A Cowboy for Keeps ~ Review

A Cowboy for Keeps 

Colorado Cowboys #1

By Jody Hedlund

Greta Nilsson will do anything to save her little sister's life. With the promise that the mountain air of Colorado will cure Astrid's consumption, Greta agrees to become a mail-order bride. But the final stage of her trip to Fairplay, Colorado, is one disaster upon another.  Her expected groom has died, stagecoach robbers took all her savings. With nothing to her name, Greta has few options in a town that is comprised almost entirely of miners and ranchers. So when a rancher claiming to be a friend of the man she expected to wed offers her a proposal of marriage, Greta quickly realizes that is her only choice.

Wyatt McQuaid has been working to get his ranch profitable so that he can send for his ma, brothers, and sister. But starting a ranch in this new land isn't easy. He doesn't have time or the funds to even think about marriage. But when the latest stagecoach arrives in Fairplay after a holdup the mayor offers him a deal - marry Miss Nilsson and, in return, Wyatt will get the funds he needs to expand his herd. But marrying a complete stranger who was set to marry his friend is something that will take some thinking. But Mayor Steel needs the town to grow, to add families of good repute if he hopes to convince his wife to leave the civilization of the East behind.

As Wyatt and Greta deal with their new situation they both have to deal with their pasts. But the past has a way of marking a person and Wyatt and Greta are no exception. Can they see past the hurts to a future of promise or will they allow their insecurities to tear them apart before they even begin?

Without giving away anything - I will say there are a couple of interesting twists that occur that add an interesting element to the story. So be sure you don't jump ahead while reading (I have a family member who does this and then ruins the element of surprise or shock from her books), seriously don't do it. If I had known of these elements before their proper placement in the story it just won't have had the same impact that it did. 

A Cowboy for Keeps is the first book in Jody Hedlund's new Colorado Cowboys series and it is another enjoyable read from a skilled writer. Greta is a character with whom one can empathize, basically kicked out by her family along with an ill younger sister, she is willing to do almost anything to save. But Greta has to learn that going it alone isn't the best way. With her plans crumbling around her she needs to learn in who to place her trust and concerns. Not an easy lesson for any of us to learn. Wyatt on the other hand has a plan to rescue his family from the very situation that he left behind years ago. But he is dealing with the guilt of leaving his family behind, of failing them. Then there is Judd who we learn very little about but what we do learn gives a glimpse into his past. I really like Judd who helps Wyatt see what he needs to see. He is just what Wyatt, Greta, and Astrid need as they live and work together. I'm looking forward to the second book in this series - if the final chapter is any indication of what is to come it should prove most interesting.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing little sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order bride has died. Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.

Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family with Greta. But when old insecurities and surprising revelations arise, can a union born out of desperation survive?