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Lone Star Cowboy League #5
A Daddy for Her Triplets
His Unexpected Valentines
Clint Daniels knows he is nobody's sweetheart. The rugged mountain guide has lived most of his life alone, and with his heartbreaking past, he can't imagine a domestic future with anyone. Especially not a warm and graceful widow like Olivia Barlow. But when her three towheaded little boys approach him at the Lone Star Cowboy League's annual Valentine's dance, he finds it impossible to turn them away. Clint isn't prepared to be a father, but these boys draw out his paternal side. And somehow, vulnerable Olivia and her children begin to make the cowboy suspect their wary hearts might actually be a perfect match…
Clint Daniels knows he is nobody's sweetheart. The rugged mountain guide has lived most of his life alone, and with his heartbreaking past, he can't imagine a domestic future with anyone. Especially not a warm and graceful widow like Olivia Barlow. But when her three towheaded little boys approach him at the Lone Star Cowboy League's annual Valentine's dance, he finds it impossible to turn them away. Clint isn't prepared to be a father, but these boys draw out his paternal side. And somehow, vulnerable Olivia and her children begin to make the cowboy suspect their wary hearts might actually be a perfect match…
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2016
58 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Deb Kastner
109 books147 followersPublishers Weekly Bestselling, award-winning author of over 50 novels and two million books in print, Deb Kastner enjoys writing contemporary inspirational and sweet western stories set in small communities, often including animals as major secondary characters.
Deb lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband, her puppers Gabby and Sadie, and two mischievous bonded brothers, black tuxedo cats Hype and Dab. She recently went through what she terms her midlife crisis and adopted her very first ever real live horse whose name is sweet Moscato.
She is blessed with three adult daughters and two grandchildren with #3 on the way. Her favorite hobby is spoiling her grandchildren, but she also enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music (The Texas Tenors and The High Kings are her favs), singing in the church choir and exploring the Rocky Mountains on horseback.
Deb lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband, her puppers Gabby and Sadie, and two mischievous bonded brothers, black tuxedo cats Hype and Dab. She recently went through what she terms her midlife crisis and adopted her very first ever real live horse whose name is sweet Moscato.
She is blessed with three adult daughters and two grandchildren with #3 on the way. Her favorite hobby is spoiling her grandchildren, but she also enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music (The Texas Tenors and The High Kings are her favs), singing in the church choir and exploring the Rocky Mountains on horseback.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 2, 2023
First, I have to state up-front that I've never had good luck with Kastner. I've read half a dozen of her books, and all of them are one or two-star reviews. So I wasn't looking forward to this.
Second, as this is the FIFTH in a series I'm reading thru, and I've been mostly unimpressed with what's happened in the 'story' (or lack thereof)... I REALLY wasn't looking forward to this.
Third... please don't look at the cover. The man in the book is a burly, enormous, and gruff mountain man. The guy on the cover is 5'6 pansy-man. I was really irritated by this, the entire time. In fact, not just the artist got Clint wrong - Deb did. Would it *KILL* the Love, Inspired authors to step out of the mold and make a character have a beard? Seriously? Because Clint's character literally SCREAMED for one. He's huge and wild and... pretty?! How about no?
So Kastner joined the five women writing about the Lone Star Cowboy League, but in pure Kastner fashion, she decided that the League is too small of potatoes for her, and *SHE'S* awesome enough to write a Lone Star League book about... people who aren't even in the dadgum League. Not kidding - there's Ingrid who's begging for a story, several others in the League who have been mentioned but not fleshed out... but NOOOO.
Parameters are there for a reason. Reining in creativity often forces a writer/director/artist to grow in other ways. But apparently Kastner was too obtuse to go with it, and yet again shows no growth in her writing.
Olivia is a widow with triplets (←a regular thing in 'Love, Inspired' books. Apparently triplets are commonplace amongst chrischun folk. You see at least two sets in every church, and eight or nine sets in every year's worth of LI books that are released). She runs a horse ranch in which she never works with the horses and it's probably because there's only 20 acres on her farm, and that's barely enough for a corral, on top of the yard, house, and barn.
