A Cowboy for Keeps

Author: Jody Hedlund
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Colorado Cowboys #1
Release Date: January 5, 2021

​Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing little sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order bride has died. Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.

Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family. And the mayor, who has promised to try to help Greta, has just the candidate in mind for Wyatt to marry.

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Reviewer: Adriann Harris

Overall I am regrettably underwhelmed with A Cowboy for Keeps, the start of Jody Hedlund’s new Colorado Cowboys series which takes place in a mining town called Fairplay, Colorado.  

Best Characters: Astrid, an impulsive, stouthearted, at times defiant, ridden with consumption, little sister to Greta, stole my heart and every scene in the story she was in as well.  I laughed out loud when she audaciously took on Wyatt’s bully neighbor Roper Brawley, the pirate as she called him, several times.  I must divulge A Cowboy for Keeps would have been my first Jody Hedlund DNF if it had not been for her. The other character who stood out for me was Judd, Wyatt’s wise right-hand-man, who didn’t talk much, but when he did, you should pay heed. 

Least Notable Characters:  Greta Nilsson and Wyatt McQuaid, the Hero and Heroine of the story were mediocre, both feeling they were not worthy. Instead of depth, wisdom, and the ability to understand and reason, we were given two leading characters with no horse sense. They spent so much time lusting after each other it overwhelmed the Christian message for me.

Astrid kept me turning the pages as well as some of the more humorous interactions amount the characters. For example:  “Come on now, Captain Jim.” (Owner of Simpkin’s General Store) “You know the business of every fly living on a horse’s hind end this side of the Continental Divide.”  “If you didn’t see where that little girl was headed,” Mr. McQuaid continued, “then I reckon this town better invest in a telegraph to take your place.”  

Except for the vivid scene that took place when Astrid and Greta first met the Indians there wasn’t much description to make me feel as if I was in the 1800s. However, the stunning breathtaking descriptions of the Colorado Territory landscape when Wyatt took Greta berry picking and while searching for Astrid reminded me of the Jody Hedlund of old.

Must bring to light that personally I would rate this story R due to the borderline provocative thoughts of Greta and Wyatt, and some very crude comments.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author’s publisher Bethany House via NetGalley as a member of her Release Crew.  I was under no obligation to write a favorable review, and all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Reviewer: Trixi Oberembt

”She needs a husband,” Steele said firmly. “You need an investor. And I need a civilized town for my wife.”

With that ultimatum, how can Wyatt resist a chance to finally start his own cattle ranch? But then again, who is he to play with hearts? As for Greta, what other choice does she have but to enter a marriage of convenience for the sake of both herself and younger sister? What a quandary!

I already love Jody Hedlund's historical books, so I was especially excited to read her first Western one! Her stories are character driven, which is something I enjoy very much. I fell in love with Wyatt at first sight; not just because he's ruggedly handsome, but for his heart of gold. He learns that Greta and her young sister are in desperate need and reluctantly agrees to the mayor's marriage bargain. How this story plays out from there was all consuming for me, a book that was thoroughly engrossing.

It was also a gentle love story between Wyatt and Greta, an absolute pleasure to watch these two together. They both have insecurities they fight within themselves, but in the end faith, hope and love overcome. The secondary characters added their own personalities and flavor. I especially loved Judd—Wyatt's unofficial cowhand and sage advice giving grizzled older gentleman. He was a favorite of mine.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fantastic western historical and eagerly look forward to the next installment of Colorado Cowboys!

I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House and was not obligated to leave a favorable review. All opinions expressed here are mine. 

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