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Montana Cowboys #1
The Cowboy's Ready-Made Family
The Cowboy Arrangement Susanne Collins has her hands full raising her four orphaned nieces and nephews and managing the family farm. So when her cowboy neighbor proposes he plant her crops in exchange for keeping his wild horses in her corrals, Susanne hesitantly takes the deal. Soon her reluctance to accept help ebbs, and she wonders if Tanner Harding will he prove to be the strong, solid man she's been hoping for… Half–Native American Tanner has always been adrift in a white man's world. Yet the beautiful stand-in mother and her ready-made family give him a sense of belonging for the very first time. But can he convince Susanne to take a chance and welcome him not just into her home but also into her heart? Montana These brothers live and love by the code of the West
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2016
16 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Linda Ford
207 books357 followersLinda Ford grew up devouring books and making up stories in her head—often late at night when she couldn't sleep. But she hadn't planned to write. Instead, she dreamed of running an orphanage. In a way, that dream came true. She married, had four homemade children, adopted ten and lived (at times, endured) the dream.
Writing first took her to non-fiction human-interest articles for newspapers and eventually a non-fiction book about tuberculosis set in the 1930s and 1940s (Touched By The White Plague). But romance had always been her first love and she turned to writing love stories. She is multi-published in the CBA market.
She lives on a small ranch in Alberta, Canada, where she can see the mountains every day. She and her husband continue to enjoy their children and grandchildren.
Writing first took her to non-fiction human-interest articles for newspapers and eventually a non-fiction book about tuberculosis set in the 1930s and 1940s (Touched By The White Plague). But romance had always been her first love and she turned to writing love stories. She is multi-published in the CBA market.
She lives on a small ranch in Alberta, Canada, where she can see the mountains every day. She and her husband continue to enjoy their children and grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 20, 2019
THE COWBOY’S READY-MADE FAMILY by Linda Ford represents beautifully what I love about sweet Christian romance and the friends-to-lovers trope. The author’s slow pacing allowed the characters to know each other and support one another before blossoming their love.
Why was this book in Dorine’s TBR? I had a Love Inspired subscription for months and stockpiled a bunch of them to while away winter doldrums. I can’t read them back-to-back, but they’re a nice change of pace when I need to relax. Thinking I’d like to write for this line, I imagined the best way to know is to read them to see if my style fits. I seem to write inspirational but not necessarily religious, so it is hard to imagine my stories fitting anywhere. Probably one of many reasons I quit toying with them, but I’d love to get lost in them again.
Favorite Trope? This month’s TBR Challenge theme is “favorite trope,” a theme I struggle with for several reasons. I’m not a “by trope” reader, because I’m not attracted to most of the ones I recognize. Secret Baby? Nope, definitely not me. I find them hard to identify in my TBR, so it’s difficult to pick my favorite when I don’t even know which one it might be. They’re not always evident by the blurb, and unless one was recommended by trope, AND if I label it as such on GoodReads, then I’m not going to find it in my massive TBR.
This time was no different. I went through pile after pile of books to come up with one that might work. Finally, I narrowed it down to the Love Inspired Historical line because I haven’t read enough of them yet to even decide if I enjoy them. Having tried a couple Love Inspired Suspense with no success, I was beginning to worry that all these beautiful unread books were going to land in my garage sale.
I don’t give up easily because I’m a mood reader. Knowing that my mood could keep me from enjoying a specific style of books for quite some time, I needed to be patient and keep trying. I loved the covers and the blurbs appealed to me – I just needed the right book to convince me.
THE COWBOY’S READY-MADE FAMILY was the perfect book for this challenge and to reintroduce me to Love Inspired Historicals. I enjoyed it from page one AND it ended up being my favorite trope: friends-to-lovers. I did not know that when I picked it. I chose it because it had orphaned children in it, a theme I love.
And even though friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers are my favorite tropes, I don’t consciously buy them. I recognize them, and I’m betting I buy them not thinking about it, but I don’t glom them or miss them when I haven’t read one in a while.
What can I say? I’m a tropeless wanderer?
Follow the discussion in color at my site, TheZestQuest.com.
Review
I love the way THE COWBOY’S READY-MADE FAMILY begins with Tanner Harding aware of something, or someone, watching him. It’s easy to recognize the one-half of his Native American heritage with his stealth and ability to pretend he’s unaware that a cougar or bear might be stalking him. With his knife ready, he whirls around to find an ornery five-year-old boy full of questions about Tanner’s wild horses he has just corralled.