The cute part of the book (that bought it a star) was the matchmaking Valentine's scene. Clint and Olivia are 'matched up', and when her triplets find out, they're on a MISSION to get 'Mr. Clint' and their mama together. Like they need any help - Kastner acts like neither of them want to hook up with anybody, except her words don't match *ANY* of their actions. Clint and Olivia are book goo-goo eyed from moment one, ALL. THE. WAY. thru the book.
Clint is a wilderness guide who never guides anyone other than Olivia and her boys. Not kidding - according to the book, he spends every single weekend with them, and since weekends are when people are available for trips? Yeah, that don't work, actually.
And yet again (as with the other four LSCL books), Clint has no parents. Olivia has no parents. NOBODY in Texas has parents, I kid you not. The author's apparently can't handle solid families, r'something. I'm beginning to think 'Love, Inspired' thinks healthy, whole families are of the Devil.
As I said in my last review, the Lone Star League is pretty much a social club for the 'popular' kids in town. They throw parties and do a few benevolent things here and there - if they deem it appropriate, but mostly they're just clique-y and suck. So no surprise that it starts out with a Sweetheart hoedown. Cuz... PARTEEEEE!! Nevermind that *NONE* of them are really doing a whole lotta anything towards solving the local thefts that have been going on SINCE OCTOBER, now. Apparently cameras can't catch the thieves, because they're ninjas and invisible, and Lucy (sheriff) just can't catch a break from her seat at Maggie's Coffee Shop.
One of the sub-plots of this series has Ben in a coma since book #1 whilst his unexpected (surprise) baby is dropped in his family's lap. Somehow, between the last book and this one, apparently Ben woke up (!!) and had a mini-stroke (!!!) and is now recovering. Talk about writing past your own secondary plot! WoW, that's seriously BAD, right there. We're all reading and waiting for it, and... yup, nevermind!!
And BTW the mini-stroke thing is likely because they realized that it was RIDICULOUS in the last book to have stated that Ben - a virile, young man - was in a coma with no internal injuries, no head trauma, no hematodes... just... a convenient-writers-coma {{{ooooh...!!}}} Bodies don't just shut down for months for no reason, hello. So... um... wait... MINI-STROKE!! Because gawd don't strike down no good cowboy with anything lastin', d'ya hear me! Not n'these books, no way, no how!! (((((SIGH.))))))
But back to Clint. He decides that he's "on-board" with the League after a note from the thieves shows up at the hoedown. It says... wait, everything I've already said about the stupidity of the League clique and their parties. No. Way!!! But Clint is offended! And now that HE'S self-appointed himself to participate without joining the league (!?!), HE is gonna do something about this! Bluster, bluster. Which is okay for him, but if Byron blusters, everyone is up his hind end quicker than the blink of an eye.
I find it amusing that everyone decides that the thieves are local teenagers (plural) based on the note. If I were operating solo, I'd use 'we' and 'us' to throw people off, too. Might even use slang or a word in Spanish or two. Because throwing them off the scent, hello...!?! "Oh, it says, 'amigos'... they're Hispanic. And it says, 'dude', so... YOUNG Hispanic! And it says 'our'... so... multiple young Hispanics!" Meanwhile, I'm operating as a single 50-something woman. DUH.
And I *STILL* want to know why Maddy got to keep the iPod that was gifted her, but Lucy is confiscating saddles and chickens and the other gifts. GIFTING PEOPLE IS NOT A CRIME. And she has ZERO proof that the items are stolen, and/or bought with dirty money. She hasn't got a LEG to stand on, with the confiscations. And frankly? If I were gifted something? I wouldn't tell Lucy SQUAT about it. Because it's NOT A CRIME, and therefore NOT HER BUSINESS!! GAH!! Terrible writing!!!
So... at the hoedown, Carson (League president) whistles shrilly to get everyone's attention. So then WHY is Clint - who's not even a member of the League whistling shrilly AT A LEAGUE MEETING to get everyone's attention??? 1 - He's not a member, and therefore should sit down and SHUT UP as a guest, and 2 - Carson is in charge here. How about letting him do his job? But noooo... Me Clint. Kastner say I top dog. R'something? GAH, I hate her writing so much...!!!
We're told on Pg 187 that the thieves left 'silly' long ago, when the stole the "Welcome to Town" sign. Um... that's silly. It 1) isn't violent, 2) doesn't affect anyone's livelihood, and 3) only sends a message, at best. Kastner has a warped sense of what's a serious offense. Taking cattle from the richest farms is rustling, true, but again, see the numbers in this paragraph.
But my BIGGEST peeve (and this has been on-going thru this WHOLE series) is the way the authors vilify Byron. They claim he's a louse because he practiced tough love with his brother. THAT'S GOOD, for the love of Mike. If your brother inherited as much as you, squandered every dime, took up drinking, drove his ranch into the ground... how SHOULD you react? Give him your inheritance to do the same with? Cuz that's what these authors are suggesting. Byron wasn't enabling, and if the world did a little LESS of that, there wouldn't be the mess that we have, now, hello.
But the authors are constantly rounding on Byron, having the 'upright' characters bitch about his "annoying bluster", and claiming he wants "everything on a silver platter" when he has NOT asked for anything more than positive ACTION in moving the case forward. Which frankly, ALL of us have been wanting thru FIVE BOOKS, now. ((Don't expect it here, either.))
Byron says, "Thanks to my own hard work, my sons will never go hungry" and the author's reaction is "in a pig's eye", like Bryon's NOT a hard worker? Obviously he hasn't squandered his inheritance, has been a good steward of his earnings, and HAS done well. According to scripture, God rewards people for that. According to this book series' authors? It's a crime, and he should be flogged for being not only responsible, but asking others to do the same.
Please, please, please, Margaret Daley. You're my last hope. Don't join these writers in the caustic things they're doing within this series. Be better. Be kinder. Be long-suffering and gentle. Be of good report. Because I'm getting sick of harpy writers NOT getting it done, and acting like the mean girls from high school.
Second, as this is the FIFTH in a series I'm reading thru, and I've been mostly unimpressed with what's happened in the 'story' (or lack thereof)... I REALLY wasn't looking forward to this.
Third... please don't look at the cover. The man in the book is a burly, enormous, and gruff mountain man. The guy on the cover is 5'6 pansy-man. I was really irritated by this, the entire time. In fact, not just the artist got Clint wrong - Deb did. Would it *KILL* the Love, Inspired authors to step out of the mold and make a character have a beard? Seriously? Because Clint's character literally SCREAMED for one. He's huge and wild and... pretty?! How about no?
So Kastner joined the five women writing about the Lone Star Cowboy League, but in pure Kastner fashion, she decided that the League is too small of potatoes for her, and *SHE'S* awesome enough to write a Lone Star League book about... people who aren't even in the dadgum League. Not kidding - there's Ingrid who's begging for a story, several others in the League who have been mentioned but not fleshed out... but NOOOO.
Parameters are there for a reason. Reining in creativity often forces a writer/director/artist to grow in other ways. But apparently Kastner was too obtuse to go with it, and yet again shows no growth in her writing.
Olivia is a widow with triplets (←a regular thing in 'Love, Inspired' books. Apparently triplets are commonplace amongst chrischun folk. You see at least two sets in every church, and eight or nine sets in every year's worth of LI books that are released). She runs a horse ranch in which she never works with the horses and it's probably because there's only 20 acres on her farm, and that's barely enough for a corral, on top of the yard, house, and barn.
The cute part of the book (that bought it a star) was the matchmaking Valentine's scene. Clint and Olivia are 'matched up', and when her triplets find out, they're on a MISSION to get 'Mr. Clint' and their mama together. Like they need any help - Kastner acts like neither of them want to hook up with anybody, except her words don't match *ANY* of their actions. Clint and Olivia are book goo-goo eyed from moment one, ALL. THE. WAY. thru the book.
Clint is a wilderness guide who never guides anyone other than Olivia and her boys. Not kidding - according to the book, he spends every single weekend with them, and since weekends are when people are available for trips? Yeah, that don't work, actually.
And yet again (as with the other four LSCL books), Clint has no parents. Olivia has no parents. NOBODY in Texas has parents, I kid you not. The author's apparently can't handle solid families, r'something. I'm beginning to think 'Love, Inspired' thinks healthy, whole families are of the Devil.
As I said in my last review, the Lone Star League is pretty much a social club for the 'popular' kids in town. They throw parties and do a few benevolent things here and there - if they deem it appropriate, but mostly they're just clique-y and suck. So no surprise that it starts out with a Sweetheart hoedown. Cuz... PARTEEEEE!! Nevermind that *NONE* of them are really doing a whole lotta anything towards solving the local thefts that have been going on SINCE OCTOBER, now. Apparently cameras can't catch the thieves, because they're ninjas and invisible, and Lucy (sheriff) just can't catch a break from her seat at Maggie's Coffee Shop.
One of the sub-plots of this series has Ben in a coma since book #1 whilst his unexpected (surprise) baby is dropped in his family's lap. Somehow, between the last book and this one, apparently Ben woke up (!!) and had a mini-stroke (!!!) and is now recovering. Talk about writing past your own secondary plot! WoW, that's seriously BAD, right there. We're all reading and waiting for it, and... yup, nevermind!!
And BTW the mini-stroke thing is likely because they realized that it was RIDICULOUS in the last book to have stated that Ben - a virile, young man - was in a coma with no internal injuries, no head trauma, no hematodes... just... a convenient-writers-coma {{{ooooh...!!}}} Bodies don't just shut down for months for no reason, hello. So... um... wait... MINI-STROKE!! Because gawd don't strike down no good cowboy with anything lastin', d'ya hear me! Not n'these books, no way, no how!! (((((SIGH.))))))
But back to Clint. He decides that he's "on-board" with the League after a note from the thieves shows up at the hoedown. It says... wait, everything I've already said about the stupidity of the League clique and their parties. No. Way!!! But Clint is offended! And now that HE'S self-appointed himself to participate without joining the league (!?!), HE is gonna do something about this! Bluster, bluster. Which is okay for him, but if Byron blusters, everyone is up his hind end quicker than the blink of an eye.
I find it amusing that everyone decides that the thieves are local teenagers (plural) based on the note. If I were operating solo, I'd use 'we' and 'us' to throw people off, too. Might even use slang or a word in Spanish or two. Because throwing them off the scent, hello...!?! "Oh, it says, 'amigos'... they're Hispanic. And it says, 'dude', so... YOUNG Hispanic! And it says 'our'... so... multiple young Hispanics!" Meanwhile, I'm operating as a single 50-something woman. DUH.
And I *STILL* want to know why Maddy got to keep the iPod that was gifted her, but Lucy is confiscating saddles and chickens and the other gifts. GIFTING PEOPLE IS NOT A CRIME. And she has ZERO proof that the items are stolen, and/or bought with dirty money. She hasn't got a LEG to stand on, with the confiscations. And frankly? If I were gifted something? I wouldn't tell Lucy SQUAT about it. Because it's NOT A CRIME, and therefore NOT HER BUSINESS!! GAH!! Terrible writing!!!
So... at the hoedown, Carson (League president) whistles shrilly to get everyone's attention. So then WHY is Clint - who's not even a member of the League whistling shrilly AT A LEAGUE MEETING to get everyone's attention??? 1 - He's not a member, and therefore should sit down and SHUT UP as a guest, and 2 - Carson is in charge here. How about letting him do his job? But noooo... Me Clint. Kastner say I top dog. R'something? GAH, I hate her writing so much...!!!
We're told on Pg 187 that the thieves left 'silly' long ago, when the stole the "Welcome to Town" sign. Um... that's silly. It 1) isn't violent, 2) doesn't affect anyone's livelihood, and 3) only sends a message, at best. Kastner has a warped sense of what's a serious offense. Taking cattle from the richest farms is rustling, true, but again, see the numbers in this paragraph.
But my BIGGEST peeve (and this has been on-going thru this WHOLE series) is the way the authors vilify Byron. They claim he's a louse because he practiced tough love with his brother. THAT'S GOOD, for the love of Mike. If your brother inherited as much as you, squandered every dime, took up drinking, drove his ranch into the ground... how SHOULD you react? Give him your inheritance to do the same with? Cuz that's what these authors are suggesting. Byron wasn't enabling, and if the world did a little LESS of that, there wouldn't be the mess that we have, now, hello.
But the authors are constantly rounding on Byron, having the 'upright' characters bitch about his "annoying bluster", and claiming he wants "everything on a silver platter" when he has NOT asked for anything more than positive ACTION in moving the case forward. Which frankly, ALL of us have been wanting thru FIVE BOOKS, now. ((Don't expect it here, either.))
Byron says, "Thanks to my own hard work, my sons will never go hungry" and the author's reaction is "in a pig's eye", like Bryon's NOT a hard worker? Obviously he hasn't squandered his inheritance, has been a good steward of his earnings, and HAS done well. According to scripture, God rewards people for that. According to this book series' authors? It's a crime, and he should be flogged for being not only responsible, but asking others to do the same.
Please, please, please, Margaret Daley. You're my last hope. Don't join these writers in the caustic things they're doing within this series. Be better. Be kinder. Be long-suffering and gentle. Be of good report. Because I'm getting sick of harpy writers NOT getting it done, and acting like the mean girls from high school.
March 24, 2017
I hate that Goodreads' 2 star means "It's ok". 2 star rating sounds so bad. But I did find this book to be okay. It wasn't the best romance I've read, but I did enjoy it. There were a few things that had me scrunching my face over, such as how Olivia reacted to certain situations or how she feared the boys learning wilderness survival because of her late husband's rock climbing death. The actions seemed more city-slicker than small town, horse rancher behaviour.
Other than that, it was a decent book. On Amazon, it'll be a 3 star. The continuing mystery of "Robin Hood" (who I believe I know the answer to the mystery) is a plus that will keep a reader caught up in the Lone Star Cowboy League series.
Other than that, it was a decent book. On Amazon, it'll be a 3 star. The continuing mystery of "Robin Hood" (who I believe I know the answer to the mystery) is a plus that will keep a reader caught up in the Lone Star Cowboy League series.
July 31, 2017
all right..
March 1, 2019
Mom would have loved this book! She would have read it in one day.
July 26, 2020
I loved this book and really, really hated it to end!!
May 19, 2024
so great
This is a wonderful story full of adventure and mystery. The character are good and the story line good. Keep the Kleenex handy. On t he last story in the series.
This is a wonderful story full of adventure and mystery. The character are good and the story line good. Keep the Kleenex handy. On t he last story in the series.
May 19, 2017
I loved Clint and Olivia's story. Those kids were something else. The Robinhoods are adding quite a twist to the series. The authors are doing a pretty good job of keeping characters connected, though still not a whole lot to connect them to the historical part of this series. Love me some Deb Kastner!!! My favorite of the Love Inspired set so far.
January 28, 2016
A Daddy For Her Triplets by Deb Kastner is the fifth book in the Lone Star Cowboy League series with six different authors. One more book to go to find out who has been stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Each book was a complete story in itself except for the "Robin Hood" person or persons. In this one Clint Daniels is a loner. His mom had died and dad left him 26 years ago. We find out why. An older couple took him in. Clint is a mountain guide with a dog that helps search for lost people. Olivia Barlow has triplet boys, six years old. Clint connects with her and the boys. A real nice romance story with its ups and downs.
May 11, 2016
Good Book
I like this book, but l felt this wasn't her best book. But she is one of my favorite Christian author, and she did come through with this book. I pray she starts another series or her new book comes out soon
I like this book, but l felt this wasn't her best book. But she is one of my favorite Christian author, and she did come through with this book. I pray she starts another series or her new book comes out soon
November 4, 2016
This is another fun read in the Lone Star Cowboy League series. Once again the reader encounters characters from other books in the series. This story about a confirmed bachelor learning to enjoy identical triplets is heart warming and enjoyable.
November 10, 2015
You can read my review in the Feb. 2016 issue of RT Bookreviews magazine.
Read
February 1, 2016Miniseries: Lone Star Cowboy League
Read
February 1, 2016Miniseries: Lone Star Cowboy League
February 7, 2016
this was an enjoyable read look forward to next book
February 19, 2016
good book and series
February 19, 2016
good book and series
February 23, 2016
One thing shocked me, a couple things I knew were going to happen but over all an enjoyable read. Love the whole Lone Star Cowboy League series.
June 9, 2018
loved this heartfelt story. about two people who were matched up together by family and friends and ended up being what each other needed.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews