What do you think?
Rate this book
Smokin’ Hot Cowboys #1
A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas
Warm up this Christmas with a sexy cowboy firefighter who knows how to ignite flames as well as put them out...
He's hotter than a wildfire
Trey Duval is a rancher, proud as can be of his Wildcat Ranch. He's also the top volunteer firefighter of Wildcat Bluff, Texas, the town that pulls out all the stops for its Christmas festivities.
City girl Misty Reynolds comes to Wildcat Bluff just in time to help Trey put out a suspicious fire, leading him to dub her his "Christmas angel." Unfortunately, Misty's past has left her with terrible memories of fire, and of Christmastime.
As the two are thrown together again and again, Trey finds himself wanting Misty more and more, and Misty feels stronger and braver when Trey is around. Though their trust grows slowly, their passion for each other is burning hot...
He's hotter than a wildfire
Trey Duval is a rancher, proud as can be of his Wildcat Ranch. He's also the top volunteer firefighter of Wildcat Bluff, Texas, the town that pulls out all the stops for its Christmas festivities.
City girl Misty Reynolds comes to Wildcat Bluff just in time to help Trey put out a suspicious fire, leading him to dub her his "Christmas angel." Unfortunately, Misty's past has left her with terrible memories of fire, and of Christmastime.
As the two are thrown together again and again, Trey finds himself wanting Misty more and more, and Misty feels stronger and braver when Trey is around. Though their trust grows slowly, their passion for each other is burning hot...
378 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 6, 2015
230 people are currently reading
1289 people want to read
About the author
Kim Redford
10 books147 followersKim Redford is an acclaimed bestselling author of Western romance novels. She grew up in Texas with cowboys, cowgirls, horses, cattle, and rodeos for inspiration. She divides her time between homes in Texas and Oklahoma, where she’s a rescue cat wrangler and horseback rider—when she takes a break from her keyboard. Visit her at http://www.kimredford.com.
“Scorching, and flavored with just a hint of sweet innocence. Add in the distilled essence of a perfect small town, and this tale will melt even the iciest heart.” -Publishers Weekly Starred Review
“Vividly written firefighting scenes, rich cast of characters and folksy charm, A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas will keep you warm and toasty and entertained in a big—and I mean Texas big—way.” —USA Today Happily Ever After
“Scorching, and flavored with just a hint of sweet innocence. Add in the distilled essence of a perfect small town, and this tale will melt even the iciest heart.” -Publishers Weekly Starred Review
“Vividly written firefighting scenes, rich cast of characters and folksy charm, A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas will keep you warm and toasty and entertained in a big—and I mean Texas big—way.” —USA Today Happily Ever After
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
December 2, 2015
Reviewed as part of a Christmas Post at Totallybooked
‘They were both complex, with hopes and dreams, loves and hates, pasts and presents.’
In the mood for a real as they come cowboy Christmas romances? Well, this one has one of the ultimate heroes because not only is Trey Duvall a bonafide as real as they come Texan cowboys – he’s also a firefighter on the side and a lover of nature and animals. He’s a hero with as much heart and vulnerability as strength and passion. Be still our swoony hearts. We could hear that country accent. What a hero.
“You ride horses?”
“That’s what cowboys do.”
“You’re a cowboy firefighter?”
He tipped an imaginary hat…
We want to visit Wildcat Bluff – we completely fell in love with this place. Christmas is our favourite time of year and the way its people celebrate had us wanting to decorate our Christmas tree and get to cooking a chilli (that’s if we knew what to do in a kitchen). You’ll see what we mean if you pick this story up!
Now, story wise this was a very easy – at times cheesy – romantic and suspenseful read as not everything is what it seems in Wildcat Bluff. Misty our city girl heroine is sent to investigate and immediately upon arriving she’s thrust into the heart of it. Literally! Clearly this Author knows exactly what she’s writing about as setting, sounds and smells felt as real as they could get. Whilst we guessed the culprits of the sinister play early on I enjoyed reading this Christmas story in one sitting on a cold lazy Sunday afternoon!
‘..she saw a lone man in a firefighter jacket, desperately fighting to save lives and land. He was a larger-than-life hero. Her hero.’
♥ ♥ ♥
Come say hi and follow us at:
✦ TotallybookedBlog
✦ TB on Facebook
✦ TB on Twitter
✦ TB on Pinterest
December 2, 2015
REVIEWED WITH OTHER CHRISTMAS STORIES ON: TotallyBooked http://wp.me/p2WbFf-7ei
‘They were both complex, with hopes and dreams, loves and hates, pasts and presents.’
In the mood for a real as they come cowboy Christmas romances? Well, this one has one of the ultimate heroes because not only is Trey Duvall a bonafide as real as they come Texan cowboys – he’s also a firefighter on the side and a lover of nature and animals. He’s a hero with as much heart and vulnerability as strength and passion. Be still our swoony hearts. We could hear that country accent. What a hero.
“You ride horses?”
“That’s what cowboys do.”
“You’re a cowboy firefighter?”
He tipped an imaginary hat…
We want to visit Wildcat Bluff – we completely fell in love with this place. Christmas is our favourite time of year and the way its people celebrate had us wanting to decorate our Christmas tree and get to cooking a chilli (that’s if we knew what to do in a kitchen). You’ll see what we mean if you pick this story up!
Now, story wise this was a very easy – at times cheesy – romantic and suspenseful read as not everything is what it seems in Wildcat Bluff. Misty our city girl heroine is sent to investigate and immediately upon arriving she’s thrust into the heart of it. Literally! Clearly this Author knows exactly what she’s writing about as setting, sounds and smells felt as real as they could get. Whilst we guessed the culprits of the sinister play early on I enjoyed reading this Christmas story in one sitting on a cold lazy Sunday afternoon!
‘..she saw a lone man in a firefighter jacket, desperately fighting to save lives and land. He was a larger-than-life hero. Her hero.’
♥ ♥ ♥
Come say hi and follow us at:
✦ TotallybookedBlog
✦ TB on Facebook
✦ TB on Twitter
✦ TB on Pinterest
August 4, 2015
Totally lame cover and blurb for a good book
Totally Lame Cover
Would make a better cover!
“Every quirky girl doesn’t have to be the best-friend character. It’s a very limiting and self-fulfilling prophecy. People only write things that will get green-lit, so they write to those stereotypes.” – Felicia Day
But Then . . .
“Stereotypes lose their power when the world is found to be more complex than the stereotype would suggest. When we learn that individuals do not fit the group stereotype, then it begins to fall apart.” – Ed Koch
The author of “A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas” has tried very hard to stereotype herself and her work, to fit into a very narrow, very self-limiting pigeonhole.
Pigeonhole: Verb (used with object) to assign to a definite place or to definite places in some orderly system:
to pigeonhole new ideas.
The Blurb:
Trey Duvall is a rancher, proud as can be of his Wildcat Ranch. He’s also the top volunteer firefighter of Wildcat Bluff, the town that pulls out all the stops for its Christmas festivities. Misty Reynolds pulls into town just in time to help Trey put out a suspicious fire, leading him to dub her his “Christmas angel”. Unfortunately, Misty’s past has left her with terrible memories of fire, and of Christmas time. As the two are unwittingly thrown together again and again, can Trey win Misty’s trust — and her heart?
Sigh. I hate when this happens. You see, like other books I have reviewed, and suggested a wider audience consider, this book doesn’t fall into the “Only Read If You Like Mushy Romance” category. The characters shouldn’t be typecast as “Hunky Hero” and “Insipid Pseudo-Heroine” with a “Hero Rides in on His White Horse and Saves the Day” insipid sort of blurb such as this book is stuck with. It needs something more along the line of pointing out that the town of Wildcat Bluff is filled with quirky, unusual characters who care deeply for their town, their people, and their history. An important part of that sense of community is their volunteer fire department and all it does to keep their community safe.
A More Appropriate Blurb:
“There are bad things happening in Wildcat Bluff just before their Christmas in the Country celebration. Arson fires are spreading in the tinder-dry countryside, exasperated by the ongoing drought, and cut fences and grass fires are threatening Trey Duvall’s historic cattle ranch. When Misty Reynolds rolls up to a grass fire Trey is putting out in his pasture and he runs out in front of her to try and stop her for help, he has no idea that she is actually there as a troubleshooter for Texas Timber, the company that has had a Christmas tree farm burned already, and had others threatened. Finding the arsonist means that Misty has to stay undercover and spend time questioning, and suspecting, everyone in town. And when she learns that Trey has a bone to pick with Texas Timber, he moves straight to the ‘suspect’ column.”
OK, I am not known for my stellar ability to write blurbs, I give you that. But mine gives a better feel for what is going on. Misty isn’t a blond bimbo, Trey isn’t a hulking Alpha male bent on getting into every woman’s pants he can hold down long enough, and the people of the town are as important to the character list as the two main characters. There are important messages in the book about community, about overcoming horrors in your childhood that carry over into adulthood, and about the ways in which power and greed can destroy everything a community tries to build. The people of Wildcat Bluff are kind, they help one another, and the volunteers literally risk their life every time they go out on a call. The community has pulled together to form a strictly volunteer department, put on bake sales to buy equipment, and are proud of who they are and what they do. That deserves a lot more credit than it gets – either with the cover, or with the blurb.
"Volunteer firefighter saving the life of a kitten with a pet oxygen kit. Please as your volunteer fire department if you can help with a benefit for Pet Oxygen Kits to help save pets caught in fires! Visit http://www.petoxygenmasks.org/make_a_... for information on how YOU can make a difference! Thank you!!!!!!"