Naturally, the boy’s aunt should be grateful to Tanner for finding and returning the mischievous child, but not without questioning if he’s hurt the boy first. Of course, Tanner expects his half-Lakota appearance to cause racism – something he’s dealt with in town for years, especially with women.
After meeting the rest of the children, and witnessing the chaos going on at Susanne’s farm, it’s obvious to Tanner that this woman needs help. Susanne’s brother passed away recently and left four young children in her care. Tanner and Susanne make a deal. He’ll help her with all that needs done on the farm, especially getting the crop in, and she’ll allow him to use her corrals to tame his wild horses.
Susanne and Tanner’s friendship and attraction grows. Can they get over their individual imagined inadequacies and develop a respectful relationship?
A large portion of this novel is devoted to their day-to-day chores on the farm. Tanner’s self-crimination over being half-white and half-Lakota is measured against Susanne’s aunt’s voice in her head, criticizing everything she does and creating an expectation of future obligations for assistance. They begin to see the good in each other and try to convince each other of their worth. Two lonely souls find hope and a renewed spirit with their mutual pain and suspicions as a bond.
I’m surprised how much I liked this story. There’s no suspense or complicated plot, much of which I seem to need in my reading lately. Actually, you’d think focusing on the daily activities at the farm might be boring, but I really enjoyed the situations they needed to resolve and how they worked together. The children added laughter and drama with their antics. The romance was very slow paced and sweet. The faith messages were appropriate for the story and didn’t seem to drive it, but were more like a really good accent.
I had forgotten how easy and relaxing a well-written Harlequin romance is to read. They haven’t been appealing to me, even though I’ve tried several. The 280-page length, which allows plenty of room for ample conversation and description, appeals to me. I love speeding through a good happy-ever-after. Frequently devouring Harlequin Historicals in the past, I wanted to fall in love with them again. I’m now excited to dig into my several shelf stack of Love Inspired novels to see what other gems are hidden in there.
I’m especially happy that book three, THE COWBOY’S CITY GIRL, was also sent in my subscription. That’s Levi’s story, Tanner’s brother and someone I really enjoyed in THE COWBOY’S READY-MADE FAMILY. Linda Ford writes a great friends-to-lovers sweet romance, filled with faith inspiration, allowing the characters to gain respect for each other as their attraction grows. The beautiful and romantic end will please your dreamy, happy-ever-after desires.
Yay for success on the Trope TBR Challenge theme and finding a great new-to-me author! What’s your favorite trope?
Review by Dorine, courtesy of TheZestQuest.com. Print book purchased. Thank-you in advance for following links and promoting this review on social media.
Why was this book in Dorine’s TBR? I had a Love Inspired subscription for months and stockpiled a bunch of them to while away winter doldrums. I can’t read them back-to-back, but they’re a nice change of pace when I need to relax. Thinking I’d like to write for this line, I imagined the best way to know is to read them to see if my style fits. I seem to write inspirational but not necessarily religious, so it is hard to imagine my stories fitting anywhere. Probably one of many reasons I quit toying with them, but I’d love to get lost in them again.
Favorite Trope? This month’s TBR Challenge theme is “favorite trope,” a theme I struggle with for several reasons. I’m not a “by trope” reader, because I’m not attracted to most of the ones I recognize. Secret Baby? Nope, definitely not me. I find them hard to identify in my TBR, so it’s difficult to pick my favorite when I don’t even know which one it might be. They’re not always evident by the blurb, and unless one was recommended by trope, AND if I label it as such on GoodReads, then I’m not going to find it in my massive TBR.
This time was no different. I went through pile after pile of books to come up with one that might work. Finally, I narrowed it down to the Love Inspired Historical line because I haven’t read enough of them yet to even decide if I enjoy them. Having tried a couple Love Inspired Suspense with no success, I was beginning to worry that all these beautiful unread books were going to land in my garage sale.
I don’t give up easily because I’m a mood reader. Knowing that my mood could keep me from enjoying a specific style of books for quite some time, I needed to be patient and keep trying. I loved the covers and the blurbs appealed to me – I just needed the right book to convince me.
THE COWBOY’S READY-MADE FAMILY was the perfect book for this challenge and to reintroduce me to Love Inspired Historicals. I enjoyed it from page one AND it ended up being my favorite trope: friends-to-lovers. I did not know that when I picked it. I chose it because it had orphaned children in it, a theme I love.
