The Matchmaker and the Cowboy brings together two people who want to prove their worth in their own right rather than being measured by the achievements of others. Callie and Owen are gorgeous characters. She tried riding a horse just once in her teens and that effort resulted in a horrific back injury and a long stay in hospital. She is strong despite this, and as the story opens she’s just returned from Africa where she’s been teaching tribal women to sew. Hunter has had a crush on her forever, though she has no idea. He wants her to take him seriously and not see him just as a handsome flirt. With both of them competing for the privilege of becoming Windsong’s first town ambasador, there’s plenty of opportunity for conflict, but instead, they find more and more to like about each other. The supporting characters, particularly Birdie and Hunter’s neice Jenna, add extra warmth to what is a sexy, swoonworthy, fun and flirty story. It’s a great addition to this series.

“The Matchmaker and the Cowboy” By Robin Bielman
Series: Windsong Book 2
Release Date: 10/25
Genre: Contemporary Romance

This is the 2nd book in the series. I read the first one last year and this one did not disappoint. Small town romances are always fun. The two main characters are intriguing and entertaining.

Callie Carmichael is a magical dressmaker. She’s been told her bridesmaids dresses are so magical they have a high success rate of the wearer being the next bride.
Hunter works on his family’s ranch and is the towns most eligible bachelor.
Callie has been Hunters sisters best friend for years. She grew up torturing Hunter and Nova’s older brothers. Hunter has always had a crush on Callie while she never gave him the time of day.
When Hunter gets bitten by a spider and needs to be watched for two weeks and Callie needs a place to stay. Callie ends up helping Hunter and all of Hunters old feelings come rushing back. He wants a wife and kids While Callie doesn’t believe she wants to get married. Will these two weeks make their bond unbreakable?

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

This is Windsong book 2, and it is charming town in a charming book. While I didn't like this book quite as much as I liked book 1, I still really liked this book. Both books can be read as standalones, but it is nice to read them together since they have interconnected characters. I hope there is a book 3 so I can read about even more of the characters.

This book followed Callie and Hunter, both on a mission to become Windsong's new ambassador while also struggling to figure out certain key points about themselves. Callie is a seamstress who has reputation for her maid of honor dresses helping the wearer find their true love - though Callie is opposed marriage. Hunter wants to get married and be more respected in the city, and has had a huge crush on his sister's best friend his whole life (aka Callie). He helps run his family's inn, teaches horseback riding, and boot camps.

This book has romance, friendship, small town politics, figuring out who a person truly is, and bonding. Oh and a bit of spice. I think it is a really cute book, and while the miscommunication troupe was a bit annoying at times, overall this book was a really cute quick read. 4.5/5

Callie Carmichael designs bridesmaid dresses for a living. It seems when a single woman wears one she ends up getting engaged. Now women are wanting her to design their dresses. Callie's whole life she has been in the shadows and her family tends to not even realize when she is around. After being gone for 6 months, Callie isn't very surprised to find her parents and sister gone and their house under construction. When her best friend Nova Owens calls and asks her for a favor, things start to look up. It just so happened that Nova's brother, Hunter, needs someone to stay with him while he is recovering from a black widow spider bite. Nova always had a little crush on Hunter but she never realized that he had a huge crush on her. The more time these two spend together, the bigger the sparks start getting. Hunter is ready to settle down but Callie has no interest in ever getting married. When Hunter asks Callie to make his best man suit for his brother's wedding to see if he can find true love, Callie agrees but starts to wonder if she really wants him to find someone else. When Callie and Hunter get snowed in on their way to the bachelor/bachelorette party weekend, things really start to heat up. Just when it looks like Callie and Hunter will find their happy ever after, the past has a way to spoil things. It will take a lot of soul searching but these two will finally find that happy ending.

I really enjoyed this fun, steamy wedding themed story. I just adored Hunter...he was the perfect male. Because of so many things from Callie's past it was difficult for her to just let go and be happy but once she did it was the perfect ending.

The Matchmaker and the Cowboy was another great addition to Robin Bielman’s Windsong series!

I loved Callie and Hunter together. Hunter is one sexy cowboy! 😉
I loved that he has always had feelings for Callie and how he was so patient with her. Callie has sworn off ever getting married because of her past relationships and her parent’s marriage, but Hunter might just be the one to break down those walls she’s put up to protect her heart.

This book was a fun, sexy, small town romance and the characters are wonderful!

I love reading Robin’s books and I can’t wait for more!

I love Hunter and his struggle to stand out from his family, to be seen for the things that are uniquely him. He’s pretty much perfect – kind, caring, thoughtful, observant – and he’d make the perfect partner for any woman. Too bad the one he wants doesn’t want anything to do with marriage … or him.

Being treated poorly by past boyfriends, mixed with family issues, has led Callie to the conclusion that marriage isn’t for her. Which makes her attraction to Hunter even more complicated since he’s definitely looking for his forever. And, based on reviews, meant that quite a few readers were a little put off by her. I can see where they are coming from – she’s definitely a little hard on Hunter, when he has done nothing but prove that he’d make the very best of husbands. I think that if Bielman had maybe done a little more to showcase Callie’s past difficulties it would have helped, but I gotta say that based on the way her family treats her she deserves all the care and attention she can get. And Hunter is the perfect one for the job.

The Matchmaker and the Cowboy is a slow burn, (kinda) friends-to-lovers romance with an ending that you know is coming but a journey that makes it a satisfying HEA.

(3.75 *s)

THE MATCHMAKER AND THE COWBOY is the second book in the Windsong series by Robin Bielman. I’ve never read anything by Robin Bielman before and I’m so happy I took a chance and read this heart warming story. THE MATCHMAKER AND THE COWBOY is going to make you want to run to Windsong! When Callie returns home after being over-seas for six months, she finds her family home is un-liveable. Where is she going to live? Enter Hunter! Her best friend, Nova, finds a place for her to stay, the only problem with that is she has a roommate and it is Nova’s brother. She would have to take care of him as he is convalesceing. Hunter has been bitten by a black widow spider and is recovering. Hunter has always had a crush on Callie but she never knew.

THE MATCHMAKER AND THE COWBOY is a wonderful small town romance. It does have some steamy parts but I wasn’t put off by them. Once you start reading, it will be very hard to stop. Callie is such a quirky character and Hunter is beyond funny! They are the perfect match right? Talk about opposites attract! Their conversations had me giggling out loud but sometimes they also broke my heart. If there were ever two people who needed each other, these two are it! I found it very funny how Callie was so annoyed by Hunter but just couldn’t stay away from him! She isn’t looking for a commitment and she has her parents to thank for that. Their relationship has been off and on for their whole marriage.

Robin Bielman will quickly become one of my favorite authors. She made me feel so many different things while I was reading her heart tugging story. One minute I’m giggling and the next there is a huge lump in my throat. All of the characters are flawed in different ways, but you will find yourself cheering for them throughout THE MATCHMAKER AND THE COWBOY. I just wanted to reach in the pages and give them all hugs. The banter between Callie and Hunter is hysterical. I can’t wait to read more by this wonderful author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Loved it!! I loved the previous book in the series and was wondering if #2 would be as good as #1. It was such a fun and enjoyable read!

This is a good book. The two main characters are Callie and Hunter. Callie and Hunter have known each other all their lives. His sister is best friends with Callie. Callie is a wedding dress seamstress and Hunter is a rancher. Callie and Hunter are both in a contest to be their hometown ambassador. They each have issues but together they work them out to fall in love.

This is a Cowboy Romance, and this is the second book in the Windsong series. I have not read the first book in this series, but I think you can read this book as a standalone book. I found this book to have great characters and took place in a cute small town. There were so many fun and laugh moments in this book that had me laughing out loud. There were some steamy adult times in this book too. I really loved seeing the two main characters open up to each other, and I love seeing their romance come to life. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Entangled: Amara) or author (Robin Bielman) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Review: 4 stars

Happy Pub Day to this book!

Thank you @MissRiki, @EntangledPublishing and @RobinBeilman for providing me with a free e-arc in exchange for a honest review

4-stars

Quote: "marriage is about two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other, and they've stuck to that"

I read this book as a standalone, not knowing it was part of a series.

It's a wonderfully sweet and whimsical book about childhood acquaintances turning friends into lovers to being in a relationship.

Read this for:
1) Cowboy romance
2) Relatable & multi-facet characters
3) Slow burn
4) Whimsical small town
5) A hint of magic
6) He falls first

The story begins with Callie's return to Africa and out of place to stay as her family's home is under renovation and her family is away volunteering. She got roped in by her best friend, Nova, to look after her brother, Hunter, who has been bitten by a black widow and needed someone to stay at his place to keep an eye on him as he recovers. Little did she know that Hunter always had a crush on her, both contending for the Ambassador role. Callie was also roped into designing Hunter's future sister-in-law's gown, which led to further interactions.

I enjoy how Hunter and Callie helped each other progress while competing for the ambassador role. They are similar in that they want the role to step out of their brothers'/sister's shadow and have a real need to prove themselves.

As the story is a slow-burn, it starts building the characters, and once the sexy scenes start rolling in, phew, talk about chemistry. I enjoyed Robin's writing style in how she breathed life into her characters, making them so profound and relatable.

All in all, a sweet read!

The Matchmaker and the Cowboy is a fantastic contemporary romance. Callie Carmichael is back home after six months in Africa. Her future plans include building up her business creating and making bridesmaids dresses, especially for the Maid-of-Honor. She loves watching the wearers of her designs fall in love, as long as it's not her. After her parents as role models and the horrible relationships she's endured, Callie isn't looking for love. Try telling that to her new roommate, her bestie's brother.

This book is full of emotion, realism, laughter, and love. I enjoyed every second of the banter and flirting between Callie and Hunter. Their chemistry is off the charts, realistic, and believable. The book is infused with laughter, snark, and intense emotional scenes. There are several themes running through this book that will keep the reader intrigued, engaged, and invested in the stories. An enjoyable, fast-paced book with wonderful main and secondary characters, The Matchmaker and the Cowboy is a must read!

3 1/2

Callie returns home from Africa expecting to stay at her family home but arrives to discover no family and the house a construction zone because her family is remodeling (literally, they’re doing the construction) but they’ve gone off to help hurricane victims rebuild. Sad and miffed that they aren’t there, she is enlisted to stay with her best friend Nova’s brother Hunter after he suffers a black widow bite. Hunter has always been in love with Callie but has never expected to receive the time of day from her, but this might be his chance in Robin Bielman’s The Matchmaker and the Cowboy.

Firstly, I absolutely adored Hunter. The romance book world is not filled with nice guy main characters, which makes reading about Hunter a delight. Why women would rather read about other women being treated badly by alpha males is beyond me (actually not I think it has to do with getting older and demanding to be treated well in relationships, but I’ll get off this soap box before I lose track of what I’m reviewing). Hunter is thoughtful, considerate, a listener. Ya, the perfect male romantic character for a beautiful love story. And the fact that he’s handsome and funny is just icing on the cake. Yummy cake.

Unfortunately, his counterpart, Callie, who is initially plucky, falls back on whiny, un-self-aware territory, which gets old really fast. Sincerely, this book was only 306 pages but began to feel much longer due to repetition and the repetition of whiny Callie. While Callie redeemed herself at the ending due to her grand gesture—the grand gesture itself was problematic because it happened during Hunter’s brother Maverick’s wedding reception, which is a huge no-no. It would be horrific in real life, taking the attention away from the couple without their permission (and maybe even with), but perhaps it’s not so bad in a book? No, it’s still bad. But, you know, I’ve already established that Callie is un-self-aware and perhaps we can just extend that to all around unaware. After taking a cursory glance at reviews, I was surprised that no other reviewers thought the timing of that grand gesture was icky. I wonder why?

All of the secondary characters were well done from toddler princess Jenna to aging snarky humorist Birdy.

Seasonally, The Matchmaker and the Cowboy feels right on, moving from autumn crispness to Thanksgiving and then to Christmas so a very pleasant read for the time.

I was sad to see that Bielman did not do more with the magical dress aspect of the book thus building up on the whole “matchmaker” aspect. While it’s talked about, we never read any scenes that directly delve into the magic, which would have been a lovely addition.

I usually enjoy Robin Bielman’s novels so I think that this is just a one off for me. Maybe I’m just Grinching early; you’ll probably enjoy it more than me.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was pulled into this small town, friends to lover’s romance, as it made me want to live in Windsong. Hunter and Callie have known each other for years. A freak incident for Hunter requires someone to watch over him and Callie suddenly needs a place to stay so she becomes the best choice. At the same time, they are both in the running to be the new town Ambassador. As they spend time together, what is merely an acquaintance becomes a wonderful friendship. For Hunter, this is frustrating because he has loved Callie for years but Callie doesn’t have hope for love in her own life after some bad boyfriend choices. I love how patient and determined Hunter was to help Callie work through her fears but will she really open herself up to love? I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

4.5 Stars!

Author Robin Bielman has another winner with The Matchmaker and The Cowboy. Well-defined personalities and an engaging plot kept me riveted. I have read and enjoyed many of Ms. Bielman's books, and she always pens a glorious love story. This is a heartwarming read with two main characters that are hot, likable and endearing.

Callie Carmichael is the dressmaker with the mostess. It is hard to believe, but anyone who wears one of her maid or man of honor garments is able to find true love shortly thereafter. Ironically, she has no desire to find her soulmate, due to failed relationships and her parents' disruptive marriage. Then Hunter Owens comes back into her life and Callie slowly changes her toon. Hunter is a rancher who loves his amazing family and hometown. He has had a crush on Callie for years.

The Matchmaker and the Cowboy is a sexy, passionate, and warmhearted romance. It is replete with desire, well-defined characters and an engaging storyline. Callie and Hunter are wonderfully perfect for each other and I immediately connected to them as individuals and as a couple. They have a scorching chemistry and their ability to encourage each other was inspiring. This is the second book from the Windsong series and it can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a fun small town romance with a hunky hero who will melt your heart. Hunter is the perfect Uncle who is easy to love. Callie is a little harder to love, she is afraid of commitment and this leads to the ultimate conflict in the story.

Besides the hunky hero, my favorite part was the forced proximity between Hunter and Callie. When she arrives in town, she has to stay with Hunter and take care of him when he is sick. This lays the foundation for their relationship and has some pretty fun scenes.

Sweet small-town romance
It’s all about the journey. It is formulaic but so well handled the reader will still want to know how the inevitable gets managed. Hunter Owens is the “most eligible bachelor” of the small town of Windsong. He loves to flirt but his heart only belongs to one person: Callie Carmichael. He has loved her seemingly forever. After volunteering in Africa to teach women how to sew, Callie returns home. What she finds is that her family have gone off on another rescue mission with no thoughts of her return. Where will she stay? At the same time an event turns Hunter’s world topsy turvy requiring that he have help. Ahh! A solution. Callie will stay with Hunter helping him during his recuperation. Feelings become pronounced but poor Callie cannot bring herself to believe that anyone would love her that way. After a life of always being a second thought to her own family, she’s skeptical. In this story Callie is her own worst enemy to a happy ending.
This was a well-written story. The blurb gives you the twist that makes this story magical, but reading it will fill in the blanks. Callie is a strong character with self-doubts while Hunter is a self-assured almost 30yo man who wants to marry Callie. Can he convince her that she’s worth his love and affection? I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through Entangled/NetGalley.

Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was sweet, really sexy and melted my heart!

"Eventually, no matter how hard their fought it, the heat that crackled when they were close to each other had to go somewhere."

Hunter Owens fell for Callie Carmichael the moment he met her when they were teenagers, but a terrible accident has Callie disliking and avoiding him for years to come. As adults, Callie has just returned to her hometown of Windsong and needs a place to stay. In the meantime, Hunter has been badly bitten by a black widow spider and needs a babysitter. She agrees to look after him in exchange for staying at his place. That's when she starts to realise that Hunter isn't at all the man she assumed him to be. In the meantime, Hunter is thrilled to have her under his roof, just as he had decided to give up on her ever giving him a chance.

"Tell me I'm not the only one feeling the gravity between us."

Gosh, this story really gripped my heart. Hunter was so stinking adorable and gorgeous and swoony. He was such a gentleman - thoughtful, caring and intuitive. I couldn't get enough of him! Callie had grown up in a somewhat dysfunctional family, which tainted her view of relationships and marriage. I thought she was stubborn sticking with her ideas of what she wanted for her future when it was obvious that she had fallen heads over heels in love with Hunter, but I loved her grand gesture! I adored their connection and their chemistry. They were fun and super sexy together. Loved this story so much!

This one was okay for me. The writing flowed well, my issue was more with the characters. Hunter was a good guy, but I like my heroes to be more assertive. Callie was super annoying. She knew going in that Hunter liked her and wanted more than a hookup. She did it anyway, and then got upset when he confessed his feelings for her. Hunter did everything right, constantly proved that he was a good guy, but Callie still pushed him away. It annoys me to no end when characters punish new love interests because of the crappy things people have done in the past. The "will they or won't they" lasted all the way up to like 94% of the book. The way Callie's issues were suddenly cleared up after one conversation with her sister was silly IMO. Like I said Hunter proved himself time and again, but her sister apologizing suddenly made Callie okay? I did enjoy the setting and the family from this one. I love a small town romance, and this book does that well. Jenna was cute and a sweet side character. Birdy was hilarious and I like her relationship with Callie. Although I wasn't a huge fan of this one, I did like the writing style. This was a first for me from this author, but I would read her again.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

I really loved this book and can’t wait to read more by this author, Hunter and Callie’s story was beautiful. Thank you Entangled for the arc.