Just in Time for Christmas

Spikes & Spurs #3

by Carolyn Brown

New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown's Southern twang and inimitable sass shine through in this romantic second-chance story.

Footloose Liz Hanson has finally come home to Ringgold, Texas with a hankering to settle down. All she wants for Christmas is a house of her own-and the man of her dreams. The house was easy. Now she's got her sights set on her teen crush in the form of Raylen O'Donnell, who is now her extremely attractive next door neighbor, to make her Christmas dreams come true...

Perfect for fans of:
Sweet and sexy, emotional love stories
Fresh starts and second chances
A Southern small-town setting come to life
Characters that jump off the page

Previously published as Darn Good Cowboy Christmas.

Genres: Romance, Christmas, Westerns, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Western Romance, Holiday

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Hi! I'm twenty five years old and movie star gorgeous. The camera added thirty plus years and a few wrinkles. Can't trust those cameras or mirrors either. Along with bathroom scales they are notorious liars! Honestly, I am the mother of three fantastic grown children who've made me laugh and given me more story ideas than I could ever write. My husband, Charles, is my strongest supporter and my best friend. He's even willing to eat fast food and help with the laundry while I finish one more chapter! Life is good and I am blessed!

Reading has been a passion since I was five years old and figured out those were words on book pages. As soon as my chubby little fingers found they could put words on a Big Chief tablet with a fat pencil, I was on my way. Writing joined reading in my list of passions. I will read anything from the back of the Cheerio's box to Faulkner and love every bit of it. In addition to reading I enjoy cooking, my family and the ocean. I love the Florida beaches. Listening to the ocean waves puts my writing brain into high gear.

I love writing romance because it's about emotions and relationships. Human nature hasn't changed a bit since Eve coveted the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Settings change. Plots change. Names change. Times change. But love is love and men and women have been falling in and out of it forever. Romance is about emotions: love, hate, anger, laughter... all of it. If I can make you laugh until your sides ache or grab a tissue then I've touched your emotions and accomplished what every writer sets out to do.

I got serious about writing when my third child was born and had her days and nights mixed up. I had to stay up all night anyway and it was very quiet so I invested in a spiral back notebook and sharpened a few pencils. The story that emerged has never sold but it's brought in enough rejection slips to put the Redwood Forest on the endangered list. In 1997 Kensington bought two books for their Precious Gems line. Two years and six books later the line died with only four of those books seeing publication. But by then Avalon had bought a book and another, and another. Ten years later the list has grown to thirty nine. Last year Sourcebooks bought the Lucky Series which is in the bookstores now. They've also bought The Honky Tonk Series which will debut with I LOVE THIS BAR in June and will be followed by HELL, YEAH, MY GIVE A DAMN'S BUSTED, and HONKY TONK CHRISTMAS.

Folks ask me where I get my ideas. Three kids, fifteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren. Note: I was a very young grandmother! Life is a zoo around here when they all come home. In one Sunday afternoon there's enough ideas to keep me writing for years and years. Seriously, ideas pop up at the craziest times. When one sinks its roots into my mind, I have no choice but to write the story. And while I'm writing the characters peek over my shoulder and make sure I'm telling it right and not exaggerating too much. Pesky little devils, they are!

I have a wonderful agent, Erin Niumata, who continues to work magic and sell my work. I'm very lucky to have her and my editors who continue to believe in me.

Happy reading!

Reviews

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING 3.5 STARS

Just in Time for Christmas is book three in the Spikes & Spurs series by Carolyn Brown. This book was previously published under the name Darn Good Cowboy Christmas. This can easily be read as a stand alone. I have not read either of the previous books and had no issue at all.

Lizelle Hanson grew up in a traveling carnival. It’s the only life she has ever known. She’s had a good life surrounded by people she loves but unlike everyone else, Liz has always dreamed of living in a house without wheels, a real home, and putting down roots. Along with that house she dreams of sharing that home with a real cowboy. There is one specifically she dreams of, a boy she fell in love with while visiting her Uncle when she was a teenager. The boy who lives on the neighboring ranch to her Uncle’s place. For all she knows, though, he could be married with a bunch of kids by now!

Raylen O’Donnell is the middle son of the O’Donnell family and has lived his entire life on his family’s ranch in Ringgold, Texas. It’s the only life he has ever known and the only life he ever wants. Raylen has never forgotten that sassy teenager that visited her uncle years ago and can’t believe she’s actually coming back to live on her uncle’s ranch. Will she even remember him after all these years?

Raylen knows nothing of the life Liz has led up until now. And Liz is under constant pressure from her family to return to her carnie life. They don’t believe that she will be truly happy living in one place for the rest of her life. As soon as Raylen and Liz see each other, though, as soon as they touch, there is an electric spark between them, a connection neither has ever felt before. But Raylen also has hopes of owning the very same ranch Liz has moved on to so is his interest in her purely to gain the ranch? And what if her family is right, what if she gets bored of this life?

If I had to choose one word to describe this book, whimsical comes to mind. It was cute and sweet and I enjoyed getting to know the families of these two. But, in a way, the story came off as a bit childish to me. I enjoyed it enough to want to see how it ended but it wasn’t one of my favorites of this author.

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of my romance guilty pleasures is a delightful cowboy read. It's a type of book that I don't see around too often in my town's bookstores, but man... when I find one... I'm a sucker. Carolyn Brown is one of my favourites for the genre, so I was delighted to be able to pick up another book by her!

Darn Good Cowboy Christmas is not my favourite Carolyn Brown book. It's obvious from the writing that it's one of her earlier books and I can easily see how much she's grown over the years. There wasn't much of a plot for this book and the lead character felt very whiny. All she wanted was a relationship and for me, I just couldn't get into it. Carolyn's later books have strong female leads who you can relate to. I just didn't bond with this lead or book at all. It was a nice read, but I struggled through it. I wanted a little more plot!

Regardless, it was nice to be able to pick up an older book by Carolyn Brown to see how much her writing has changed over the years. While I won't be continuing with her earlier books, you can bet your booty I'll be grabbing all of the later ones!

One out of five stars.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had zero plot, but I guess it was still entertaining enough to finish reading it🤠

[P.A. Lupton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darn Good Cowboy Christmas was chosen for me as part of a reading challenge. I think the biggest compliment I can give the book is it’s not bad. That being said, it’s not especially great either. It’s a fast, light read, but forgettable.

Mostly, I found the book a little too easy. The heroine wants a cowboy and house without wheels for Christmas and they both fall right into her lap. She meets Raylen’s sister, who doesn’t really like her, but then when her best friend shows up and he falls for the sister everything is honkey dory there. Raylen’s best friend hates Liz too. What bothered me about this is the best friend was a total bitch but Raylen seemed to like her. He accepted when she was rude and nasty to the heroine. That would bother me if I was dating someone and he sat back and allowed his friends to treat me like crap. Also, he knew that his best friend wanted to end up married to him yet continued their friendship. All the way along she is horrible to Liz until Liz gives her some advice. She takes the advice and ends up married to someone else and all of a sudden likes Liz—again problem solved. It just seemed like whatever problem they had was resolved way too easily.

Also, the relationship felt like it developed fast to me. They were in bed together within a week, they declared their love within 2 weeks, and they both seemed to magically know they wanted forever with the other person. What’s worse, they acted like an old married couple within a month. There is a point where Liz watches her best friend falling in love and makes reference to missing that initial rush of love. I was thinking to myself, how can you miss it? It was just last month.

I know that seemed a little negative, but despite all the stuff I said above it’s not a bad book. It kept me entertained for a few hours. I don’t think I’d rush out tell people to read it, but I wouldn’t say don’t read it either. It just sort of fell in the middle for me.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Just in Time for Christmas is the 3rd book in the Spikes & Spurs series, this was a great standalone story that I really enjoyed. Liz Hanson and her family have owned and worked the carnival circuit for generations. She is a belly dancer and fortune teller, following in her mother's footsteps. She loves the life, but has always wanted roots. When she is offered her uncle's home on his 20 acres in Ringgold, Texas, which will be permanent if she chooses to stay until after the carny season ends, she jumps at the chance. The first person she meets is Raylen O'Donnell, her teen crush who is now her extremely attractive next door neighbor. She knows that settling down with Raylen will be her dream come true, but is he available? Were those teenage feelings real?

This was a fun, southern, romance set between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The O'Donnell family does Halloween up well, with a huge party, dancing and food. Liz is recruited to help out and the chemistry between her and Raylen was palpable. She gets a job working in his sister's café, and spends a lot of time with the family. Her uncle was a lover of Christmas and has all kinds of decorations, which Liz and others use to decorate her place like the Griswalds. I loved all the characters in this story. There is one unhappy woman who tries to get Raylen's attention and is not very nice to Liz, but once she reads her cards, palm and the crystal ball, they begin to understand one another. This was a sweet, Christmas read, with lots of family and community love along with the love that develops between Raylen and Liz. A story that is exactly what I have grown to love from Carolyn Brown. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw and she does a lovely job with the voices and emotion of the story. If you are looking for a sweet, Christmas romance, then I recommend you pick this one up.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I can relate to Liz on this one... I FREAKING LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!



I had to laugh because here I am reading it in September because I want Christmas to come sooner and she was pulling out Christomas decorations around Halloween!!



Awesome book in the Spikes and Spurs series. I knew I would love it and I did. Sexy cowboys, horses, hot sex... What's not to love!!!



Liz's Christmas list:
1. House without wheels
2. Sexy cowboy
3. Oh yeah, and to make her house look like the Griswald's, LOL



Does he qualify for the sexy cowboy? I think Raylen was a nice hunk of fictional man. Solid and steady. Mmmmmmmm.

[Lori (on hiatus, life is crazy busy)) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lizelle Hanson has been raised her whole life in a traveling carnival that her mother and aunt own. When her uncle leaves her his ranch and a huge barn full of Christmas decoration's, she sees this as an opportunity to finally plant her roots. Plus she gets to live next door to her childhood crush Raylen O'Donnell! Little does Liz know that Raylen has had the same feelings and can't wait for her to arrive! Sparks fly, Liz and the O'Donnell's help her set her ranch up to put shame to the Grizwald's Christmas! This was a great story with great secondary character's. I had so much fun reading this book! Carolyn Brown knows how to draw you in and make you feel like these character's are your best friends!

[Rachel-RN · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series for it's light humor. Glad that Colleen gets her HEA in this one too. A favorite quote: "graveyard dead." An annoyance: calling lunch dinner. ie: "I meant to run up to the cafe for dinner..." (it closes at 2pm). Book takes place in Texas, southern thing?

[Wminbc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving it so far...Raylen has always been one of my favorites...the youngest brother to Rye and the most secretive/aloof!

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED IT!!!!! Review to come...

[Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun -- Liz grrew up in a carney environment and wants a home without wheels and a cowboy for Christmas. It was good.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this series

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read story featuring two people who knew each other as children.

[Marisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yay, now I never need to read another cowboy romance.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, but not as much as others by Carolyn Brown. It kept me interested and I wanted to know what happened between the main families. It's a sweet story.

[Jeanette · Rating 1 out of 5]

No plot. One dimensional characters. Not really very good at all. I see now that it is part of a series so maybe I missed something from the first two books. It didn’t really feel that way. It just didn’t seem to have much of a story and the characters had no substance.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lizelle Hanson is a 'carnie' but all she wants for Christmas is a house that doesn't have wheels and a hot cowboy. So when her uncle Haskell offers her his house and twenty acres she jumps at it. When she makes up her mind that she is going to set down roots then he will give it to her. She is really pleased when she arrives at the house and who should greet her but Raylen O'Donnell. He was taking care of Haskell's dog and cat until Liz arrived.

Liz and Raylen knew each other back when they were young teenagers. Each made an impression on the other but then time got in the way. Now they are back in each others life and the electricity between them is off the charts. Pick up Darn Good Cowboy Christmas and follow these two on their journey to a happy ever after. It is not as easy as you might think. There is alot of insecurity on both their parts. I enjoyed every minute of this book and was sad for it to end.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew! I normally don't read many cowboy type romance novels but I will read the ones by Carolyn Brown. You can practically feel the heat between the protagonists leaping off the pages as you read. I also love the hometown feel of this book. I really liked Liz and feel that Raylen's character fell a little short though. I usually like to read in the morning during my coffee but I was so immersed in the book that my coffee had grown cold and I had to get a fresh cup.

[Yasmin Vasquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit

This series is excellent, this book is an excellent third. Liz and Raylen make a perfect couple. It was a sweet romantic book. I love the way Raylen showed Liz that he loved her!

[Heather Dreier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite book of hers.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every year since she was a child, Liz, who grew up a carnie as her family has owned and worked an itinerant carnival for generations, has said when asked what she wants for Christmas: Christmas lights on a house without wheels and a cowboy in tight-fittin’ jeans and boots. This year, at 25, her dream of a home without wheels comes true as she moves into her uncle's house in Ringgold, TX. And possibly so does her dream of that cowboy as she is met at the door by the grown-up version of her young girl crush: the boy on the ranch next door.

It talks a lot about making choices and carving one's own path despite expectations of family. This was charming and fun, introducing characters that no doubt get their own stories in the series. There is heat, chemistry, and plenty of Christmas.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raylen O'Donnell is one smokin' cowboy. He could have any woman he wants, but he's never been able to forget a certain dark-haired girl who disappeared from his life. So when she suddenly returns to the ranch next door, Raylen's not fixing to let her get away again.

And she's out for a sizzlin' Christmas...

Raised in a traveling carnival, Lizelle Hanson thought all she wanted was a house that didn't have wheels and a sexy cowboy for her very own. But when settling down's going to take some getting used to, and catching Raylen, the hotter-than-hell cowboy next door, might just take a little holiday magic

[Moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed Liz and Raylen's story. She read fortunes and belly danced in carnivals but her Texas roots shined through. When her uncle leaves her his house and 20 acres if land she leaves s the Carrie life to settle down next to her childhood love. But can he get over his fear of her missing the travel and fun on the road? Can she realize setting down roots in a small Texas town working with horses and a handsome cowboy by her side , provide contentment? You'll want to read this 5 star read to find out!

[Dione Hanke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book about Texas, horse farms, cowboys, carnival life and lots of love.

I ride and train horses so I loved the parts of the story about horses. I knew nothing about carnivals and so that part of the book was interesting. Being in a carnival was a lot like being in school but the months were different. Work hard part of the year and rest, repair and prepare the other months.

The story was good and I love happy ending around Christmas time.

[Pam]

Such a fun series. I am loving the characters and family dynamics as well as the inventive story lines. These characters feel like your best friends and you are cheering for them all the way. Can't wait to finish this series as well as the Burnt Boot ones. Fun and easy read, great for this time of year!

[nadia ( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛) · Rating 1 out of 5]

popsugar reading challenge #28:
no chemistry, all cringe, and so so painful to read. it’s literally all dialogue from every single character mentioned. also, there’s a weird obsession with the main character being romani…or at least some caricature of it. i think they only used that as a plot point just so she could belly dance.

[Catherine Petry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just in Time for Christmas

Another great story by Carolyn Brown. I enjoy reading about real Texas towns as I just moved back to Texas. I was born and raised in Corpus Christi before spending many years in Southern California. I also love all the Texas phrases that Carolyn includes in her stories as they help me get back to my roots.

[Marlene Scholfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about a “carni” person looking to set up roots.. only she her uncle Haskell is the only person who thinks she is ready for something like this.. her uncle has left his 20 acres to her if she will come and stay.. but Blaze (her best friend) and her mom think she will get bored and want to come back… but she has a surprise for them all.. cute Christmas love story with a cut ending.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always liked anything that I have read by Carolyn Brown including the Spikes and Spurs series. The series is about three city girls who trade in their high powered lives for cowboy boots & move to the country town of Red River. Once they are in Red River they seem to also be attracted to hot cowboys. Who can't love a good cowboy romance.

[Mary Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars

Excellent, as usual, Mrs Brown! This is such a fun Christmas read. Full of sassy women and their macho Texas men. It makes me homesick for my Texas roots!
What else can I say? Other than if it is by Carolyn Brown, it's always worth spending a visit down in Texas! I highly recommended this book. It is a great way to kick off your Holiday reading.

[JoAnn M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liz has been a carnie with her family all her life. Her uncle has given her a home in Texas, where she spent a summer as a young teen, at that time falling for the boy from the ranch next door. When the family carnival comes to town, will her new roots, boyfriend and friends keep her in the community, or will her old life call her back?