And even though friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers are my favorite tropes, I don’t consciously buy them. I recognize them, and I’m betting I buy them not thinking about it, but I don’t glom them or miss them when I haven’t read one in a while.
What can I say? I’m a tropeless wanderer?
Follow the discussion in color at my site, TheZestQuest.com.
Review
I love the way THE COWBOY’S READY-MADE FAMILY begins with Tanner Harding aware of something, or someone, watching him. It’s easy to recognize the one-half of his Native American heritage with his stealth and ability to pretend he’s unaware that a cougar or bear might be stalking him. With his knife ready, he whirls around to find an ornery five-year-old boy full of questions about Tanner’s wild horses he has just corralled.
Naturally, the boy’s aunt should be grateful to Tanner for finding and returning the mischievous child, but not without questioning if he’s hurt the boy first. Of course, Tanner expects his half-Lakota appearance to cause racism – something he’s dealt with in town for years, especially with women.
After meeting the rest of the children, and witnessing the chaos going on at Susanne’s farm, it’s obvious to Tanner that this woman needs help. Susanne’s brother passed away recently and left four young children in her care. Tanner and Susanne make a deal. He’ll help her with all that needs done on the farm, especially getting the crop in, and she’ll allow him to use her corrals to tame his wild horses.
Susanne and Tanner’s friendship and attraction grows. Can they get over their individual imagined inadequacies and develop a respectful relationship?
A large portion of this novel is devoted to their day-to-day chores on the farm. Tanner’s self-crimination over being half-white and half-Lakota is measured against Susanne’s aunt’s voice in her head, criticizing everything she does and creating an expectation of future obligations for assistance. They begin to see the good in each other and try to convince each other of their worth. Two lonely souls find hope and a renewed spirit with their mutual pain and suspicions as a bond.
I’m surprised how much I liked this story. There’s no suspense or complicated plot, much of which I seem to need in my reading lately. Actually, you’d think focusing on the daily activities at the farm might be boring, but I really enjoyed the situations they needed to resolve and how they worked together. The children added laughter and drama with their antics. The romance was very slow paced and sweet. The faith messages were appropriate for the story and didn’t seem to drive it, but were more like a really good accent.
I had forgotten how easy and relaxing a well-written Harlequin romance is to read. They haven’t been appealing to me, even though I’ve tried several. The 280-page length, which allows plenty of room for ample conversation and description, appeals to me. I love speeding through a good happy-ever-after. Frequently devouring Harlequin Historicals in the past, I wanted to fall in love with them again. I’m now excited to dig into my several shelf stack of Love Inspired novels to see what other gems are hidden in there.
I’m especially happy that book three, THE COWBOY’S CITY GIRL, was also sent in my subscription. That’s Levi’s story, Tanner’s brother and someone I really enjoyed in THE COWBOY’S READY-MADE FAMILY. Linda Ford writes a great friends-to-lovers sweet romance, filled with faith inspiration, allowing the characters to gain respect for each other as their attraction grows. The beautiful and romantic end will please your dreamy, happy-ever-after desires.
Yay for success on the Trope TBR Challenge theme and finding a great new-to-me author! What’s your favorite trope?
Review by Dorine, courtesy of TheZestQuest.com. Print book purchased. Thank-you in advance for following links and promoting this review on social media.
February 6, 2025
Really enjoyed this story!!
March 31, 2016
Spectacular start to a new series about cowboys written by Linda Ford! Can it get any better than that? Tanner has experienced enough prejudice to make him wary. He's got a chip on his shoulder when he meets Susanne and is quick to misjudge as a result. Her past has left her with her own reasons to be leery. Stubborn and feisty meets hard-headed and reserved. Ah, the stuff romantic dreams are made of. :-) Ford has created a compelling love story out of the ashes of two broken lives. A testimony to finding God in the most difficult of times and trusting Him to ease the way. Heartwarming and uplifting right to the very last page.
January 17, 2020
In Montana young woman named Susanne has taken on the care of her young nephew and nieces after the death of her brother and his wife. She is also trying to keep the farm going to support the children and herself. A cowboy neighbor named Tanner, a handsome half native American, half white has asked to utilize the corrals at her farm to tame some wild horses he has captured in exchange for plowing her garden space. This story has the typical bad guy (an older man who wants to marry Susanne and claim the childrens land. He is a typical overbearing male who won't take no for and answer and is also racist, as are others against the Native American people. They gradually come to care for each other as he not only does other things for them, but also comes to care deeply for Susanne and the children. They eventually navigate thru some other negative circumstances and achieve their HEA>
December 11, 2023
Loved this book. Even though a person could figure out the ending immediately, it was well worth the read! A lesson on prejudice and acceptance in different decades always results in good over evil!