Thank you, Firefighter man! I was terrified!!!!
"Memorial Service for West, Texas (my old hometown) volunteer firefighters killed while fighting the April 17, 2013 fertilizer plant explosion. The memorial service honored those first responders and two civilians who tried to fight the fire and were posthumously named volunteer first responders."
If you like books that highlight a sense of community, that include a mystery, suspense, a few thrills – and yes, a good romantic storyline – overlook the blurb and the cover and give this one a try.
You will note I didn’t post the cover of the book in my review – any of the photos on this page give more respect to the book than the totally lame cover does. I am disappointed that the publisher tried so hard to minimize, pigeonhole and lower the impact of the book. I hate seeing that happen to books with such promise, that many will simply skip over based on poor art and a poor blurb.
It is still available for request on Netgalley. A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a realistic review. All thoughts are my own. If you enjoy my reviews, please take a moment to “Like” my review on GoodReads. Thank you!
“A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas” is in preorder status until publication on October 6, 2015.
About The Author
Kim Redford draws her inspiration from a Texas lifestyle of cowboys, cowgirls, horses, cattle, rodeos and small towns to create her bestselling novels. When she’s not writing steamy romances, she’s a rescue cat wrangler and horseback rider. She divides her time between Texas and Oklahoma. A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas is first in her Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series with Blazing Hot Cowboy coming soon.
I don’t know about the “bestselling novels” thing. Her site is nonexistent, and goodreads shows only this book, set to publish October 6, so maybe she is writing under a pseudonym? If this is indeed her first book, I hope she will widen her audience by moving away from sticking herself into a single cubbyhole with her publication, marketing and cover strategy. The whole “steamy romance” thing is self-limiting when she can write good stories that encompass a wide ranging storyline such as this book exemplifies.
October 23, 2015
I tried numerous times to get into this story as so many of my Goodreads friends really liked it. I however just couldn't read more than a page or two before I would put it down and pick up a different book. I finally had to admit defeat and DNF.
I'm not much into insta-lust or reading books that do nothing but have the MCs pant after each other (mentally or otherwise). I think if the book hadn't had the first part filled with both of them mentally panting almost within seconds of meeting, maybe I could have read further and then been pulled into the story. I actually couldn't imagine flirting and panting while a grass fire needed to be put out. It just seemed over the top.
When she mentally thought the following:
"She'd been warned not to trust anybody in Wildcat Bluff County. Now, first thing, she was involved with a local."
She was helping to put out a grass fire. And she now has them "involved"?
If you like insta-lust/insta-love and a lot of mental panting, this may be for you. I would recommend reading the sample first.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Ms. Redford and Sourcebooks Casablanca publishers for the opportunity to read this book and just wish it worked for me.
I'm not much into insta-lust or reading books that do nothing but have the MCs pant after each other (mentally or otherwise). I think if the book hadn't had the first part filled with both of them mentally panting almost within seconds of meeting, maybe I could have read further and then been pulled into the story. I actually couldn't imagine flirting and panting while a grass fire needed to be put out. It just seemed over the top.
When she mentally thought the following:
"She'd been warned not to trust anybody in Wildcat Bluff County. Now, first thing, she was involved with a local."
She was helping to put out a grass fire. And she now has them "involved"?
If you like insta-lust/insta-love and a lot of mental panting, this may be for you. I would recommend reading the sample first.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Ms. Redford and Sourcebooks Casablanca publishers for the opportunity to read this book and just wish it worked for me.
January 10, 2019
A CHRISTMAS ANGEL FOR WILDCAT BLUFF!!!
Title: A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas
Series: Smokin' Hot Cowboys
Author: Kim Redford
Designation: Book 1 of Series, Full-Length Novel (Approx 350 pages), Standalone Contemporary Holiday Romance, NO Cliffhanger #romanticsuspense #oppositesattract #citygirl #cowboyfirefighter #smallwesterntownsaga #christmas #multicultural
My Rating: Five Sexy Stars*****
OHHH EMMM GEEE! I LOVED A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas by Kim Redford! This was my first time reading the work of Kim Redford, but it certainly won't be my last! Until a few days ago, I'd never even heard of Redford but after only one book, this author has now been added to my favorites list. I even raced back to purchase the other two ebooks available in Redford's Smokin' Hot Cowboys Series. That alone is quite a recommendation. But I may as well be totally honest, folks, Redford had me at smokin' hot cowboys and firefighter. lol... I fell in love with the town of Wildcat Bluff and its entire community along with both protagonists, Trey Duval, and Misty Reynolds. I especially enjoyed the real-life history of Wildcat Bluff and its former Comanche residents that Redford skillfully wove into the storyline. I was immediately smitten with handsome volunteer cowboy firefighter Trey Duvall. He was just the cat's meow and made all the ladies purr, including me! Yes, my cat reference was intentional and will make total sense once you read the book. After all, the name of the town is Wildcat Bluff so that should give you a little hint! lol... And the intelligent, beautiful, independent troubleshooter/investigator Misty Reynolds was an absolute delight! Misty was so smart, sweet, selfless, determined, and courageous, but my heart broke for her. These two characters started out as potential adversaries with an immediate mutual attraction for each other. At first glance, Trey and Misty appeared to be complete opposites but had.more in common than they could ever have imagined. Misty was a dyed in the wool city girl at heart with a painful past, vehement dislike for anything related to Christmas, and severe panic attacks resulting from a childhood trauma. Trey was a cowboy through and through, one with a heart of gold and could charm the spots off a Junebug. He loved country living, his ranch, the community of Wildcat Bluff, and especially Christmas, and the very last thing he needed in his life was a city girl. But we all know, the heart wants what the heart whats. Trey and Misty found it impossible to deny the pull between them and soon discovered it was so much more than just physical attraction. Their chemistry was off the charts and they complemented each other perfectly. I could feel the sparks flying between these two and it was hilarious as they tried to dance around each other. Misty may have been Trey's Christmas angel, but Trey turned out to be Misty's Christmas miracle. Sigh... So emotional, so sweet, so sexy, and soooo heartwarming! No spoilers from me but I will say this... Sexy, charismatic and loyal, but very lonely cowboy firefighter who loves Christmas and is dedicated to his community and the people he cares about-check! Beautiful, independent, kindhearted, city-girl troubleshooter with a painful past, an extreme dislike for anything relating to Christmas but determined to overcome her fears and do her job-check! A wonderful cast of colorful, engaging characters and a close-knit community that celebrates Christmas in a big way-check! An urgent assignment, a baffling case, and a dangerous firebug with ulterior motives-check! Mystery, suspense, humor, a little angst, and a whole lot of steamy romance- you bet! That and a whole lot more!
Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! There was so much I adored about this story. The narrative was beautifully written in the third person with clearly defined his and her perspectives. The dialogue was smart, snappy, natural, well executed, and flowed effortlessly. But my absolute favorite component was the large cast of well-developed characters who literally exploded from the pages and demanded your undivided attention. I found them to be realistic, engaging, and endearing, and I'm quite sure we'll be seeing many of them in future books. I loved the fictional world/community of Wildcat Bluff that Redford created for this series. Although the town and characters of the story may be fictional, I discovered that Wildcat Bluff is a real place and the rich history of the area shared in this book is actually true! And Redford did a fabulous job of weaving it into her story. I particularly enjoyed Redford's writing style. Her vividly detailed descriptions of the town, its residents, and the surrounding countryside were masterfully written. I found myself completely immersed in the story. Although the storyline included a little mystery and suspense, it's not the main element. By the halfway point, I knew who was causing all the trouble but that did not spoil my reading experience, not at all. The primary focus of this story is the romantic journey of two lonely people finding love and the obstacles they must overcome to secure their happy ever after. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! In fact, upon finishing this book, I raced back and purchased the next two of the series. Would I recommend it? You bet, and I am but for adult readers. There is no profanity, but it is steamy and does contain several tastefully written sex scenes. Redford's writing may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is mine. I prefer a book I can settle in with, sink my teeth into, and really get to know the characters, and that's exactly what this author delivered. Redford's books are not for people who want to devour a book in a couple of hours, but rather for those folks who enjoy savoring the words. You don't gulp fine whiskey; you sip it and appreciate the taste. I'm almost 70 years young and have been an avid reader for 65 of those years. It takes something truly extraordinary to impress me. I'll admit, before leaving this review, I did check out the second book of the series, just to see if Redford was a one-hit wonder, but I'm happy to announce it's just as good as the first. And finally, was I entertained? Completely! I giggled, snickered, snorted, sniffled, and sighed through the entire story but by the end, I was happy, satisfied, and well entertained. Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!
Title: A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas
Series: Smokin' Hot Cowboys
Author: Kim Redford
Designation: Book 1 of Series, Full-Length Novel (Approx 350 pages), Standalone Contemporary Holiday Romance, NO Cliffhanger #romanticsuspense #oppositesattract #citygirl #cowboyfirefighter #smallwesterntownsaga #christmas #multicultural
My Rating: Five Sexy Stars*****
OHHH EMMM GEEE! I LOVED A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas by Kim Redford! This was my first time reading the work of Kim Redford, but it certainly won't be my last! Until a few days ago, I'd never even heard of Redford but after only one book, this author has now been added to my favorites list. I even raced back to purchase the other two ebooks available in Redford's Smokin' Hot Cowboys Series. That alone is quite a recommendation. But I may as well be totally honest, folks, Redford had me at smokin' hot cowboys and firefighter. lol... I fell in love with the town of Wildcat Bluff and its entire community along with both protagonists, Trey Duval, and Misty Reynolds. I especially enjoyed the real-life history of Wildcat Bluff and its former Comanche residents that Redford skillfully wove into the storyline. I was immediately smitten with handsome volunteer cowboy firefighter Trey Duvall. He was just the cat's meow and made all the ladies purr, including me! Yes, my cat reference was intentional and will make total sense once you read the book. After all, the name of the town is Wildcat Bluff so that should give you a little hint! lol... And the intelligent, beautiful, independent troubleshooter/investigator Misty Reynolds was an absolute delight! Misty was so smart, sweet, selfless, determined, and courageous, but my heart broke for her. These two characters started out as potential adversaries with an immediate mutual attraction for each other. At first glance, Trey and Misty appeared to be complete opposites but had.more in common than they could ever have imagined. Misty was a dyed in the wool city girl at heart with a painful past, vehement dislike for anything related to Christmas, and severe panic attacks resulting from a childhood trauma. Trey was a cowboy through and through, one with a heart of gold and could charm the spots off a Junebug. He loved country living, his ranch, the community of Wildcat Bluff, and especially Christmas, and the very last thing he needed in his life was a city girl. But we all know, the heart wants what the heart whats. Trey and Misty found it impossible to deny the pull between them and soon discovered it was so much more than just physical attraction. Their chemistry was off the charts and they complemented each other perfectly. I could feel the sparks flying between these two and it was hilarious as they tried to dance around each other. Misty may have been Trey's Christmas angel, but Trey turned out to be Misty's Christmas miracle. Sigh... So emotional, so sweet, so sexy, and soooo heartwarming! No spoilers from me but I will say this... Sexy, charismatic and loyal, but very lonely cowboy firefighter who loves Christmas and is dedicated to his community and the people he cares about-check! Beautiful, independent, kindhearted, city-girl troubleshooter with a painful past, an extreme dislike for anything relating to Christmas but determined to overcome her fears and do her job-check! A wonderful cast of colorful, engaging characters and a close-knit community that celebrates Christmas in a big way-check! An urgent assignment, a baffling case, and a dangerous firebug with ulterior motives-check! Mystery, suspense, humor, a little angst, and a whole lot of steamy romance- you bet! That and a whole lot more!
Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! There was so much I adored about this story. The narrative was beautifully written in the third person with clearly defined his and her perspectives. The dialogue was smart, snappy, natural, well executed, and flowed effortlessly. But my absolute favorite component was the large cast of well-developed characters who literally exploded from the pages and demanded your undivided attention. I found them to be realistic, engaging, and endearing, and I'm quite sure we'll be seeing many of them in future books. I loved the fictional world/community of Wildcat Bluff that Redford created for this series. Although the town and characters of the story may be fictional, I discovered that Wildcat Bluff is a real place and the rich history of the area shared in this book is actually true! And Redford did a fabulous job of weaving it into her story. I particularly enjoyed Redford's writing style. Her vividly detailed descriptions of the town, its residents, and the surrounding countryside were masterfully written. I found myself completely immersed in the story. Although the storyline included a little mystery and suspense, it's not the main element. By the halfway point, I knew who was causing all the trouble but that did not spoil my reading experience, not at all. The primary focus of this story is the romantic journey of two lonely people finding love and the obstacles they must overcome to secure their happy ever after. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! In fact, upon finishing this book, I raced back and purchased the next two of the series. Would I recommend it? You bet, and I am but for adult readers. There is no profanity, but it is steamy and does contain several tastefully written sex scenes. Redford's writing may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is mine. I prefer a book I can settle in with, sink my teeth into, and really get to know the characters, and that's exactly what this author delivered. Redford's books are not for people who want to devour a book in a couple of hours, but rather for those folks who enjoy savoring the words. You don't gulp fine whiskey; you sip it and appreciate the taste. I'm almost 70 years young and have been an avid reader for 65 of those years. It takes something truly extraordinary to impress me. I'll admit, before leaving this review, I did check out the second book of the series, just to see if Redford was a one-hit wonder, but I'm happy to announce it's just as good as the first. And finally, was I entertained? Completely! I giggled, snickered, snorted, sniffled, and sighed through the entire story but by the end, I was happy, satisfied, and well entertained. Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!
January 6, 2016
ugh. unfortunately, I had to read this for a challenge. yes, it was just awful. and if I hear "my Christmas angel" one more time....
Want to read
December 16, 2018💝FREE on Amazon today (12/16/2018)!💝
Blurb:
He's hotter than a wildfire
Trey Duval is a rancher, proud as can be of his Wildcat Ranch. He's also the top volunteer firefighter of Wildcat Bluff, Texas, the town that pulls out all the stops for its Christmas festivities.
City girl Misty Reynolds comes to Wildcat Bluff just in time to help Trey put out a suspicious fire, leading him to dub her his "Christmas angel." Unfortunately, Misty's past has left her with terrible memories of fire, and of Christmastime.
As the two are thrown together again and again, Trey finds himself wanting Misty more and more, and Misty feels stronger and braver when Trey is around. Though their trust grows slowly, their passion for each other is burning hot...
Blurb:
He's hotter than a wildfire
Trey Duval is a rancher, proud as can be of his Wildcat Ranch. He's also the top volunteer firefighter of Wildcat Bluff, Texas, the town that pulls out all the stops for its Christmas festivities.
City girl Misty Reynolds comes to Wildcat Bluff just in time to help Trey put out a suspicious fire, leading him to dub her his "Christmas angel." Unfortunately, Misty's past has left her with terrible memories of fire, and of Christmastime.
As the two are thrown together again and again, Trey finds himself wanting Misty more and more, and Misty feels stronger and braver when Trey is around. Though their trust grows slowly, their passion for each other is burning hot...
October 10, 2015
4 stars
A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas was a very good read.
Likable and relatable characters with a very entertaining storyline.
I enjoyed watching Trey and Misty connect, from the first moment you know these two belong together.
Overall this was a sweet and fun read that left me with a heart full of happy feels.
Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley for the advance copy.
A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas was a very good read.
Likable and relatable characters with a very entertaining storyline.
I enjoyed watching Trey and Misty connect, from the first moment you know these two belong together.
Overall this was a sweet and fun read that left me with a heart full of happy feels.
Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley for the advance copy.
January 10, 2016
3.75 star
January 16, 2020
Reviewed for THC Reviews
A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas was one of those random impulse buys that I picked up at my local library book sale. I’m a sucker for Christmas-themed romances, but the majority of these stories seem to be novellas. Therefore, it can be difficult to find full-length novels centering around the holiday, so when I do, I always take a closer look. Just the title alone caught my eye. Cowboys? Firefighters? Christmas? What’s not to like? I’d never read this author before, but the GoodReads rating for it was pretty good, so I thought surely this would be a winner. However, as it turns out, not so much. It was an OK read, but one that could have been so much better. The main characters were likable, but very much lacking in depth and dimension. The story was alright, but pretty predictable, too. Despite those things, though, it probably would have been worthy of at least four stars, except that large swaths of the narrative prose fell into the dreaded “telling not showing” trap. If not for that, this would have been a good story, but instead it ended up being pretty “meh.”
Misty lost both of her parents as a child and was raised by an aunt, who eventually died of cancer, so she’s mostly alone in the world except for her best friend who hired her to work as a troubleshooter. She had gone to school to become a librarian, and despite a rather convoluted explanation as to why, I never quite understood how a librarian ended up as a troubleshooter. Troubleshooter is a pretty vague job title, too, something that the hero actually states at one point in the story. She’s hired by a Christmas tree farm in the small town of Wildcat Bluff to look into who’s been setting fires on their property, so it seems like an arson or insurance investigator, or perhaps even a private eye would have been a more appropriate job title for her, but oh well, I just went with it. Misty has a deep-seated fear and perhaps a bit of PTSD associated with fires, but as she helps the volunteer firefighters battle several blazes, she starts to overcome that fear. She also hates Christmas. We don’t learn until toward the end of the book exactly what caused her anxiety and dislike of the holiday, but it wasn’t difficult at all to extrapolate. Misty was an OK heroine, but not a standout. She didn’t do anything to annoy me. However, her journey was far too easy IMHO. All it took was fighting a few fires and one breakdown moment, followed by a heart-to-heart talk with Trey and suddenly she’s magically “cured” of all fear and loathing surrounding fires and Christmas, which was just a little too much to be believable.
Trey is an only child whose parents decided to take a cruise during the Christmas holiday, leaving him alone on the family ranch, although he has cousins and other extended family who live in town. He’s a cowboy who helps run the ranch and who sometimes competes in rodeos, and he’s also a volunteer firefighter. To be honest, this is about all we learn about him. He’s kind of just a generic, good ole country boy, who’s very outgoing and takes a liking to Misty the minute he meets her. While Trey didn’t do anything to totally rub me the wrong way, I did feel that he came on a bit too strong right out of the gate. He starts acting pretty possessive toward Misty mere minutes after they’ve met when his cousin starts flirting with her. A part of me wanted to say, “Dude, calm down and give her some space.” While I don’t think he ever quite eased up on his overt interest and desire, perhaps I became more tolerant of it as the story progressed. In the end, all I can say is that Trey was a nice enough guy, but he simply didn’t have enough depth to be a stand-out hero to me.
IMHO, the romantic relationship between Misty and Trey needed a lot more work. For starters, I felt like I was immediately being hit over the head with how hot both characters are and their attraction to one another. Expressing it the first couple of times was more than enough. I didn’t need them thinking about these things on every other page. In my estimation, subtlety would have been a much more powerful tool to convey these feelings. In part, because the characters are pretty one-dimensional, their relationship is as well. I had a hard time connecting with both Misty and Trey, and consequently I also couldn’t really feel much of an emotional connection between them either. It was abundantly obvious that they were lusting after one another, but why, when, or how they fell in love was a mystery to me. Not to mention, falling in love and wanting to make a lifetime commitment after less than a week together was really stretching the bounds of credibility for me. Sometimes, even when the romance isn’t perfect, I can console myself with a few hot love scenes, but those fell flat for me, too. There just wasn’t any emotion behind them and they were over almost before they started.
What really drove me bonkers about the book, though, was the passive storytelling. I could tell that I was in for a bumpy ride when the first several pages of the book were little more than a huge info dump. It starts with Misty driving down a country road, when a sexy, shirtless guy suddenly runs out into the middle of the highway, flagging her down. I immediately wanted to know who he was and why he needed help, but it took three whole pages of Misty’s internal narration about why she shouldn’t trust the guy before I got an answer. I can’t say that it really improved much from there either. There were a number of occasions, where the author had a tendency to bring the story to a screeching halt to give the reader several pages of narration on a particular subject before continuing. However, one of the biggest issues I had was that there were waaaay too many “She/he felt, heard, saw…” types of sentences, which is an extreme form of “telling not showing.” (Felt was a particularly overused word, as was set, as in setting things down.) I experimented with rewriting these sentences in active voice, and discovered that it would have been soooo much better that way. Also there was a lack of variety in sentence structure. The author relies far too much on the “She did X. She did Y. She did Z.” format. (eg. She climbed in the car. She fastened her seatbelt. She started the car and drove away.) Sometimes, entire paragraphs were written in this way, which is pretty boring and also rather passive. The story just really needed a huge overhaul with regards to the editing. I also thought there were a few too many folksy Texas colloquialisms that I’d never heard of before and had no idea what they meant. I’m pretty well-read and have a fairly broad knowledge base, so if I’m unfamiliar with them, I’d hazard a guess that most anyone who isn’t from Texas or at least from the South probably won’t have a clue either. And as an aside, what was up with all the cats in town? I love cats – and animals in general – but virtually everyone in town owning a cat with no dogs or other pets being mentioned was a bit much to believe.
I know that I’ve had quite a few critical things to say about A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas, and while there were several frustrating things about the story, it wasn’t all bad. Like I said, I found Trey and Misty to be likable for as well as I got to know them. The mystery of who was setting the fires and committing sabotage was somewhat interesting. Even though I could see the culprits from a mile away, I didn’t really know what their motive was until the reveal. That was probably one of the more engaging aspect, along with the action of the characters fighting the fires, and the rescue of a kitten from one of the fires. I liked the Christmas celebration, too. Several of Trey’s relatives are introduced who get stories later in the Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series. However, I’m not sure that I’m invested enough to continue. A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas may have had some good points in an otherwise OK story, but I think the frustrating parts may have sufficiently outweighed the good to make me leery of reading more from this author.
A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas was one of those random impulse buys that I picked up at my local library book sale. I’m a sucker for Christmas-themed romances, but the majority of these stories seem to be novellas. Therefore, it can be difficult to find full-length novels centering around the holiday, so when I do, I always take a closer look. Just the title alone caught my eye. Cowboys? Firefighters? Christmas? What’s not to like? I’d never read this author before, but the GoodReads rating for it was pretty good, so I thought surely this would be a winner. However, as it turns out, not so much. It was an OK read, but one that could have been so much better. The main characters were likable, but very much lacking in depth and dimension. The story was alright, but pretty predictable, too. Despite those things, though, it probably would have been worthy of at least four stars, except that large swaths of the narrative prose fell into the dreaded “telling not showing” trap. If not for that, this would have been a good story, but instead it ended up being pretty “meh.”
Misty lost both of her parents as a child and was raised by an aunt, who eventually died of cancer, so she’s mostly alone in the world except for her best friend who hired her to work as a troubleshooter. She had gone to school to become a librarian, and despite a rather convoluted explanation as to why, I never quite understood how a librarian ended up as a troubleshooter. Troubleshooter is a pretty vague job title, too, something that the hero actually states at one point in the story. She’s hired by a Christmas tree farm in the small town of Wildcat Bluff to look into who’s been setting fires on their property, so it seems like an arson or insurance investigator, or perhaps even a private eye would have been a more appropriate job title for her, but oh well, I just went with it. Misty has a deep-seated fear and perhaps a bit of PTSD associated with fires, but as she helps the volunteer firefighters battle several blazes, she starts to overcome that fear. She also hates Christmas. We don’t learn until toward the end of the book exactly what caused her anxiety and dislike of the holiday, but it wasn’t difficult at all to extrapolate. Misty was an OK heroine, but not a standout. She didn’t do anything to annoy me. However, her journey was far too easy IMHO. All it took was fighting a few fires and one breakdown moment, followed by a heart-to-heart talk with Trey and suddenly she’s magically “cured” of all fear and loathing surrounding fires and Christmas, which was just a little too much to be believable.
Trey is an only child whose parents decided to take a cruise during the Christmas holiday, leaving him alone on the family ranch, although he has cousins and other extended family who live in town. He’s a cowboy who helps run the ranch and who sometimes competes in rodeos, and he’s also a volunteer firefighter. To be honest, this is about all we learn about him. He’s kind of just a generic, good ole country boy, who’s very outgoing and takes a liking to Misty the minute he meets her. While Trey didn’t do anything to totally rub me the wrong way, I did feel that he came on a bit too strong right out of the gate. He starts acting pretty possessive toward Misty mere minutes after they’ve met when his cousin starts flirting with her. A part of me wanted to say, “Dude, calm down and give her some space.” While I don’t think he ever quite eased up on his overt interest and desire, perhaps I became more tolerant of it as the story progressed. In the end, all I can say is that Trey was a nice enough guy, but he simply didn’t have enough depth to be a stand-out hero to me.
IMHO, the romantic relationship between Misty and Trey needed a lot more work. For starters, I felt like I was immediately being hit over the head with how hot both characters are and their attraction to one another. Expressing it the first couple of times was more than enough. I didn’t need them thinking about these things on every other page. In my estimation, subtlety would have been a much more powerful tool to convey these feelings. In part, because the characters are pretty one-dimensional, their relationship is as well. I had a hard time connecting with both Misty and Trey, and consequently I also couldn’t really feel much of an emotional connection between them either. It was abundantly obvious that they were lusting after one another, but why, when, or how they fell in love was a mystery to me. Not to mention, falling in love and wanting to make a lifetime commitment after less than a week together was really stretching the bounds of credibility for me. Sometimes, even when the romance isn’t perfect, I can console myself with a few hot love scenes, but those fell flat for me, too. There just wasn’t any emotion behind them and they were over almost before they started.
What really drove me bonkers about the book, though, was the passive storytelling. I could tell that I was in for a bumpy ride when the first several pages of the book were little more than a huge info dump. It starts with Misty driving down a country road, when a sexy, shirtless guy suddenly runs out into the middle of the highway, flagging her down. I immediately wanted to know who he was and why he needed help, but it took three whole pages of Misty’s internal narration about why she shouldn’t trust the guy before I got an answer. I can’t say that it really improved much from there either. There were a number of occasions, where the author had a tendency to bring the story to a screeching halt to give the reader several pages of narration on a particular subject before continuing. However, one of the biggest issues I had was that there were waaaay too many “She/he felt, heard, saw…” types of sentences, which is an extreme form of “telling not showing.” (Felt was a particularly overused word, as was set, as in setting things down.) I experimented with rewriting these sentences in active voice, and discovered that it would have been soooo much better that way. Also there was a lack of variety in sentence structure. The author relies far too much on the “She did X. She did Y. She did Z.” format. (eg. She climbed in the car. She fastened her seatbelt. She started the car and drove away.) Sometimes, entire paragraphs were written in this way, which is pretty boring and also rather passive. The story just really needed a huge overhaul with regards to the editing. I also thought there were a few too many folksy Texas colloquialisms that I’d never heard of before and had no idea what they meant. I’m pretty well-read and have a fairly broad knowledge base, so if I’m unfamiliar with them, I’d hazard a guess that most anyone who isn’t from Texas or at least from the South probably won’t have a clue either. And as an aside, what was up with all the cats in town? I love cats – and animals in general – but virtually everyone in town owning a cat with no dogs or other pets being mentioned was a bit much to believe.
I know that I’ve had quite a few critical things to say about A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas, and while there were several frustrating things about the story, it wasn’t all bad. Like I said, I found Trey and Misty to be likable for as well as I got to know them. The mystery of who was setting the fires and committing sabotage was somewhat interesting. Even though I could see the culprits from a mile away, I didn’t really know what their motive was until the reveal. That was probably one of the more engaging aspect, along with the action of the characters fighting the fires, and the rescue of a kitten from one of the fires. I liked the Christmas celebration, too. Several of Trey’s relatives are introduced who get stories later in the Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series. However, I’m not sure that I’m invested enough to continue. A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas may have had some good points in an otherwise OK story, but I think the frustrating parts may have sufficiently outweighed the good to make me leery of reading more from this author.
October 27, 2015
I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review and here it is.
This is the first novel by Kim Redford that I've read and it certainly won't be the last, and here's why. What a sweet, lovely town Ms. Redford has created with Wildcat Bluff! She's peopled it with wonderful, quirky, funny and charming secondary characters, a brave, sexy hero in Trey and a smart and sassy heroine in Misty.
Misty has traveled to Wildcat Bluff as a troubleshooter investigating a serious and costly fire at a Christmas tree farm. En route, she encounters Trey, a handsome cowboy and volunteer firefighter attempting to put out another fire single-handed. He enlists Misty's aid in dousing the flames and the attraction between them is instantaneous, although Misty is cautious about entirely trusting him, and the only explanation she gives him for being there is that she's on vacation--it is the Christmas season, after all.
Trey's family has had a ranch in Wildcat Bluff for generations, and he too is suspicious about the recent spate of fires in the area, wondering if they're being set by the same company who owns the tree farm, as a way of forcing his family off their land. They are also in the middle of a serious drought, which may mean that the fires could simply be due to a careless smoker tossing a lit cigarette from a car window. So, in addition to a great little town, a terrific cast of characters (I definitely see spin-offs in the future) and a wonderful hero and heroine, we also have an intriguing mystery to solve, and much to my delight, there's even a Hemingway tuxedo kitty rescue included. (I'm partial to tuxies and own a Hemingway tuxedo kitty).
While I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written novel, the descriptive passages do run a bit long, but this is the kind of story that makes you want to curl up with a cozy blanket, a cup of hot cider and your favorite kitty, and spend a heartwarming evening with the folks of Wildcat Bluff. I do hope I'm correct about the spin-offs, I'd love a return visit to Wildcat Bluff.
This is the first novel by Kim Redford that I've read and it certainly won't be the last, and here's why. What a sweet, lovely town Ms. Redford has created with Wildcat Bluff! She's peopled it with wonderful, quirky, funny and charming secondary characters, a brave, sexy hero in Trey and a smart and sassy heroine in Misty.
Misty has traveled to Wildcat Bluff as a troubleshooter investigating a serious and costly fire at a Christmas tree farm. En route, she encounters Trey, a handsome cowboy and volunteer firefighter attempting to put out another fire single-handed. He enlists Misty's aid in dousing the flames and the attraction between them is instantaneous, although Misty is cautious about entirely trusting him, and the only explanation she gives him for being there is that she's on vacation--it is the Christmas season, after all.
Trey's family has had a ranch in Wildcat Bluff for generations, and he too is suspicious about the recent spate of fires in the area, wondering if they're being set by the same company who owns the tree farm, as a way of forcing his family off their land. They are also in the middle of a serious drought, which may mean that the fires could simply be due to a careless smoker tossing a lit cigarette from a car window. So, in addition to a great little town, a terrific cast of characters (I definitely see spin-offs in the future) and a wonderful hero and heroine, we also have an intriguing mystery to solve, and much to my delight, there's even a Hemingway tuxedo kitty rescue included. (I'm partial to tuxies and own a Hemingway tuxedo kitty).
While I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written novel, the descriptive passages do run a bit long, but this is the kind of story that makes you want to curl up with a cozy blanket, a cup of hot cider and your favorite kitty, and spend a heartwarming evening with the folks of Wildcat Bluff. I do hope I'm correct about the spin-offs, I'd love a return visit to Wildcat Bluff.
August 3, 2015
Misty Reynolds has been hired to look into mysterious fires being set in and around Wildcat Bluff county, so she sets out on a little journey to the small community in search of answers, and also in hopes of avoiding all the Christmas festivities in her town. After losing her parents, as a young child, on Christmas day the holiday just isn't something she looks forward to celebrating, so she chooses to avoid it every year, and a little vacation away sounds like the best way to avoid it all together. But before she is even in city limits she is stopped by a handsome cowboy, named Trey Duvall, in need of help putting out a small grass fire, in exchange for her help he offers to be her personal tour guide, which sounds like a even trade to Misty.
After more fires continue to pop up, Misty and Trey begin to spend more and more time together investigating the fires and trying to catch the culprit. Can these two find a way to contain the flames burning between them, or will the trust issues looming between them extinguish the flames...
This was my first encounter with this authors work and I can say with complete certainty that it won't be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Misty and Trey's story, and look forward to reading more additions to the series. The story line was suspenseful and very inventive, it grabbed my attention right from the start and had me guessing until the very end. If you like small town romance stories, with a western twist this is the perfect read for you!
ARC requested through NetGalley, and kindly provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca Publishing in exchange for a honest review.
After more fires continue to pop up, Misty and Trey begin to spend more and more time together investigating the fires and trying to catch the culprit. Can these two find a way to contain the flames burning between them, or will the trust issues looming between them extinguish the flames...
This was my first encounter with this authors work and I can say with complete certainty that it won't be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Misty and Trey's story, and look forward to reading more additions to the series. The story line was suspenseful and very inventive, it grabbed my attention right from the start and had me guessing until the very end. If you like small town romance stories, with a western twist this is the perfect read for you!
ARC requested through NetGalley, and kindly provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca Publishing in exchange for a honest review.
December 31, 2015
A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas is a warm, funny, hot and steamy Christmas romance book! Trey Duval is a cowboy and volunteer firefighter in Wildcat Bluff, Texas. Misty Reynolds is a troubleshooter who has been sent to Wildcat Bluff to investigate a fire that burned down the Texas Timber Christmas Tree Farm. Trey and Misty meet when he flags her down to help him fight a grass fire, and he declares her his Christmas angel. The sparks begin to fly right away between these 2, but Misty is there to do a job, and being new in town she has no idea who she can trust, not even Trey. Trey suspects that there is more to Misty than she’s telling, and he’s not sure if he can trust her, either. Trey Duval is a wonderful romantic hero; cowboy and firefighter, tough but gentle, naughty and nice. Misty Reynolds is a modern heroine, independent, smart, and funny. Besides sizzling romance, there is a big mystery in the story, as fires continue to rage and the question of whether they are caused by a long drought, or are they being deliberately set? The setting, Wildcat Bluff, is also a major character in this story. A real Old West town, filled with colorful and endearing characters and an enduring spirit. Wildcat Bluff celebrates Christmas big time, culminating in a big town-wide celebration called Christmas in the Country. There are so many layers to this story; a sizzling romance, mystery, secrets in a buried past, all set in a beautiful setting at the most special time of year. This book is sure to get your heart racing, your blood flowing, make you laugh, and make you smile.
July 8, 2015
Trey isn't very subtle, "he leaned down so his lips were close to her ear. “Are you hungry for food or something else?” I think Misty would prefer her man to run around naked, "he grabbed his jeans, jerked them on, and zipped up. “You just ruined my best view by covering up your body.” She pouted as she sat up." I really liked this book, Trey was really entertaining and he knew how to treat a lady.
dnf
October 29, 2015Could only get a couple chapters in before I decided this authors writing style just isn't for me :(
January 9, 2019
I know that romance and fanfic authors don't get nearly enough credit for their work, but I didn't really *know* it until I picked up my first of the genre from the library's display of holiday books. TL;DR: this is the best book I've read in months. It is nearly flawless.
On the very first page, we get our leading lady driving to her vacation on a back-country road when suddenly a half naked golden god of a man emerges from the smoldering brush. Is he our cowboy firefighter? Of course. Does she have a lifelong aversion to fires and Christmas stemming from a childhood trauma? Naturally. Do they have instant chemistry, heightened by the adrenaline from extinguishing a grass fire? "It'd been a long time since a man set her senses on spin cycle." oh yeah.
Despite all the heat/smoldering/burning passion entendres you can think of, Kim Redford takes her time getting to the hot stuff (sorrynotsorry). As a semi-professional competitive erotica writer, this worked for me, but your mileage may vary. In the meantime, no fewer than three subplots emerge, twining together and building off of each other seamlessly across the entire book. Of course there's the instant romance angle, but there's also:
1. our heroine's main purpose, covertly investigating a series of mysterious fires threatening a Christmas tree farm!
2. our hero, the titular cowboy firefighter, following his suspicions that the same tree farm is out to sabotage his ranch in an effort to force a sale!
3. The side possibility that all of these fires are part of a wealthy landowner's insurance schemes!
4. Our heroine staging a benefit to raise money for animal oxygen masks for the volunteer fire crew!
5. and of course, her dealing with traumatic memories of fire and Christmas, while surrounded by wildfires in a town that goes all out for Christmas.
On top of all of that, this book also manages to casually address climate change, water rights, war widows, PTSD, and a surprising amount of architecture. It also features enthusiastic, affirmative consent, delightfully telegraphed villainy (no spoilers), Hemingway cats, and a woman finding clues missed by a man thanks to her unique experiences as a woman.
This is not a bodice-ripper (literally, he very explicitly carefully pulls down the bodice of her dress at one point), this is a snapshot of love at first sight in a world of real people and real problems. Kim Redford cares about her characters, and not just about how hot they are for each other: "He'd been seeing her as the cowgirl next door. Not true. She'd been seeing him as a cowboy firefighter. Not completely true. They were both complex, with hopes and dreams, loves and hates, pasts and presents."
And lastly, of course she also cares just as much about her readers: "Granny believes a man in the kitchen is worth two in the bedroom."
On the very first page, we get our leading lady driving to her vacation on a back-country road when suddenly a half naked golden god of a man emerges from the smoldering brush. Is he our cowboy firefighter? Of course. Does she have a lifelong aversion to fires and Christmas stemming from a childhood trauma? Naturally. Do they have instant chemistry, heightened by the adrenaline from extinguishing a grass fire? "It'd been a long time since a man set her senses on spin cycle." oh yeah.
