First Line Fridays: A Cowboy For Keeps by Jody Hedlund

Happy Friday! 

First Line Fridays is hosted by Hoarding Books and participants share the first line from a nearby book.

Today, I'm sharing the first lines from A Cowboy for Keeps by Jody Hedlund.

"'Stop or we'll shoot.' A dozen feet up Kenosha Pass, three robbers with flour sacks over their heads blocked the way, their revolvers outstretched."

Have you read A Cowboy for Keeps? 📖 It just released earlier this month, but I got to enjoy it back in December when I was laid up with Covid. 😷 Check out the book blurb below and read my review. 

What are you reading this weekend? I'd love for you to share your book's first line!

Happy reading!

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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?

Book Review: A Cowboy for Keeps by Jody Hedlund

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. And the mayor, who has promised to try to help Greta, has just the candidate in mind for Wyatt to marry.

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My Thoughts:

A Cowboy for Keeps by Jody Hedlund is an entertaining historical romance. The author plays around with several familiar tropes including the marriage-of-convenience. While some predictable situations occurred, Greta’s devotion and determination to help her sick sister added originality and depth.

A Cowboy for Keeps includes Jody Hedlund’s trademark romantic tension. I enjoyed watching Greta and Wyatt’s relationship grow. As they shift and adjust to their new life together, both characters learn life lessons. Greta’s learning to trust in God reminded me to do the same. I appreciated the theme of a person being valuable, not an object to be bartered with. 

A Cowboy for Keeps is the first installment in Jody Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboys series. Returning fans of Jody Hedlund will likely enjoy this novel. For readers not familiar with Jody Hedlund’s books, this is a good place to start.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

December Reading Recap & January TBR

My December 2020 Reads:

The first part of my December 2020 abounded with busyness. Then COVID hit our little family. 😷 My husband, myself, and our two daughters all came down with the illness. I spent many hours in bed and finished several books. 📚 Did I like having COVID? Absolutely not! 🙅 But I spent more time reading than I have in a long time.📖

In December, I finished:

1. To Dwell Among Cedars by Connilyn Cossette - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


2. All That We Carried by Erin Bartels. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


3. A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


4. Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery - ⭐⭐⭐⭐


5. A Cowboy for Keeps by Jody Hedlund - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Review coming soon!


6. Discipline Your Kids with Positive Parenting by Nicole Libin - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


7. Make Life Beautiful by Syd & Shea McGee. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


8. A Tale of Two Hearts by Michelle Griep - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 


9. Almost a Bride by Jody Hedlund - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

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Expected January 2021 Reads:

In January, I hope to read:

1. The Moonlight School by Suzanne Woods Fischer.


2. Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green. - This will be a reread for me. It's my local book club's January selection and we plan to tour Historic Spanish Point, Bertha Palmer's Florida residence. Read my original review here.


3. Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery. - I'm slowing making my way through this classic series!


4. The Hesitant Heiress by Dawn Crandall. - A new-to-me author.


5. What We Inherit by Jessica Pearce Rotondi - A step out of my normal genres, but it sounds so interesting to me!


6. Occasional Moments of Happiness by Shana Donyaei. - Currently reading!


7. The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark.


8. The Price of Valor by Susan May Warren. - This one has been on my TBR for a long time... I've enjoyed the other two in the series and hope I can get to this one in January.

What will you read this month?