August 5, 2021
This was pretty boring but it was wholesome so...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2024
Easy, quick read
October 4, 2016
I've never read a love inspired historical but have always been curious about them as I by passed them on the book isle while browsing other historical romance books. So this one is my first an I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Both hero and heroine were great characters, not a bad bone in their body - always nice to everyone. I really loved Tanner's playful interactions with the children, it was so cute and sweet. I also liked how Susanne didn't judge him by his heritage or the color of his skin but by his actions and what was on the inside while others judge him harshly due to him being half Lakota indian. I will say that the term 'half breed' was mentioned too much to my taste. I know Tanner and his brothers was such but it didn't needed repeating so often - but that's just my personal preference.
March 30, 2016
The Cowboy's Ready Made Family by Linda Ford, book one of Montana Cowboys. Susanne Collins moved in with her brother to help take care of his wife when she was sick. She passed away and later her brother passes away. Leaving Susanne to take care of their four children. She is having a hard time caring for the children and running the ranch. Half Native American Tanner Harding returns the five year old boy who wandered off in the fields a long ways away from his house. Tanner caught some wild horses and he agreed to help Susanne with the farm work if she would let him use the corral to keep the wild horses in so he can train them there. It is a great story.
April 16, 2016
the Cowboy's Ready =Made Family by Linda Ford is the first book in the trilogy, Montana Cowboys. This is the eldest brother,Tanner,'s story. Tanner is half Indian and half white and torn between worlds unlike his brothers.Susanne Collins is raising her four orphaned nieces and nephews. Both of them have had bad experiences and learned to expect the worst. God uses them to teach each other how GOD uses bad experiences to make good things. Trust and second chances and faith are important. It is part of a series but does well as a stand alone. Linda Ford continues to write historically accurat and faith based stories that are filled with adventure, romance and history.
July 4, 2016
We are all the same
Wonderful story, sad there is racism. God intended for us to love one another no matter the color of our skin. Loved Robbie, Frank, Liz, and Jamie kids except everyone as long as they are treated kindly. The kids excepted Tanner long before their Aunt Susanne. She thought he wanted something from her other than the use of the corral for the horses. Tanner felt know one could love him other than his family because he was a half-breed. He was so wrong. God had other plans Susanne had to learn to trust and Tanner had to learn that is was a noble and honorable man.
Wonderful story, sad there is racism. God intended for us to love one another no matter the color of our skin. Loved Robbie, Frank, Liz, and Jamie kids except everyone as long as they are treated kindly. The kids excepted Tanner long before their Aunt Susanne. She thought he wanted something from her other than the use of the corral for the horses. Tanner felt know one could love him other than his family because he was a half-breed. He was so wrong. God had other plans Susanne had to learn to trust and Tanner had to learn that is was a noble and honorable man.
May 16, 2016
Quick, easy read. You can't go wrong with a Linda Ford book. I briefly wondered why Tanner was so down on his Native American heritage given the way his family loved him but I didn't spend too much time worrying about it. I know some townspeople treated him differently, but I would have thought that would have been more than offset by his family...but what do I know. Even with that pondersome question, this was a really good book and I'm glad I gave it a chance.
April 27, 2016
Great Book!!!!!!!!
What can anyone says about Ms. Ford's books. It's a winner all the time, this one put tears in my eyes at the end. As always, she is one of the few Christian authors who can give equal balance between faith, romance and when she puts children in her book. If you like Christian Western this is a keeper.
What can anyone says about Ms. Ford's books. It's a winner all the time, this one put tears in my eyes at the end. As always, she is one of the few Christian authors who can give equal balance between faith, romance and when she puts children in her book. If you like Christian Western this is a keeper.
April 7, 2016
I truly enjoyed this book. Loved the characters , and the story.
Looking forward to the other books in the series.
It is my opinion that you can't go wrong reading any book by Linda Ford.
Looking forward to the other books in the series.
It is my opinion that you can't go wrong reading any book by Linda Ford.
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March 10, 2016"Ford does a wonderful job painting two empathetic characters with relatable struggles" (RT Book Reviews).
Miniseries: Montana Cowboys
Miniseries: Montana Cowboys
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March 7, 2016Miniseries: Montana Cowboys
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews