🏕️ 💒💍 “Her Surprise Cowboy Groom” (Wishing Well Springs #4) (2023) 💍 💒 🏕️ – Book Review
Welcome to the Blog Tour for Her Surprise Cowboy Groom by Cathy McDavid, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Series: Wishing Well Springs #4
Author: Cathy McDavid
Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming
Release Date: April 25, 2023
Genre: Sweet/Clean Contemporary Romance
An instant family
Could change her plans!
Ambitious wedding dress designer Laurel Montgomery can’t afford to be distracted…especially not by easygoing cowboy Max Maxwell. Wrangling his three-year-old twin daughters, a rambunctious puppy and a fledgling business, Max has his hands full, too. But he also knows the value of going for ice cream and fishing with his girls. Can he show Laurel there are more important things than making it big—like love and family?
From Harlequin Heartwarming: Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop/IndieBound | BookBub
More Books in this Series
My Review
Thank you in advance to the author, Cathy McDavid, for providing a complimentary review copy through JustRead Publicity Tours. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own.
This is the fourth (4th) and final book in the author’s Wishing Well Springs series. This is Laurel’s story. Laurel is Cash’s sister and co-owner of their business. Cash was featured in the first book, The Cowboy’s Holiday Bride. Channing and Kenna from the second book, How to Marry a Cowboy, briefly return.
The couple from the third (3rd) book do not return nor are they mentioned. Not even a business was referred to.
It might be a good idea to read all the books in order though. However, there are some discrepancies between books one and two. The third book could likely be skipped.
In addition to Cash, Phoebe, Laurel, Channing, and Kenna returning; McDavid introduces readers to:
🏕️ Max (Owns Happy Trails)
🌼 Daisy (Addie’s twin, age 3)
🌼 Addie (Daisy’s twin, age 3)
🧴 Charlene (Max’s ex, has an organic shampoo company)
Despite all the characters and their prominence, the story is told solely from Laurel and Max’s POVs.
Some books, while clean and wholesome, often have triggers or content that some readers might want to avoid or know in advance. The biggest one this has is the cancer diagnoses of minor characters. This is not an essential part of the story.
The first line had me giggling:
“If wedding dresses had personalities, this one would be a stubborn toddler in the throes of a power struggle.”
From there, it is – right off – easy to see that Laurel works far too hard, and has no life outside of Bellissima – her wedding dress shop. There is a reason though. It stems from a failed relationship where Jason, her ex, took the focus off of her work and almost cost her the business. A mistake that Laurel does not want to repeat and will go to extreme lengths to prevent.
However, taking a small break, Laurel runs into Max’s adorably misbehaved pup Jelly Belly, then his twins – Daisy and Addie. Of course, when she meets Max, Laurel takes notice of his good looks and way with his girls.
Max is a single father to 3-year-old twins, and having left a demanding job behind, he’s now setting up a “glampground” (Happy Trails) that will allow him time for his twins. He’s at Wishing Well Springs as their carriage driver, more or less a trade for Cash’s services. And, it gives both businesses a chance to cross-promote.
After meeting Laurel, Max is definitely not “interested” in her as she reminds him of his ex-wife Charlene – a woman consumed with her business success that she left him and their twin daughters behind. While supportive of his ex, he wants her to spend more time with the girls. Charlene definitely wasn’t the “stay-at-home-mom” (SAHM) type.
Despite not wanting another woman like his ex; there are some differences between the two. Max is still interested in Laurel, and ends up learning more about her – including why she is so career driven.
Laurel ends up attending a luncheon, and after a car accident that delays her trip home, Max suggests ice cream. After a “near-disaster” because of the delay, Laurel sees an old habit repeating – ignoring business for a guy.
Because she is fond of Max, Laurel wonders if she can balance the dating/work life. After all, Max is doing it as a single father to twins. With Max’s urging, the two decide to take a chance.
As usual, this will have a HEA, but it takes time for the characters to realize what they want and how they want to go about it as well as navigate some major challenges.
McDavid doesn’t shy away from the “controversy” of working moms and SAHMs. She expertly highlights the career versus family balance, and the sacrifices behind both choices, demonstrated when Laurel gets a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.
For those who’ve seen “Say Yes to the Dress” – this definitely had some vibes to it, especially when Laurel is talking about how a dress can trigger emotions and challenge family dynamics. Honestly, that show triggered my emotions!
This sweet second-chance romance was one that I ended up reading in about 12-hours, with half of it being in 3-hours. Obviously, I HAD to get some sleep. But, this was definitely hard to put down. The size of the Heartwarming line is longer, then again it is larger print, but it can sometimes feel bogged down. The pacing of the novel definitely helped it stay interesting. The line is also a “clean” read with no questionable language, and “affection” is limited to light kissing and hugging.
As I’ve read the author’s Mountain Refuge (part of Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line), there is NO doubt I will read future books in that line. And, I am looking forward to her next Heartwarming release as well.
Fans of the author, and those who’ve been reading the series
won’t want to miss this read.
RATING:
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html; update: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/07/what-goes-into-my-reviews-2022-edition.html)About the Author
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author CATHY MCDAVID is living her dream penning heart-stopping suspense thrillers for Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense and heart-touching family dramas for Harlequin Heartwarming.
Connect with Cathy by visiting cathymcdavid.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will each receive a Cowboy coffee mug, Starbucks gift card, print copy of A Secret Christmas Wish and How to Marry a Cowboy by Cathy McDavid, and author bling
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 25, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on May 2, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
I would love to read this.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing your review!
ReplyDeletethanks for your review. this sounds like an active and wonderful story
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete