Wish Upon a Cowboy

September 9, 2019
Marts (Caught Up in a Cowboy) expertly tugs at the heartstrings with a holiday contemporary that’s sure to garner a tear or two from any romance reader. Widow and single mother Harper Evans landed in jail for two months thanks to one of her deceitful mother’s nefarious plans. Once released, she travels to small Creedence, Colo., hoping to wrest custody of her eight-year-old son, Floyd, from her late husband’s mother. Harper is broke and desperate, and thrilled to land a job with rancher and hockey coach Logan Rivers. His previous housekeepers were more interested in bedding him than in cleaning and cooking, and since Harper promises to work hard and shows no signs of lusting after him, he hires her. Soon, though, blistering chemistry burns away their plan of being strictly professional. The approaching holidays promise joy and closeness, but when Logan discovers that Harper is keeping two major secrets from him, she fears the Christmas miracle she’s hoping for might be just a mirage. Marts crafts deeply empathetic characters and a charming small town that readers will hope to return to. Able plotting, red-hot sex, and a large dollop of sweetness make this holiday charmer ideal all year round. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency.

October 1, 2019

Harper Evans arrived in Creedence, CO, with one goal: to get her son back. With no money, no car, nowhere to stay, and after a short stint in jail, she's not entirely sure how she'll accomplish this, but she refuses to be separated from him any longer. A stroke of luck and goodwill lands her a position at the home of Logan Rivers, a local rancher. Between coaching the town's peewee hockey team, trying to run the ranch single-handedly, and righting a major accounting mistake, Logan is desperate for help, not a hook-up. Despite their instant attraction, Harper and Logan each have their reasons for not wanting to get involved. But close confines and cold winter nights make the ideal circumstance for romance, and letting go of the past and learning to trust again will be the only way this couple will be able to move on with their lives together or apart. VERDICT Readers of Marts's "Cowboys of Creedence" series (Caught Up in a Cowboy) will devour this latest installment, as will fans of both holiday and Western-themed romances, who will also find much to love in Harper and Logan's journey.--Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2019
A young widow fights to regain custody of her son while working as a housekeeper to the town heartthrob in this contemporary holiday romance. Fresh out of jail for embezzlement, Harper Evans has taken a bus to Creedence, Colorado, to reclaim custody of her son, Floyd, from her mother-in-law. After the death of her husband and grandmother, Harper's life began to collapse until her flighty mother offered her a bookkeeping job. The job was a cover for her mother's embezzlement schemes, something Harper only realized when it was too late. When she's sent to jail for two months, she entrusts 8-year-old Floyd to Judith, her late husband's mother. Though Judith readily accepts custody of Floyd, there is no love lost between the two women, and Judith isn't sure Harper is stable enough to care for the boy. Though Judith is painted as a villain, readers may feel inclined to side with her given that Harper doesn't have the emotional or financial security to take care of a child. Logan Rivers is running his family's ranch while his father handles business elsewhere, but the responsibility is larger than he can manage. He's already run through a slew of housekeepers who misinterpret the job as a way of auditioning to become his wife. When he meets Harper after he had to fire another woman for making a pass at him, she strikes him as the perfect person to fill in over the holidays, given that her stay in Rivers Gulch is only temporary. Harper's baggage eclipses everything else in the book, and though it's obvious she wants to be a good mother, no family court would ever agree to put Floyd in her care until she can demonstrate she's built a healthy environment for him. Logan is a sweet romantic hero but nothing spectacular. Think of him as the equivalent to plain white bread: bland but serviceable in a pinch. Emotionally exhausting.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from September 15, 2019
Just released after a two-month stint in jail, widow Harper Evans is determined to get her eight-year-old son back from her mother-in-law. She makes her way to the small town of Creedence, Colorado and finds a temporary job as a housekeeper for rancher and hockey coach Logan Rivers. Logan wanted a housekeeper more interested in making his bed than getting into it with him, but his new housekeeper is oh-so-tempting. Harper knows the only person she can trust is herself, so she doesn't tell Logan about her past. As their relationship turns more personal than professional, they both have baggage to unpack before they can figure out if temporary should become permanent. Fraught with tension of both the sizzling sexual and heartaching emotional varieties, Marts' delicious and smart romance is also a meaningful exploration of the lasting impacts of negative parent/child relationships. Readers are sure to be enchanted and may even shed a few tears when everything comes together in the enchanting Christmas, community, and kitten-filled ending.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)