Blog Book Tour | “The Cowboy’s Perfect Match” (Book Two: The Sweetheart Ranch) by Cathy McDavid a Contemporary Romance series by #Harlequin Heartwarming

Posted Thursday, 16 May, 2019 by jorielov , , , , 2 Comments

Book Review badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

Acquired Book By: I’ve been hosting for Prism Book Tours since September of 2017 – having noticed the badge on Tressa’s blog (Wishful Endings) as we would partake in the same blog tours and/or book blogosphere memes. As I enquired about hosting for Prism, I found I liked the niche of authors and stories they were featuring regularly. Oft-times you’ll find Prism Book Tours alighting on my blog through the series of guest features and spotlights with notes I’ll be hosting on behalf of their authors when I’m not showcasing book reviews on behalf of Harlequin Heartwarming which has become my second favourite imprint of Harlequin next to my beloved #LoveINSPIRED Suspense. I am also keenly happy PRISM hosts a variety of Indie Authors and INSPY Fiction novelists.

I received a complimentary copy of “The Cowboy’s Perfect Match” direct from the author Cathy McDavid in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

What I loved most about the first novel of the Sweetheart Ranch series:

Of all the places I’ve stayed as I’ve travelled the best places by far are Bed and Breakfast Inns!! They have a cosy comfort level to them, most are in historic homes and all of them have their quirky hosts and hostesses who are welcoming you into their home for the duration of your stay! Unless, like what Molly and her Grandma Em were trying to accomplish – the B&B was also inclusive of cabins, which is rather ideal as it enlarges your booking possibilities!

McDavid doesn’t hesitate to talk about the worries and grief associated with historic properties either – from how issues can arise out of the blue with utilities to how doors can become warped or knobs can be frustrating to open; she presents a realistic impression on historic buildings and their upkeep which is a refreshing find as it anchours her story firmly in reality.

I did have a good chuckle over how strained Molly felt realising her and Bridget were going to have open the Sweetheart Ranch on their own! She was just getting to the point where she believed in this idea her grandmother had of focusing on hosting weddings in a unique setting which could draw clients to their B&B when she encounters a shocking surprise the day of the ‘big reveal’!! Watching her interact with Owen, the father of three who is still trying to sort out his life one hour at a time, gave me a heartfelt smile, as even Molly was having trouble staying upset with Owen – as he was an unexpected arrival. Owen for his part was trying to smooth things over with Molly, even encouraging her to let him help due the tasks which were either inclusive of heavy lifting or tasks she could easily delegate to him.

I was overjoyed finding out what McDavid had in store for Owen!! I sensed it was going to head in that direction (in regards to his career) but watching it unfold was priceless! I also liked how she brought back Grandma Em right at a moment where the girls (Bridget and Molly) needed her to return. This is a novel centered round family and how sometimes, in order to find the tomorrow your wanting most in your life – you have to be willing to take risks. Without risking your heart, you lose the chance to find someone who is your rightful match and without being willing to go outside your comfort zones – sometimes you miss opportunities for self-growth.

What I noticed straightaway is how McDavid places us into the heart of the drama as it is unfolding – the curious bit there is you get to see her characters off-guard and out of confidence from who they are when things are going right. It leads to seeing their faults a bit earlier on in the story-line but also, to see their hearts and what makes them individualistically centred. For Molly and Bridget might have different personalities, there is no denying their sisters. Each of them helps compliment the other by what they are able to do in the pinch of a moment where life throws them a few curve balls! For this, I appreciated the choices McDavid was making on their behalf – as she was guiding us into where their lives shifted into the chaotic before giving us a path back to the serenity they once had known.

I look forward to seeing what develops through the series – being a quartet, I can imagine the POV is going to switch back and forth from characters we’ve become introduced too already in this first installment and newer characters we might meet in future ones. The best part of how this series was founded though is that McDavid kept family center-most of importance but also, how sometimes you have to encourage yourself to see life from different angles. Similar to how Bridget kept trying to encourage her sister Molly. It is one thing to see life from one perspective all the time but if you give yourself a chance to exchange one view for another, the surprises it affords could make the biggest differences.

-quoted from my review of A Cowboy’s Christmas Proposal

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Blog Book Tour | “The Cowboy’s Perfect Match” (Book Two: The Sweetheart Ranch) by Cathy McDavid a Contemporary Romance series by #Harlequin HeartwarmingThe Cowboy's Perfect Match
Subtitle: The Sweetheart Ranch
by Cathy McDavid
Source: Author via Prism Book Tours

He may not be perfect…

But he’s perfect for her!

Ryan DeMere is definitely enjoying the perks of being Sweetheart Ranch’s new wrangler—the best is working with head chef Bridget O’Malley. He’s fallen head over spurs for the talented and determined beauty. There’s just one hiccup. Bridget is holding out for Mr. Right—and Ryan doesn’t quite meet her requirements. But he’s determined to win Bridget over, because Ryan may not be perfect…but maybe their love could be.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Heartland Fiction, Ranches & Cowboys, Western Fiction, Western Romance



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1335510655

Also by this author: A Cowboy's Christmas Proposal, The Cowboy's Christmas Baby, Her Cowboy Sweetheart (Spotlight w/ Notes), Her Cowboy Sweetheart

Also in this series: A Cowboy's Christmas Proposal, The Cowboy's Christmas Baby, Her Cowboy Sweetheart (Spotlight w/ Notes), Her Cowboy Sweetheart


Published by Harlequin Books, Harlequin Heartwarming

on 1st May, 2019

Format: Larger Print (Mass Market Paperback)

Pages: 384

Published by: Harlequin Heartwarming,
an imprint of Harlequin Books (@HarlequinBooks)

Formats Available: Ebook and Paperback

The Sweetheart Ranch series:

A Cowboy's Christmas Proposal by Cathy McDavidThe Cowboy's Perfect Match by Cathy McDavid

A Cowboy’s Christmas Proposal (book one) | see also review

The Cowboy’s Perfect Match (book two)

The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby (book three) → coming November, 2019!

This series is evolving into a proper quartet – there are four books planned!

Converse via: #Contemporary #Romance & #Harlequin Heartwarming

About Cathy McDavid

Cathy McDavid

In the third grade, NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Cathy McDavid made it her goal to read every Black Stallion book ever written. Who knew such an illustrious ambition would eventually lead to a lifelong love of all things western and a career writing contemporary romances for Harlequin? With over 1.2 million books sold, Cathy is also a member of the prestigious Romance Writers of America’s Honor Roll.

An “almost” Arizona native, she’s married to her own real-life sweetheart, whom she re-met a few years ago at a high school reunion. Her grown twins are out on their own and finding their happily-ever-afters. In 2014, Cathy retired from the corporate world to write full-time. She now spends her days penning stories about good looking cowboys riding the range, busting a bronc, and sweeping gals off their feet. It a tough job, but she’s willing to make the sacrifice.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

prefacing my review with an apology to the author:

I’ve been mentioning the epic migraine I had the first weekend of May on most of my posts this month as it had such a wrecking effect on my reading and blogging life – quite honestly, it took until [now] to start feeling like myself again – which is why I wanted to apologise for the delay in having this review appear on the blog tour. I quite literally forgot my tour spot was originally marked down for the 10th of May – one issue with my more severe migraines is that they affect my short term memory. For whichever reason, I had remembered I was on this blog tour but the exact date was elusive – further, I had to wait til the migraine stopped relapsing (2x unfortunately!) to get back into reading properly and to get back into blogging as well. This is why my review was pushed forward until this Thursday rather than being shared during a day closer to the 10th.

my review of the cowboy’s perfect match:

What I love most about the Sweetheart Ranch is how it is a family-run enterprise – spilt between a grandmother and her granddaughters. Everyone had a distinct role to play and they each built on what their strengths were to the point where the Ranch was not just successful but it was starting to thrive under their care and attention. By the time Bridget had her selection of breakfast sorted, my stomach wasn’t just growling it was eagerly disappointed I couldn’t sample her wares!!

You had to laugh, really, when Bridget broached the fact she couldn’t be concerned with Ryan on first sight was the fact he had bought a fixer-upper ranch! The irony there of course is that any property bought with the intention of improvement would be a star in my book if you were trying to find positives about a bloke’s sense of character and dedication to his investments. It was odd how she took his purchase in the negative and I was more encouraged by the prospect of what he might do with the ranch once he renovated it! I love older properties for that reason – they’re diamonds in the rough, never really knowing how they might sparkle once they’ve been brought back to life. He sweetened in my eyes immediately knowing he would flip the ranch he was going to reno but then again, I had information Bridget did not; at least at this point in time!

Oyy vie. Bridget is barking up the wrong tree just as her grandmother Em fears – why some girls have to be obstinate when it comes to relationships is beyond me! Here she has a good fellow right in front of her but she’d rather go after someone who could be more trouble than a lightning storm? Odd. Very odd but then again, some girls I guess go about everything backwards to Sunday! Meanwhile, I was enjoying the ease in which Ryan was settling into his role as the new wrangler at the ranch whilst having a bit of a ribbing at getting Bridget’s dander kicked up a bit.

When Bridget gets to have some one on one time with Ryan she becomes even more critical of him rather than letting him talk about his own life’s story. Irony really is that she’s judging him based on leading a non-conventional life as he’s made a living through having the guts to strike out on his own at an age where most might second-guess themselves. He also made a descent living through his real estate investments but something was holding her back from accepting he was worthy of her attention or approval. I’m not sure if it was a character flaw by itself in Bridget or if she was just generally mistrusting of men as for whichever reason rather than feeling attracted to Ryan she only felt repelled.

For Ryan’s sake, I really warmed to him rather instantly – he had a charming personality but what endeared him more is how knowledgeable he was about ranching, horses and taking a rundown property back to its proper state of being. He also was quick on his feet in emergencies and had a winning personality – he might come across as a flirt to Bridget but really, he was just an easy-going bloke who liked to embrace life as it came by him. I also loved his long-term goals – of having his own ranch and providing space for his parents. It spoke to his soul and his heart – where his priorities were but also the kind of man he truly was if only Bridget would get past herself and see him for who he was rather than the person she kept imagining him to be.

McDavid happily discloses the work Ryan is doing on his current project – the difficulty in finding not just the bones of the property which you want to keep within it but the heart of it, which you want to draw out as you start to bring it back to life. Reminds me of how much I love older properties and of putting your own stamp on them.

I liked how McDavid drew the reader’s attention to the perception of relationships or rather even, the perception of what women think about relationships prior to actually having them vs what is readily in front of them if they could put down their thoughts for a minute and see past their expectations. Sometimes a person’s expectations can cloud their own assessment of a person’s worth as they are only seeing a person through one particular lens of thought. If you re-examine what is important for you in a partner your seeking out, than perhaps Grandma Em’s sound advice would make better sense – at least, that is what I was hoping Bridget might sort out for herself as so far, throughout the course of knowing Ryan she’s short-changing her future against the neat and tidy dream she has for her future.

One of the best life lessons to put into the background of a Contemporary Romance is not being hung up on your own pretenses about what a relationship needs in order to be successful. This theme is played out in different ways but at the root of the story, you find two characters who need to learn to ‘let go and let live’ whilst giving themselves a chance to breathe into a relationship they both were putting the brakes on from beginning. For Ryan, the brakes weren’t as visible as Bridget’s but they were still there – leftover from the concerns he had whenever he cross-compared his own future against his parent’s past. The hard part in life is knowing when to let go of your own self-doubts and worriment’s to just embrace what is in front of you.

on the western styling of cathy mcdavid:

I, personally love when authors write bits of themselves into their stories and finding out this particular installment of the series re-builds on McDavid’s own life was quite a lovely surprise. This time round, its not her past history with horses but her experiences in construction which sets the foundation for the male lead’s career. I was keenly happy to be re-visiting this series as I enjoyed the first story and have been looking forward to seeing what develops further as it progresses. Not to mention the fact – if you haven’t noticed, I have a soft spot for ‘cowboys’ if Return of the Blackwell Brothers and the Rocky Mountain Cowboys haven’t clued you in to that fact yet,.. laughs.

There was one moment I didn’t get why McDavid chose an expression to use with Ryan when he was complimenting Bridget’s appearance – however, outside of that exception, what I liked the most is the ease in which this story flows from the first installment. You don’t have to wait long to be curled up inside this second story and the whole ranch comes back to life as if you hadn’t taken a vacation away from it. I love series which have the kind of continuity inside them where you can just re-appear into the sequence of the stories, find your characters lives progressively moving forward and be full of joy in spending more time amongst them such as I had in The Cowboy’s Perfect Match.

The best bit too is how she let Bridget sort out her emotional connection to the past – which was in effect holding her back in the present. She hadn’t quite realised what can affect you in one part of your life can overtake you in another – this she learnt from a very keenly insightful Grandma Em. Of whom, was blessedly able to keep both Bridget and Ryan on track – they both needed advice from someone outside their situations to lend them the kind of insight which could lead them forward rather than derail their efforts at progressing forward towards a future they both envisioned for themselves. This was even before they could consider a future together – they both had work to do on repairing their own lives and McDavid leant a great teacher, confidante and friend in Grandma Em!

I love how this series has tongue-in-cheek humour laced into it but also the wholesome focus on family & hard work on a ranch which can self-earn its owners a living whilst giving them a chance to do something they love rather than something that might turn into a grinding headache. Sweetheart Ranch has the capacity of touching your heart each time you visit & the series is rooted in family which I personally adore & love as those make the best Romances!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

This blog tour is courtesy of: Prism Book Tours

Prism Book Tours

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

The Cowboy's Perfect Match blog tour via Prism Book Tours Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

End of the Blog Tour badged provided by Prism Book ToursBy clicking this badge you can find out about the giveaway associated with the tour;
my particular tour stop doesn’t host the giveaway as I’m a review stop, however,
you’ll find many other bloggers who are hosting the information!

This review is cross-posted to LibraryThing.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

{SOURCES: Cover art of “A Cowboy’s Christmas Proposal” and “The Cowboy’s Perfect Match”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Cathy McDavid and the Prism Book Tours badge were all provided by Prism Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Book Review Banner using Unsplash.com (Creative Commons Zero) Photography by Frank McKenna and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2019.

I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

Divider

Posted Thursday, 16 May, 2019 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Life Shift, Prism Book Tours, Romance Fiction, Small Towne Fiction, Sweet Romance, Western Fiction, Western Romance




All posts on my blog are open to new comments & commentary!
I try to visit your blog in return as I believe in ‘Bloggers Commenting Back
(which originated as a community via Readers Wonderland).


Comments are moderated. Once your comment is approved for the first time, your comments thereafter will be recognised and automatically approved. All comments are reviewed and continue to be moderated after automated approval. By using the comment form you are consenting with the storage and handling of your personal data by this website.

Once you use the comment form, if your comment receives a reply (this only applies to those who leave comments by email), there is a courtesy notification set to send you a reply ticket. It is at your discretion if you want to return to re-respond and/or to continue the conversation established. This is a courtesy for commenters to know when their comments have been replied by either the blog's owner or a visitor to the blog who wanted to add to the conversation. Your email address is hidden and never shared. Read my Privacy Policy.

2 responses to “Blog Book Tour | “The Cowboy’s Perfect Match” (Book Two: The Sweetheart Ranch) by Cathy McDavid a Contemporary Romance series by #Harlequin Heartwarming

    • Gayathri,

      Thanks for dropping by — I’ll admit, it wasn’t til yesterday where I knew I had turnt a corner with the migraine – it was just a brutal attack this month and one of the hardest I’ve had to overcome. I truly can attest I am more ‘me’ right now moving towards the weekend than I have felt since the end of April. I appreciate your well wishes and thoughts of concern.

      You do as well? I find they are amongst my personal favourites – that’s why I ADORE Karen Rock’s Rocky Mountain Cowboys — family centred between two neighoburing families in the small towne. I hope if you pick up this series – or read this one first, you’ll find the same #bookJOY I had when I was immersed inside it. Have a lovely weekend!

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)