Counting on a Cowboy

post date: 8/11/2015

Abby Knightley is planning to start a new life in Wishing Springs. Just not like this.
Before she even makes it into town she almost runs down a steer and his cowboy in the middle of the road, gets her car stuck in a ditch, and faints after seeing just a drop of blood.

Bo Monahan is curious about Abby. First, he feels responsible for Abby’s accident, he was standing in the road in the middle of the night trying to commandeer the steer. Second, he’s curious, because what kind of an accident would make someone start fainting at the sight of blood? Third, he’s intrigued. Not only does she take his breath away but Abby is the one he wants when life throws him a curveball in the form of a surprise baby.

Hott Review:

How absolutely romantic!
What I liked about Counting on a Cowboy: Counting on a Cowboy is an excellent Christian Romance. I loved the primary characters plus, Ms Clopton pulled in previous characters and townspeople to give us a story that’s amazing and well-rounded.
Your heart can’t help but to get involved as Abby tries to move forward in life while still cutting herself off from her heart.
What I didn’t like about Counting on a Cowboy: While Ms. Clopton did a great job of keeping Counting on a Cowboy mostly a light read there are definitely some deep feelings here.

More…

Author: Debra Clopton Source: NetGalley Publisher & Date: August 11th 2015 by Thomas Nelson Genre: Christian Romance 2 users ISBN: 1401690513 (ISBN13: 9781401690519)
Pages: 320 Grade: A Ages: 16+
Steam: YA Setting: Wishing Springs, Texas This Counts for these Challenges: 2015 Let Me Count The Ways Reading Challenge, 2015 Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge, 2015 Women Challenge, 2015 NetGalley Reading Challenge, Reading Road Trip 2015 Challenge, Monthly Mix-up Mania,
Series: Four of Hearts Ranch, 2

Betting on Hope
Counting on a Cowboy
Debra Clopton’s Bio:

Debra Clopton is an award winning, multi-published novelist. She sold her first book in 2003 and it was published in 2005 THE TROUBLE WITH LACY BROWN was the first book of the fun loving Mule Hollow series~the place readers tell her they wish was real..
Debra is proud of the success of her books and gives all the glory to God.

Debra believes her greatest award is first, God’s grace in her life and His gift of salvation. And second, her family and spending time with them. She counts every moment as a gift. Time is so precious…

Married for 22 blessed years to her high school sweetheart, Wayne Clopton, Debra was widowed in 2003. God’s arms never let go of her or her two sons, Chase and Kris, during those dark months after Wayne’s death. Her first book sold 7 months after Wayne’s death and her mission became showing the love she’d known in her life, through her characters and shining a light into reader’s darkest hours with love and laughter of her books.

Happily, in 2008, God led a couple of friends to play matchmaker and talk her into a blind date with Chuck Parks—who they also talked into a blind date…sounds like a page out of one of her Mule Hollow books! Instantly hitting it off, Debra and Chuck were married in 2010 and are so thankful that God led them to each other. Debra now has more love to share in her books!

Her sons, her lovely daughter-in-law and beautiful granddaughter have recently moved across country—it’s been a bit of a shock for her to adjust to not having them close. She feels blessed to have a career that enables her to visit them often and her motto is —have computer, will travel!

Along with her writing Debra helps her husband teach the youth at the Cowboy Church of Leon County. When she isn’t writing Debra loves to read, travel and spend time with her family.

Websites & Links: author's website twitter facebook All info & image is from http://debraclopton.com/

Counting on a Cowboy is a wonderful sweet and yes, even bittersweet romance. It is part of a series by Debra Clopton but the first of the books that I have read. That did not cause any problems for me since this book reads well on its own. The supporting characters of Tru and Maggie give enough insight for me to know that the first book is about their relationship.

Abby moves to Bo’s family town of Wishing Springs, Texas after suffering a tragic loss. The decision to move is abrupt and once Abby gets there indecision takes over. I personally found this to be realistic. One minute you know what changes you will make the next the fog of grief is back and everything is second guessed. Also Abby’s inability to talk about her grief while she has an overwhelming need to talk about it just broke my heart. I was pulling for her the entire time I was reading to allow herself to heal so that she could love again.

Bo seemed perfect for Abby, then went Levi suddenly shows up I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist both of them together. I said a silent cheer when Bo manned up to take the responsibility seriously and whole heartily. Bo’s life is hectic with Pop’s problems and now a baby then there is a ranch to run too. So besides the seriousness of much of the drama there is sometimes the comical in Bo’s situation making it a well round read.

There is even more drama with a side story in this book but it did not take away from Bo’s, Abby’s and Levi’s story at all. The total storyline is compelling, emotional and compassionate. The characters are authentic and were easy to identify with but also very likable. A pleasurable read. However, I would have loved for there to have been an epilogue.

Bo Monahan is happy for his brother, who has just married a journalist who is popularising Wishing Spring, Texas, as a location of single men looking for wives. Bo might be single, but that doesn’t mean he’s looking for commitment. But commitment finds Bo, in the form of Levi, a baby who is left on his doorstep, apparently his son.

Abby Knightley lost her husband two years ago, and still has recovered--or stopped blaming herself. She’s read Maggie’s columns, and decided a move to Wishing Springs is what she needs. She’s not looking for a husband, just for hope. But she can’t help falling for Levi, and being attracted to his handsome father.

I did like progression of the relationship between Abby and Bo, although I found Abby annoying at times. Sure, I could understand her animosity towards drunk drivers, but that didn’t (in my view) necessitate her hatred of a character merely because he drank. That’s like hating all men because one hurt you, or hating all Australians because they beat us in rugby (sometimes). It just seemed immature.

Counting on a Cowboy is the second book in Clopton’s new Four of Hearts Ranch series. Like the first, it’s a little formulaic, with most of the focus on the main couple but some slightly awkward scenes from the viewpoint of minor characters (mostly awkward because I was wondering why bit players were viewpoint characters). There were also some oddities around Levi—he was first described as a baby, then we found out he turned one a month ago, then he was twelve months old, then he was less than a year … I suspect I was reading an unproofed version, so let’s hope those glitches are picked up before it is printed.

The other thing missing was the Christian content. Counting on a Cowboy is from Thomas Nelson, a major CBA publishing house, yet the Christian content is best described as sparse. Abby goes to church once; Bo not at all. Both characters make occasional references to God or prayer, but faith isn’t a major theme for either character, despite forgiveness being a major issue for Abby. (In fact, God seems to be more important to the minor characters).

Overall, Counting on a Cowboy had potential, but felt as if it was trying to replicate a successful formula at the expense of originality. A solid read, but not something I’d re-read.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for providing a free ebook for review.

I was fully engaged in the story the entire time I was reading this book. Abby portrays a wide range of emotions as she daily struggles with her feelings of guilt, grief and ultimate desire to feel happy again. She is a perfect example of how our perceptions of self and situation can be distorted while we are weighed down with heavy emotional burdens. Abby experiences unconditional love for Bo's son Levi and that love works to heal her deep hurts. Allowing herself to love the baby opened her heart to be able to allow romantic love then blossom. Bo is adorable in his adoration of Abby which was unexpected since he seemed pretty gruff in the previous book in the series. His devotion to Pops, his grandfather with Alzheimer's, shows how both hope and acceptance of the hand life deals you help to still celebrate the good memories and daily joys however small. I loved the cast of family and community members who emphasize the importance of reaching out, connecting with others, and surrounding yourself with positive friends and people. The message I took from the book is that we can't do it alone- we need each other and we need God. This story is full of heart in an idyllic setting with realistically flawed characters reaching out and supporting and trying their best.

(Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing and BookLook Bloggers for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

Take a trio of cowboy brothers, an adorable baby, a sweet if slightly addled grandfather and a town full of lovable characters… and then throw in a young widow still recovering from the tragic accident that haunts her. The result? A truly entertaining read that will take you on a roller coaster of emotions.

This book was fun! The scenes that showed Bo (and his brother and Pops) trying to figure out this new baby had me chuckling – especially in my safe reader role as innocent bystander. Actually being there during diaper changes? Maybe not such a laughing matter. And … you know… for someone who hates the outdoors and is terrified of horses, I really do have a thing for fictional cowboys. Bo did his part for the cause with “that dangerous smile that spread slow, and then bam, the dimple popped and his entire face came alive.” And the impromptu dancing scene toward the end of the book? ACK! Be still my cowboy-crushing heart!

It wasn’t all dimpling and dancing and flirting though. Debra Clopton gently addressed some serious issues as well, issues like Alzheimer’s and alcoholism and drunk driving. I’ve been in Bo’s boots, watching my beloved grandmother forget my name or rather forget that I was me. So many mixed emotions accompany the long goodbye of Alzheimer’s, and I thought that Debra Clopton did an excellent job of being sensitive to both the feelings experienced by the caregivers as well as by the family member suffering from this horrible disease.

There was one part of the story that confused me for a bit – an apparent continuity/timeline error surrounding The Bull Barn – so if you get to that part and find yourself wondering if you missed a scene somewhere it’s not just you! :) All in all, that scene and those surrounding it have little to do with the solidity of the plot or the characters but since it did make me pause and flip forward and backward a few pages I felt it detracted from my reading experience and I wanted to briefly mention it.

Bottom Line: Counting on a Cowboy provides all the best things about a romance novel – flirting, dimples, growly kisses, laughter, and friendship. Not to mention the sweetheart of a baby who shows up on the front porch. If you like westerns and books about a small town, this will quickly become one of your favorites! If you like books that show a lot of character growth and healing, this is also a wonderful pick for you! (While Counting on a Cowboy is the second book in its series and features characters and story-lines from Betting on Hope, it can also be read as a stand-alone with little to no problems.)

Debra Clopton and Thomas Nelson brings us the second installment in A Four of Hearts Ranch series, but for me this was definitely a stand alone book. It's a wonderful, contemporary romance about loss, grief and dealing with moving on. The strong, well developed characters will grab you at page one, and the storyline will keep you turning the pages until the end. Abby Knightley is a character that grabbed my heart instantly. She knows all about loss. 2 years ago a wreck claimed the lives of her husband and unborn child. In the blink of an eye her entire life was changed and so was she. Her grief has consumed her life since the wreck and I think to some extent survivors guilt also. She decides in order to move on she must not only change her physical address, but move to a place where no one really knows her history. She has picked the small town of Whisperings, Texas. It's a small rural community and a place she thinks will an easy place to hide and deal with her grief. Unfortunately her arrival comes with a literal bang when she almost hits a steer in the road and has to swerve into a fence to avoid hitting it. Confirmed bachelor, Bo Monahan, likes his life just the way it is, almost. He lives on the ranch with his two brothers and grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer disease. Bo is well known for the stirrups he designs and keeps busy with orders for them. He has moved in with his grandfather due to his declining health. Needless to say he is a busy man and really doesn't have the time or inclination to date. '
Bo and Abby meet by chance, but the attraction is instant. The author brings humor, tragedy, and of course romance to this story. Abby is sweet and caring, but also afraid to start living again. Bo is cocky, but confident. Of course when he sees the pain in Abby's eyes he instantly knows that she's seen heartbreak. He wants to make her smile again. This is a wonderful story that I would recommend to anyone. I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for a honest review without bias or outside influence as stated above. I would like to thank them for this opportunity.

"Counting on a Cowboy" is such a fun and sweet read; Debra has done an excellent job with this book of hers! I loved the storyline, the setting and the characters and thrown all together creates an irresistible book! Abby is trying to start her life over and she thinks that the best way to do this is with a move. What I love about this book is the realness of the characters as Abby was faced with choices and she was not 100% sold on her choices and not positive that they were the right thing for her to be doing. How often each of us are faced with choices and waffle back and forth not really sure. When Bo is faced with having to make a choice and feeling lost, and Abby helps him out, it seemed clear that she was where God wanted her to be. I love seeing God in moments like this in life and being reminded that He is in control of His plans for us. I highly recommend this book and series and am eager for book #3!

Review posted on From the TBR Pile on September 6, 2015: http://fromthetbrpile.blogspot.com/2015/09/blog-tour-counting-on-cowboy-bu-debra.html

Goodreads 4 stars:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1384723105

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/review/R1R77SVMW478Y5/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

My thoughts:

Once again, Ms Clopton takes us to Four of Hearts Ranch for a story about loss and love. Abby lost her husband in a tragic accident 2 years before and decided she needed a change of scenery to get herself back. She didn't count on almost running over Bo and losing her heart to him. Bo is not the relationship type, but there is something about Abby that makes him look at his life again. Throw in a son he never knew about and you have the makings of a beautiful love story.
I really enjoyed this book. Abby was so broken when she came to Wishing Springs. Bo was just what she needed to help heal her heart. Little Levi was also the balm that her soul needed to heal. I loved watching these two fall for each other. Even though they fought it, I just knew they would not be able to resist. In addition to Bo and Abby's story, we get to check in with the colorful and energetic people in the town. I am looking forward to seeing how the relationship between Pebble and Rand develops. I am holding out hope for them! This is a wonderful series and one I highly recommend!

You need to read this book, or any book by Debra Clopton. This is book is part of a series and i have enjoyed every one of them. When you read Debra's book it is like you are right there with the characters., Abby doesn't think she can risk her heart ever again after losing everything that ever meant anything to her, Bo well he has his hands full taking care of the ranch his business and his grandfather, Read the book to visit old friends and see what happens to Bo and Abby.

"Counting on a Cowboy" by Debra Clopton is the second book in the "A Four of Hearts Ranch Romance" but the first book that I've read by this author. I didn't find the story hard to follow whatsoever, even though I haven't read the first book in the series, and I must say this was a great introduction to this author's work.
Abby Knightly is running from flashbacks of a traumatic past, into the small town of Wishing Springs, Texas, where a advice columist that helped her through her hard times is from.
She doesn't know what she'll find, but she sure doesn't expect to almost run over a handsome cowboy.
Bo Monahan is content working on his stirrup company. When Abby Knightly crashes into his life, he can't imagine how much his life is about to change. Soon he discovers he can't function without her, but he doesn't want to scare her since he only just met her. Will he be able to break past all the walls she's put up?
I really enjoyed this book; the characters were relatable and I just purely enjoyed my time in their stories. The plot certainly had several twists and turns that I never saw coming, and overall it is a very sweet setting.
Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson publishers and Net Galley for providing me with a Kindle copy of this book to read and review. All opinons are my own and were not required to be positive.

I didn't read the first book in the series, but I really liked this one. It was well written, clean and realistic. Abbey's got so much sadness and regret, but realizing she needs to change she moves away, given new hope by a blog that she reads. Her unfortunate need for rediscovery turns into a fortuitous encounter for Bo- local gorgeous cowboy and part-time fireman. When they find a baby on Bo's grandad's front porch that apparently has been left for Bo, it seems that the cosmos have brought these two together... Bo needs help, and Abbey needs a man and a baby.

A great read. I really didn't want to put it down. As soon as I got into it I was sure I knew what would happen, but I was kept pleasantly surprised.