A cowboy for Christmas Book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I read Simple Gifts in a few sittings and each time I picked it up to start reading, I felt like I was being transported back to the old west. The language used and descriptions weaved by Anna DeForest were all so appropriate to the mood of the setting that I felt like I was being carried off to another time.

In this story, our leading lady is Robin Matthews. She runs a cattle spread in the mountains of Colorado with her younger siblings. She took over the running of the place, along with raising the younger family members, after the death of her parents a few years ago. Robin is a strong woman, facing what seems to many to be insurmountable obstacles. But she holds strong to her belief that she can defeat the odds.

Nathaniel is a man with a past. He is ten years older than Robin and he feels that the experiences of his past, in addition to those extra ten years, have made him into a man who is not worthy of being with someone like Robin. But he is doing battle with himself, as she is everything he wants.

I loved the story between Robin and Nathaniel. The progression of their relationship was really sweet and I enjoyed the way it gently built. They both had struggles to overcome and they complemented each other as they faced their challenges.

I also really liked the other characters in this story. We really get to know Robin's younger brothers and sisters, who all have important roles to play amongst the day to day running of things. I even enjoyed the dirty dudes in this story. There were some real bad boys that were making regular appearances, but each time they did, the responses of our main characters gave me another opportunity to find more things to like about Nathaniel and Robin.

Potential spoiler alert!

I don't normally do spoilers and I'm going to try to keep it to a minimum this time too, but there is a part of this story that will matter to some readers, so I'm going to give it a moment of attention. (Look away now to skip the spoiler.) It is not a big part of Simple Gifts, but attempted sexual assault does come into it. And once it gets addressed, it has an ongoing effect to the undercurrent of the story from that point onwards. It's not described with any particular detail nor is it given an inordinate amount of focus, but it is there.

Ok it's safe to look again now.

I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of old west romances, as Anna DeForest paints the time period so very well. And as an added bonus, I got totally sucked in by the excerpt at the end from the next title in the series, Golden Dreams. It sounds great! So now I have another title on my list to look forward to.

Thank you to the author, Anna DeForest, and Goddess Fish Promotions, for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.