Despite all the heat/smoldering/burning passion entendres you can think of, Kim Redford takes her time getting to the hot stuff (sorrynotsorry). As a semi-professional competitive erotica writer, this worked for me, but your mileage may vary. In the meantime, no fewer than three subplots emerge, twining together and building off of each other seamlessly across the entire book. Of course there's the instant romance angle, but there's also:
1. our heroine's main purpose, covertly investigating a series of mysterious fires threatening a Christmas tree farm!
2. our hero, the titular cowboy firefighter, following his suspicions that the same tree farm is out to sabotage his ranch in an effort to force a sale!
3. The side possibility that all of these fires are part of a wealthy landowner's insurance schemes!
4. Our heroine staging a benefit to raise money for animal oxygen masks for the volunteer fire crew!
5. and of course, her dealing with traumatic memories of fire and Christmas, while surrounded by wildfires in a town that goes all out for Christmas.
On top of all of that, this book also manages to casually address climate change, water rights, war widows, PTSD, and a surprising amount of architecture. It also features enthusiastic, affirmative consent, delightfully telegraphed villainy (no spoilers), Hemingway cats, and a woman finding clues missed by a man thanks to her unique experiences as a woman.
This is not a bodice-ripper (literally, he very explicitly carefully pulls down the bodice of her dress at one point), this is a snapshot of love at first sight in a world of real people and real problems. Kim Redford cares about her characters, and not just about how hot they are for each other: "He'd been seeing her as the cowgirl next door. Not true. She'd been seeing him as a cowboy firefighter. Not completely true. They were both complex, with hopes and dreams, loves and hates, pasts and presents."
And lastly, of course she also cares just as much about her readers: "Granny believes a man in the kitchen is worth two in the bedroom."
October 24, 2025
This was a struggle at times. I liked the premise and the mystery kept me engaged. At first I liked how Misty was not a big Christmas person, for a good reason. I just wish that it wasn't magically healed by coming to the town. Everything was just magically better when both her parents died on Christmas!!! My mom's birthday is Christmas, and even though I still enjoy and go all out on the holiday, it's not a fully happy day or time. There are low points and I don't know why we had to go with her magically being over her grief. Outside of that, her being called the Christmas Angel got so annoying. Angel was legitly in the book 100 times (exactly, I searched) and Christmas Angel was 52 times. It just really annoyed me and I wish she fought back about being called it. Anyways, it was okay. I don't feel particularly pulled to read more from the author or this series at the moment, but never say never I guess.
August 10, 2022
I liked the characters well enough. The basic story was okay. But, it was just “meh.” It felt like it was missing a lot.
October 8, 2015
This book stole my heart when I found out the little ranch town was a haven for cats - not just any cats, but Hemingway cats (Polydactyls). As Misty explores the town, she finds them everywhere and they each have a special personality. It was a beautiful touch to really make the town unique from all the other western towns I've read about.
Now, Misty is on a mission to find out who has been burning down the Christmas Tree Farms. Which seemed like a bit of an odd job to take on considering she hates Christmas and she's terrified of fires - but OK. Within the first two pages she's been dragged into helping put out a brush fire with local hottie Trey Duvall. I have to admit to really admiring Misty at this point for diving right in during a crisis and leaving her fear behind her to help save the day.
This first scene really sets the stage for the rest of the book. Misty and Trey find themselves together in a variety of crisis fire situations that just keep getting more and more out of hand and dangerous. But throughout these fires, they have a chance to get to know each other and really develop an actual relationship - not just a lust at first sight.
My only complaint about the story was that the bad guys were a little too obvious and the characters a little too dense to spot it. I had the pegged two sentences after meeting them. It wasn't very well hidden and it made Misty and Trey seem just a little dumb at times - especially Misty since she is supposedly an expert in solving problems and finding out who is sabotaging things.
Great romance, great characters - and kitties, but the suspense/mystery element really needed some work. There was just enough Christmas to make this a bit of a gushy holiday romance, but not so much it got overdone.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
Now, Misty is on a mission to find out who has been burning down the Christmas Tree Farms. Which seemed like a bit of an odd job to take on considering she hates Christmas and she's terrified of fires - but OK. Within the first two pages she's been dragged into helping put out a brush fire with local hottie Trey Duvall. I have to admit to really admiring Misty at this point for diving right in during a crisis and leaving her fear behind her to help save the day.
This first scene really sets the stage for the rest of the book. Misty and Trey find themselves together in a variety of crisis fire situations that just keep getting more and more out of hand and dangerous. But throughout these fires, they have a chance to get to know each other and really develop an actual relationship - not just a lust at first sight.
My only complaint about the story was that the bad guys were a little too obvious and the characters a little too dense to spot it. I had the pegged two sentences after meeting them. It wasn't very well hidden and it made Misty and Trey seem just a little dumb at times - especially Misty since she is supposedly an expert in solving problems and finding out who is sabotaging things.
Great romance, great characters - and kitties, but the suspense/mystery element really needed some work. There was just enough Christmas to make this a bit of a gushy holiday romance, but not so much it got overdone.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
November 14, 2015
ARC REVIEW
A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas by Kim Redford is the quintessential Christmas story that I would expect to see as a Hallmark movie. Trey Duval is perfect, I'm not kidding, he practically has no flaws! He runs his family's ranch and he's a volunteer firefighter, everyone likes him and he gets along with everybody. He's not dark and brooding, he has a great family no deep dark past, he is a happy guy. It's almost annoying. (lol) Misty Reynolds, however, isn't. Misty had a tough childhood, lost both her parents at Christmas and was raised by an aunt and she hates Christmas. Misty is a troubleshooter she is great at figuring out puzzles and unraveling a mystery. Her latest job is to investigate the rash of fires happening in the little town north of DFW, Wildcat Bluff, that is well known for it's Christmas Tree farms.
Misty is visiting the quaint town under the guise of being on a well needed vacation but on her way in she is immediately pulled into the the problem front and center. Trey flags down Misty's car to help him put out a brush fire that if it gets out of hand can take out the entire town. Trey immediately dubs her the Christmas Angel and falls head over heals for her. Wildcat Bluff is Christmas crazy, and it takes Misty by surprise and she has to fight off a panic attack just by being their. But Trey has a soothing quality about him and soon Misty is finding herself at home in Wildcat Bluff and with Trey.
Overall, aside from Trey being annoyingly perfect, it had a (to me) a predictable mystery. But I loved the small town dynamics and the characters are a hoot.
A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas by Kim Redford is the quintessential Christmas story that I would expect to see as a Hallmark movie. Trey Duval is perfect, I'm not kidding, he practically has no flaws! He runs his family's ranch and he's a volunteer firefighter, everyone likes him and he gets along with everybody. He's not dark and brooding, he has a great family no deep dark past, he is a happy guy. It's almost annoying. (lol) Misty Reynolds, however, isn't. Misty had a tough childhood, lost both her parents at Christmas and was raised by an aunt and she hates Christmas. Misty is a troubleshooter she is great at figuring out puzzles and unraveling a mystery. Her latest job is to investigate the rash of fires happening in the little town north of DFW, Wildcat Bluff, that is well known for it's Christmas Tree farms.
Misty is visiting the quaint town under the guise of being on a well needed vacation but on her way in she is immediately pulled into the the problem front and center. Trey flags down Misty's car to help him put out a brush fire that if it gets out of hand can take out the entire town. Trey immediately dubs her the Christmas Angel and falls head over heals for her. Wildcat Bluff is Christmas crazy, and it takes Misty by surprise and she has to fight off a panic attack just by being their. But Trey has a soothing quality about him and soon Misty is finding herself at home in Wildcat Bluff and with Trey.
Overall, aside from Trey being annoyingly perfect, it had a (to me) a predictable mystery. But I loved the small town dynamics and the characters are a hoot.
September 16, 2015
Misty is a troubleshooter and is in town to investigate some suspicious fires. She is told not to trust anyone because you never know who the suspect might be. Her first day in town she finds herself in front of a fire and a hot fireman who needs her help.
Trey helps run his families ranch and is also a volunteer firefighter. He comes across a small fire and just his luck someone is driving by. After he convinces Misty to help him put the fire out he is sure she is his Christmas angel.
The story started out a little on the slow side for me. Yes these two characters are attracted to one another but they don't trust one another. With all the fires going on i was actually surprised how much time these two spent with each other.
Right away you can guess who is starting the fires and sure enough at the end it was them. I would have liked to have been surprised on who it was or maybe thrown off the course a little better.
I did however enjoy the characters. Some of them were a real hoot. Trey has a few cousins so I am guessing this Texas cowboy's cousins will have some books in the future. I have to say I would love to read Slades story.
Although I didn't love this book I did like it. I liked the whole cowboy/ firefighter idea. This book did have some funny and cute parts. I loved when the cows were in the pool. I thought that was cute.
Since this is the first book in the series I am hoping the future books will keep interested in keeping up with these characters.
Trey helps run his families ranch and is also a volunteer firefighter. He comes across a small fire and just his luck someone is driving by. After he convinces Misty to help him put the fire out he is sure she is his Christmas angel.
The story started out a little on the slow side for me. Yes these two characters are attracted to one another but they don't trust one another. With all the fires going on i was actually surprised how much time these two spent with each other.
Right away you can guess who is starting the fires and sure enough at the end it was them. I would have liked to have been surprised on who it was or maybe thrown off the course a little better.
I did however enjoy the characters. Some of them were a real hoot. Trey has a few cousins so I am guessing this Texas cowboy's cousins will have some books in the future. I have to say I would love to read Slades story.
Although I didn't love this book I did like it. I liked the whole cowboy/ firefighter idea. This book did have some funny and cute parts. I loved when the cows were in the pool. I thought that was cute.
Since this is the first book in the series I am hoping the future books will keep interested in keeping up with these characters.
December 10, 2015
Misty is a troubleshooter, on her way to a job in Wildcat Bluff to secretly investigate some suspicious fires for a company in the area. But on her way there, she comes across Trey, local firefighter and cowboy, who is actually in the process of preventing the spread of another local fire, and elicits Misty's help. This is the start of some sweet chemistry between the big city girl and the small town boy.
What follows is a sweet romance, a lovely small town where almost everyone gets along, some paricularly interesting locals, and the big mystery of who keeps setting these fires. I genuinely liked Misty and Trey. Misty has some personal hang-ups, but I enjoyed how Trey and the town were able to pull her out of her past. Trey is super sweet and generous, so Misty would have been hard-pressed not to fall for him. The mystery itself was pretty easy to figure out, so it was just a matter of Misty and Trey catching on.
Overall, 'A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas' was an sweet, enjoyable holiday read with characters I genuinely liked. Being a big city girl myself, I always seem to love these small town settings. My biggest problem with this book was the excessive detailing of what seemed like every nook and cranny. It felt about 100 pages too long, and I found myself skimming the excessive descriptions. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this story. I'm also curious about future stories set in this town, especially if they feature Trey's family members.
What follows is a sweet romance, a lovely small town where almost everyone gets along, some paricularly interesting locals, and the big mystery of who keeps setting these fires. I genuinely liked Misty and Trey. Misty has some personal hang-ups, but I enjoyed how Trey and the town were able to pull her out of her past. Trey is super sweet and generous, so Misty would have been hard-pressed not to fall for him. The mystery itself was pretty easy to figure out, so it was just a matter of Misty and Trey catching on.
Overall, 'A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas' was an sweet, enjoyable holiday read with characters I genuinely liked. Being a big city girl myself, I always seem to love these small town settings. My biggest problem with this book was the excessive detailing of what seemed like every nook and cranny. It felt about 100 pages too long, and I found myself skimming the excessive descriptions. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this story. I'm also curious about future stories set in this town, especially if they feature Trey's family members.
July 9, 2015
Kindle Copy for Review
Misty Reynolds is an investigator hired to look into fires in the surrounding area as she finds herself spending the Christmas holidays visiting a small town B & B. Christmas is a rough time for her as her parents died in a fire on Christmas when she was young and since that time she does not celebrate it since it brings back painful memories.
Trey Duvall, a rancher and local firefighter is not looking for love and thought this Christmas would be quiet since his parents decide to go on a cruise. Little did he know he would meet his own Christmas Angel.
On their first meeting, Misty finds herself helping put out a small grass fire with his help as she happened to have a few towels in the back of her car. As the two start to spend time together, they finds themselves drawn to each other as she finds herself drawn to the small town people and helping them as more fires happen.
Working together can they find who is behind these fires before someone really gets hurt? Who is really the cause of all these dangerous fires and will these two be able to trust each other? It is a hot read with an equally hot firefighter/cowboy thrown in the mix.
Misty Reynolds is an investigator hired to look into fires in the surrounding area as she finds herself spending the Christmas holidays visiting a small town B & B. Christmas is a rough time for her as her parents died in a fire on Christmas when she was young and since that time she does not celebrate it since it brings back painful memories.
Trey Duvall, a rancher and local firefighter is not looking for love and thought this Christmas would be quiet since his parents decide to go on a cruise. Little did he know he would meet his own Christmas Angel.
On their first meeting, Misty finds herself helping put out a small grass fire with his help as she happened to have a few towels in the back of her car. As the two start to spend time together, they finds themselves drawn to each other as she finds herself drawn to the small town people and helping them as more fires happen.
Working together can they find who is behind these fires before someone really gets hurt? Who is really the cause of all these dangerous fires and will these two be able to trust each other? It is a hot read with an equally hot firefighter/cowboy thrown in the mix.
October 10, 2015
Title: A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas
Author: Kim Redford
Publisher: Soucebooks Casablanca
Series: Smokin' Hot Cowboy # 1
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas" by Kim Redford....
What I liked about this novel..
This novel was about Misty [an investigator] and Trey's[rancher and local firefighter] story of a small town romance with a 'western twist.' Both of these two people were not looking forward to the Christmas holiday that was coming upon them in the small town of Wildcat Bluff, Texas. I liked how this author brought these two together as they are drawn to each other putting out a small grass fire. I found this storyline somewhat suspenseful in that the read will hold your attention and will keep you guessing who is guilty of setting these fires until the very end. By working together will these two be able to find out just who is behind these fires? I loved how the story will all come together for Misty and Trey. Would I recommend this novel? YES!
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Author: Kim Redford
Publisher: Soucebooks Casablanca
Series: Smokin' Hot Cowboy # 1
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas" by Kim Redford....
What I liked about this novel..
This novel was about Misty [an investigator] and Trey's[rancher and local firefighter] story of a small town romance with a 'western twist.' Both of these two people were not looking forward to the Christmas holiday that was coming upon them in the small town of Wildcat Bluff, Texas. I liked how this author brought these two together as they are drawn to each other putting out a small grass fire. I found this storyline somewhat suspenseful in that the read will hold your attention and will keep you guessing who is guilty of setting these fires until the very end. By working together will these two be able to find out just who is behind these fires? I loved how the story will all come together for Misty and Trey. Would I recommend this novel? YES!
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 12, 2017
Eh. So Misty, who has a MLS, works as a troubleshooter for somebody named Cindi Lou in an office called The Hub. They do things. Or solve things. Reports might be written. IDK. Misty has been sent to Wildcat Bluff to figure out who is setting fires that have burned on private property and on land owned by Texas Timber, a Christmas tree farm. A fire starts to burn literally as Misty is pulling into town. Did you know you can put out tinder dry Texas grass fires using some towels? And if you have a super bad fire fear based on some damaging past, you will be fine! *J/K, don't try this at home.
Thankfully for Misty, Trey was also on hand. He is a cowboy. And a firefighter. And a totally boring cardboard cutout of a person. I guess he is smoking hot, and saves kittens, but he is also super generic. So when smoldering glances start to happen, I didn't really care. Their banter was cringe-worthy and the sex pretty sparse and boring too. Though I guess they were trying to fit it in in between all the fires, so maybe there just wasn't enough time!
Thankfully for Misty, Trey was also on hand. He is a cowboy. And a firefighter. And a totally boring cardboard cutout of a person. I guess he is smoking hot, and saves kittens, but he is also super generic. So when smoldering glances start to happen, I didn't really care. Their banter was cringe-worthy and the sex pretty sparse and boring too. Though I guess they were trying to fit it in in between all the fires, so maybe there just wasn't enough time!
October 8, 2015
~~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for a Wicked Reads~~
This is a good chunky read which is easy to slide into and find a whole evening has vanished! It is really rather fun, not too suspenseful and the Christmas setting adds to the story, even if the leads have reason to hate it. The attraction between Misty and Trey may start due to her first meeting Trey without his shirt on, but develops into something which is both friends and a whole lot more. Their dialogue definitely brings a wide grin as it is direct, and cheeky on occasion. They worked well together and managed to be both cute and hot at the same time.
This is my first Christmassy story of the season and it was a fun way to start back into the genre for the next month or two!
This is a good chunky read which is easy to slide into and find a whole evening has vanished! It is really rather fun, not too suspenseful and the Christmas setting adds to the story, even if the leads have reason to hate it. The attraction between Misty and Trey may start due to her first meeting Trey without his shirt on, but develops into something which is both friends and a whole lot more. Their dialogue definitely brings a wide grin as it is direct, and cheeky on occasion. They worked well together and managed to be both cute and hot at the same time.
This is my first Christmassy story of the season and it was a fun way to start back into the genre for the next month or two!
November 17, 2015
This book was a really slow start and then it just steadied out. I didn't exactly love the book but it was a nice quick read with some fun parts.
Trey and Misty as the main characters just didn't grab a hold of me like I would have enjoyed. They just came off a little too stereotypical for me and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot.
It had it's moments and I loved some of the secondary characters at times more than the main characters.
If you like cowboys who just so happen to be firefighters too, then you will love this book.
I did like it enough to try out the next books in the series. Fingers crossed the characters will give me a little more appeal.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Trey and Misty as the main characters just didn't grab a hold of me like I would have enjoyed. They just came off a little too stereotypical for me and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot.
It had it's moments and I loved some of the secondary characters at times more than the main characters.
If you like cowboys who just so happen to be firefighters too, then you will love this book.
I did like it enough to try out the next books in the series. Fingers crossed the characters will give me a little more appeal.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 6, 2015
I recommend this book if you love the magic of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, love the magic of Christmas morning, or love a good romance. I did not know what to expect when I started this book. I did not expect to be thrust into a charming small Texas town and become involved with two characters I liked so much This book was a great Christmas surprise. Definitely recommended.
December 5, 2017
My Disclaimer:
I purchased a copy of this book at the current price. I am voluntarily providing an honest review in which all opinions are fully my own. I am not being compensated in any way.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review
What it’s about…
Misty Reynolds is a trouble-shooter representing Texas Timber and she’s come to town to find out why the company’s Christmas tree farm burned. She’s trying to keep her investigation quiet. Misty’s hoping to get her investigation done and avoid much ado about Christmas.
Trey Duval is the rancher across the road from the tree farm and he thinks Texas Timber is behind his problems. They’ve been trying to buy his place and he’s not budging. Trey’s also a volunteer firefighter and really involved in his town. Right now, he and his town are really involved in Christmas.
Sparks fly between more than pine trees in Wildcat Bluff, Texas and that’s before Misty has even checked into her B&B. Can these two solve the mystery of the fires before they both go up in flames?
Technical Tidbits…
The cover just doesn’t appeal to me. The cowboy looks like he’s ready to go out of the shoot at a rodeo rather than fight a fire. He’s a great looking guy, but the dirt looks like it was applied rather than acquired, especially since his undershirt is pristine white. The colors are good, though. They do catch the eye.
The storyline is really good. Start out with the conflict, a professional situation basically. Deal with her personal crisis. Then solve the mystery. It worked out well.
The characters were great. Pretty much, everybody in town was introduced and some background given. The author set the town up to be the setting for a series. I don’t know if her series takes place here or not, but she sure did a good job of prepping for it if it is. The two main characters, of course, had personality and quirks to spare. The secondary characters did more than just walk on and off stage, though. You just know if you come back to Wildcat Bluff, Hedy will still be there. She’ll either be at the firehouse or at her shop, Adelia’s. She has such pretty things in Adelia’s. And going next door into Morning Glory’s place is like a step back in time for those who really enjoyed the 60s. And be sure to stop at the Chuckwagon Cafe for some chili made by Slade. Stay and flirt awhile with the handsome cowboy. For some real hospitality, but sure to stay at Twin Oaks Bed and Breakfast. It’s Ruby’s place and she makes you welcome enough you just may not want to leave.
The pace was fast. From the time Trey flagged her down at the first fire until the last Christmas gift is opened, things never stop. The fires and the kisses are hot!
The tension isn’t too high in this one because you can guess who the bad guys are right from their introduction. They are the only unpleasant people in the whole town. And as evidence is found at fire sights, they are the obvious ones that fit. You just sort of go along with the story having fun with Trey and Misty.
And this is where you STOP if you don’t want to see any SPOILERS…
The good, the bad, and the ugly…and how much it lit up my life… ✰✰✰✰
Trey and Misty were a really fun couple. Once they got comfortable with each other they do a lot of joking and teasing that keeps things upbeat and fun. When Misty meets her first cow, it really gets funny. She takes it well, too. She’s not a whiner. She jokes right back once she realizes that the cows aren’t going to hurt her and that Trey is teasing. The only conversation that I found to be a bit stilted was the one between the two of them when they talked about her family’s house fire. I don’t know if it was the subject or the fact that it was the first real conversation between them, but it just didn’t work well. I wanted the author to go back and rework it to make it more realistic.
Another thing Ms. Redford is really good at is descriptions. She adds in descriptions of things that are very detailed without adding all the details. I read it and still am not sure how she did it. But I didn’t realize she did it until after I was done with a couple of those sections. She described the whole downtown decorated for Christmas and made you see all the details without really describing it all. She seemed to create bits and pieces of what it was and your mind took it from there. Sort of like telling your mind this is what it starts like, you take it from here. Whatever it was, it worked really well. I could see all the Christmas decorations all over town!
I liked Misty’s relationship with her fellow workers. She and her boss had a couple of really great phone calls while she was working the investigation. It was very evident that they trusted each other to do their part of the job. Plus they had a very good friendship on top of their working relationship. I really liked her job, too. What an awesome job for a young gal!
I’d love to visit Wildcat Bluff. A town that celebrates their cats. And they are polydactyl cats, too! Love cats with that extra toe! They always seem to be really gentle cats. Lovers rather than fighters.
Recommended
I purchased a copy of this book at the current price. I am voluntarily providing an honest review in which all opinions are fully my own. I am not being compensated in any way.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review
What it’s about…
Misty Reynolds is a trouble-shooter representing Texas Timber and she’s come to town to find out why the company’s Christmas tree farm burned. She’s trying to keep her investigation quiet. Misty’s hoping to get her investigation done and avoid much ado about Christmas.
Trey Duval is the rancher across the road from the tree farm and he thinks Texas Timber is behind his problems. They’ve been trying to buy his place and he’s not budging. Trey’s also a volunteer firefighter and really involved in his town. Right now, he and his town are really involved in Christmas.
Sparks fly between more than pine trees in Wildcat Bluff, Texas and that’s before Misty has even checked into her B&B. Can these two solve the mystery of the fires before they both go up in flames?
Technical Tidbits…
The cover just doesn’t appeal to me. The cowboy looks like he’s ready to go out of the shoot at a rodeo rather than fight a fire. He’s a great looking guy, but the dirt looks like it was applied rather than acquired, especially since his undershirt is pristine white. The colors are good, though. They do catch the eye.
The storyline is really good. Start out with the conflict, a professional situation basically. Deal with her personal crisis. Then solve the mystery. It worked out well.
The characters were great. Pretty much, everybody in town was introduced and some background given. The author set the town up to be the setting for a series. I don’t know if her series takes place here or not, but she sure did a good job of prepping for it if it is. The two main characters, of course, had personality and quirks to spare. The secondary characters did more than just walk on and off stage, though. You just know if you come back to Wildcat Bluff, Hedy will still be there. She’ll either be at the firehouse or at her shop, Adelia’s. She has such pretty things in Adelia’s. And going next door into Morning Glory’s place is like a step back in time for those who really enjoyed the 60s. And be sure to stop at the Chuckwagon Cafe for some chili made by Slade. Stay and flirt awhile with the handsome cowboy. For some real hospitality, but sure to stay at Twin Oaks Bed and Breakfast. It’s Ruby’s place and she makes you welcome enough you just may not want to leave.
The pace was fast. From the time Trey flagged her down at the first fire until the last Christmas gift is opened, things never stop. The fires and the kisses are hot!
The tension isn’t too high in this one because you can guess who the bad guys are right from their introduction. They are the only unpleasant people in the whole town. And as evidence is found at fire sights, they are the obvious ones that fit. You just sort of go along with the story having fun with Trey and Misty.
And this is where you STOP if you don’t want to see any SPOILERS…
The good, the bad, and the ugly…and how much it lit up my life… ✰✰✰✰
Trey and Misty were a really fun couple. Once they got comfortable with each other they do a lot of joking and teasing that keeps things upbeat and fun. When Misty meets her first cow, it really gets funny. She takes it well, too. She’s not a whiner. She jokes right back once she realizes that the cows aren’t going to hurt her and that Trey is teasing. The only conversation that I found to be a bit stilted was the one between the two of them when they talked about her family’s house fire. I don’t know if it was the subject or the fact that it was the first real conversation between them, but it just didn’t work well. I wanted the author to go back and rework it to make it more realistic.
Another thing Ms. Redford is really good at is descriptions. She adds in descriptions of things that are very detailed without adding all the details. I read it and still am not sure how she did it. But I didn’t realize she did it until after I was done with a couple of those sections. She described the whole downtown decorated for Christmas and made you see all the details without really describing it all. She seemed to create bits and pieces of what it was and your mind took it from there. Sort of like telling your mind this is what it starts like, you take it from here. Whatever it was, it worked really well. I could see all the Christmas decorations all over town!
I liked Misty’s relationship with her fellow workers. She and her boss had a couple of really great phone calls while she was working the investigation. It was very evident that they trusted each other to do their part of the job. Plus they had a very good friendship on top of their working relationship. I really liked her job, too. What an awesome job for a young gal!
I’d love to visit Wildcat Bluff. A town that celebrates their cats. And they are polydactyl cats, too! Love cats with that extra toe! They always seem to be really gentle cats. Lovers rather than fighters.
Recommended
August 1, 2017
Misty was trained to be a librarian but couldn’t find work that suited her after college. On the advice of a friend she turned to using her organization skills as an investigator for a company that runs Christmas tree farms. The company is having a bout of suspicious fires on their properties that are wiping out their stock of trees. Misty is dispatched to Wildcat Bluff, a small town in the middle of nowhere, north of Dallas. On her way there she is flagged down by a hot (in several ways) man who is trying to put out a grassfire and needs her help.
Trey and his family have had a ranch in the area for years. During the recent times of drought and high December temperatures there have been more than the normal number of spontaneous fires in the area. Misty begins to suspect that Trey’s fires and her fires may somehow be related.
Something else Trey and Misty have in common are their love of cats, which was very sweet. However, Misty has a fear of fires, due to a tragedy in her past, which also spoiled Christmas for her for a lifetime. The fact that it is now Christmas season and Trey is not only a rancher but also a firefighter doesn’t help her at all.
There is a bit of insta-lust turned into smoldering love before the book is over. I really enjoyed this Christmas love story with a satisfying HEA.
Trey and his family have had a ranch in the area for years. During the recent times of drought and high December temperatures there have been more than the normal number of spontaneous fires in the area. Misty begins to suspect that Trey’s fires and her fires may somehow be related.
Something else Trey and Misty have in common are their love of cats, which was very sweet. However, Misty has a fear of fires, due to a tragedy in her past, which also spoiled Christmas for her for a lifetime. The fact that it is now Christmas season and Trey is not only a rancher but also a firefighter doesn’t help her at all.
There is a bit of insta-lust turned into smoldering love before the book is over. I really enjoyed this Christmas love story with a satisfying HEA.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews