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Jasper Creek #4
The Comeback Cowboy
They may not have been friends when they were younger but now, they’ll work together to save the camp that saved them and, maybe, even find love in the process…
The alumni of Camp Phoenix, a summer program for at-risk youth, went their separate ways, but now they’ve been called back to help the camp reopen for a new crop of kids. Now successful adults, the four women pledge to restore the grounds to their former glory, if long-standing rivalries and old flames don’t get in the way first…
Bree White fought hard to get away from her criminal family and all of the reminders of her past until Sheriff Flint Decker brings all those feelings back and more. Attorney Violet Cook owes her life to Camp Phoenix and is determined to save the camp…but who’s going to save her from the temptation of long-time crush US Marshal Lincoln Traeger? Kinley Parker never left Camp Phoenix, dedicating her life to it, and has no time for pushy cowboys like Jackson Hart until butting heads leads to sparks. The daughter of the camp’s founder. Clementine McClain has always wanted to follow in her law-abiding father’s footsteps, but her father’s protégé and former bad boy Duke Cody has her breaking all the rules.
The alumni of Camp Phoenix, a summer program for at-risk youth, went their separate ways, but now they’ve been called back to help the camp reopen for a new crop of kids. Now successful adults, the four women pledge to restore the grounds to their former glory, if long-standing rivalries and old flames don’t get in the way first…
Bree White fought hard to get away from her criminal family and all of the reminders of her past until Sheriff Flint Decker brings all those feelings back and more. Attorney Violet Cook owes her life to Camp Phoenix and is determined to save the camp…but who’s going to save her from the temptation of long-time crush US Marshal Lincoln Traeger? Kinley Parker never left Camp Phoenix, dedicating her life to it, and has no time for pushy cowboys like Jackson Hart until butting heads leads to sparks. The daughter of the camp’s founder. Clementine McClain has always wanted to follow in her law-abiding father’s footsteps, but her father’s protégé and former bad boy Duke Cody has her breaking all the rules.
426 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 25, 2023
24 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Maisey Yates
1,164 books3,003 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 38 reviews
March 28, 2023
3.5 stars
~~~~~~~~~~
I like the format of this book. It was interesting and reminds me of larger anthologies I’ve read in the past.
This one started off great with getting to know the four guys and the four girls which each will eventually break off into their own story and romance.
This first book laid out the overall story and plot, and then we were drawn into the romance portion. Personalities are definitely in play here. Each of the characters has detailed personalities that blend or clash with the others. They offer strengths and weaknesses that are vital to the outcome of the stories. The romantic connections between the guys and other lead characters are dependent on their personalities and play a strong part in the plot.
Each of the authors has offered twists to their story but each also has a recurring theme that runs throughout the book. The individual stories are fun and a bit heated in the romance department. It is funny how you connect with particular characters just through a turn of a phrase and description. I definitely had my favorites and not-so-favorites.
Overall, The Comeback Cowboy offers a great summer read with well-developed characters, personal growth, developing friendships, and steamy encounters. Fun and different.
* copy received for review consideration
* Full review - https://amidlifewife.com/the-comeback...
~~~~~~~~~~
I like the format of this book. It was interesting and reminds me of larger anthologies I’ve read in the past.
This one started off great with getting to know the four guys and the four girls which each will eventually break off into their own story and romance.
This first book laid out the overall story and plot, and then we were drawn into the romance portion. Personalities are definitely in play here. Each of the characters has detailed personalities that blend or clash with the others. They offer strengths and weaknesses that are vital to the outcome of the stories. The romantic connections between the guys and other lead characters are dependent on their personalities and play a strong part in the plot.
Each of the authors has offered twists to their story but each also has a recurring theme that runs throughout the book. The individual stories are fun and a bit heated in the romance department. It is funny how you connect with particular characters just through a turn of a phrase and description. I definitely had my favorites and not-so-favorites.
Overall, The Comeback Cowboy offers a great summer read with well-developed characters, personal growth, developing friendships, and steamy encounters. Fun and different.
* copy received for review consideration
* Full review - https://amidlifewife.com/the-comeback...
May 1, 2023
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating 3.5
Four individual couples and their stories all centered around Camp Phoenix. A camp for at risks kids, helping them to have purpose and avoid juvenile incarceration.
The prologue takes place 10 years past. It establishes the story line of each characters personality and a little of their history. We get a brief understanding of what the camp does and is doing for each of them.
Fast forward 10 years and the camp has been out of commission for a few years. One of the individuals purchases it and wants to make it relevant again. He reaches out to the others and asks for their assistance to get it up and running. This is the starting point when we delve into each hero and heroines pairing, who they are as adults and watch them fall in love.
Each author has a heroine and they write a more in-depth storyline on their trajectory since their time at Camp Phoenix. We see more of their backstory of their youth and how they have made something of their lives in part because of the camp. Each individual is unique and the pairing is fun and sweet to watch. Love their HEA and the friendships that developed over the years.
Each other did a nice job of interweaving the past and present into their characters and the friendships as well. It was fairly smooth transition and read.
Rating 3.5
Four individual couples and their stories all centered around Camp Phoenix. A camp for at risks kids, helping them to have purpose and avoid juvenile incarceration.
The prologue takes place 10 years past. It establishes the story line of each characters personality and a little of their history. We get a brief understanding of what the camp does and is doing for each of them.
Fast forward 10 years and the camp has been out of commission for a few years. One of the individuals purchases it and wants to make it relevant again. He reaches out to the others and asks for their assistance to get it up and running. This is the starting point when we delve into each hero and heroines pairing, who they are as adults and watch them fall in love.
Each author has a heroine and they write a more in-depth storyline on their trajectory since their time at Camp Phoenix. We see more of their backstory of their youth and how they have made something of their lives in part because of the camp. Each individual is unique and the pairing is fun and sweet to watch. Love their HEA and the friendships that developed over the years.
Each other did a nice job of interweaving the past and present into their characters and the friendships as well. It was fairly smooth transition and read.
April 21, 2023
4.25
Another tale in Jasper Creek, this time Grandma June’s house is nowhere in sight. Instead, this story takes place at an old summer camp that used to help at-risk youth. While it’s been out of commission for a few years, one of the people it helped in the past decided to purchase the camp and start it back up. He needs help fixing things up, more help than his three best friends can contribute.
There is a prologue taking place 10 years previous that does a good job of showing us each character very briefly. For some of them, it’s their first time at Camp Phoenix, for others they have attended for years and are now counselors. Ten years later they are all upstanding citizens hoping to help give kids the same leg up they received…and trying not to fall in love.
The One with the Hat by Jackie Ashenden
Something that stuck out to me throughout this story is that there is never an explanation given as to how these adult people can take this time off of work. Especially since the MMC in this story is the sheriff while characters that will also have their stories told in this book are also law officers under him. Who’s minding the store??? We’ll see if it’s ever addressed in the other stories.
Bree and Flint have amazing chemistry. It’s almost funny how she has attempted to avoid Flint for the last couple of years, since establishing herself in Jasper Creek, while he is vexed as to why she is so blatant in her avoidance of him. These two both grew up around Jasper Creek and were sent to Camp Phoenix by its now-deceased owner, the previous sheriff. When Flint was a rookie cop he caught Bree shoplifting and that is her reason for keeping her distance, she’s ashamed. She doesn’t realize Flint also had some delinquency in his past and he would never judge her for trying to feed herself.
Although it can be said Bree’s upbringing was much less stable than Flint’s, there is a defining event in his past that keeps him from promising anything more than one night with her. Of course, one night turns into two turns into three, etc. Yet Flint still has blinders on as to what love is and that he is worthy of love and respect. I found their journey to be lovely and touching. ~ 4.5 stars
The One with the Locket by Caitlin Crews
When they attended camp, Lincoln and Violet did not live in the Jasper Creek area. They were both lucky enough to have people care enough to tell them about the camp and suggest they apply for scholarships. Lincoln went on to become a US Marshall while Violet is an attorney helping underprivileged kids. Violet has always had a thing for Lincoln, ever since her first summer at Camp Phoenix when she was 15 and he was a camp counselor. Violet has never wanted to “need” anyone. She knows that every time anyone shows interest in her, they want something from her, so she keeps everyone at arm’s length. So when she first sees Lincoln she decides on sight she hates him and has kept that hatred going for 10 years. Lincoln, having been older, was unaware of Violet’s hatred (crush). He cannot understand her animosity when they have to work together to revitalize a very important part of the camp.
These two are a lot of fun. Lincoln with his laidback demeanor hiding the hunter inside. Violet who just does not know how to turn down any sort of challenge, even to her detriment. When that tight leash they’ve been holding on their attraction finally snaps, the chase than ensues is sensational. I’m really glad the author lets us see the softer side of Violet without compromising her backbone of Adamantium. ~ 4 stars
The One with the Bullhorn by Nicole Helm
This story packs an emotional punch. Kinley is amazingly insightful, she’s always taking in everything around her. In that way, she’s much like Jackson. They don’t miss anything. Unless it has to do with themselves. Kinley has such extremely low self-esteem it’s painful to hear her inner thoughts. What I love about how she is written is that she knows when she’s spiraling. She knows when she’s letting intrusive thoughts get in the way of living her life. She’s had enough therapy to know the signs and give great advice to her friends. She just cannot seem to make the tricks she learned work for her.
It’s a bit of a surprise how tender Jackson is with Kinley, especially once he realizes the depths of her insecurities. I knew he was a good person, but didn’t know if he’d be able to muster the warm gooeyness needed. He can, but only with Kinley. These two are a beautiful thing. ~ 5 stars
The One with the Trophy by Maisey Yates
Clementine always attended Camp Phoenix along with all the other troubled kids, only she wasn’t in trouble or even at risk of getting in trouble. Her dad, the sheriff at the time, was the owner and ran the camp. Therefore Clementine always felt like she was on the outside looking in. The other kids didn’t trust her and, although she participated in the activities, she kept herself to the outside since she didn’t want to take anything away from those that needed help. On top of that, her mom took off when she was a baby and her dad wasn’t so great at dealing with a young girl. He was loving and tried his best, but Clementine never felt she could be her true self since it made her dad uncomfortable. Now he’s gone, she’s part of the police department with other (older) previous attendees, and she’s no closer to knowing her true self. (Side note: the running of the local sheriff’s office and these characters being away so much at the camp were finally addressed in this last story.)
Duke has always looked up to the former sheriff and knows his life would have turned out much differently without his guidance. No matter how much Duke tells himself Clementine is like a little sister to him, he knows that’s not true deep down. But he promised the sheriff he’d watch out for Clementine and doesn’t feel he’s doing that if he gives into his heart.
While there are a lot of awkward yet funny scenes with these two, they definitely have a connection. I’m happy they got together but was also annoyed by this author, yet again, reverting to making her MFC a virgin. There’s nothing wrong with a 20 or even 30-something character being a virgin, but I swear I cannot remember the last time I read a book by this author that didn’t have a virginal main character. I have to be fair and say if I hadn’t read such a large swath of this writer’s library and know how this has crept into her writing only recently, but persistently, I probably wouldn’t have been bothered by it at all. Especially since it led to some cute/comical misunderstandings. ~ 3.5 stars
Summary: Overall, this book was full of chemistry and fun. Friendships were forged and the authors did a wonderful job of showing us those connections in the few pages they each had in their novellas. This book can absolutely be read without having to read the others in the series as they don’t tie into life at Camp Phoenix.
Overall Rating = 4.25 stars
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
Another tale in Jasper Creek, this time Grandma June’s house is nowhere in sight. Instead, this story takes place at an old summer camp that used to help at-risk youth. While it’s been out of commission for a few years, one of the people it helped in the past decided to purchase the camp and start it back up. He needs help fixing things up, more help than his three best friends can contribute.
There is a prologue taking place 10 years previous that does a good job of showing us each character very briefly. For some of them, it’s their first time at Camp Phoenix, for others they have attended for years and are now counselors. Ten years later they are all upstanding citizens hoping to help give kids the same leg up they received…and trying not to fall in love.
The One with the Hat by Jackie Ashenden
Something that stuck out to me throughout this story is that there is never an explanation given as to how these adult people can take this time off of work. Especially since the MMC in this story is the sheriff while characters that will also have their stories told in this book are also law officers under him. Who’s minding the store??? We’ll see if it’s ever addressed in the other stories.
Bree and Flint have amazing chemistry. It’s almost funny how she has attempted to avoid Flint for the last couple of years, since establishing herself in Jasper Creek, while he is vexed as to why she is so blatant in her avoidance of him. These two both grew up around Jasper Creek and were sent to Camp Phoenix by its now-deceased owner, the previous sheriff. When Flint was a rookie cop he caught Bree shoplifting and that is her reason for keeping her distance, she’s ashamed. She doesn’t realize Flint also had some delinquency in his past and he would never judge her for trying to feed herself.
Although it can be said Bree’s upbringing was much less stable than Flint’s, there is a defining event in his past that keeps him from promising anything more than one night with her. Of course, one night turns into two turns into three, etc. Yet Flint still has blinders on as to what love is and that he is worthy of love and respect. I found their journey to be lovely and touching. ~ 4.5 stars
The One with the Locket by Caitlin Crews
When they attended camp, Lincoln and Violet did not live in the Jasper Creek area. They were both lucky enough to have people care enough to tell them about the camp and suggest they apply for scholarships. Lincoln went on to become a US Marshall while Violet is an attorney helping underprivileged kids. Violet has always had a thing for Lincoln, ever since her first summer at Camp Phoenix when she was 15 and he was a camp counselor. Violet has never wanted to “need” anyone. She knows that every time anyone shows interest in her, they want something from her, so she keeps everyone at arm’s length. So when she first sees Lincoln she decides on sight she hates him and has kept that hatred going for 10 years. Lincoln, having been older, was unaware of Violet’s hatred (crush). He cannot understand her animosity when they have to work together to revitalize a very important part of the camp.
These two are a lot of fun. Lincoln with his laidback demeanor hiding the hunter inside. Violet who just does not know how to turn down any sort of challenge, even to her detriment. When that tight leash they’ve been holding on their attraction finally snaps, the chase than ensues is sensational. I’m really glad the author lets us see the softer side of Violet without compromising her backbone of Adamantium. ~ 4 stars
The One with the Bullhorn by Nicole Helm
This story packs an emotional punch. Kinley is amazingly insightful, she’s always taking in everything around her. In that way, she’s much like Jackson. They don’t miss anything. Unless it has to do with themselves. Kinley has such extremely low self-esteem it’s painful to hear her inner thoughts. What I love about how she is written is that she knows when she’s spiraling. She knows when she’s letting intrusive thoughts get in the way of living her life. She’s had enough therapy to know the signs and give great advice to her friends. She just cannot seem to make the tricks she learned work for her.
It’s a bit of a surprise how tender Jackson is with Kinley, especially once he realizes the depths of her insecurities. I knew he was a good person, but didn’t know if he’d be able to muster the warm gooeyness needed. He can, but only with Kinley. These two are a beautiful thing. ~ 5 stars
The One with the Trophy by Maisey Yates
Clementine always attended Camp Phoenix along with all the other troubled kids, only she wasn’t in trouble or even at risk of getting in trouble. Her dad, the sheriff at the time, was the owner and ran the camp. Therefore Clementine always felt like she was on the outside looking in. The other kids didn’t trust her and, although she participated in the activities, she kept herself to the outside since she didn’t want to take anything away from those that needed help. On top of that, her mom took off when she was a baby and her dad wasn’t so great at dealing with a young girl. He was loving and tried his best, but Clementine never felt she could be her true self since it made her dad uncomfortable. Now he’s gone, she’s part of the police department with other (older) previous attendees, and she’s no closer to knowing her true self. (Side note: the running of the local sheriff’s office and these characters being away so much at the camp were finally addressed in this last story.)
Duke has always looked up to the former sheriff and knows his life would have turned out much differently without his guidance. No matter how much Duke tells himself Clementine is like a little sister to him, he knows that’s not true deep down. But he promised the sheriff he’d watch out for Clementine and doesn’t feel he’s doing that if he gives into his heart.
While there are a lot of awkward yet funny scenes with these two, they definitely have a connection. I’m happy they got together but was also annoyed by this author, yet again, reverting to making her MFC a virgin. There’s nothing wrong with a 20 or even 30-something character being a virgin, but I swear I cannot remember the last time I read a book by this author that didn’t have a virginal main character. I have to be fair and say if I hadn’t read such a large swath of this writer’s library and know how this has crept into her writing only recently, but persistently, I probably wouldn’t have been bothered by it at all. Especially since it led to some cute/comical misunderstandings. ~ 3.5 stars
Summary: Overall, this book was full of chemistry and fun. Friendships were forged and the authors did a wonderful job of showing us those connections in the few pages they each had in their novellas. This book can absolutely be read without having to read the others in the series as they don’t tie into life at Camp Phoenix.
Overall Rating = 4.25 stars
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
May 24, 2023
Four stories set at a camp for teens dealing with issues that could send them down the road of crime and possible imprisonment. The four male leads, all now in law enforcement, were all campers at one time and graduated to counsellors, the four women were also campers who made something of themselves. Great stories all. What always surprises me is that four different authors with four different styles each write one of these four stories that all go well together. The prologue takes the reader back ten years when the four women were teens and all attending Camp Phoenix for the summer, the men were all counsellors and the pride of founder, Sheriff Bill McClain. I enjoyed all four of the stories, but I have to say that my favourite was The One with the Hat by Jackie Ashenden. Perhaps it was because it was the first story, or because it set the stage for the rest of the book, but Bree's and Flint's story was fantastic. Bree White is a successful, local Real Estate Agent, and Flint Decker is the local sheriff. Flint was the one that caught Bree stealing ten years earlier and she wants nothing to do with him. When they are assigned to the same job, getting camp sponsors, there is a lot of sizzle and sass. Stealing his hat to prove a point, has them acting on some of those feelings. I am not going to share details of all four stories, but I will say they all had some chemistry and varying levels of steam, but none of them were too bad. There was an element of enemies to lovers to three of the stories and a co-workers trope in the last one. For novellas, the characters were all well written, even showing continuity across the four stories. I loved that the women, who were frenemies at camp, became friends during the refurbishing of the camp and even helped each other in their exploits. Each of the stories involves the women trying to steal something from the men and there was definitely some humor there. With a lot of banter, soul searching and the backstories sharing how they overcame poverty, neglect, family issues and bad choices, this anthology was a winner for me.
April 19, 2023
The Comeback Cowboy by Maisey Yates, Caitlin Crews, Jackie Ashenden, and Nicole Helm, book four in their Jasper Creek series, is a wonderful, connected compilation of stories that turned enemies into cohorts and friends, crushes into love, and were all filled with laughter, tears, some heat, and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and the positive difference a place like Camp Phoenix can make.
Camp Phoenix was a summer camp for at-risk children to attend rather than ending up in juvenile incarceration, or expelled from school. Owned and operated by the sheriff of Jasper Creek, Oregon, Bill McClain, he helped these young people turn their lives around. Bill died several years ago, and four men, all now in law enforcement, and who became friends years earlier while attending the camp, have bought the camp; which is now in need of repairs, and a lot of TLC. They are planning to reopen it for the summer. The guys enlisted the aid of four girls, former campers who returned for their own reasons, to help renovate and revive the campgrounds before the campers arrive. Oh what an interesting summer it's going to be for Flint, Lincoln, Jackson, Duke, Bree, Violet, Kinley, and Clementine as we get to see how the camp influenced their decisions and how they find love and friendship.
Each author has taken the story of one of the women connecting with one of the men; sharing it and showing how they are all connected to each other. Each story can be read individually, but reading the stories in order helps with the flow and you get to revisit the other characters in each story. Each author shares where each person came from and what brings them back. We see how these women have fared since they left the camp as teenagers and how far they have come from that angry girl who may have followed a different path had they not ended up at Camp Phoenix. Each of these novellas are wrapped up in a truly charming epilogue, and what these four authors have created is a joyous, magical, funny, charming, and touching homage to sisterhood, womanhood, family and friends, and I cannot recommend The Comeback Cowboy highly enough and excitedly look forward to their next collaboration.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Camp Phoenix was a summer camp for at-risk children to attend rather than ending up in juvenile incarceration, or expelled from school. Owned and operated by the sheriff of Jasper Creek, Oregon, Bill McClain, he helped these young people turn their lives around. Bill died several years ago, and four men, all now in law enforcement, and who became friends years earlier while attending the camp, have bought the camp; which is now in need of repairs, and a lot of TLC. They are planning to reopen it for the summer. The guys enlisted the aid of four girls, former campers who returned for their own reasons, to help renovate and revive the campgrounds before the campers arrive. Oh what an interesting summer it's going to be for Flint, Lincoln, Jackson, Duke, Bree, Violet, Kinley, and Clementine as we get to see how the camp influenced their decisions and how they find love and friendship.
Each author has taken the story of one of the women connecting with one of the men; sharing it and showing how they are all connected to each other. Each story can be read individually, but reading the stories in order helps with the flow and you get to revisit the other characters in each story. Each author shares where each person came from and what brings them back. We see how these women have fared since they left the camp as teenagers and how far they have come from that angry girl who may have followed a different path had they not ended up at Camp Phoenix. Each of these novellas are wrapped up in a truly charming epilogue, and what these four authors have created is a joyous, magical, funny, charming, and touching homage to sisterhood, womanhood, family and friends, and I cannot recommend The Comeback Cowboy highly enough and excitedly look forward to their next collaboration.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
June 4, 2023
2.5 stars
I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review
They'd come from places where people didn't care, not on the regular, and Camp Phoenix had shown them they were worth something.
The Comeback Cowboy was an anthology with a cool concept of having four different authors continue the story of the same characters, giving each couple a starring role. I thought this would give four different perspectives and vibes to each couple but set in the same world, instead it delivered a whole lot of sameness. The men are all tall with “barely reaching” shoulder height women and except for one couple where it was reversed, the guys are the ones wanting to keep it to just open door bedroom scenes and fearing love. All of the men work/ed in law enforcement, along with one woman, but the stories were too short to really delve into that, they are all just “protective”. The setting is a camp that they all spent time at as teenagers, it's a juvenile retreat to try and help teens change their life path, and after the death of their mentor, Bill McClain, one of the former campers buys it and asks/guilt trips for volunteers to get it back running. Until the last story though, the camp setting wasn't really felt by me and I was kind of disappointed in that aspect. If you were looking for a certain kind of vibe, short, not deep, men scared of love, teenage crushes finally getting fulfilled, then each story had these notes. I was looking for different perspectives and instead got same one after the other.
The One With the Hat by Jackie Ashenden 2 stars
Flint Decker. Sheriff Flint Decker and his stupid hat.
This story had the added responsibility of introducing all the characters, setting, and the whos and whys of everyone. When Bree was fourteen, Officer Flint Decker took her in for stealing food, she says arrested but he really took her to Sheriff Bill McClain, who sent her to Camp Phoenix. Flint was twenty at the time and while Bree had a crush on him, he obviously never felt anything. I started to get a little “ok, enough” over how many times it was brought up how she was fourteen and his “arresting” her, it started to feel a little nothankyou, I wanted a focus on here and now. He remembers her and when Bree moved back to town (Jasper Creek, this is #4 in the city named series) he gets up in his feels how she ignores him. All our characters, well, except for one, come from families of neglect or crooks, providing the issues our characters have to work to deal with or overcome. Bree has worked to become a real estate agent and distant herself from her no account brothers but still has some problem with authority and feeling ashamed of how Flint first met her. Flint is the new Sheriff and feels he has to always be setting an example, his self-righteousness ruffles Bree's feathers.
“Am I getting to you, wildcat?” he murmured as she got in, his deep voice sending the most delicious chills right down her spine.
With the crushes going on, there was also our four heroines bunking in a cabin together and starting off a bit cool and adversarial to each other. They start to bond as they come up with the plan for Bree to steal Flint's hat to teach him a lesson. It's a theme that runs through the whole book, each heroine trying to steal something from their hero. It was at turns cute and immature, most of the heroines had an immature feel to them while most of the heroes were production line tough, stoic. When Bree goes to steal Flint's hat the attraction flairs and it kicks off a bedroom relationship. We seem to miss all the good bonding as it's said weeks go by of them continuing their bedroom antics. It comes to ahead as Bree wants more and Flint has to get over his issues for the eventual happily ever after.
The One With the Locket by Caitlin Crews 2.5 stars
Lincoln Traeger was not easily riled.
As Bree and Flint's relationship is getting settled, Violet and Lincoln move into frame. Lincoln is a calm, cool, U.S. Marshal and Violet an argumentative lawyer. As with the other couples, for forced proximity trope, they get paired up and are supposed to clean up the campgrounds chapel. Violet had a crush on Lincoln when they were at camp, she, 15 and he 19, and now grown up, she's still annoyed that she can't wind him around her little finger like she does all other men. It forces her to want to be seen for other than looks but also be scared to be liked or disliked for who she really is. Lincoln catches on to this about her and after he kisses her when she says she only thinks of him as a brother, he then ignores her. This prompts Violet to want to steal a locket of his to prove that she really does hate him to her bunkmates, who she's growing closer to.
This man was trouble. There was no getting around it.
As with the first, Violet gets caught stealing and it ends with Lincoln and her hitting the bedroom scenes. This did the same thing where all the time they spend together is basically skipped and I was left not seeing or feeling the emotional developments between these two. These two had logistics issues with some of Violet's emotional (Lincoln seemed to just accept the seriousness between them right away??), Violet lives across the country. This has Lincoln just boldly stating that Violet needs to quit her job and move to him. There's a tiny little background on Violet wanting a change in life but it was side-eyeing how comfortable Lincoln was with only saying she should move to him and not ever a consideration for the reverse. This one had a little more enjoyable heat to it for me but, again, lacked the emotional depth and Violet just expected to upheaval her life was meh.
The One With the Bullhorn by Nicole Helm 2 stars
Because Kinley was not a rash, belligerent person. She was shy. She liked to hide and be left to her own devices.
But when she was mad...well.
Jackson Hart better watch out.
Jackson is the leader of the camp and putting his whole energy behind it because he's been forced to retire from the DEA, he has leg damage after being shot and trying to run into a burning building to save his partner. Kinley has always been a wallflower and after only feeling like she could belong at camp, she moved to Jasper Creek years ago but has felt stagnated. Jackson hires her on as the camp's cook but his militant attitude has her destructive tendencies flaring, she used to act out to try and get attention from her parents, and mixed with the crush she's had on him, it has her agreeing to steal his beloved bullhorn. Except he catches her and she blindly snatches up his cane he sometimes uses for his limp. Jackson decides to teach her a teasing lesson and, you guessed it, it leads to them starting up the bedroom antics.
No one had ever treated her like this. Like she might be precious, or someone to be careful with. She found herself wanting to cry and hold on to him forever.
Kinley was a character that had probably the deepest hurt, she has a burn scar from an ex now in jail, and frequently talked about therapy but the shorter page count had her issues getting rushed through. She's also the one who was afraid and running away when Jackson told her he was all in. Jackson was a pretty stoic guy, some little flashes of lighter personality, I never felt like we got a look behind his brick wall, but he did feel the most mature of all the characters. I would have liked a better look at the guys' friendship in his story as he's the one who brought them all together, we really only get quick mentions of poker night and a few short conversations here and there in the short stories, the women's friendship gave more of a growth thread. Jackson's calm, steadiness eventually has Kinley feeling deserving of his love, but while the words were said on paper, I'm not sure I felt their romance.
The One With the Trophy by Maisey Yates 3 stars
He worried about her, and he shouldn't. He worried about her, and it made her feel special. He worried about her, and she wished he wouldn't.
And she wished he would.
Forever.
This was my favorite of the anthology, Clementine, the daughter of Sheriff Bill, she spent her summers at the camp. As she wasn't forced or sent there because she wasn't a juvenile delinquent, she always felt like an outsider and then growing up without a mother, while her father loved her, he never seemed to know what to do with a little girl, she has also always felt like an outsider with women. Working now as a deputy with Flint and Duke, another of her father's proteges, she always tried to hide her feelings for Duke. Being ten years older than Clementine, Duke has always tried to watch out for her as his mentor's daughter but the last few months have had him seeing her in a different light. He's trying to say she's like a sister to him but when he overhears her tell the other women that she's going to lose her virginity tonight, his emotions are all over the place.
He kept imagining it. Some guy kissing her. Putting his hands on her.
Clementine was really talking about losing her thief virginity and stealing his MVP football trophy from highschool but when he catches her and alludes to attraction to her, Clementine decides to take her chance. This had more of that emotional feelings I was looking for and had some light laughter with heat. Duke was still missing some fully formed character feel but Clementine came out stronger with working out her issues and growing from someone who felt they had to hide their emotions and feeling like an outsider. I also thought their prior friendship helped me believe in their romance more. This did follow the same old, same old trend of the anthology of having the guy scared to trust in love and move it from casual with the woman declaring her love first and saying she wanted more. Duke does get over his parental hang-ups and they get a happily ever after.
This also wraps-up the Camp Phoenix setting with the camp welcoming in a new generation of juveniles that need help. This didn't have much of a camp setting and while it seems at least two of the guys wear cowboy hats and own ranch/land, there really wasn't a western feel that the cover looked like to promise. But, again, if you're looking for the particular vibes I mentioned, those pretty much get repeated in all four stories.
I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review
They'd come from places where people didn't care, not on the regular, and Camp Phoenix had shown them they were worth something.
The Comeback Cowboy was an anthology with a cool concept of having four different authors continue the story of the same characters, giving each couple a starring role. I thought this would give four different perspectives and vibes to each couple but set in the same world, instead it delivered a whole lot of sameness. The men are all tall with “barely reaching” shoulder height women and except for one couple where it was reversed, the guys are the ones wanting to keep it to just open door bedroom scenes and fearing love. All of the men work/ed in law enforcement, along with one woman, but the stories were too short to really delve into that, they are all just “protective”. The setting is a camp that they all spent time at as teenagers, it's a juvenile retreat to try and help teens change their life path, and after the death of their mentor, Bill McClain, one of the former campers buys it and asks/guilt trips for volunteers to get it back running. Until the last story though, the camp setting wasn't really felt by me and I was kind of disappointed in that aspect. If you were looking for a certain kind of vibe, short, not deep, men scared of love, teenage crushes finally getting fulfilled, then each story had these notes. I was looking for different perspectives and instead got same one after the other.
The One With the Hat by Jackie Ashenden 2 stars
Flint Decker. Sheriff Flint Decker and his stupid hat.
This story had the added responsibility of introducing all the characters, setting, and the whos and whys of everyone. When Bree was fourteen, Officer Flint Decker took her in for stealing food, she says arrested but he really took her to Sheriff Bill McClain, who sent her to Camp Phoenix. Flint was twenty at the time and while Bree had a crush on him, he obviously never felt anything. I started to get a little “ok, enough” over how many times it was brought up how she was fourteen and his “arresting” her, it started to feel a little nothankyou, I wanted a focus on here and now. He remembers her and when Bree moved back to town (Jasper Creek, this is #4 in the city named series) he gets up in his feels how she ignores him. All our characters, well, except for one, come from families of neglect or crooks, providing the issues our characters have to work to deal with or overcome. Bree has worked to become a real estate agent and distant herself from her no account brothers but still has some problem with authority and feeling ashamed of how Flint first met her. Flint is the new Sheriff and feels he has to always be setting an example, his self-righteousness ruffles Bree's feathers.
“Am I getting to you, wildcat?” he murmured as she got in, his deep voice sending the most delicious chills right down her spine.
With the crushes going on, there was also our four heroines bunking in a cabin together and starting off a bit cool and adversarial to each other. They start to bond as they come up with the plan for Bree to steal Flint's hat to teach him a lesson. It's a theme that runs through the whole book, each heroine trying to steal something from their hero. It was at turns cute and immature, most of the heroines had an immature feel to them while most of the heroes were production line tough, stoic. When Bree goes to steal Flint's hat the attraction flairs and it kicks off a bedroom relationship. We seem to miss all the good bonding as it's said weeks go by of them continuing their bedroom antics. It comes to ahead as Bree wants more and Flint has to get over his issues for the eventual happily ever after.
The One With the Locket by Caitlin Crews 2.5 stars
Lincoln Traeger was not easily riled.
As Bree and Flint's relationship is getting settled, Violet and Lincoln move into frame. Lincoln is a calm, cool, U.S. Marshal and Violet an argumentative lawyer. As with the other couples, for forced proximity trope, they get paired up and are supposed to clean up the campgrounds chapel. Violet had a crush on Lincoln when they were at camp, she, 15 and he 19, and now grown up, she's still annoyed that she can't wind him around her little finger like she does all other men. It forces her to want to be seen for other than looks but also be scared to be liked or disliked for who she really is. Lincoln catches on to this about her and after he kisses her when she says she only thinks of him as a brother, he then ignores her. This prompts Violet to want to steal a locket of his to prove that she really does hate him to her bunkmates, who she's growing closer to.
This man was trouble. There was no getting around it.
As with the first, Violet gets caught stealing and it ends with Lincoln and her hitting the bedroom scenes. This did the same thing where all the time they spend together is basically skipped and I was left not seeing or feeling the emotional developments between these two. These two had logistics issues with some of Violet's emotional (Lincoln seemed to just accept the seriousness between them right away??), Violet lives across the country. This has Lincoln just boldly stating that Violet needs to quit her job and move to him. There's a tiny little background on Violet wanting a change in life but it was side-eyeing how comfortable Lincoln was with only saying she should move to him and not ever a consideration for the reverse. This one had a little more enjoyable heat to it for me but, again, lacked the emotional depth and Violet just expected to upheaval her life was meh.
The One With the Bullhorn by Nicole Helm 2 stars
Because Kinley was not a rash, belligerent person. She was shy. She liked to hide and be left to her own devices.
But when she was mad...well.
Jackson Hart better watch out.
Jackson is the leader of the camp and putting his whole energy behind it because he's been forced to retire from the DEA, he has leg damage after being shot and trying to run into a burning building to save his partner. Kinley has always been a wallflower and after only feeling like she could belong at camp, she moved to Jasper Creek years ago but has felt stagnated. Jackson hires her on as the camp's cook but his militant attitude has her destructive tendencies flaring, she used to act out to try and get attention from her parents, and mixed with the crush she's had on him, it has her agreeing to steal his beloved bullhorn. Except he catches her and she blindly snatches up his cane he sometimes uses for his limp. Jackson decides to teach her a teasing lesson and, you guessed it, it leads to them starting up the bedroom antics.
No one had ever treated her like this. Like she might be precious, or someone to be careful with. She found herself wanting to cry and hold on to him forever.
Kinley was a character that had probably the deepest hurt, she has a burn scar from an ex now in jail, and frequently talked about therapy but the shorter page count had her issues getting rushed through. She's also the one who was afraid and running away when Jackson told her he was all in. Jackson was a pretty stoic guy, some little flashes of lighter personality, I never felt like we got a look behind his brick wall, but he did feel the most mature of all the characters. I would have liked a better look at the guys' friendship in his story as he's the one who brought them all together, we really only get quick mentions of poker night and a few short conversations here and there in the short stories, the women's friendship gave more of a growth thread. Jackson's calm, steadiness eventually has Kinley feeling deserving of his love, but while the words were said on paper, I'm not sure I felt their romance.
The One With the Trophy by Maisey Yates 3 stars
He worried about her, and he shouldn't. He worried about her, and it made her feel special. He worried about her, and she wished he wouldn't.
And she wished he would.
Forever.
This was my favorite of the anthology, Clementine, the daughter of Sheriff Bill, she spent her summers at the camp. As she wasn't forced or sent there because she wasn't a juvenile delinquent, she always felt like an outsider and then growing up without a mother, while her father loved her, he never seemed to know what to do with a little girl, she has also always felt like an outsider with women. Working now as a deputy with Flint and Duke, another of her father's proteges, she always tried to hide her feelings for Duke. Being ten years older than Clementine, Duke has always tried to watch out for her as his mentor's daughter but the last few months have had him seeing her in a different light. He's trying to say she's like a sister to him but when he overhears her tell the other women that she's going to lose her virginity tonight, his emotions are all over the place.
He kept imagining it. Some guy kissing her. Putting his hands on her.
Clementine was really talking about losing her thief virginity and stealing his MVP football trophy from highschool but when he catches her and alludes to attraction to her, Clementine decides to take her chance. This had more of that emotional feelings I was looking for and had some light laughter with heat. Duke was still missing some fully formed character feel but Clementine came out stronger with working out her issues and growing from someone who felt they had to hide their emotions and feeling like an outsider. I also thought their prior friendship helped me believe in their romance more. This did follow the same old, same old trend of the anthology of having the guy scared to trust in love and move it from casual with the woman declaring her love first and saying she wanted more. Duke does get over his parental hang-ups and they get a happily ever after.
This also wraps-up the Camp Phoenix setting with the camp welcoming in a new generation of juveniles that need help. This didn't have much of a camp setting and while it seems at least two of the guys wear cowboy hats and own ranch/land, there really wasn't a western feel that the cover looked like to promise. But, again, if you're looking for the particular vibes I mentioned, those pretty much get repeated in all four stories.
March 18, 2023
This was really good. I loved how the stories kept continuing after each other. The characters were the type you can relate to. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.
March 4, 2023
Those associated with Camp Phoenix, a summer camp for at-risk children, have come back to revive the camp. We have four women who have returned to the camp for their own reasons. We meet Bree, Violet, Kinley, Clementine, Flint, Lincoln, Jackson, and Duke. Each has a history with the camp and how it changed their lives. We get to see how the camp influenced their decisions and how they find love and friendship.
Each author has taken the story of each woman and shared it with us so they are all connected to each other. They can be read individually, but reading the stories in order helps with the flow and you get to revisit the other characters in each story. Each author shares where each character has come from and what brings them back. We see how these women have fared since they left the camp as teenagers and how far they have come from that angry girl who may have followed a different path had they not ended up at Camp Phoenix.
I have read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, HQN for this privilege.
Each author has taken the story of each woman and shared it with us so they are all connected to each other. They can be read individually, but reading the stories in order helps with the flow and you get to revisit the other characters in each story. Each author shares where each character has come from and what brings them back. We see how these women have fared since they left the camp as teenagers and how far they have come from that angry girl who may have followed a different path had they not ended up at Camp Phoenix.
I have read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, HQN for this privilege.
April 28, 2023
The image of the phoenix is a powerful one, a being of flame, rising from the ashes of its previous self. That’s the image that Sheriff Bill McClain of Jasper Creek invoked when he built Phoenix Camp. He made the camp into a place where teens who were heading down bad roads would have a chance to take a breath in a safe place and look hard at their past selves and, with support and understanding, choose to rise from their own ashes.
When The Comeback Cowboy opens, Bill has passed and the camp has been neglected for years. It’s going to take time, money and more than a bit of elbow grease to bring the place back from its own ashes.
Just as both McClain and the camp he created once helped its alumni pick up their pieces and move on, so now it’s their turn to bring the place that helped them back so that Camp Phoenix can help a new generation of kids who need it as much as they did.
So there’s not just one “comeback cowboy” in this book, there are four; Flint, Lincoln, Jackson and Duke. All are now in their early 30s, and they all “graduated” from the school of hard knocks but, thanks to McClain, found a better path than their lives had originally intended them for. Jackson Hart, forced to retire from the DEA after a career-ending injury, now owns the old camp. And he’s determined to turn it back into the saving place it once was – and to save himself as well.
His friends all come back to help him with the many, many dirty jobs that will be needed to make that happen. And he coaxes, persuades, orders, whatever, a group of the successful women who once walked that same misguided path that he and his friends did. Women who owe their success to Bill McClain and Camp Phoenix every bit as much as those comeback cowboys do.
The story in The Comeback Cowboy is the story of putting, not the band – because this bunch was never all that together – but the camp back together. It’s about restoring the place and the traditions that made them each what they became.
A restoration that takes place in the background as the four women; Bree, Violet, Kinley and Clementine – who all hated and envied each other as teenagers – bond into a sisterhood that surprises them all. And find the love that none of them ever thought they would have or deserve – after the pasts they all share.
Escape Rating A-: The Comeback Cowboy is both one story and four stories at the same time. It’s about what the camp meant to them in the past, and what they hope it will mean to others in the future. It’s about giving back and not giving up.
And its four romances – all taking place at the same time and in the same place. But each of them just a bit different in spite of those similarities.
Bree and Flint’s romance is absolutely enemies-to-lovers. It’s hard to think of a situation that would create more enmity in the past – as well as embarrassment in the present – than their original not-cute-at-all meeting. When Bree was 14, and Flint was a newly fledged police officer, he arrested Bree for shoplifting. Instead of booking her he brought her to McClain which led to the camp which put her on the path to a much brighter future.
But she’s never forgotten and is not too sure she’s forgiven either. Falling in love with the man who arrested her was NOT in Bree’s plans. Stealing his hat, on the other hand, sparks off something special.
Each of the women ‘steals’ something from one of the men. An important something, like Flint’s hat. Or an annoying something, like Jackson’s ever-present and frequently squawking bullhorn. As love languages go, it’s certainly different.
At the same time it’s emblematic of who these people are and what parts of their lives they still need to re-think before they are ready for their own future. In other words, each of them needs to rise up like the phoenix one more time, and those so-important items are symbols of what they need to let go of to make that climb.
Violet and Lincoln’s romance is a bit of a second-chance one, as she had a huge crush on him back in the day, while he noticed how much she pretended to hate him but didn’t see her as more than a little girl – because she was much too young. Now they’re both adults, and both of them have traumas in their pasts that they need to let go of, symbolized by Lincoln’s grandmother’s locket that Violet makes off with.
In their different ways, both Kinley and Jackson need to, as his friends tell him, unclench. He can’t always be in control, and has to learn to let go of the facade that he can, while Kinley needs to let herself stand up for herself. Their ‘bone’ of contention is that damnable bullhorn that Jackson keeps putting between himself and the world that no one can truly control.
Clementine McClain and Duke Cody have known each other for years. She’s McClain’s daughter – and now she’s Duke’s cop partner. Their romance has the flavor of the ‘best friend’s little sister’ vibe, as Duke has watched Clementine grow up and does feel protective of her. That she’s his mentor’s daughter adds the spice of the forbidden to the whole thing. Once she was forbidden, but not anymore.
Three out of the four romances worked really well for this reader. It didn’t seem like Jackson and Kinley’s romance had quite enough time for it to not seem a bit too fast and more than a bit convenient, but the others had more than enough history to make what would otherwise be insta-love really zing. Clementine’s story had the added bonus of her personal journey from ‘one of the boys’, because that was the only way her dad could deal with her, to accepting herself as she is. That it’s all wrapped in how much she loves her dad, misses him, and still resents just how much he made her feel like her being female was an embarrassment to him added an interesting layer of complexity to her story.
In summary, because this does need one, I loved three of the romances, thought the fourth was OK, and found the story of the camp and its rise from its ashes to be delightful. If you love any of the included authors, or are looking for a bit of a contemporary western romance sampler, The Comeback Cowboy is a treat!
Originally published at Reading Reality
When The Comeback Cowboy opens, Bill has passed and the camp has been neglected for years. It’s going to take time, money and more than a bit of elbow grease to bring the place back from its own ashes.
Just as both McClain and the camp he created once helped its alumni pick up their pieces and move on, so now it’s their turn to bring the place that helped them back so that Camp Phoenix can help a new generation of kids who need it as much as they did.
So there’s not just one “comeback cowboy” in this book, there are four; Flint, Lincoln, Jackson and Duke. All are now in their early 30s, and they all “graduated” from the school of hard knocks but, thanks to McClain, found a better path than their lives had originally intended them for. Jackson Hart, forced to retire from the DEA after a career-ending injury, now owns the old camp. And he’s determined to turn it back into the saving place it once was – and to save himself as well.
His friends all come back to help him with the many, many dirty jobs that will be needed to make that happen. And he coaxes, persuades, orders, whatever, a group of the successful women who once walked that same misguided path that he and his friends did. Women who owe their success to Bill McClain and Camp Phoenix every bit as much as those comeback cowboys do.
The story in The Comeback Cowboy is the story of putting, not the band – because this bunch was never all that together – but the camp back together. It’s about restoring the place and the traditions that made them each what they became.
A restoration that takes place in the background as the four women; Bree, Violet, Kinley and Clementine – who all hated and envied each other as teenagers – bond into a sisterhood that surprises them all. And find the love that none of them ever thought they would have or deserve – after the pasts they all share.
Escape Rating A-: The Comeback Cowboy is both one story and four stories at the same time. It’s about what the camp meant to them in the past, and what they hope it will mean to others in the future. It’s about giving back and not giving up.
And its four romances – all taking place at the same time and in the same place. But each of them just a bit different in spite of those similarities.
Bree and Flint’s romance is absolutely enemies-to-lovers. It’s hard to think of a situation that would create more enmity in the past – as well as embarrassment in the present – than their original not-cute-at-all meeting. When Bree was 14, and Flint was a newly fledged police officer, he arrested Bree for shoplifting. Instead of booking her he brought her to McClain which led to the camp which put her on the path to a much brighter future.
But she’s never forgotten and is not too sure she’s forgiven either. Falling in love with the man who arrested her was NOT in Bree’s plans. Stealing his hat, on the other hand, sparks off something special.
Each of the women ‘steals’ something from one of the men. An important something, like Flint’s hat. Or an annoying something, like Jackson’s ever-present and frequently squawking bullhorn. As love languages go, it’s certainly different.
At the same time it’s emblematic of who these people are and what parts of their lives they still need to re-think before they are ready for their own future. In other words, each of them needs to rise up like the phoenix one more time, and those so-important items are symbols of what they need to let go of to make that climb.
Violet and Lincoln’s romance is a bit of a second-chance one, as she had a huge crush on him back in the day, while he noticed how much she pretended to hate him but didn’t see her as more than a little girl – because she was much too young. Now they’re both adults, and both of them have traumas in their pasts that they need to let go of, symbolized by Lincoln’s grandmother’s locket that Violet makes off with.
In their different ways, both Kinley and Jackson need to, as his friends tell him, unclench. He can’t always be in control, and has to learn to let go of the facade that he can, while Kinley needs to let herself stand up for herself. Their ‘bone’ of contention is that damnable bullhorn that Jackson keeps putting between himself and the world that no one can truly control.
Clementine McClain and Duke Cody have known each other for years. She’s McClain’s daughter – and now she’s Duke’s cop partner. Their romance has the flavor of the ‘best friend’s little sister’ vibe, as Duke has watched Clementine grow up and does feel protective of her. That she’s his mentor’s daughter adds the spice of the forbidden to the whole thing. Once she was forbidden, but not anymore.
Three out of the four romances worked really well for this reader. It didn’t seem like Jackson and Kinley’s romance had quite enough time for it to not seem a bit too fast and more than a bit convenient, but the others had more than enough history to make what would otherwise be insta-love really zing. Clementine’s story had the added bonus of her personal journey from ‘one of the boys’, because that was the only way her dad could deal with her, to accepting herself as she is. That it’s all wrapped in how much she loves her dad, misses him, and still resents just how much he made her feel like her being female was an embarrassment to him added an interesting layer of complexity to her story.
In summary, because this does need one, I loved three of the romances, thought the fourth was OK, and found the story of the camp and its rise from its ashes to be delightful. If you love any of the included authors, or are looking for a bit of a contemporary western romance sampler, The Comeback Cowboy is a treat!
Originally published at Reading Reality
August 20, 2023
I love anthologies and this one was really good. It is part of the Jasper Creek collection and I've read all the others so it was part of my vacation reads.
Camp Phoenix alumni are reopening the summer program and they have about a month to get it ready for campers. 4 men and 4 women are back and slowly they start pairing up. Each other picked one couple and they overlap storylines.
The One with the Hat by Jackie Ashenden
Bree & Flint. Flint had arrested Bree when she was 14 years old and brought her to camp to straighten her out. She took it to heart and turned her life around. She ignores him at first and that chafs the wrong way for Flint. She was tired of his high-handedness so she thought she should steal his hat. they worked together to drum up business support for the camp and slowly got to know each other as adults.
The One with the Locket by Caitlin Crews
Violet & Lincoln. One of my favorites because Violet was a free spirit. she wore dresses and wedge sandals. She's always 'hated' Lincoln but there is a fine line between love and hate. They were in charge of getting the chapel ready at camp and spent a lot of time together. She wanted his grandmother's locket and enlisted her bunkmates to help get it. It took some time for Violet to realize this relationship wasn't temporary. he wants me and needed to convince her. and he did.
The One with the Bullhorn by Nicole Helm
Kinley & Jackson. Kinley was the quiet one and made herself not stand out in the crowd. But she has had enough of Jackson and his bullhorn at 6 o'clock in the morning. so she tried a couple of times to steal it but her vanilla scent always gave her away. Jackson may be a little hard on everyone but he's just a big softie inside. it took Kinley to smooth out his edges.
The One with the Trophy by Maisey Yates
Clementine and Duke. Clementine was the original camp owner's daughter and grew up at camp because Bill didn't know what to do with her. treated her like a son. now she is a deputy with the sheriff department and has had a crush on Duke Cody since she was 17. he's older than her and treats her like a sister but lately he doesn't look at her like a sister. he overhears her saying she wants to lose her virginity and sort of offers to help with 'that'. what he didn't realize is that she was talking about her 'theft virginity.' she wants to steal his football trophy from his home. her bunkmates help her stand up for herself and go after what she wants. what she wants is Duke. I like this story because she doesn't settle for less and wants it all. Duke finally got onboard.
I love the way they got superlative trophies at the end of the cleanup and showed how much each of them have grown. I really like these authors and their writings.
Camp Phoenix alumni are reopening the summer program and they have about a month to get it ready for campers. 4 men and 4 women are back and slowly they start pairing up. Each other picked one couple and they overlap storylines.
The One with the Hat by Jackie Ashenden
Bree & Flint. Flint had arrested Bree when she was 14 years old and brought her to camp to straighten her out. She took it to heart and turned her life around. She ignores him at first and that chafs the wrong way for Flint. She was tired of his high-handedness so she thought she should steal his hat. they worked together to drum up business support for the camp and slowly got to know each other as adults.
The One with the Locket by Caitlin Crews
Violet & Lincoln. One of my favorites because Violet was a free spirit. she wore dresses and wedge sandals. She's always 'hated' Lincoln but there is a fine line between love and hate. They were in charge of getting the chapel ready at camp and spent a lot of time together. She wanted his grandmother's locket and enlisted her bunkmates to help get it. It took some time for Violet to realize this relationship wasn't temporary. he wants me and needed to convince her. and he did.
The One with the Bullhorn by Nicole Helm
Kinley & Jackson. Kinley was the quiet one and made herself not stand out in the crowd. But she has had enough of Jackson and his bullhorn at 6 o'clock in the morning. so she tried a couple of times to steal it but her vanilla scent always gave her away. Jackson may be a little hard on everyone but he's just a big softie inside. it took Kinley to smooth out his edges.
The One with the Trophy by Maisey Yates
Clementine and Duke. Clementine was the original camp owner's daughter and grew up at camp because Bill didn't know what to do with her. treated her like a son. now she is a deputy with the sheriff department and has had a crush on Duke Cody since she was 17. he's older than her and treats her like a sister but lately he doesn't look at her like a sister. he overhears her saying she wants to lose her virginity and sort of offers to help with 'that'. what he didn't realize is that she was talking about her 'theft virginity.' she wants to steal his football trophy from his home. her bunkmates help her stand up for herself and go after what she wants. what she wants is Duke. I like this story because she doesn't settle for less and wants it all. Duke finally got onboard.
I love the way they got superlative trophies at the end of the cleanup and showed how much each of them have grown. I really like these authors and their writings.
June 2, 2023
The Comeback Cowboy is a nice easy breezy romance that will sweep you off your cowboy booted feet.
I like this book; it was a lot of fun to read. It’s been a while since I read a cowboy romance. I read them all the time, and I really can’t think why I stopped reading them. The Comeback Cowboy is four mini novellas written by four authors and put together in one large book. All these novellas are connected to create this bigger story. Each story focuses on different characters who are volunteering at Camp Phoenix. I was pleasantly surprised at how all these stories came together so seamlessly. If I hadn’t known that four authors wrote each story, I would have thought the same author wrote each novella. Their writing styles were so similar. If you are looking for an authentic cowboy romance that takes place on a farm with horses, then you might be disappointed with this book. The leading men in this story all have that cowboy feel to them, but that’s about it in terms of any Western feel to the story.
Each mini-story focuses on two characters who, of course, fall in love. The main overarching story is all of these characters have returned to Camp Phoenix to help get it up and running for the upcoming camping season. They will be volunteering their time as camp counsellors for the summer. Each character has spent a part of their teen years at the camp, and they realize how important it is to help ensure that the camp can keep running because of how much it helps at-risk teens.
Each story is a novella, meaning things move quickly between the characters. All the stories have a terrific enemy to lovers or forced proximity feel to them. I loved the witty banter and antics that went on between the couples when they were fighting. In each story, the heroines try to steal something of importance from their male counterparts. Of course, the would-be heists never work out, often resulting in the couples having sex. In terms of spice, these books fall in that middle range. The scenes aren’t overly graphic, but it isn’t a closed-door romance.
The Comeback Cowboy is a fun country romp that will make you smile.
Click on the link to read more of our reviews on our blog: https://romancebythebook.com/book-rev...
I like this book; it was a lot of fun to read. It’s been a while since I read a cowboy romance. I read them all the time, and I really can’t think why I stopped reading them. The Comeback Cowboy is four mini novellas written by four authors and put together in one large book. All these novellas are connected to create this bigger story. Each story focuses on different characters who are volunteering at Camp Phoenix. I was pleasantly surprised at how all these stories came together so seamlessly. If I hadn’t known that four authors wrote each story, I would have thought the same author wrote each novella. Their writing styles were so similar. If you are looking for an authentic cowboy romance that takes place on a farm with horses, then you might be disappointed with this book. The leading men in this story all have that cowboy feel to them, but that’s about it in terms of any Western feel to the story.
Each mini-story focuses on two characters who, of course, fall in love. The main overarching story is all of these characters have returned to Camp Phoenix to help get it up and running for the upcoming camping season. They will be volunteering their time as camp counsellors for the summer. Each character has spent a part of their teen years at the camp, and they realize how important it is to help ensure that the camp can keep running because of how much it helps at-risk teens.
Each story is a novella, meaning things move quickly between the characters. All the stories have a terrific enemy to lovers or forced proximity feel to them. I loved the witty banter and antics that went on between the couples when they were fighting. In each story, the heroines try to steal something of importance from their male counterparts. Of course, the would-be heists never work out, often resulting in the couples having sex. In terms of spice, these books fall in that middle range. The scenes aren’t overly graphic, but it isn’t a closed-door romance.
The Comeback Cowboy is a fun country romp that will make you smile.
Click on the link to read more of our reviews on our blog: https://romancebythebook.com/book-rev...
April 9, 2023
When the four authors (Jackie Ashenden, Maisey Yates, Caitlin Crews/Megan Crane, and Nicole Helm) who each contributed a novella to this anthology get together on a book it's always a treat, and as someone whose life and attitudes were forever changed after spending two summers working at a camp for the handicapped, I know what a meaningful, life-changing experience it can be, so to say this book resonated with me is an understatement. But I had to wonder about who decided on the title, since this is not a book about cowboys, and should probably have been titled The Comeback Campers. While I had some favorites among the 4 novellas, the average rating comes to 4 stars.
Camp Phoenix is the setting, and it was where 4 troubled and troublesome teenage girls from dysfunctional families, and 4 teenage boys in similar circumstances found themselves 10 years earlier. All had attitude problems, and chose Camp Phoenix rather than ending up in juvenile incarceration, or expelled from school. Owned and operated by the sheriff of Jasper Creek, Oregon, Bill McClain, he helped these young people turn their lives around. Bill died several years ago, and one of the now grown boys, currently the sheriff of Jasper Creek, Jackson, and the 3 other men he befriended there years earlier, have bought the camp, which is now in need of a lot of TLC, and are planning to reopen it for the summer, enlisting the aid of the 4 girls to help renovate it before the campers arrive. And what a summer it's going to be!
To tell you more would spoil it for you, so I'll just say that these 4 novellas turned enemies into cohorts and friends, crushes into love, and were all filled with laughter, tears, some heat, and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and the positive difference a place like Camp Phoenix can make. I'm happy to recommend it.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
Camp Phoenix is the setting, and it was where 4 troubled and troublesome teenage girls from dysfunctional families, and 4 teenage boys in similar circumstances found themselves 10 years earlier. All had attitude problems, and chose Camp Phoenix rather than ending up in juvenile incarceration, or expelled from school. Owned and operated by the sheriff of Jasper Creek, Oregon, Bill McClain, he helped these young people turn their lives around. Bill died several years ago, and one of the now grown boys, currently the sheriff of Jasper Creek, Jackson, and the 3 other men he befriended there years earlier, have bought the camp, which is now in need of a lot of TLC, and are planning to reopen it for the summer, enlisting the aid of the 4 girls to help renovate it before the campers arrive. And what a summer it's going to be!
To tell you more would spoil it for you, so I'll just say that these 4 novellas turned enemies into cohorts and friends, crushes into love, and were all filled with laughter, tears, some heat, and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and the positive difference a place like Camp Phoenix can make. I'm happy to recommend it.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
April 26, 2023
Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
THE COMEBACK COWBOY (Jasper Creek Anthology Book #4) by Maisey Yates, Caitlin Crew, Nicole Helm and Jackie Ashenden is the fourth fun and entertaining Jasper Creek anthology with four couples finding love in novellas tied together by a recurring theme. This book stands on its own and you do not need to read the previous books for content or context.
The prologue explains how fifteen years ago Sheriff Bill McClain started Camp Phoenix in the Oregon wilderness for at-risk children. Four of the camp counselors had gone through the program and were like sons to Sheriff McClain and they eventually all went into law enforcement in honor of the man who saved them.
Now they are back, bought the rundown camp and are rehabbing it to reopen with the help of four previous campers who have turned their lives around, also.
The first story is “The One with the Hat” by Jackie Ashenden featuring Bree White and Flint Decker. The second story is “The One with the Locket” by Caitlin Crews featuring Violet Cook and Lincoln Traeger. The third story is “The One with the Bullhorn” featuring Kinley Parker and Jackson Hart. The fourth story is “The One with the Trophy” by Maisey Yates featuring Clementine McClain and Duke Cody.
All the stories have the women forging friendships among themselves that they did not have while they were campers, and they were funny and heartwarming. Each romance has a different twist, but all the men and women had their own insecurities that being back at the camp seemed to exacerbate and they had to overcome for their HEAs. The characters are well developed for an anthology and the sexy heat is there.
Overall, while I had my favorites, the four novellas flow well together and the book is a delightful read.
THE COMEBACK COWBOY (Jasper Creek Anthology Book #4) by Maisey Yates, Caitlin Crew, Nicole Helm and Jackie Ashenden is the fourth fun and entertaining Jasper Creek anthology with four couples finding love in novellas tied together by a recurring theme. This book stands on its own and you do not need to read the previous books for content or context.
The prologue explains how fifteen years ago Sheriff Bill McClain started Camp Phoenix in the Oregon wilderness for at-risk children. Four of the camp counselors had gone through the program and were like sons to Sheriff McClain and they eventually all went into law enforcement in honor of the man who saved them.
Now they are back, bought the rundown camp and are rehabbing it to reopen with the help of four previous campers who have turned their lives around, also.
The first story is “The One with the Hat” by Jackie Ashenden featuring Bree White and Flint Decker. The second story is “The One with the Locket” by Caitlin Crews featuring Violet Cook and Lincoln Traeger. The third story is “The One with the Bullhorn” featuring Kinley Parker and Jackson Hart. The fourth story is “The One with the Trophy” by Maisey Yates featuring Clementine McClain and Duke Cody.
All the stories have the women forging friendships among themselves that they did not have while they were campers, and they were funny and heartwarming. Each romance has a different twist, but all the men and women had their own insecurities that being back at the camp seemed to exacerbate and they had to overcome for their HEAs. The characters are well developed for an anthology and the sexy heat is there.
Overall, while I had my favorites, the four novellas flow well together and the book is a delightful read.
April 9, 2025
Four women and four men have returned to try and resurrect Camp Phoenix in honor of the difference it made in their lives. Once the love child of Bill McClain, the former sheriff, the four men who became like sons to him want to do this for him, in his memory. The four women were campers whose lives were diverted to better paths by Bill and the camp and want to see that for the next generation.
The One with the Hat by Jackie Ashenden
Bree White is horrified to realize one of the other people helping revamp the camp is none other than Flint Decker, the man who arrested her when she was fourteen. The man she has been studiously avoiding since she returned to Jasper Creek. Irked by her ignoring him, Flint determines that Bree will have to deal with him and orchestrates that they have an assignment together. Sparks fly and tempers flare all because of Sheriff Dicker and his stupid hat!
The One with the Locket by Caitlin Crews
Childhood crush Lincoln Traeger is stirring Violet Cook up in the most exasperating way. She hates him and is determined to show it, again, by taking something that matters to him, a locket. Lincoln finds Violet a major distraction and doesn't understand what he did back in the day to get her dander up; he doesn't even remember her. Then she steals his family heirloom and the chase is on....
The One with the Bullhorn by Nicole Helm
Shy mousy Kinley Parkey is thrilled to be back and excited about getting out of her funk. Then she has to deal with type-A, uptight Jackson who infuriates her to no end, especially that bullhorn. It has to go. She's going to steal it...only things don't go according to plan. Jackson Hart is a serious man who is determined to be the leader needed. Only Kinley is challenging him at every turn and those falling down glasses and sparking eyes have him rethinking everything.
The One with the Trophy by Maisey Yates
Former tattletale, current deputy Clementine McClain has been challenged to lose her virginity, her theft virginity. Accidentally overhearing fellow deputy Duke Cody thinks she came to his home to lose it to him. But Clementine's there to steal his football trophy and prove she's one of the girls. Duke indicating he would be interested inspires Clementine to be brave and go after the only one for her. In the aftermath, Duke is challenged to lose his virginity to find a future.
The One with the Hat by Jackie Ashenden
Bree White is horrified to realize one of the other people helping revamp the camp is none other than Flint Decker, the man who arrested her when she was fourteen. The man she has been studiously avoiding since she returned to Jasper Creek. Irked by her ignoring him, Flint determines that Bree will have to deal with him and orchestrates that they have an assignment together. Sparks fly and tempers flare all because of Sheriff Dicker and his stupid hat!
The One with the Locket by Caitlin Crews
Childhood crush Lincoln Traeger is stirring Violet Cook up in the most exasperating way. She hates him and is determined to show it, again, by taking something that matters to him, a locket. Lincoln finds Violet a major distraction and doesn't understand what he did back in the day to get her dander up; he doesn't even remember her. Then she steals his family heirloom and the chase is on....
The One with the Bullhorn by Nicole Helm
Shy mousy Kinley Parkey is thrilled to be back and excited about getting out of her funk. Then she has to deal with type-A, uptight Jackson who infuriates her to no end, especially that bullhorn. It has to go. She's going to steal it...only things don't go according to plan. Jackson Hart is a serious man who is determined to be the leader needed. Only Kinley is challenging him at every turn and those falling down glasses and sparking eyes have him rethinking everything.
The One with the Trophy by Maisey Yates
Former tattletale, current deputy Clementine McClain has been challenged to lose her virginity, her theft virginity. Accidentally overhearing fellow deputy Duke Cody thinks she came to his home to lose it to him. But Clementine's there to steal his football trophy and prove she's one of the girls. Duke indicating he would be interested inspires Clementine to be brave and go after the only one for her. In the aftermath, Duke is challenged to lose his virginity to find a future.
May 26, 2023
Welcome back to camp Phoenix… a return to
Jasper creek community.. This collection of stories begins as the camp for troubled youth is under renovation by way of some previous grown campers & their older counselors who want to make good on the previous ways of the facility. The 4 previous campers ( angsty non friends back then) return & actually grow into a new way of friendship while each one is assigned tasks before the new campers arrive! There are 4 personal néw relationships that evolve that provoke self discovery along the way. Plenty of numerous entertainment & chemistry to boot . Early on we actually get to go into town to gain some summer sponsorship & see a few previous Jasper creek towns people as well. The journey that all 8 of them take is quite interesting & I’d say that the epilogue finale paid good tribute to the camp
Phoenix history & new current fresh take on the camp concept!
Jasper creek community.. This collection of stories begins as the camp for troubled youth is under renovation by way of some previous grown campers & their older counselors who want to make good on the previous ways of the facility. The 4 previous campers ( angsty non friends back then) return & actually grow into a new way of friendship while each one is assigned tasks before the new campers arrive! There are 4 personal néw relationships that evolve that provoke self discovery along the way. Plenty of numerous entertainment & chemistry to boot . Early on we actually get to go into town to gain some summer sponsorship & see a few previous Jasper creek towns people as well. The journey that all 8 of them take is quite interesting & I’d say that the epilogue finale paid good tribute to the camp
Phoenix history & new current fresh take on the camp concept!
May 5, 2023
In most cases, I'm drawn to an anthology to sample some new to me authors and possibly find some new reads to add to my ever-growing TBR (like it's not already long enough!). In this case, I was already familiar with the authors, and I've enjoyed books by each of them, so I fully expected to enjoy this anthology. It did not disappoint. Each story centers around Camp Phoenix and the characters coming together to save it. These are romance authors, so of course, there's some falling in love and some steamy fun as well. The whole thing is thoroughly entertaining with some terrific characters that make it easy to root for them (in love and in their attempts to save the camp). So, if you haven't read any or all of these authors, you don't know what you're missing, and this anthology is a great way to meet them.
May 5, 2023
Four men, four women, four stories by four authors, all intertwined with one another through the setting of a summer camp where the men and women learned to be more than what they'd been led to believe would be their lot in life, and where each has agreed to set up the camp for a renovation in order to offer similar help to a new set of children and teens.
Before the romance can take over, however, each of the women has to steal something from a given man--a kind of wake-up call that the men weren't expecting, but which woke them up to something about the women that they didn't expect but couldn't let go of once they'd discovered it. But all is not easy, when the men and the women have to overcome the lessons about love--not for them--they'd learned so early and so well.
A fun read and the kind of summer camp I'd have liked to attend.
Before the romance can take over, however, each of the women has to steal something from a given man--a kind of wake-up call that the men weren't expecting, but which woke them up to something about the women that they didn't expect but couldn't let go of once they'd discovered it. But all is not easy, when the men and the women have to overcome the lessons about love--not for them--they'd learned so early and so well.
A fun read and the kind of summer camp I'd have liked to attend.
June 5, 2023
A cowboy compilation! What could be better than four yearning yummy men? Why, the four women who pull pranks on them and get busted. Every single time.
The group has gathered to revamp Camp Phoenix, which is important to all of them. They find a lot more in the woods than any of them bargained.
All four novellas are good, but the first captured my heart. Bree and Flint made me laugh heartily. Flint’s hat was a major part of the plot. I snickered at Sheriff Dicker instead of Decker.
The deep voices of the men also had my pulses heightened.
If you need a cowboy Fix, drop in on these four.
Thanks to HQN and NetGalley for the early copy.
The group has gathered to revamp Camp Phoenix, which is important to all of them. They find a lot more in the woods than any of them bargained.
All four novellas are good, but the first captured my heart. Bree and Flint made me laugh heartily. Flint’s hat was a major part of the plot. I snickered at Sheriff Dicker instead of Decker.
The deep voices of the men also had my pulses heightened.
If you need a cowboy Fix, drop in on these four.
Thanks to HQN and NetGalley for the early copy.
October 24, 2023
Eight people come back to Camp Phoenix to rehab the place and start bringing kids back there as all these people had been there when they were growing up!
Each where there for different reasons. As they are rehabbing the camp each of the girls become friends when they were enemies while they were at camp.
The men are there because of Bill that owned the camp. he took them each under his wing and they have all made something of themselves.
As each book progresses the ladies make friends and fall for the gentlemen.
I laughed and I even shed a few tears while reading each story..They were all so very good!
Each where there for different reasons. As they are rehabbing the camp each of the girls become friends when they were enemies while they were at camp.
The men are there because of Bill that owned the camp. he took them each under his wing and they have all made something of themselves.
As each book progresses the ladies make friends and fall for the gentlemen.
I laughed and I even shed a few tears while reading each story..They were all so very good!
April 27, 2023
The Comeback Cowboy is an anthology of four novellas by authors Nicole Helm, Jackie Ashenden, Caitlin Crews, and Maisey Yates. The setting in all of the stories is the same, as well as the cast of characters. But each author focuses on one particular couple in their book. I enjoyed how seamlessly these novellas flowed between each one yet held onto the author’s unique voice. The stories are sweet yet steamy, emotional yet fun, and slightly angsty, yet all end in a HEA. This was my second anthology by this group of authors, and I look forward to reading what’s next from them.
October 27, 2023
Four stories in one book. What could be better? I really enjoyed reading Bree, Violet, Kinley and Clementine’s stories with their men Flint, Lincoln, Jackson and Duke. Their past experiences at the summer camp that changed their lives to them coming back as adults and how they changed. Finding each other again and forming friendships that they didn’t have before. This book is heartwarming that tugs at your heartstrings along with some comedy. I highly recommend this book.
April 22, 2023
Welcome to Camp Phoenix...
I quite enjoyed this four novella collection based the four men of Camp Phoenix. Set in Oregon, around the Camp, The One with the Hat, The One with the Locket, The One with the Bullhorn and the One with the Trophy. Great for summer reading with steam and hope.
Recommend.
I quite enjoyed this four novella collection based the four men of Camp Phoenix. Set in Oregon, around the Camp, The One with the Hat, The One with the Locket, The One with the Bullhorn and the One with the Trophy. Great for summer reading with steam and hope.
Recommend.
April 29, 2023
Novels about compassion and love
What a great collection of stories from these 4 lovely authors. Each novel had so much empathy and goodness and showed what could happen when there was discipline and love. Flint found Bree, Lincoln found Violet, Jackson found Kinley and Duke found Clementine.
What a great collection of stories from these 4 lovely authors. Each novel had so much empathy and goodness and showed what could happen when there was discipline and love. Flint found Bree, Lincoln found Violet, Jackson found Kinley and Duke found Clementine.
May 1, 2023
Love the Jasper Creek series. I love how the four authors and their novellas weave seamlessly together to create a tapestry of self-discovery, overcoming obstacles and love. I look forward to this series release every year! Keep them coming!
May 7, 2023
Four separate stories but they are all the same - four men and four women return to camp 10 years later to restart the camp for troubled youth. The women all prank the men by stealing something from them and then they all fall in love happily ever after. Very strange and not very deep.
Read
February 21, 2024this book had four parts to it- each of the stories all connected- but written by different authors:
1. The one with the Hat - Jackie Ashenden
2. The one with the locket- Caitlen Crews
3. The one with the bullhorn- Nicole Helm
4. the one with the trophy---- Maisey Yates
1. The one with the Hat - Jackie Ashenden
2. The one with the locket- Caitlen Crews
3. The one with the bullhorn- Nicole Helm
4. the one with the trophy---- Maisey Yates
Read
April 1, 2023Romance Collections & Anthologies, Small Town & Rural Fiction, Western Romance
May 4, 2023
What a delightful return to Jasper Creek!
This is the fourth compilation book by these four authors that centers their characters in Jasper Creek. You don't need to have read any of the earlier books, but I promise you'll be glad you did. Each of the four novellas gives its own couple their own HEA, while all the stories are interconnected by their location and relationships.
I really love the writing styles of all these authors, so whenever one of these compilations come out I jump at the chance to read it. This one is set at a summer camp and focuses on couples who have known each other for years but are only now getting their chance at love. The strength of these stories is the friendships and history between all the characters. Reading this (and, really, all the Jasper Creek books) makes you feel like you're part of this close-knit, small town community with all the warm fuzzies included.
Five stars for heartwarming romance in each story. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves cowboy love stories. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
This is the fourth compilation book by these four authors that centers their characters in Jasper Creek. You don't need to have read any of the earlier books, but I promise you'll be glad you did. Each of the four novellas gives its own couple their own HEA, while all the stories are interconnected by their location and relationships.
I really love the writing styles of all these authors, so whenever one of these compilations come out I jump at the chance to read it. This one is set at a summer camp and focuses on couples who have known each other for years but are only now getting their chance at love. The strength of these stories is the friendships and history between all the characters. Reading this (and, really, all the Jasper Creek books) makes you feel like you're part of this close-knit, small town community with all the warm fuzzies included.
Five stars for heartwarming romance in each story. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves cowboy love stories. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
May 6, 2023
Loved every story in this anthology! Highly recommend, esp if you love lawmen/cowboys!
May 8, 2023
I love these authors and all together in one book?? Yes please!! Wonderful stories of the power of love and of rising from the ashes.
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