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Gold Valley #13
Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch
Gold Valley’s rodeo champion is facing the toughest challenge of his life—a Christmas wedding!
Legendary bull rider Jake Daniels has only one plan this Christmas—to ignore the pain the season always brings. Until his best friend, Callie Carson, shows up on his ranch with a marriage proposal. Jake has lived so close to the edge it’s a miracle he’s still alive—he knows all about risk. But marrying the woman he craves more than anything feels like the biggest risk of all.
Callie Carson may be rodeo royalty, but to fulfill her dreams of riding saddle bronc, she needs her inheritance. And to access that, she needs a husband. But Jake the husband is deliciously different from Jake the friend, especially after the wild heat of their wedding night. He was only supposed to be her cowboy for Christmas, but Jake’s every heart-stopping touch has Callie questioning how she’ll ever be able to walk away.
In bonus novella Her First Christmas Cowboy, Tala gets a surprise Christmas delivery—a cowboy on her doorstep!
Legendary bull rider Jake Daniels has only one plan this Christmas—to ignore the pain the season always brings. Until his best friend, Callie Carson, shows up on his ranch with a marriage proposal. Jake has lived so close to the edge it’s a miracle he’s still alive—he knows all about risk. But marrying the woman he craves more than anything feels like the biggest risk of all.
Callie Carson may be rodeo royalty, but to fulfill her dreams of riding saddle bronc, she needs her inheritance. And to access that, she needs a husband. But Jake the husband is deliciously different from Jake the friend, especially after the wild heat of their wedding night. He was only supposed to be her cowboy for Christmas, but Jake’s every heart-stopping touch has Callie questioning how she’ll ever be able to walk away.
In bonus novella Her First Christmas Cowboy, Tala gets a surprise Christmas delivery—a cowboy on her doorstep!
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 26, 2021
103 people are currently reading
396 people want to read
About the author
Maisey Yates
1,175 books3,004 followersNew York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.
Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.
She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.
Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.
She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 6, 2022
This is a Fake Dating Friends to Lovers Romance, and this is the 13th book in the Gold Valley series. I have read and review all the books in this Gold Valley series. Maisey Yates is one of my favorite authors, and the Gold Valley is one of my favorite book series. As always I love all the characters in this series, and I really love getting a little bit of characters that was in past books. This book covers a lot about death and learning to move on. I loved seeing these characters really loving each other. There was a ton a holidays in this book. You get some Thanksgiving and some Christmas in this book. This is a great series, but this book can be read as a standalone.
October 27, 2021
A lot of pain and hurt to get through but deep feelings throughout.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I did have some difficulty and mixed emotions with this book. The female character just rubbed me the wrong way in her careless dealings with her family and her best friend, Jake.
She wanted what she wanted and she knew what she needed to do to get there. Thankfully, her best friend was so in love with her he would do anything. And he did it even as hard as it was for him – even a Wedding at Christmas.
Jake is a fabulous character and I really loved him in the story. Strong, capable, with his heart on his sleeve, he would do anything for her and had a tough time saying no. Even to his own detriment.
The story is a lot to take in sometimes. There was a lot of pain and deep emotion that we have to dig through. Yes, there was light at the end of the tunnel but getting there sometimes was a lot. I found a lot of thoughtlessness in Cal but the connection with Jake was undeniable and their love was explosive once they recognized it. A steamy friends to lovers romance that leaves you breathless in many ways!
The story is not overly focused on Christmas but more so on how Christmas affected them. But Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch is a lot about working through past heartbreak, learning how to take a chance on love, and letting love heal your soul. Together these two characters worked very well and because of that, the ending truly brought light into the story.
Deep and emotional, Yates brings it all together for a sweet small town cowboy Christmas romance with heart.
* Copy received for review consideration
* Full review - https://amidlifewife.com/rodeo-christ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I did have some difficulty and mixed emotions with this book. The female character just rubbed me the wrong way in her careless dealings with her family and her best friend, Jake.
She wanted what she wanted and she knew what she needed to do to get there. Thankfully, her best friend was so in love with her he would do anything. And he did it even as hard as it was for him – even a Wedding at Christmas.
Jake is a fabulous character and I really loved him in the story. Strong, capable, with his heart on his sleeve, he would do anything for her and had a tough time saying no. Even to his own detriment.
The story is a lot to take in sometimes. There was a lot of pain and deep emotion that we have to dig through. Yes, there was light at the end of the tunnel but getting there sometimes was a lot. I found a lot of thoughtlessness in Cal but the connection with Jake was undeniable and their love was explosive once they recognized it. A steamy friends to lovers romance that leaves you breathless in many ways!
The story is not overly focused on Christmas but more so on how Christmas affected them. But Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch is a lot about working through past heartbreak, learning how to take a chance on love, and letting love heal your soul. Together these two characters worked very well and because of that, the ending truly brought light into the story.
Deep and emotional, Yates brings it all together for a sweet small town cowboy Christmas romance with heart.
* Copy received for review consideration
* Full review - https://amidlifewife.com/rodeo-christ...
December 17, 2021
Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
RODEO CHRISTMAS AT EVERGREEN RANCH (Gold Valley Book #13) by Maisey Yates is another holiday contemporary western romance addition to the Gold Valley series. I always look forward to the Gold Valley books, but especially the ones set during the holidays.
Champion bull rider, Jake Daniels has returned to his ranch for the holidays leaving the rodeo circuit behind. He risked his life for years to obtain his dream of his own horse ranch and now he just has to make it through the holidays and the painful memories they bring.
Callie Carson is from a rodeo royalty family and has dreamed of riding saddle broncs instead of barrel racing. To fulfill her dream, she needs her inheritance and to get her inheritance before she turns thirty, she needs to be married.
Callie follows her long-time friend, Jake to his home in Gold Valley and proposes. Things begin to change and heat up as Callie’s friend becomes her husband and Jake may be taking the biggest chance of his life.
I always look forward to returning to this series or any romance by Maisey Yates. Jake and Callie are both dealing with difficult emotional baggage. While these two characters eventually come together for their HEA, there is a lot of grief and pain to get through first. Christmas has always played an emotional part in these stories and this one is no exception. I loved Jake and really felt for his painful past and the present feelings he had for Callie, but Callie was a little more difficult to care about because at times I felt she was too centered on herself and her own feelings. The sex scenes are explicit and smokin’ hot, but not gratuitous. While I enjoyed the romance when the H/h were finally emotionally together and I enjoyed the snippets of previous characters in the series, this was not my favorite of the Gold Valley series.
This is a good friends-to-lovers romance set during the holidays and I recommend the entire Gold Valley series.
RODEO CHRISTMAS AT EVERGREEN RANCH (Gold Valley Book #13) by Maisey Yates is another holiday contemporary western romance addition to the Gold Valley series. I always look forward to the Gold Valley books, but especially the ones set during the holidays.
Champion bull rider, Jake Daniels has returned to his ranch for the holidays leaving the rodeo circuit behind. He risked his life for years to obtain his dream of his own horse ranch and now he just has to make it through the holidays and the painful memories they bring.
Callie Carson is from a rodeo royalty family and has dreamed of riding saddle broncs instead of barrel racing. To fulfill her dream, she needs her inheritance and to get her inheritance before she turns thirty, she needs to be married.
Callie follows her long-time friend, Jake to his home in Gold Valley and proposes. Things begin to change and heat up as Callie’s friend becomes her husband and Jake may be taking the biggest chance of his life.
I always look forward to returning to this series or any romance by Maisey Yates. Jake and Callie are both dealing with difficult emotional baggage. While these two characters eventually come together for their HEA, there is a lot of grief and pain to get through first. Christmas has always played an emotional part in these stories and this one is no exception. I loved Jake and really felt for his painful past and the present feelings he had for Callie, but Callie was a little more difficult to care about because at times I felt she was too centered on herself and her own feelings. The sex scenes are explicit and smokin’ hot, but not gratuitous. While I enjoyed the romance when the H/h were finally emotionally together and I enjoyed the snippets of previous characters in the series, this was not my favorite of the Gold Valley series.
This is a good friends-to-lovers romance set during the holidays and I recommend the entire Gold Valley series.
March 12, 2023
4 stars
Jake is one of the Danielses, meaning his parents went down in a plane accident when he was 17 years old, and he’s still affected by the loss. His way of dealing with what happened was in never pursuing anything too much, with the expectation that anything could happen at any time and you could lose everything. He’s always figured, to hell with it, and whether it was riding bulls or sleeping with buckle bunnies, he never took anything too seriously. His feelings for Callie have always frightened him and she’s actually the reason he retired—he saw her get injured and was so upset by it that he ran.
Over the course of their marriage, things become all too real on multiple fronts and Callie finds herself falling in love with Jake—Jake, who is already there, but doesn’t want to give in to those feelings or what they could mean. They both have their original friendship to consider and neither wants to chance ruining that, but Callie is tempted by how much more they could have and Jake is just plain tempted.
My issue with Yates is always the same: there’s a lot of going over and over the emotional hang ups of the characters, both in their heads and verbally, though I would say this book is better than some of her others on that score. Her characters always have these deep-seated insecurities or fears and for the most part, she always does a good job of making you feel for the character, as opposed to roll your eyes. In this instance, there was a bit of eye-rolling for me when it came to Callie, and I agree with her that she matured a lot over the course of the book, but Jake really made me sad; his parents were not necessarily happily married and he was left with all these unanswered questions after their death. He really won’t let anyone or anything get close to him and it’s heartbreaking. Good thing Callie is there and is such a determined heroine!!
* This review is of an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Some changes and/or edits may be made to the final published version.
“Callie,” he said. “I’ve wanted you for a long time.”This was a very sweet holiday romance and another great addition to the wonderful Gold Valley series. Callie (24) and Jake (32) are best friends, though for Jake the truth is it’s been something more for several years. They met on the rodeo circuit and that’s where their friendship was nurtured. Jake has just retired from the circuit when Callie shows up on his front stoop, proposing a marriage of convenience—she wants to ride saddle bronc, however letting a woman ride means the insurance costs will go up and so will everyone’s entrance fee, so to make up the cost she needs access to her trust fund, and until she’s 30, the only other way to access it is once she’s married. Jake will do anything for Callie, including marrying her, even though he knows that’s throwing up a whole lot of temptation that his good self has so far been able to avoid for years.
“You’ve … wanted me?” She sounded genuinely confused.
“Yeah,” he said. “But I knew there was no point to it. I had to keep my hands to myself. At least, that’s what I told myself.”
“Why?”
“We’ve been over this.”
“Right. Feelings and sex and friendship, and none of it shall meet.”
Jake is one of the Danielses, meaning his parents went down in a plane accident when he was 17 years old, and he’s still affected by the loss. His way of dealing with what happened was in never pursuing anything too much, with the expectation that anything could happen at any time and you could lose everything. He’s always figured, to hell with it, and whether it was riding bulls or sleeping with buckle bunnies, he never took anything too seriously. His feelings for Callie have always frightened him and she’s actually the reason he retired—he saw her get injured and was so upset by it that he ran.
Over the course of their marriage, things become all too real on multiple fronts and Callie finds herself falling in love with Jake—Jake, who is already there, but doesn’t want to give in to those feelings or what they could mean. They both have their original friendship to consider and neither wants to chance ruining that, but Callie is tempted by how much more they could have and Jake is just plain tempted.
My issue with Yates is always the same: there’s a lot of going over and over the emotional hang ups of the characters, both in their heads and verbally, though I would say this book is better than some of her others on that score. Her characters always have these deep-seated insecurities or fears and for the most part, she always does a good job of making you feel for the character, as opposed to roll your eyes. In this instance, there was a bit of eye-rolling for me when it came to Callie, and I agree with her that she matured a lot over the course of the book, but Jake really made me sad; his parents were not necessarily happily married and he was left with all these unanswered questions after their death. He really won’t let anyone or anything get close to him and it’s heartbreaking. Good thing Callie is there and is such a determined heroine!!
* This review is of an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Some changes and/or edits may be made to the final published version.
December 18, 2021
Callie needs to get married to access her trust fund to continue bronc riding after an accident spooks her father to pull his funding. Trouble is Callie has focused all her time on riding and so doesn’t have any prospects except for her best friend, Jake Daniels.
Jake doesn’t believe in romantic relationships after seeing his parent’s unhappiness before their death. He’s fine with one-nightstands, but when Callie approaches him to marry, he agrees fearing she’ll go to someone else if he doesn’t.
Jake’s reasons for abstaining from any long-term romance felt thin. The constant reminders of his reasons in dialogue and in his inner thoughts were repeated over and over and it got old. I liked Callie but at first, she was so juvenile I kept rolling my eyes. There was too much repetitive internal dialogue from both characters, and I found myself skimming through just to finish the book.
I love Maisey Yates’ romances, but this was not my favorite.
A copy was kindly provided by HQN Books in exchange for an honest review.
Jake doesn’t believe in romantic relationships after seeing his parent’s unhappiness before their death. He’s fine with one-nightstands, but when Callie approaches him to marry, he agrees fearing she’ll go to someone else if he doesn’t.
Jake’s reasons for abstaining from any long-term romance felt thin. The constant reminders of his reasons in dialogue and in his inner thoughts were repeated over and over and it got old. I liked Callie but at first, she was so juvenile I kept rolling my eyes. There was too much repetitive internal dialogue from both characters, and I found myself skimming through just to finish the book.
I love Maisey Yates’ romances, but this was not my favorite.
A copy was kindly provided by HQN Books in exchange for an honest review.
December 22, 2021
Jake Daniels was a very successful bull rider. He has had his reasons for giving up something that he dearly loved. Shocked by his best friend's sudden marriage proposal, Jake cannot say no. Callie Carson has dreams for a rodeo career. Marrying Jake seems like the only way to reach those dreams.
What is holding Callie back? It certainly is not talent. It is her inheritance. Or lack of it. Can she get away with marrying Jake, staying married for three months, fool her family and claim her inheritance and fulfill his rodeo dreams?
Well, it is not gifted to her in a neat little package. For one thing, both she and Jake are very drawn to one another. They love one another as best friends, but have never gone any further. More than that, Cal has her family to deal with. Having lost her sister even before she was even born, Cal never felt like enough. Then her several brothers. They all seem to be doing what they want. So, Cal will do the same and thus she literally takes the bull by the horns.
There is a hitch in her plans, however. A huge one. Feelings. Love. Then there is Jake and his own baggage and Cal just might wonder if she went to far trying to fulfill hear dreams.
What a delightfuly story of two hearts destined to be together, all while facing what appear to be insurmountable obstacles.
Many thanks to HQN Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
What is holding Callie back? It certainly is not talent. It is her inheritance. Or lack of it. Can she get away with marrying Jake, staying married for three months, fool her family and claim her inheritance and fulfill his rodeo dreams?
Well, it is not gifted to her in a neat little package. For one thing, both she and Jake are very drawn to one another. They love one another as best friends, but have never gone any further. More than that, Cal has her family to deal with. Having lost her sister even before she was even born, Cal never felt like enough. Then her several brothers. They all seem to be doing what they want. So, Cal will do the same and thus she literally takes the bull by the horns.
There is a hitch in her plans, however. A huge one. Feelings. Love. Then there is Jake and his own baggage and Cal just might wonder if she went to far trying to fulfill hear dreams.
What a delightfuly story of two hearts destined to be together, all while facing what appear to be insurmountable obstacles.
Many thanks to HQN Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
November 21, 2021
3.5 Stars
It’s hard to believe but this is the 13th book in Yate’s Gold Valley series. This book which is Christmas centric only in that the story occurs over the Christmas holiday season, continues the sagas of the Daniels family who grew up on the Hope Springs Ranch. The back story is that when the oldest Daniel sibling, Ryder, was 18 they all lost their parents in a plane accident leaving Ryder, his three sisters Iris, Pansy and Rose, their two cousins Jake and Colton and friend Logan orphans. Ryder because he was the only legal adult left became the head of the family and they all pretty much raised themselves. Then there’s Sammy, the next-door neighbor whose father physical abused her until she came to live with them under Ryder’s protection when she was 16 and now years later is married to her former BFF Ryder and they have a baby girl. All the Daniels from one set of parents Ryder (Sammy). Iris (Griffin), Pansy (West) and Rose (Logan) are now happily married leaving only Jake and his younger brother Colt to find their H.E.A. The fatal plane crash that took their parents and the ensuing family dynamics provides all the current and former residents of Hope Springs Ranch with plenty of emotional issues. And if you’ve read Maisey Yates before you know nobody’s protagonists have more emotional baggage than hers. Even though this is a Christmas story, Jake and Callie the protagonists in this story are no exception. If you’re expecting a light hearted Christmas romance, well Yate’s doesn’t do light hearted.
Yate’s was among my earliest and with the settings for her stories in the small towns, ranches, farms and vineyards in Oregon quickly became one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. But I fear that may no longer be true. I don’t honestly know whether as I’ve become familiar with so many more contemporary romance authors writing styles that my tastes have changed or whether Yate’s writing style has changed to where her focus is so concentrated upon the emotional damage of her protagonist that their crippling emotions have become the story rather than a part of the story? But I’m beginning to feel like I’m losing my desire for her stories they’re are so laden with depressing, numbing sadness with their emotional baggage repeated over and over again. Jake Daniels is so emotionally damaged by the loss of his parents at seventeen, that fifteen years later he won’t allow himself to believe in anything good lasting. He spends his life waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. Callie Carson is so wrapped up in this idea that if she allows herself to acknowledge she is a woman with different physical strengths and emotions from men it is akin to admitting she is weaker than them which would mean she can’t compete with them as a saddle bronc rodeo rider. She believes her parents wanted her to be a replacement for Sophie the sister who died before she was born who was very feminine. Since Callie can’t be Sophie she decides she’s going to be another son like her five older brothers. She hasn’t grasped the idea that she can be a saddle bronc rider in man’s sport and womanly at the same time. With every discussion, every interaction between the two, as she has with all of her recent protagonists, Yates constantly reminds us of those facts. Beyond the H.E.A. there’s rarely if ever a light hearted or happy moment between her main characters unless they are in the throes of ecstasy..
Jake’s parents death left him a true pessimist. If he finds himself feeling happy about something he has to remind himself that good times don’t last forever and life can change for the worst at any moment. So he doesn’t allow himself to try and grab on to anything that would bring him lasting happiness. To add to his issues he discovered his parents hadn’t had the happy marriage most believed and his father may have been planning on leaving them when he returned from their trip to Alaska. So Jake also doesn’t believe in marriage and lasting love. As soon as he was old enough he ran away from his family and Hope Springs Ranch to join the rodeo because it and the town of Gold Valley reminded him too much of what he’d lost. When ever he returns he struggles to be in the house he grew up in which now belongs to Ryder and Sammy and where all the family gatherings are held. Jake partially because he doesn’t really love life so has no fear of death has become a bull riding champion. Now at 32 he quits the rodeo. Between his purse money winnings and endorsement deals Jake has managed to accrue a fair amount of money which he uses to purchase a ranch in Gold Valley where he plans to raise horses. Jake left the rodeo for two reasons. The first was he was smart enough to know it’s a young man’s game and his body was beginning to feel the wear and tear of years of being thrown from a bull’s back. The second bigger reason is he witnessed Callie Carson eight years his junior whom he’s mentored and treated like a little sister, thrown from a horse, knocked unconscious and broke her arm while he was training her to ride saddle broncos. Watching Callie laying unconscious on the ground Jake realized that he had developed serious non-brotherly feelings for the young woman. Jake, for as many buckle bunnies as he’s buried himself in to escape his demons for a night, has never had romantic feelings for any woman. Feelings scare him like nothing else can. So he quits the rodeo fleeing from Callie who had become not only his protégé but also his best friend.
Callie Carson comes from a wealthy family of seven now adult children where she is the only surviving daughter. Her father was a rodeo champion and her mother a rodeo queen. Now her father is the commissioner of the local rodeo circuit. Much to her mother’s dismay Callie has never been a girlie girl. Her father always encouraged her to be rough and tumble just like her older brothers and told her she could do anything she wanted. That is, until she fell off that horse breaking her arm. Now he wants her to give up her dream of being a saddle bronc rider. As head of the local rodeo circuit he has devised a way to make it too expensive for her and even the male riders to compete if she enters a bronc riding competitions. So, she needs her trust fund in order to afford to compete. The catch is to get her trust fund at twenty-five she needs to be married. So, she approaches her BFF and mentor Jake Daniels to marry her and stay married long enough for her to access her trust fund. The other trick here is her father has to be convinced it’s a real marriage or he’ll just change the stipulations on her trust fund so she still can’t access the money. So Jake and Callie need to show up at the family’s Evergreen Ranch and be convincing as loving newlyweds. Callie definitely has her own issues. She feels like a failed replacement for an older sister who had health issues from birth and died young. She feels like her parents don’t accept her for who she is or support her in what she wants to do with her life. She equates being considered female with being considered weak. This causes her to try and deny any feelings or ideas she sees as being typically female. She resents anyone trying to treat her like a woman with simple gestures like opening a door for her because she feels it sends the message she’s the weaker sex. Callie is so focused on achieving her goal of becoming a female saddle bronc rider she is oblivious to what her plans do to the other people in her life. Callie is confused and not at all happy when her body begins to respond to her friend Jake”s overwhelming masculinity. Needless to say at twenty-four Callie is still a virgin, something she has in common with all the Daniels women in previous stories who carried their V-cards into their twenties (or in Iris’s case later) when they met the man they were destined to marry. In fact, other than Sammy (who wasn’t born a Daniels) all the relationships in this Hope Springs Ranch series like Jake and Callie’s involved virginal women coming into a relationship with much more sexually experienced men. Which is a good thing for them because they all have orgasms from their first sexual experience and take to it like fish to water. Even though Sammy started having sex as a young teen because of her daddy issues, she never had an orgasm that wasn’t self-induced until she slept with Ryder so even she sort of fits the mold of a woman waiting for the right man to bring out her sexuality.
As the story evolves Callie and Jake become intimate and she begins to recognize her feelings for Jake and wants more than a marriage of convenience with an expiration date from him. The problem is even though Jake has been aware of his feelings for Callie for years now’ he’s still stuck in his self-imposed emotional prison convinced he’s so broken he can’t be what Callie needs. While Jake is still emotionally stuck Callie has been experiencing a period of self-discovery where she’s able to mend her fences with her parents and live a full life. Now if she could just get Jake to get his head out of his ass.
Great epilogue where Yate’s surprisingly gives us not only a look into the near future for Jake and Callie and the other couples but also Colt. If you can slog through all the emotional muck Yates as usual delivers a worthwhile H.E.A. There’s also a nice little novella included at the end of this story.
It’s hard to believe but this is the 13th book in Yate’s Gold Valley series. This book which is Christmas centric only in that the story occurs over the Christmas holiday season, continues the sagas of the Daniels family who grew up on the Hope Springs Ranch. The back story is that when the oldest Daniel sibling, Ryder, was 18 they all lost their parents in a plane accident leaving Ryder, his three sisters Iris, Pansy and Rose, their two cousins Jake and Colton and friend Logan orphans. Ryder because he was the only legal adult left became the head of the family and they all pretty much raised themselves. Then there’s Sammy, the next-door neighbor whose father physical abused her until she came to live with them under Ryder’s protection when she was 16 and now years later is married to her former BFF Ryder and they have a baby girl. All the Daniels from one set of parents Ryder (Sammy). Iris (Griffin), Pansy (West) and Rose (Logan) are now happily married leaving only Jake and his younger brother Colt to find their H.E.A. The fatal plane crash that took their parents and the ensuing family dynamics provides all the current and former residents of Hope Springs Ranch with plenty of emotional issues. And if you’ve read Maisey Yates before you know nobody’s protagonists have more emotional baggage than hers. Even though this is a Christmas story, Jake and Callie the protagonists in this story are no exception. If you’re expecting a light hearted Christmas romance, well Yate’s doesn’t do light hearted.
Yate’s was among my earliest and with the settings for her stories in the small towns, ranches, farms and vineyards in Oregon quickly became one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. But I fear that may no longer be true. I don’t honestly know whether as I’ve become familiar with so many more contemporary romance authors writing styles that my tastes have changed or whether Yate’s writing style has changed to where her focus is so concentrated upon the emotional damage of her protagonist that their crippling emotions have become the story rather than a part of the story? But I’m beginning to feel like I’m losing my desire for her stories they’re are so laden with depressing, numbing sadness with their emotional baggage repeated over and over again. Jake Daniels is so emotionally damaged by the loss of his parents at seventeen, that fifteen years later he won’t allow himself to believe in anything good lasting. He spends his life waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. Callie Carson is so wrapped up in this idea that if she allows herself to acknowledge she is a woman with different physical strengths and emotions from men it is akin to admitting she is weaker than them which would mean she can’t compete with them as a saddle bronc rodeo rider. She believes her parents wanted her to be a replacement for Sophie the sister who died before she was born who was very feminine. Since Callie can’t be Sophie she decides she’s going to be another son like her five older brothers. She hasn’t grasped the idea that she can be a saddle bronc rider in man’s sport and womanly at the same time. With every discussion, every interaction between the two, as she has with all of her recent protagonists, Yates constantly reminds us of those facts. Beyond the H.E.A. there’s rarely if ever a light hearted or happy moment between her main characters unless they are in the throes of ecstasy..
Jake’s parents death left him a true pessimist. If he finds himself feeling happy about something he has to remind himself that good times don’t last forever and life can change for the worst at any moment. So he doesn’t allow himself to try and grab on to anything that would bring him lasting happiness. To add to his issues he discovered his parents hadn’t had the happy marriage most believed and his father may have been planning on leaving them when he returned from their trip to Alaska. So Jake also doesn’t believe in marriage and lasting love. As soon as he was old enough he ran away from his family and Hope Springs Ranch to join the rodeo because it and the town of Gold Valley reminded him too much of what he’d lost. When ever he returns he struggles to be in the house he grew up in which now belongs to Ryder and Sammy and where all the family gatherings are held. Jake partially because he doesn’t really love life so has no fear of death has become a bull riding champion. Now at 32 he quits the rodeo. Between his purse money winnings and endorsement deals Jake has managed to accrue a fair amount of money which he uses to purchase a ranch in Gold Valley where he plans to raise horses. Jake left the rodeo for two reasons. The first was he was smart enough to know it’s a young man’s game and his body was beginning to feel the wear and tear of years of being thrown from a bull’s back. The second bigger reason is he witnessed Callie Carson eight years his junior whom he’s mentored and treated like a little sister, thrown from a horse, knocked unconscious and broke her arm while he was training her to ride saddle broncos. Watching Callie laying unconscious on the ground Jake realized that he had developed serious non-brotherly feelings for the young woman. Jake, for as many buckle bunnies as he’s buried himself in to escape his demons for a night, has never had romantic feelings for any woman. Feelings scare him like nothing else can. So he quits the rodeo fleeing from Callie who had become not only his protégé but also his best friend.
Callie Carson comes from a wealthy family of seven now adult children where she is the only surviving daughter. Her father was a rodeo champion and her mother a rodeo queen. Now her father is the commissioner of the local rodeo circuit. Much to her mother’s dismay Callie has never been a girlie girl. Her father always encouraged her to be rough and tumble just like her older brothers and told her she could do anything she wanted. That is, until she fell off that horse breaking her arm. Now he wants her to give up her dream of being a saddle bronc rider. As head of the local rodeo circuit he has devised a way to make it too expensive for her and even the male riders to compete if she enters a bronc riding competitions. So, she needs her trust fund in order to afford to compete. The catch is to get her trust fund at twenty-five she needs to be married. So, she approaches her BFF and mentor Jake Daniels to marry her and stay married long enough for her to access her trust fund. The other trick here is her father has to be convinced it’s a real marriage or he’ll just change the stipulations on her trust fund so she still can’t access the money. So Jake and Callie need to show up at the family’s Evergreen Ranch and be convincing as loving newlyweds. Callie definitely has her own issues. She feels like a failed replacement for an older sister who had health issues from birth and died young. She feels like her parents don’t accept her for who she is or support her in what she wants to do with her life. She equates being considered female with being considered weak. This causes her to try and deny any feelings or ideas she sees as being typically female. She resents anyone trying to treat her like a woman with simple gestures like opening a door for her because she feels it sends the message she’s the weaker sex. Callie is so focused on achieving her goal of becoming a female saddle bronc rider she is oblivious to what her plans do to the other people in her life. Callie is confused and not at all happy when her body begins to respond to her friend Jake”s overwhelming masculinity. Needless to say at twenty-four Callie is still a virgin, something she has in common with all the Daniels women in previous stories who carried their V-cards into their twenties (or in Iris’s case later) when they met the man they were destined to marry. In fact, other than Sammy (who wasn’t born a Daniels) all the relationships in this Hope Springs Ranch series like Jake and Callie’s involved virginal women coming into a relationship with much more sexually experienced men. Which is a good thing for them because they all have orgasms from their first sexual experience and take to it like fish to water. Even though Sammy started having sex as a young teen because of her daddy issues, she never had an orgasm that wasn’t self-induced until she slept with Ryder so even she sort of fits the mold of a woman waiting for the right man to bring out her sexuality.
As the story evolves Callie and Jake become intimate and she begins to recognize her feelings for Jake and wants more than a marriage of convenience with an expiration date from him. The problem is even though Jake has been aware of his feelings for Callie for years now’ he’s still stuck in his self-imposed emotional prison convinced he’s so broken he can’t be what Callie needs. While Jake is still emotionally stuck Callie has been experiencing a period of self-discovery where she’s able to mend her fences with her parents and live a full life. Now if she could just get Jake to get his head out of his ass.
Great epilogue where Yate’s surprisingly gives us not only a look into the near future for Jake and Callie and the other couples but also Colt. If you can slog through all the emotional muck Yates as usual delivers a worthwhile H.E.A. There’s also a nice little novella included at the end of this story.
January 27, 2022
After 18 years on the rodeo circuit, Jake Daniels retired to become a rancher. He thought nothing could surprise him anymore, but that was before his best friend asked him to be her husband.
Callie Carson tried all her life to show her father she's just as tough as her brothers. But it seems it's still not enough and if she wants to stay in the saddle bronc competition, she needs money and the only way she can get it is with her trust fund. To get her hands on it, she must stay married at least 60 days. Jake has always been her biggest supporter so she can't imagine anyone else as her pretend husband, even if they have to get married for real. Not happy with this idea, her friend finally accept in exchange for her being his ranch hand.
While I'm happy the author tackle subjects like patriarchy and double standard in this novel, the romance part wasn't to my liking. Many details were too repetitive and I felt like Jake and Callie spent more time talking and arguing over and over again than anything else.
Callie Carson tried all her life to show her father she's just as tough as her brothers. But it seems it's still not enough and if she wants to stay in the saddle bronc competition, she needs money and the only way she can get it is with her trust fund. To get her hands on it, she must stay married at least 60 days. Jake has always been her biggest supporter so she can't imagine anyone else as her pretend husband, even if they have to get married for real. Not happy with this idea, her friend finally accept in exchange for her being his ranch hand.
While I'm happy the author tackle subjects like patriarchy and double standard in this novel, the romance part wasn't to my liking. Many details were too repetitive and I felt like Jake and Callie spent more time talking and arguing over and over again than anything else.
October 11, 2021
I'll start by admitting that I absolutely love the Gold Valley series and its author, who never fails to make me cry, and who fulfills my craving for angst, steamy sex scenes, and well-developed, memorable characters, but in this novel there was just one thing that bothered the heck out of me, and it's for that reason I am giving it a 4.5 star, rather than a 5-star review.
If you've not read this series, I suggest that you start at the beginning, because how it began is intrinsic to understanding the main character, Jake Daniels. He and his brother, Colt, as well as their cousins, all of whom have been featured in previous novels in this series, became orphans--all of them losing their respective parents in a plane crash. Ryder, the eldest at the time at age 18, retained custody of his broken-hearted cousins and siblings, and tried his best to raise them. Jake was 17 at the time of the tragedy, and as soon as he was 18, he left home for the rodeo. He became a champion bull rider, and now, at age 34, has retired, and plans to raise horses and work the ranch he bought with his winnings.
During his rodeo days, Jake had one best friend, Cal, short for Callie, and she has problems of her own. While Jake's makeshift family just barely got by, Callie's family was rodeo royalty, living lavishly, with Callie's 6 brothers. Before Callie was born, she had a young sister, Sophie, who was born frail, sickly, and who died very young before Callie was even born. Callie has always felt like a not-quite-good-enough replacement for Sophie, and so she grew up emulating her rough and tumble brothers, eventually also joining the rodeo. Callie has a deep-seated desire to stand out, and it's her intention to become the first female saddle bronc rider, but after a fall from a horse and a broken arm, her father refuses to support her dream. What she does have is a large trust fund, and the only way to get her hands on the money at her current age, is to get married, and who better to ask than her best friend, Jake, which brings me to my only problem with this novel.
Jake doesn't do relationships, doesn't believe in love or marriage, and has had lot of one-night stands with the buckle bunnies who follow the rodeo. He's never spent the entire night with any of them. He knows something about his father that he's never admitted to anyone, and it has left him emotionally scarred and bitter. I was two years younger than Jake when I lost my mother at age 15, and I lost my lifelong best friend at age 38--and neither loss soured me on love or relationships, in fact, it did the opposite. It made me seek out friends and loving relationships to replace the ones I'd lost. For Jake to have remained so embittered, while all of the cousins he grew up with have found the loves of their lives and married since the plane crash, should have proved him wrong about love and relationships, and yet it didn't. I did have a hard time accepting his emotional distance from anyone at all.
When Callie comes to him to ask him for a marriage of convenience so that she can get her hands on her trust fund to support her saddle bronc-riding dreams, and so that he can help teach her what she needs to know about this male-dominated sport, she finally convinces him to agree to it, but as romance readers all know, familiarity leads to a lot more than training to become a saddle bronc rider. The fact that the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are rapidly approaching--family events that they will have to get through convincingly to prove that their no-frills marriage vows are real, makes it even tougher on them both.
Callie's plight for recognition, for some accomplishment that will set her apart from her brothers, and make her parents accept her for who she is simply tugs at your heartstrings, and falling in love with her best friend who doesn't believe in love makes it even harder. Jake's refusal to put the past behind him and finally move forward emotionally had the same effect on this reader.
If you're looking for angst in a friends-to-lovers romance novel, look no further--this one is it. Maisey Yates is an exceptional writer, and in this novel she has created characters so vivid that they will live on in your memory for years. I highly recommend it.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.
If you've not read this series, I suggest that you start at the beginning, because how it began is intrinsic to understanding the main character, Jake Daniels. He and his brother, Colt, as well as their cousins, all of whom have been featured in previous novels in this series, became orphans--all of them losing their respective parents in a plane crash. Ryder, the eldest at the time at age 18, retained custody of his broken-hearted cousins and siblings, and tried his best to raise them. Jake was 17 at the time of the tragedy, and as soon as he was 18, he left home for the rodeo. He became a champion bull rider, and now, at age 34, has retired, and plans to raise horses and work the ranch he bought with his winnings.
During his rodeo days, Jake had one best friend, Cal, short for Callie, and she has problems of her own. While Jake's makeshift family just barely got by, Callie's family was rodeo royalty, living lavishly, with Callie's 6 brothers. Before Callie was born, she had a young sister, Sophie, who was born frail, sickly, and who died very young before Callie was even born. Callie has always felt like a not-quite-good-enough replacement for Sophie, and so she grew up emulating her rough and tumble brothers, eventually also joining the rodeo. Callie has a deep-seated desire to stand out, and it's her intention to become the first female saddle bronc rider, but after a fall from a horse and a broken arm, her father refuses to support her dream. What she does have is a large trust fund, and the only way to get her hands on the money at her current age, is to get married, and who better to ask than her best friend, Jake, which brings me to my only problem with this novel.
Jake doesn't do relationships, doesn't believe in love or marriage, and has had lot of one-night stands with the buckle bunnies who follow the rodeo. He's never spent the entire night with any of them. He knows something about his father that he's never admitted to anyone, and it has left him emotionally scarred and bitter. I was two years younger than Jake when I lost my mother at age 15, and I lost my lifelong best friend at age 38--and neither loss soured me on love or relationships, in fact, it did the opposite. It made me seek out friends and loving relationships to replace the ones I'd lost. For Jake to have remained so embittered, while all of the cousins he grew up with have found the loves of their lives and married since the plane crash, should have proved him wrong about love and relationships, and yet it didn't. I did have a hard time accepting his emotional distance from anyone at all.
When Callie comes to him to ask him for a marriage of convenience so that she can get her hands on her trust fund to support her saddle bronc-riding dreams, and so that he can help teach her what she needs to know about this male-dominated sport, she finally convinces him to agree to it, but as romance readers all know, familiarity leads to a lot more than training to become a saddle bronc rider. The fact that the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are rapidly approaching--family events that they will have to get through convincingly to prove that their no-frills marriage vows are real, makes it even tougher on them both.
Callie's plight for recognition, for some accomplishment that will set her apart from her brothers, and make her parents accept her for who she is simply tugs at your heartstrings, and falling in love with her best friend who doesn't believe in love makes it even harder. Jake's refusal to put the past behind him and finally move forward emotionally had the same effect on this reader.
If you're looking for angst in a friends-to-lovers romance novel, look no further--this one is it. Maisey Yates is an exceptional writer, and in this novel she has created characters so vivid that they will live on in your memory for years. I highly recommend it.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.
December 12, 2021
Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch is the 13th book in the Gold Valley series by Maisey Yates. I have dipped in and out of this series, not reading all the books, but I had no problem enjoying this story. Jake Daniels had retired from the rodeo and is trying to make a living ranching. His old friend, Callie Carson, shows up on his ranch with a proposal. She wants him to train her to ride broncos as her parents have said no. If she gets married, she has access to her trust fund and can do what she wants. Jake has been in love with Callie forever and he is not sure if this is a good idea. He doesn't want to get married at all, let alone a fake marriage to someone he desires. The plan is to get divorced after Christmas, but what happens when their wedding night explodes into a night they won't ever forget.
I enjoy Maisey Yates' writing style and well developed characters. Jake is my favourite character. He is strong, capable, and wears his heart on his sleeve for Callie. He can't say no to her and would do anything to make her happy. Callie is a bit immature. She reminds me of a spoiled child at times, but has a lot of issues to work through based on some family tragedy. Once they realized they were wonderful together, things got steamy. Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch has themes of grief, family trauma, learning to communicate, working through past heartbreak, taking a chance on love, and letting love heal your soul. Although this story is set at Christmas and the wedding is a Christmas Wedding (at town hall), there is not a lot of festive activity. I did like how Jake's family got together for the holidays and how they supported or maybe pushed him a bit. I did enjoy this story and will continue to read more books in this series. I might just read them all eventually.
I enjoy Maisey Yates' writing style and well developed characters. Jake is my favourite character. He is strong, capable, and wears his heart on his sleeve for Callie. He can't say no to her and would do anything to make her happy. Callie is a bit immature. She reminds me of a spoiled child at times, but has a lot of issues to work through based on some family tragedy. Once they realized they were wonderful together, things got steamy. Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch has themes of grief, family trauma, learning to communicate, working through past heartbreak, taking a chance on love, and letting love heal your soul. Although this story is set at Christmas and the wedding is a Christmas Wedding (at town hall), there is not a lot of festive activity. I did like how Jake's family got together for the holidays and how they supported or maybe pushed him a bit. I did enjoy this story and will continue to read more books in this series. I might just read them all eventually.
December 17, 2021
It has been ages since I read my first cowboy romance from this author and I always meant to go back for more especially since I see others really loving on her books. But, it took a mood for a Christmas cowboy romance to get me to snag one and it took me on quite the wild bronco ride.
Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch is the thirteenth in the Gold Valley series, but read fine as a standalone.
As I mentioned, it has been a while for me. I forgot just how emotional a Maisey Yates story could be. Jake is a top rodeo star and could keep at it even longer, but an accident to his close friend, Callie, has him facing some facts and deciding to retire and start running his ranch. Callie isn't just a friend- he loves her. He lost his parents and feels a strong need to protect himself from that degree of loss and pain again. But, his reason for leaving the circuit tracks him down with a bodacious offer. And, it will take all he has in him to accept and then keep to the terms.
Callie has high respect and a deep friendship for her mentor, Jake. She is poised to have all she dreamed about when a mistake costs her a bad injury. Her rodeo star dad decides now he'll take back the reins and this cuts her off from her plan when he cuts off the cash flow. Some quick thinking makes her realize that if she gets married then that releases her waiting trust fun so she goes to Jake to help her once again. It's strictly friends because she's afraid that any real feelings she might have will destroy the beautiful and fun, flirty friendship they have always shared. Funny how the heart won't stay in line when her mind is made up, but she is a tough woman and will fight her feelings right on out of her true happy dreams if she isn't careful.
Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch was not just set during the holiday season, but took it's time across many weeks. This is good because this pair had a lot to unpack and work out within their selves and between them. I do have a tough time with heroines and have to admit that I was not enamored with Callie for much of this story. I get where she's coming from and that she had a right to want what she wants, but I didn't care for the way she ran roughshod over others and refused to consider other perspectives and her stubbornness when it came to Jake was huge. Okay, to be fair, he was doing his fair share of resisting, too. But, I loved Jake, he was a special guy who had some early losses that shaped him and I really did want him to find his happy especially since he'd been secretly in love for a while. Seeing them both grow and learn was what kept me reading when their dithering over the same mental ground had me irritated and appreciating what came at the end as worth it.
I've not read the earlier books in the series, but there are updates with earlier couples and characters for the series fan to appreciate.
All in all, it was a deeply emotional, tough-fought, banter-filled and sexy friends to lovers romance set on a ranch. Made me regret waiting so long between the author's books. Cowboy romance fans who haven't tried the author or the series really need to give it a go.
I rec'd an eARC through NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch is the thirteenth in the Gold Valley series, but read fine as a standalone.
As I mentioned, it has been a while for me. I forgot just how emotional a Maisey Yates story could be. Jake is a top rodeo star and could keep at it even longer, but an accident to his close friend, Callie, has him facing some facts and deciding to retire and start running his ranch. Callie isn't just a friend- he loves her. He lost his parents and feels a strong need to protect himself from that degree of loss and pain again. But, his reason for leaving the circuit tracks him down with a bodacious offer. And, it will take all he has in him to accept and then keep to the terms.
Callie has high respect and a deep friendship for her mentor, Jake. She is poised to have all she dreamed about when a mistake costs her a bad injury. Her rodeo star dad decides now he'll take back the reins and this cuts her off from her plan when he cuts off the cash flow. Some quick thinking makes her realize that if she gets married then that releases her waiting trust fun so she goes to Jake to help her once again. It's strictly friends because she's afraid that any real feelings she might have will destroy the beautiful and fun, flirty friendship they have always shared. Funny how the heart won't stay in line when her mind is made up, but she is a tough woman and will fight her feelings right on out of her true happy dreams if she isn't careful.
Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch was not just set during the holiday season, but took it's time across many weeks. This is good because this pair had a lot to unpack and work out within their selves and between them. I do have a tough time with heroines and have to admit that I was not enamored with Callie for much of this story. I get where she's coming from and that she had a right to want what she wants, but I didn't care for the way she ran roughshod over others and refused to consider other perspectives and her stubbornness when it came to Jake was huge. Okay, to be fair, he was doing his fair share of resisting, too. But, I loved Jake, he was a special guy who had some early losses that shaped him and I really did want him to find his happy especially since he'd been secretly in love for a while. Seeing them both grow and learn was what kept me reading when their dithering over the same mental ground had me irritated and appreciating what came at the end as worth it.
I've not read the earlier books in the series, but there are updates with earlier couples and characters for the series fan to appreciate.
All in all, it was a deeply emotional, tough-fought, banter-filled and sexy friends to lovers romance set on a ranch. Made me regret waiting so long between the author's books. Cowboy romance fans who haven't tried the author or the series really need to give it a go.
I rec'd an eARC through NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2021
4.5 stars
Typical Maisey Yates romance that I love and adore with lots of emotional issues, healing, unrequited love, angst, family, and spicy time. Maisey used my favorite trope of friends to lovers. The trope was doubly good because there was unrequited love, and I absolutely love when those two things are paired together, but in this case it was Jake, who had the unrequited love, which was so obvious it was a wonder Callie didn’t see it. I noticed that with this Daniels family that there was a lot of requited love on the men side between Ryder, Logan,and now Jake.
I loved the conversations that Callie had with her parents it was very heartfelt and healing. I loved her parents in those interactions especially her dad. That metaphor with the filly and stallion he told to Jake was priceless.
I loved Callie and Jake’s first kiss because it just released so many pent up emotions for both of them. It was the first time that Callie realized he wanted her and for who she was, but it also brought a lot of conflict and tension to the story.
The love scenes were really good because they were about connecting intimately in every way. One of my favorite scenes was when they were out looking at the stars, holding and kissing each other that later lead to intense lovemaking. It was such a beautiful intimate moment between them. I just loved all the intimate and special moments they had.
I did feel like the ending was a typical Maisey Yates pattern that she has most of her books so I could predict what was going to happen and who Jake was going to have the big heart to heart with. So, that was a less exciting part of the story for me. I felt like I had seen this scene a hundred times before.
But overall I enjoyed and adored it. It had some of my favorite tropes in it. I loved the healing, growing, and love making both Callie better people. I loved the intimacy both physically and emotionally. It just another great love story between two people that deserved to be healed, loved and have happiness in their lives.
In my eyes, Maisey Yates can do no wrong, and I will always read and enjoy her books especially these family healing journeys with an angst, raw, intimate romance paired with it because they are my favorite.
Typical Maisey Yates romance that I love and adore with lots of emotional issues, healing, unrequited love, angst, family, and spicy time. Maisey used my favorite trope of friends to lovers. The trope was doubly good because there was unrequited love, and I absolutely love when those two things are paired together, but in this case it was Jake, who had the unrequited love, which was so obvious it was a wonder Callie didn’t see it. I noticed that with this Daniels family that there was a lot of requited love on the men side between Ryder, Logan,and now Jake.
I loved the conversations that Callie had with her parents it was very heartfelt and healing. I loved her parents in those interactions especially her dad. That metaphor with the filly and stallion he told to Jake was priceless.
I loved Callie and Jake’s first kiss because it just released so many pent up emotions for both of them. It was the first time that Callie realized he wanted her and for who she was, but it also brought a lot of conflict and tension to the story.
The love scenes were really good because they were about connecting intimately in every way. One of my favorite scenes was when they were out looking at the stars, holding and kissing each other that later lead to intense lovemaking. It was such a beautiful intimate moment between them. I just loved all the intimate and special moments they had.
I did feel like the ending was a typical Maisey Yates pattern that she has most of her books so I could predict what was going to happen and who Jake was going to have the big heart to heart with. So, that was a less exciting part of the story for me. I felt like I had seen this scene a hundred times before.
But overall I enjoyed and adored it. It had some of my favorite tropes in it. I loved the healing, growing, and love making both Callie better people. I loved the intimacy both physically and emotionally. It just another great love story between two people that deserved to be healed, loved and have happiness in their lives.
In my eyes, Maisey Yates can do no wrong, and I will always read and enjoy her books especially these family healing journeys with an angst, raw, intimate romance paired with it because they are my favorite.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2021
Im here for all of the Maisey books, so I don’t even read the synopsis.
I really liked Callie and Jake. They’ve been friends for years and both are stubborn and loyal. I really enjoyed the button pushing and UST between them. Of course it was great to see the other couples and I enjoyed seeing Callie’s brothers.
Plot wise, it was good and also predictable. This entire series has been chock full of angst and emotion and this book was no different. There is a lot more inner monologue than I would have liked, but the last couple of chapters made it all worth it.
Overall, another great addition to this family. I’m excited to read the next one.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
I really liked Callie and Jake. They’ve been friends for years and both are stubborn and loyal. I really enjoyed the button pushing and UST between them. Of course it was great to see the other couples and I enjoyed seeing Callie’s brothers.
Plot wise, it was good and also predictable. This entire series has been chock full of angst and emotion and this book was no different. There is a lot more inner monologue than I would have liked, but the last couple of chapters made it all worth it.
Overall, another great addition to this family. I’m excited to read the next one.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
December 11, 2021
This is friends to something much more story. Jake and Cal (Callie) are long time friends, that both participate in the rodeo circuit. Jake recently retired from the rodeo and returned home, even though he's only in his early 30's. Callie comes to crash with him for a few days and proposes a marriage of convenience so that she can cash in on her trust fund. Without thinking, Jake says yes, not realizing what this would mean and how this might change their relationship. Jake has become notorious of having one night stands, nothing in the form of a relationship. Callie is a few years younger than Jake, and had been so focused on trying to prove herself, that she has zero experience with men.
This was a beautiful story of them both realizing they have feelings for each other and how deep they truly care. After Callie has her money, do they want to call their
This was a beautiful story of them both realizing they have feelings for each other and how deep they truly care. After Callie has her money, do they want to call their
April 2, 2023
I’ve enjoyed every one of these books in this series….Great job Maisey Yates
January 11, 2022
IT'S OVER!! THANK!! GOD!!
November 18, 2021
At her age Callie it was bad enough when her family treated her like a child and as fragile little things but it gets worse when she gets injured doing what she loves. Now her life is being made difficult by money restriction so she can sigh up to continue her dreams of riding saddle bronc so she needs to get ahold of her inheritance. Thats where her friend Jake comes in, he's been supportive of her in every way and now she needs a bit more from him if he's willing to try. Not only to help her get better at her bronc riding but to get married to get ahold of that inheritance that can also help her progress further. Theres so much riding on this, its also the holiday season and it seems romance might be in the air for these two friends.
I mean the whole idea of them getting together for the inheritance and the outcome is overdone and can be cheesy but i found myself myself loving this book anyway. I liked getting to know Jakes past and seeing why he kept trying to have that wall between him and those around him especially with Callie. Then theres Callie who is trying to get out of that gilded cage her family put her in, she with the weight of her family's past grief that it ended up making her family overbearing. She was clearly fighting hard for freedom and it was interesting seeing how this turned out. I loved how supportive Jake was when it came to Callie no really wasn't much of an option, he tried to be there in anyway that he could even when she pushed his buttons. Overall great book I really enjoyed it.
I mean the whole idea of them getting together for the inheritance and the outcome is overdone and can be cheesy but i found myself myself loving this book anyway. I liked getting to know Jakes past and seeing why he kept trying to have that wall between him and those around him especially with Callie. Then theres Callie who is trying to get out of that gilded cage her family put her in, she with the weight of her family's past grief that it ended up making her family overbearing. She was clearly fighting hard for freedom and it was interesting seeing how this turned out. I loved how supportive Jake was when it came to Callie no really wasn't much of an option, he tried to be there in anyway that he could even when she pushed his buttons. Overall great book I really enjoyed it.
November 22, 2021
Reviewed at Happily Ever After Romance
I love returning to the Gold Valley series (world) at any time of the year, but especially around Christmas time. Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch is a delightful, fun, sexy story set around the holidays that delivered absolutely everything I’ve come to expect from this series, and its author, Maisey Yates… and then just a bit more. Callie and Jake’s story touches on so many emotions, on friendship that turns to something more given the right circumstances (or acknowledging what was always there simply unspoken), and the ways that we trick ourselves into sets of rules that really don’t matter in the long run.
Jake left the rodeo circuit after an incident that involved a good friend, and an injury that he somehow blames himself for not preventing. He left at the top, his rodeo family/friends don’t really understand why but Jake is steadfast in his belief that that particular career is behind him and now his ranch is his career. Unfortunately, (depending on your viewpoint) Jake is about to be drawn right back into that world by the very friend he left it in the rearview mirror for. Callie.
Callie’s dream is to break into the male world of saddle bronc riding. She’s good, she’s damned good at what she loves but because of one slip, one mistake, one broken bone she’s been sidelined by her father because of his place of authority in that field, and because of her mentor’s leaving her behind. She’s not about to give up that dream and has come up with a way to show them all that she has what it takes to succeed… it will just involve a bit of help from Jake, and a pretend marriage in order to access her inheritance to fund this dream of hers. She never intended for the marriage to be real for that was a road straight to losing her best friend… but emotions don’t always fall into line as we want them to.
My emotions were all over the place while reading Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch. Hope, joy, despair, anger, and understanding both sides of the ongoing argument that runs through Jake and Callie’s story. Their friendship is solid, it’s real, and it could also be the base that a real marriage is based on if only this couple would take the risks of showing how they really feel toward each other. Their banter, their affection for each other kept me glued to the pages hoping that they’d eventually see the reality of loving one another without losing one single thing that matters to them each. Although she’s stubborn, at times prickly, and always sassy, I respected Callie’s determination to follow her dream. And she learned some valuable life lessons along the way, as did other important people in her life.
We’ll meet up with some familiar faces from Gold Valley this holiday season, which is always a delight. Get a taste of what might be coming next. And enjoy watching a couple work their way through the emotions, the doubts right into each other arms for a forever kind of love. I loved Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch and if you love a solid romance with interesting characters then this one would be perfect for you. I’ll usually suggest reading any series in order, but as the thirteenth story that might be a stretch of time and finances. You could easily read Callie and Jake’s story on its own and not miss a thing for anything important (or people who matter) is explained within the narrative or dialogue. So, go ahead and indulge yourself this Christmas – you just might find a new to you series to follow as well.
I own a Kindle edition of Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch.
I love returning to the Gold Valley series (world) at any time of the year, but especially around Christmas time. Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch is a delightful, fun, sexy story set around the holidays that delivered absolutely everything I’ve come to expect from this series, and its author, Maisey Yates… and then just a bit more. Callie and Jake’s story touches on so many emotions, on friendship that turns to something more given the right circumstances (or acknowledging what was always there simply unspoken), and the ways that we trick ourselves into sets of rules that really don’t matter in the long run.
Jake left the rodeo circuit after an incident that involved a good friend, and an injury that he somehow blames himself for not preventing. He left at the top, his rodeo family/friends don’t really understand why but Jake is steadfast in his belief that that particular career is behind him and now his ranch is his career. Unfortunately, (depending on your viewpoint) Jake is about to be drawn right back into that world by the very friend he left it in the rearview mirror for. Callie.
Callie’s dream is to break into the male world of saddle bronc riding. She’s good, she’s damned good at what she loves but because of one slip, one mistake, one broken bone she’s been sidelined by her father because of his place of authority in that field, and because of her mentor’s leaving her behind. She’s not about to give up that dream and has come up with a way to show them all that she has what it takes to succeed… it will just involve a bit of help from Jake, and a pretend marriage in order to access her inheritance to fund this dream of hers. She never intended for the marriage to be real for that was a road straight to losing her best friend… but emotions don’t always fall into line as we want them to.
My emotions were all over the place while reading Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch. Hope, joy, despair, anger, and understanding both sides of the ongoing argument that runs through Jake and Callie’s story. Their friendship is solid, it’s real, and it could also be the base that a real marriage is based on if only this couple would take the risks of showing how they really feel toward each other. Their banter, their affection for each other kept me glued to the pages hoping that they’d eventually see the reality of loving one another without losing one single thing that matters to them each. Although she’s stubborn, at times prickly, and always sassy, I respected Callie’s determination to follow her dream. And she learned some valuable life lessons along the way, as did other important people in her life.
We’ll meet up with some familiar faces from Gold Valley this holiday season, which is always a delight. Get a taste of what might be coming next. And enjoy watching a couple work their way through the emotions, the doubts right into each other arms for a forever kind of love. I loved Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch and if you love a solid romance with interesting characters then this one would be perfect for you. I’ll usually suggest reading any series in order, but as the thirteenth story that might be a stretch of time and finances. You could easily read Callie and Jake’s story on its own and not miss a thing for anything important (or people who matter) is explained within the narrative or dialogue. So, go ahead and indulge yourself this Christmas – you just might find a new to you series to follow as well.
I own a Kindle edition of Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch.
November 10, 2021
Jake Daniels and Callie Carson have been each others best friend for many years. Both feel that any kind of relationship is not for either of them. Jake feels that anything he gets attached to or loves he ends up losing them. Because of those feelings he pretty much keeps to himself. He is existing just not living.
Callie has four older brothers and had a sister that passed away before she was born. She felt like she was never taken seriously. Her father always was doing things with her brothers and she felt left out, like she was never enough.
Around Thanksgiving Callie went to Jake and made a proposition to him. Jake has feelings for Callie that he has never acted on. They are just best friends and that is the way it has to stay. He made sure, right from the beginning, they absolutely cannot be anything more. He accepts her offer and knows he is going to be tested. But for her he will do anything. Do these best friends stay that way or along the way do feelings come into play? I loved every minute of this book and didn't want it to end.
Callie has four older brothers and had a sister that passed away before she was born. She felt like she was never taken seriously. Her father always was doing things with her brothers and she felt left out, like she was never enough.
Around Thanksgiving Callie went to Jake and made a proposition to him. Jake has feelings for Callie that he has never acted on. They are just best friends and that is the way it has to stay. He made sure, right from the beginning, they absolutely cannot be anything more. He accepts her offer and knows he is going to be tested. But for her he will do anything. Do these best friends stay that way or along the way do feelings come into play? I loved every minute of this book and didn't want it to end.
November 4, 2021
Jake Daniels is a retired bull rider who left the rodeo after his best friend got hurt from a bull. He purchased a ranch and he's moved near his family. That's all he needs and trusts though he is dreading the holiday season. Then his best friend shows up with a proposal that he is surprised to find himself considering.
Callie Carson loves the rodeo but being a female who got hurt created a setback in her plans to ride saddle
bronc. She needs her trust fund to fulfill her dreams and decides to ask her best friend to marry her so she can get her money. Jake agrees to help her achieve her goals, as he had with many things in the past.
But the best friends soon realize there is a difference from being friends to being husband and wife. As the dynamic of their relationship change, each must decide if their marriage is worth holding onto.
This is my first book in this series and I thought it was a good read. I loved Jake's character although Callie rubbed me the wrong way at times. I didn't like her attitude towards her mother. Both Callie and Jake had past hurts that kept them from wanting to fall in love. So it was good to see Callie mature and also Jake open up to his family. I loved his family interactions.
I enjoyed this marriage of convenience trope as well as the best friends falling in love. Thank you #Netgalley and #Harlequin.
Callie Carson loves the rodeo but being a female who got hurt created a setback in her plans to ride saddle
bronc. She needs her trust fund to fulfill her dreams and decides to ask her best friend to marry her so she can get her money. Jake agrees to help her achieve her goals, as he had with many things in the past.
But the best friends soon realize there is a difference from being friends to being husband and wife. As the dynamic of their relationship change, each must decide if their marriage is worth holding onto.
This is my first book in this series and I thought it was a good read. I loved Jake's character although Callie rubbed me the wrong way at times. I didn't like her attitude towards her mother. Both Callie and Jake had past hurts that kept them from wanting to fall in love. So it was good to see Callie mature and also Jake open up to his family. I loved his family interactions.
I enjoyed this marriage of convenience trope as well as the best friends falling in love. Thank you #Netgalley and #Harlequin.
November 1, 2021
Reviewed on behalf of
Verve Romance.
This is one of the two two-fers I read this week and it was exactly what I needed it to be. I've been reading Maisey Yates for a lot of years now and I rely on her brand of romance to give me my cowboy fix on the regular. Hard-bodied ranchers, innocent but tough heroines, families that are imperfect or incomplete or cobbled together by friendship, and a love that always leaves a smile on my face. Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch's Jake and Callie are friends who enter a marriage of convenience so Cal can reach for her dreams. It's a slow starter but once things move to the titular Evergreen Ranch, the tension and push pull between them is electric. Cal's growth over the course of the book is a reward in and of itself, and I look forward to the next resident of Hope Springs ranch finding their true love (cough Colt cough)
Meanwhile, a quick word on the bonus novella, Her First Christmas Cowboy. It's a prequel to the upcoming Four Corners Ranch series and it has old-world charm—back when the West was still wild—and a fun storyline. I raced through it, easy to read as it was, and was left completely satisfied by the final page. I'll definitely be picking up this series when it launches next year.
This is one of the two two-fers I read this week and it was exactly what I needed it to be. I've been reading Maisey Yates for a lot of years now and I rely on her brand of romance to give me my cowboy fix on the regular. Hard-bodied ranchers, innocent but tough heroines, families that are imperfect or incomplete or cobbled together by friendship, and a love that always leaves a smile on my face. Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch's Jake and Callie are friends who enter a marriage of convenience so Cal can reach for her dreams. It's a slow starter but once things move to the titular Evergreen Ranch, the tension and push pull between them is electric. Cal's growth over the course of the book is a reward in and of itself, and I look forward to the next resident of Hope Springs ranch finding their true love (cough Colt cough)
Meanwhile, a quick word on the bonus novella, Her First Christmas Cowboy. It's a prequel to the upcoming Four Corners Ranch series and it has old-world charm—back when the West was still wild—and a fun storyline. I raced through it, easy to read as it was, and was left completely satisfied by the final page. I'll definitely be picking up this series when it launches next year.
February 9, 2022
This book is SERIOUSLY PROBLEMATIC!
I genuinely cannot believe I am the first person to bring this up. This book is about GROOMING.
And not the brushing down your horse kind of grooming.
Look at the details:
- Callie is 24. Jake is in his mid-thirties.
- Jake is Callie's coach and mentor.
- They have been "best friends" for 8 years - ie: since she was a teenager.
** Just stop and think about how incredibly inappropriate it is for a grown man to be "best friends" with a teenage girl, even without the added dynamic of being her mentor and therefore an authority figure.**
- The first words out her father's mouth when she announces they are married are "Tell me nothing happened when you were sixteen"!!!
- Callie has clearly led an incredibly sheltered life, given her first ever kiss happens (with Jake) about a third of the way through the book.
-Jake, meanwhile, is shown to be very experienced with women, having screwed his way through many of the (seemingly disposable) women on the rodeo circuit.
- Callie believes that Jake is the only man she can ever trust, the only person who has always been there for her.
- A lot of the initial kissing between them takes place when he is angry with her and using intimacy as a form of punishment or to prove a point.
- Later in the book, Jake takes Callie's virginity after she cannot bear the idea of even kissing a man who isn't Jake.
I could keep going ,but suffice to say, there are a huge number of red flags
This story isn't romantic or sexy, it's flat out creepy and inappropriate.
I genuinely cannot believe I am the first person to bring this up. This book is about GROOMING.
And not the brushing down your horse kind of grooming.
Look at the details:
- Callie is 24. Jake is in his mid-thirties.
- Jake is Callie's coach and mentor.
- They have been "best friends" for 8 years - ie: since she was a teenager.
** Just stop and think about how incredibly inappropriate it is for a grown man to be "best friends" with a teenage girl, even without the added dynamic of being her mentor and therefore an authority figure.**
- The first words out her father's mouth when she announces they are married are "Tell me nothing happened when you were sixteen"!!!
- Callie has clearly led an incredibly sheltered life, given her first ever kiss happens (with Jake) about a third of the way through the book.
-Jake, meanwhile, is shown to be very experienced with women, having screwed his way through many of the (seemingly disposable) women on the rodeo circuit.
- Callie believes that Jake is the only man she can ever trust, the only person who has always been there for her.
- A lot of the initial kissing between them takes place when he is angry with her and using intimacy as a form of punishment or to prove a point.
- Later in the book, Jake takes Callie's virginity after she cannot bear the idea of even kissing a man who isn't Jake.
I could keep going ,but suffice to say, there are a huge number of red flags
This story isn't romantic or sexy, it's flat out creepy and inappropriate.
October 18, 2021
Emotionally-charged friends-to-lovers!
Callie needs a favor and her best friend, Jake, is the only one she can count on. Jake sure wasn't counting on Cal needing a husband, especially when he's been doing so well at considering her one of the guys, at least until she was injured and his panic caused him to realize things about himself he just couldn't accept.
What starts as a simple marriage of convenience between friends quickly explodes in passion. Each one of these stories about the orphaned Daniels family breaks my heart all over again, and this one is no exception. There's a lot of wisdom along the journey as both Jake and Callie face their demons and realize just what their friendship has been all about, all along.
I really enjoyed getting to see Jake's family again and visit with the couples we've read about before. I also loved the dynamics of Callie's family and hope that the author will revisit Evergreen Ranch again in future books.
If you've read any of the earlier books, from West and Pansy to Iris and Griffin, then you absolutely don't want to miss this one. The heartwarming HEA was a joy to read, and the one-year-later epilogue was the icing on the cake. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Callie needs a favor and her best friend, Jake, is the only one she can count on. Jake sure wasn't counting on Cal needing a husband, especially when he's been doing so well at considering her one of the guys, at least until she was injured and his panic caused him to realize things about himself he just couldn't accept.
What starts as a simple marriage of convenience between friends quickly explodes in passion. Each one of these stories about the orphaned Daniels family breaks my heart all over again, and this one is no exception. There's a lot of wisdom along the journey as both Jake and Callie face their demons and realize just what their friendship has been all about, all along.
I really enjoyed getting to see Jake's family again and visit with the couples we've read about before. I also loved the dynamics of Callie's family and hope that the author will revisit Evergreen Ranch again in future books.
If you've read any of the earlier books, from West and Pansy to Iris and Griffin, then you absolutely don't want to miss this one. The heartwarming HEA was a joy to read, and the one-year-later epilogue was the icing on the cake. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
October 17, 2021
Rodeo Christmas at the Evergreen Ranch by Maisey Yates is the thirteenth book in the Gold Valley Series. This book introduces us to the cousins of the Daniel’s clan that left the ranching life and struck out on the rodeo circuit. Jake was a bull rider until he couldn’t face the demons any longer. His best pal, Cal, has asked to come out and join him for the holiday and he agrees. It is at this point, that we find out Cal is really Callie and that their is going to be serious heat between the two of them.
Callie has a plan to be a bronc rider, however a few things stand in her way. The fact she is a woman is the one hardest to deal with. Not because she can not handle the task, but because of the old school expectations of a woman in that sport and the extra monetary needs. So She needs to be married to get her inheritance so she can follow her dream. Callie wants to marry Jake.
The storyline does not go the way either of them think it will and Jake and Callie are thrown together - close together. The closeness morphs into - yup - you know. From there the storyline brings you on a journey with both people trying to reach their dreams. Rodeo Christmas at the Evergreen Ranch by Maisey Yates was a good read.
Callie has a plan to be a bronc rider, however a few things stand in her way. The fact she is a woman is the one hardest to deal with. Not because she can not handle the task, but because of the old school expectations of a woman in that sport and the extra monetary needs. So She needs to be married to get her inheritance so she can follow her dream. Callie wants to marry Jake.
The storyline does not go the way either of them think it will and Jake and Callie are thrown together - close together. The closeness morphs into - yup - you know. From there the storyline brings you on a journey with both people trying to reach their dreams. Rodeo Christmas at the Evergreen Ranch by Maisey Yates was a good read.
October 30, 2021
4 1/2 STARS!
Reconnecting with this Gold Valley fam is always a delight! Jack Daniels is attention grabbing enough to have me hooked from the start, but once his feisty BFF Callie shows up, all bets are off and I'm rooting for her to get her man! Great characters, heartfelt emotional healing and a sweet happily ever after.
Jake has always been one of the quieter ones of the bunch when we got together with the gang at Hope Springs Ranch, but he's settling in and doing things on his term now that he's leaving the rodeo and seeing him with Cal just shows the torch he's carrying.
Callie adores Jake and knows he will help her continue her rodeo career ... even if it means something as crazy as marrying her so she can get access to her trust fund!
I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a small town romance with a sexy cowboy surrounding by a rambunctious family who stand by each other through thick and thin.
Reconnecting with this Gold Valley fam is always a delight! Jack Daniels is attention grabbing enough to have me hooked from the start, but once his feisty BFF Callie shows up, all bets are off and I'm rooting for her to get her man! Great characters, heartfelt emotional healing and a sweet happily ever after.
Jake has always been one of the quieter ones of the bunch when we got together with the gang at Hope Springs Ranch, but he's settling in and doing things on his term now that he's leaving the rodeo and seeing him with Cal just shows the torch he's carrying.
Callie adores Jake and knows he will help her continue her rodeo career ... even if it means something as crazy as marrying her so she can get access to her trust fund!
I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a small town romance with a sexy cowboy surrounding by a rambunctious family who stand by each other through thick and thin.
January 30, 2025
Once again Maisey Yates takes you on a journey, that involves so many emotions, you aren't sure just what you should feel. You just keep reading, wanting more. This book had so much more then just a love story, it takes a journey of trying to deal with things in the past you had no control of. It shows what happens to children/teens effects their life for a long time until they deal with the issue. I felt so many emotions while reading this book, and did wonder if what I was thinking and feeling would be resolved by the end of the book.
October 29, 2021
Love and forgiveness
Loved this story about family loss, grieving and finding loss. Jake had lost his parents, uncle and aunt as a young boy and had had a hard time coming to grips with the situation. As soon as he was eighteen he left for the rodeo. Then meeting up with Callie, who also has demons of her own to resolve, they become an unlikely pair only to find their happily ever after
Loved this story about family loss, grieving and finding loss. Jake had lost his parents, uncle and aunt as a young boy and had had a hard time coming to grips with the situation. As soon as he was eighteen he left for the rodeo. Then meeting up with Callie, who also has demons of her own to resolve, they become an unlikely pair only to find their happily ever after
March 10, 2022
I didn't like it, was not a fan of how much of a tomboy the heroine was. I also didn't like how much of a manwhore the hero was (seriously a new bucklebunny every night?? How does he not have a illegitimate baby or an STD??? He most likely slept with the same women as his brother since they had a don't ask policy when it came to women). It just wasn't a fun read, both characters were so depressing and didn't have much fun between them. Np.
December 16, 2021
At the ranch...
It was so fun reading about Jake and Callie. Being from the Northeast USA I did not know much about the rodeo and it was fun to read and learn.
I also liked the second story about Jake (a different Jake) and Tala. I love to see good prevail.
It was so fun reading about Jake and Callie. Being from the Northeast USA I did not know much about the rodeo and it was fun to read and learn.
I also liked the second story about Jake (a different Jake) and Tala. I love to see good prevail.
December 20, 2021
Maisey Yates wrote intense, emotional, amazing, fake dating best friends to lovers, marriage of convenience story in Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch, book thirteen in her Gold Valley series. Jake Daniels is a retired bull rider who left the rodeo after his best friend got hurt from a bull. He purchased a ranch and he's moved near his family. That's all he needs and trusts, though he is dreading the holiday season. Then his best friend shows up with a proposal that he is surprised to find himself considering. Callie Carson’s dream is to break into the male world of saddle bronc riding. She’s good at what she loves, but because of one slip, one mistake, one broken bone, she’s been sidelined by her father because of his place of authority in the rodeo world, and because of her mentor’s leaving her behind. She’s not about to give up that dream and has come up with a way to show them all that she has what it takes to succeed, it just involves a bit of help from Jake; a pretend marriage with her best friend in order to access her inheritance to fund this dream of hers. Jake agrees to help her achieve her goals, as he had with many things in the past. She never intended for the marriage to be real for that was a road straight to losing her best friend, but emotions don’t always fall into line as we want them to. Soon the best friends realize there is a difference going from being friends to being husband and wife. As the dynamic of their relationship change, each must decide if their marriage is worth holding onto.
Callie and Jake’s story touches on so many emotions, hope, joy, despair, anger, and understanding. This is a friendship that can turn into something more, especially given the right circumstances, or rather recognizing what was always there, but simply unsaid; the ways that we trick ourselves into sets of rules that really don’t matter in the long run. Many familiar faces from previous Gold Valley stories about the Daniels family appear during this wonderful holiday story. Also, enjoy watching a couple as they struggle through emotions, doubts, and right into each other arms; finding their forever kind of love. I totally enjoyed Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch and highly recommend it to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Callie and Jake’s story touches on so many emotions, hope, joy, despair, anger, and understanding. This is a friendship that can turn into something more, especially given the right circumstances, or rather recognizing what was always there, but simply unsaid; the ways that we trick ourselves into sets of rules that really don’t matter in the long run. Many familiar faces from previous Gold Valley stories about the Daniels family appear during this wonderful holiday story. Also, enjoy watching a couple as they struggle through emotions, doubts, and right into each other arms; finding their forever kind of love. I totally enjoyed Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch and highly recommend it to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
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