to Tess and Nate to find a solution for the bovine conundrum.
I had some difficulty with this story. It wasn’t a mystery by any means, nor was it an overt romance. It was more a narrative of an oddball situation, in which two people meet and make a connection. In that respect, it was a likable story. However, I grew up on a dairy farm, and my eyes rolled so hard and so often it’s a wonder I didn’t see my brain.
- First of all, no respectable farmer is going to just up and abandon their livestock. Ever. No real reason was given for why Gran took off and left her cows behind, but to me it was unforgivable. Beef cattle can be left to their own devices for days at a time, assuming they’re out on pasture and have access to water, but not dairy cows. They need to be milked twice a day. For perspective, my father once fractured his arm and refused to allow the doctor to cast it because he wouldn’t have been able to milk cows with his arm in a cast. That’s the sort of sacrifice you make for your livestock.
- No actual number was given as to how many cows Tess needed to milk by hand with no experience whatsoever. Assuming there were as few as 20 (and I got the impression there were a lot more), it would have taken an inexperienced person about five hours. Twice a day. While the author did indicate that Tess spent a lot of time engaged in animal husbandry (feeding, mucking, milking) that’s still a huge chunk of time.
- Dairy cows are very much creatures of habit. The old saying “...until the cows come home” is rooted in fact—dairy cattle do come home at milking time. Having particular habits, however, means they are not keen on letting a stranger touch them. At no point did Tess get kicked in the teeth, so...I’m calling bullshit.
- Speaking of bulls, there was no speaking of a bull. One would presume that if Gran’s herd was increasing rapidly, it’s because the cows were having calves. While that makes sense (dairy cows must give birth in order to produce milk), if things were getting out of hand (hoof?), why didn’t Gran either get rid of the bull or at least separate him from the cows? I mean...duh? And, was said bull reproducing with his own daughters? Inbreeding isn’t beneficial for anyone.
- Speaking of calves, at one point Nate mentioned that Petunia had the last of the calves. Um, dairy cattle calve all year. No dairy farmer wants his or her herd to all be “dry” (not producing milk) at one time; thus, calves are born year-round.
- If I have to hear (or read) the term “baby cow” one more time, I’ll scream. A baby is a calf. If it’s male, it’s a bull calf. If it’s female, it’s a heifer. A heifer does not become a cow unless and until she has a calf of her own. For perspective, try saying “baby woman”. In fact, try saying it the next time a friend or co-worker shows you a photo of their infant daughter. “What an adorable baby woman!”
- I wasn’t on board with how Nate went from being a commitment-phobe to wanting a relationship with Tess. Like, immediately. I suffered literary whiplash.
- Finally, I think I speak for most readers when I say that we detest unnecessary animal deaths. In the context of this story, the death was actually necessary, but the situation was not. Why include it? There was no reason to put the characters or the readers through that. I read for entertainment. Amusement. Escapism. I do not want to cry while reading a book!
As a romance, it was enjoyable enough. I am always eager to read stories that involve animals (pets and/or livestock), but when the author fumbles the animal husbandry portion of the narrative, it ruins things for me. I would have given this four stars. It’s well-written and entertaining, but I’m knocking one off for the hash the author made of the dairy farming aspect. Three stars.
I had some difficulty with this story. It wasn’t a mystery by any means, nor was it an overt romance. It was more a narrative of an oddball situation, in which two people meet and make a connection. In that respect, it was a likable story. However, I grew up on a dairy farm, and my eyes rolled so hard and so often it’s a wonder I didn’t see my brain.
- First of all, no respectable farmer is going to just up and abandon their livestock. Ever. No real reason was given for why Gran took off and left her cows behind, but to me it was unforgivable. Beef cattle can be left to their own devices for days at a time, assuming they’re out on pasture and have access to water, but not dairy cows. They need to be milked twice a day. For perspective, my father once fractured his arm and refused to allow the doctor to cast it because he wouldn’t have been able to milk cows with his arm in a cast. That’s the sort of sacrifice you make for your livestock.
- No actual number was given as to how many cows Tess needed to milk by hand with no experience whatsoever. Assuming there were as few as 20 (and I got the impression there were a lot more), it would have taken an inexperienced person about five hours. Twice a day. While the author did indicate that Tess spent a lot of time engaged in animal husbandry (feeding, mucking, milking) that’s still a huge chunk of time.
- Dairy cows are very much creatures of habit. The old saying “...until the cows come home” is rooted in fact—dairy cattle do come home at milking time. Having particular habits, however, means they are not keen on letting a stranger touch them. At no point did Tess get kicked in the teeth, so...I’m calling bullshit.
- Speaking of bulls, there was no speaking of a bull. One would presume that if Gran’s herd was increasing rapidly, it’s because the cows were having calves. While that makes sense (dairy cows must give birth in order to produce milk), if things were getting out of hand (hoof?), why didn’t Gran either get rid of the bull or at least separate him from the cows? I mean...duh? And, was said bull reproducing with his own daughters? Inbreeding isn’t beneficial for anyone.
- Speaking of calves, at one point Nate mentioned that Petunia had the last of the calves. Um, dairy cattle calve all year. No dairy farmer wants his or her herd to all be “dry” (not producing milk) at one time; thus, calves are born year-round.
- If I have to hear (or read) the term “baby cow” one more time, I’ll scream. A baby is a calf. If it’s male, it’s a bull calf. If it’s female, it’s a heifer. A heifer does not become a cow unless and until she has a calf of her own. For perspective, try saying “baby woman”. In fact, try saying it the next time a friend or co-worker shows you a photo of their infant daughter. “What an adorable baby woman!”
- I wasn’t on board with how Nate went from being a commitment-phobe to wanting a relationship with Tess. Like, immediately. I suffered literary whiplash.
- Finally, I think I speak for most readers when I say that we detest unnecessary animal deaths. In the context of this story, the death was actually necessary, but the situation was not. Why include it? There was no reason to put the characters or the readers through that. I read for entertainment. Amusement. Escapism. I do not want to cry while reading a book!
As a romance, it was enjoyable enough. I am always eager to read stories that involve animals (pets and/or livestock), but when the author fumbles the animal husbandry portion of the narrative, it ruins things for me. I would have given this four stars. It’s well-written and entertaining, but I’m knocking one off for the hash the author made of the dairy farming aspect. Three stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2022
Fun quick read
Tess writes screen plays for a living so can do it anywhere. So when she gets a call stating her Grandmother has disappeared and Tess nseds to go and take care of the mini cows,. Tess loads up and heads toward her Grandmother's. What Tess finds leads to learning about mini cows, a hunky attorney and new friends. Can this move be a good move and start to a new life
Tess writes screen plays for a living so can do it anywhere. So when she gets a call stating her Grandmother has disappeared and Tess nseds to go and take care of the mini cows,. Tess loads up and heads toward her Grandmother's. What Tess finds leads to learning about mini cows, a hunky attorney and new friends. Can this move be a good move and start to a new life
May 21, 2020
Tessa and Nate
Tess is a mess, and Nate is so settled...not your stereotypical couple! The mini cows added a fun dimension to this sweet romance. Definitely a fun read!
Tess is a mess, and Nate is so settled...not your stereotypical couple! The mini cows added a fun dimension to this sweet romance. Definitely a fun read!
March 20, 2017
Loved it!
Apparently there is such a thing as mini cows, who knew? This is a story about Tessa's grandma running away when an attorney tried to remove her mini cows from her. Tessa came to the rescue, but didn't know the extent of how many cows were involved. I couldn't put this down. Excellent read Juliet Chase, I look forward to the next book. I really enjoyed the characters and felt like I knew them.
Apparently there is such a thing as mini cows, who knew? This is a story about Tessa's grandma running away when an attorney tried to remove her mini cows from her. Tessa came to the rescue, but didn't know the extent of how many cows were involved. I couldn't put this down. Excellent read Juliet Chase, I look forward to the next book. I really enjoyed the characters and felt like I knew them.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews