The Cowboy's Christmas Retreat

Lucy Snyder is a divorcee, a single parent to George, her son from her first marriage, and a fur-mommy to Pickles. Her failed marriage made her question her judgment to jump into any relationship besides friendship. The only thing that makes her have any relationship is her friendship with Riley, who has been her rock and supporter since they were both in middle grade. Riley Stewart wants to settle down. He's been traveling on the rodeo circuit and has been wanting to "settle" soon. He's already started to look for properties for a potential business and is planning to move from city to country-side soon. He is recently engaged and is excited about all the settling prospects in the works. His only hesitation is leaving his childhood best friend, Lucy, to pursue "again" his dreams. (Hint: there's a heavy yet beautiful backstory on this.) The Cowboy's Christmas Retreat is a first-person, from both Riley's and Lucy's POV. It is written well and is true to the Harlequin Romance of sweet, undeniable love with a bit of complication to add spice to the storyline. Pros: - Warm and cozy book tone. Plus, the fact that most of the scenes are in a retreat adds to its calmness of the mood. It gives me the "Silent Night" feels of an animal nativity scene peppered with a Jingle Bells Rock of line dancing moments. - A great Christmas read to place readers through the holiday feels with the many festive activities partaken by the characters. - I love second chance/redemption books that this book has in full blast, especially when both main characters are finally "on the same life stage" to be there for each other. Both are finally single, though not yet ready to be in a relationship at the start. - I appreciated the story not being an "insta-love" approach. Instead, Lucy's and Riley's long-term friendship becomes the foundation that brought genuine healing and authenticity. Cons: - The story's build-up was slower than expected due to so many internal conflicts for both main characters. Although Lucy and Riley mentioned many repetitive details on taking their relationship beyond friendship, the author reminds readers that these characters' flaws still need to be "worked on." It was realistic with the slow-burning pace. - I had trouble connecting or caring for the characters. Initially, I got excited about how flawed Lucy and Riley were. They made me want to unravel them and understand them, BUT I found their unresolved and traumatic troubled pasts came up too often that it felt repetitive. Granted that these issues were "not resolved," I would have appreciated if the author mentioned that either character sought external help or anyone mentioned this since many "red flags" signaled this need. - Cheated partners get mentioned often and cause doubt and frustration. Note: Some readers might not see this coming into the scenes. BUT, there surely wouldn't be a story without these characters who hurt the main characters. I have an issue with an ex-partner's reactions, which didn't seem realistic to me. Granted that his particular partner was "in the wrongs," but after what one of the main characters said...the reaction was too calm and "controlled." There were no rebuffs or drama when the main character confessed the truth to the ex-partner, and then, this ex-partner, of two years, left quietly. Overall, The Cowboy's Christmas Retreat is a light and easy-going read with minimal conflicts. This book came at a perfect time - just when I wanted an escapism book. The pace in some parts was slower than I was used to, and the "push-pull" moments were not to my liking, BUT I understood the author's purpose for this. The heavier pace moments balance the internal conflict between Lucy and Riley. These conflicts became barriers in having Lucy and Riley progressing and helping each other until the last few chapter or two. I think I've been out of the sweet romance genre for too long. This book is something I would recommend to a reader who loves second chances, single-parent tropes, pet-lovers, and Harlequin romance reader fans.

They have been best friends forever. He helped her through her son's birth and her divorce, now she will help him with his engagement failure. She and her son go on his 'honeymoon' trip to a dude ranch that is geared towards relationships, families and healing. They may just find more than either one of them dared to hope for. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The second book in the Top Dog Dude Ranch series, this is best friends Riley Stewart and Lucy Snyder have been best friends for years. Their lifes both take a turn for the worst and they are both there for each other. What neither one will admit is that they love each other. I enjoyed seeing their story come together with the ups and downs they went through. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.