Ella Baker has moved back to this small farming town to help her father on their ranch and to even possibly inherit her family's business. While home she has taken a job as a music teacher and has started really embedding herself in the community. Her neighbor, Beckett McKinley is spending another season without his wife as she passed away and left him with their twin boys. He is trying to balance fatherhood while running a farm and thinking about the future for their family. As with all romance we books, we know where this will end up . . .

My favorite thing about reading these Christmas romances at this time of year is that they are sweet and predictable so it makes for the perfect light reading. As a romance reader we always know that the journey to the end will have some hick ups and speed bumps, but we know it will end in a happy spot!

Ella and Beckett were so great to follow because they are just great characters with real drama going on in their lives. Nothing felt over the top, instead it all felt typical family drama.

I loved the twin boys in this book. They were written so well and were just such a sweet addition. I loved how they moved the story along in their own unique way. They may have been the highlight of the book for me!

I knew that this book was a part of a long series, but I love that with most romance series you can pop in and out of the series as each book centers around different people but may make appearances in other books.

Lovely story for the holidays, just not for me. There was a missing element for me in this RaeAnne Thayne novel, usually I love her stories as they have a lot of heart. But the book felt very white, very vanilla, and niche- so unless you are into a "When Calls the Heart" type of love story, this may, or may not, not be the love story for you.

This is another charming Thayne Christmas romance. My rating 4.5.

Ella is a music teacher who spent summers on her father’s ranch before returning to the town as an adult to help care for him. She loved the ranch and would love the opportunity to learn and manage the business. Unfortunately, Ella had suffered a severe injury as a child on the ranch and her father can only view her as fragile and needing protection. He believes she will return to her mother’s big city environment as soon as she can. Meanwhile, the neighbors, particularly Beck, help run the ranch.

Beck and Ella are cautious of each other. Beck’s first wife was a city girl and could not manage ranch life, even leaving her twin boys behind when she left Beck. Beck isn’t ready to trust another city girl.

Beck’s twin seven-year-old boys are a handful as everyone, including Ella, knows. They ask to join the Christmas program and then ask a very special favor from Ella. As she directs the program and works closer with the boys, she begins to defend them and begins to warm up to their sometimes intimidating father.

I really liked the strong, sweet chemistry between Ella and Beck. Their growing attraction could certainly have benefitted from some open communication but that is part of the story conflict of course. This read quickly as, once again, Ms. Thayne delivers a heartwarming, clean romance that is a delight to read at holiday time or anytime. I do recommend Ms. Thayne’s books to romance readers who enjoy clean, wholesome and heartwarming stories.

The Rancher's Christmas Song (Cowboys of Cold Creek #16) by RaeAnne Thayne
Harlequin, 2017
Romance (Holiday); 224 pgs
Source: E-copy provided by publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Single dad Beckett McKinley’s rambunctious twins ask their music teacher, Ella Baker, for help in learning their father’s favorite Christmas song. They want to surprise him by singing it at the children’s annual holiday show. On impulse, Ella agrees, but only if the boys will teach her how to ride a horse. She has long struggled with a phobia of horses with roots from her childhood. I admit I had to remind myself to suspend my disbelief in this—a teacher asking young boys to teach her to ride a horse seemed a bit silly . . . but it wasn’t as if she didn’t realize it was impulsive, and she wished she could take it back almost as soon as she said it. They were just so excited about the trade though. She didn’t have the heart to disappoint them.

Beck has long been attracted to Ella Baker, the daughter of his neighbor and mentor, but his effort to keep his distance and hide his feelings has only made her think he doesn’t like her. She assumes it is because she grew up in Boston, not Cold Creek, and he, like her father, feels she doesn’t belong there. Ella has conflicting feelings about Beck—she is attracted to him and yet sees him as a rival for her father’s attention—and for her family’s ranch.

I adored those twin boys. They had energy to spare, and ran their teachers and father ragged, but they have good hearts and are eager to do the right thing. I like Ella’s approach with them.

While Ella has some things to overcome, like her fear of horses, her real conflict is with her father and his inability to see that she is willing and capable to learn how to run the ranch. Her father’s failing health is in part what brought her to Pine Gulch, a place she loved as a child. She wants to make it her home. Beck and her father see her being there only temporarily—her father still seeing her as a child he has to protect, and Beck seeing his former wife, also a city woman, in Ella despite the two women being completely different.

I really liked Ella and Beck, both down to earth and hardworking people. Ella takes on her fear head on, and I loved that about her. She knows what she wants and she goes after it. Beck is still haunted by his past and has to get past that before he can fully let love in. The two characters have definite chemistry together. I enjoyed seeing the characters come into their own—and grow together over the course of the novel.

I may have got misty-eyed at the end of this one—and in a few other places. This was a sweet romance—perfect for the holiday season.

I came to this long-running series more than a little late, and when I read and reviewed the novel that preceded this one, The Holiday Gift, I felt overwhelmed by the size of the cast and the relationships of and between the many characters. It was a lot like arriving very late to a party, long after the introductions were made and feeling lost, but having gotten hooked by the author's Haven Point series, I voluntarily agreed to read and review another Cold Creek novel, and while I still was unclear about the relationship history of the other characters, it didn't bother me at all in this novel, and I'm very glad I did request an advance reader copy. This one gets 4 stars from this reader.

The principle characters in this novel are music teacher, Ella Baker, who was a child when her parents divorced and her mother returned to her family in Boston with Ella in tow. Ella missed the ranch and returned to visit her father whenever possible. When she was only 8 years old, she had a terrible fall from a spooked horse, a fall which stopped her heart and left her in a coma. She was lucky to survive her injuries, but was left with no memory of her first 8 years. That accident left her absolutely terrified of the horses she used to love.

She returned to Pine Gulch a year ago to care for her father, Curt, who's been stricken with Parkinson's disease, and found a job teaching music at the elementary and middle schools. The thorn in her side (as well as everyone else in the school) are the twin 7-year-old sons of Beckett (Beck) McKinley, Trevor and Colter, referred to as the "twin terrors" for their boundless energy and rambunctious nature. She also happens to be attracted to their dad, whose ranch, Broken Arrow, is next door to her father's ranch, one she hopes will be hers to run one day, but something she can't seem to get her father to realize is something she's always dreamed of. It's something she wants to learn how to run from her father, who, although she's a grown woman, can't seem to see her as anything more than a frail and fragile, comatose 8-year old in a hospital bed. Her father, in turn, recognizing that he's rapidly becoming unable to run the ranch himself, decides to offer to sell the ranch to Beck, and it's something they've been quietly discussing.

Knowing that she's going to have to prove her capabilities to her father, Ella's horse phobia must be overcome, and the chance to do so soon presents itself, when her students, the McKinley twins, ask her to help them learn their father's favorite Christmas song--their Christmas gift for him, and one they will perform at the annual Christmas show that Ella is in charge of. Knowing that Ella has been stretched thin by her two jobs, in addition to all her Christmas volunteer work, they offer to give her riding lessons in exchange for helping them, and with great trepidation, Ella agrees. Once Beck finds out about the riding lessons, and witnesses how terrified Ella is of horses, he realizes what his sons do not, that it will take more than a trail ride with the twins to get her comfortable on horseback, and so he inserts himself in her lessons. It doesn't help that he's been attracted to Ella since he first saw her, but after his disastrous marriage with a city girl ended in her leaving him when the boys were only two years old, and eventually dying of a drug overdose, he's promised himself not to ever get involved with a city girl again, but as they work together, he's impressed by Ella's grit and resolve to overcome her fear, and the attraction between these two grows stronger.

These characters are well defined, and the charm and sense of community I came to love in the Haven Point series, is certainly present in Pine Gulch too, where neighbors help their neighbors, no one is a stranger for long, and everyone pitches in to produce the annual Christmas show, which is done as much for the seniors citizens in town as it is for the general population. Everything about his novel is imbued with the Christmas spirit, and as a city gal who moved to a small town, I fully understood the appeal of small town life and the values of neighbor helping neighbor.

There's more drama and angst involved in this story, and surprises, both good and bad for the characters, but since I don't give spoilers, you'll have to read this emotional, charmingly sweet and touching novel youself to find out what happens to these characters, and I recommend it. As for this reviewer, I've added the earlier novels in this series to my to-be-read list. Ms. Thayne certainly is adept at writing deeply moving novels with HEA endings, and if you've not yet discovered her books, there's no time like the present.

This was my first RaeAnne Thayne book and it certainly won't be my last. I loved the story with the strong female character. I always like when the characters are reunited from past encounters and I really love the mischievous twin boys. So many great characters in this story and such an enjoyable story to read. There is nothing like a happy every after book at Christmas!!

This was a sweet holiday romance. Ella was a hard worker and a sweet girl who wanted to fit into the community with so many fond childhood memories (and one huge trauma) and Beck wasn't looking for anything besides keeping his twins occupied for a couple hours with the Christmas concert. What they both found was very special. Great read.

As only Ms Thayne can, this perfectly charming and heartwarming Christmas story hits all the right notes (pun intended), leaving you feeling not a small measure of joy by the end of the book.

Set in a picturesque wintery setting, the characters have been created in such a magical way that they'll steal your heart...especially the twins...leaving you with a lasting impression.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

3.5 STARS:

The Rancher’s Christmas Song is short and sweet, in both senses of the term. It’s emotionally sweet, a warm, feel-good romance featuring some of RaeAnne Thayne’s strengths: an attraction that goes well beyond the physical, a pair of adorable but mischievous children, and family relationships that bring both joy and sometimes pain. And it’s sweet in the sense of “not steamy”; the hero and heroine’s relationship never progresses past some toe-curling kisses, on the page or off-stage.

Ella is almost a stereotypical perfect heroine, by which I mean not perfect in herself, but for the book. She’s caring: she has moved from Boston to Pine Gulch to take care of her father, who has Parkinson’s disease, and she teaches music at the elementary school. She’s got grit and tenacity: she tackles an overwhelming fear and tries to overcome it. Her outward gentleness hides an inner strength and determination, but also the aforementioned fear, and the knowledge that her father doesn’t believe she belongs on a ranch.

Beck thinks the same thing, at least at first. Ella reminds him too much of his former wife, who didn’t take to the ranching life. Since she left, he has raised his energetic twin boys with the help of his uncle, brother, and a nanny who is currently off having surgery (rather conveniently, for the sake of the story.) He’s the sort of good neighbor and decent man you would like to call friend—or in Ella’s case, more than friend. Too bad he seems to be rather cold and distant around her…

Of course, both of them are hiding their attraction, and of course, it comes to the surface, and of course, there are several complicating factors both internal and external. And of course—this being both a romance and a holiday romance—everything eventually works out, leading to a satisfying happy ending.

What makes this book more than merely formulaic is Thayne’s writing. The emotions her characters experience feel real to the reader. So do the situations they find themselves in. Take away the ranch setting, and the family and romantic relationships that Thayne writes about are familiar: the ordinary, everyday loves and hurts and disappointments and joys that all of us have experienced or seen. But the setting isn’t incidental. Thayne writes about the West’s mountain towns and ranches with clear-eyed love; she may idealize the small-town atmosphere a bit, but she doesn’t gloss over the real challenges and even dangers of ranch life.

There’s a bit less “Christmas” in this book than there was in the three related Christmas Ranch novels published in the previous three years. But there’s enough to satisfy you if you’re looking for a good holiday romance. On the other hand, if you’re not a big fan of Christmas romances, there’s not so much that you’ll drown it it, either. The “holiday” aspect leans more toward a time-of-year setting than a strong Christmas-spirit theme.

Either way, I enjoyed it…and it put me in the mood for colder weather, snow, and the warmth of family at the holidays!

With that special voice that we adore, RaeAnne Thayne never fails to wrap a cowboy around our heart and reel us in! She writes endearing characters who have overcome loss and tragedy to go on to thrive and find love. This story brings us a single dad with a set of rowdy twin sons that could try the patience of a saint ... but their teacher happens to adore them ... and their daddy!

Ella Baker has been back in Pine Gulch for over a year now, and is still trying her best to mend her strained relationship with her ailing father. She wishes he could see her as more than just the city upbringing she had with her mother. She's enjoying her job teaching music to the kids of the town, but she wants so much more.

Neighboring rancher Beckett McKinley can't deny he likes seeing Ella around town and working with his son's for the upcoming Christmas pageant, but she reminds him a little too much of his former wife who hated ranch living and wanted the excitement from the city life she was used to. When his boys agree to teach her to ride a horse in exchange for her helping them prepare a song surprise for him for Christmas, he finds himself enjoying her company around his ranch more than he should!

Music teacher Ella Baker may have been a Boston city girl, but her heart never left the family ranch in Idaho. When her father becomes too sick to manage on his own, Ella comes back home to help, and cherish time with her father. A strained past between them sometimes makes it hard, but Ella hopes to convince her father she’s tough and capable, eager to meet the challenges of ranching life. In the meantime, Ella has her hands full as the town’s music teacher, organizing the holiday program, and volunteering at the senior center. Another distraction is Beckett McKinley, the rancher next door, and father of two energetic, but sweet, twins. Twin boys who happen to be in her music class. Beck is a heap of confusion. On one hand she’s a little jealous of the admiration and closeness shared between her father and Beck, and on the other she can’t help the sparks of attraction she feels anytime he gets close. Doesn’t matter though, because Beck treats Ella with nothing but cold indifference.

Indifference is not the problem Beck has with Ella. He struggles with overwhelming attraction every time she’s near. Beck’s under the impression that Ella is a city girl just like his ex-wife who couldn’t stand ranch life, leaving him and their (toddler!) twin boys to fend for themselves. Beck doesn’t want a repeat of that mistake. But, when his boys offer riding lessons to Ella there’s no way to avoid her, and he finds their time together changing his initial impressions. He knew she was smart, and beautiful, but discovering her sweet, and brave side makes him wonder if Ella just might be his dream girl after all.

The Rancher’s Christmas Song was a heartwarming delight! Ella and Beck’s back story was sad and touching, showing the great strength each had to have to overcome the past. As they get to know each other, the powerful attraction they’ve felt for each other blossoms into something deeper, and far more irresistible! Oh, there’s a bit of angst in this one! Not too much, mind you, I’d hate that! Just a little bit to make the longing palpable, and real! To make Beck and Ella’s giving in so much sweeter!

RaeAnne Thayne is a new to me writer, and I’m catching onto her appeal! The Rancher’s Christmas Song was a heated romance filled with touching family moments that brought a tear or two to my eyes!

The deal is that Ella will teach the "terrible twins" a Christmas song they want to sing for their father during a concert and they will teach Ella to get back on the saddle of a horse. Maybe then Ella can get a better relationship with her father and help out with the ranch. Little did she expect for the father of the boys, Beckett, to be there and also be the one to help her out with horse riding. Thing is the more time they spend together they can't help but fall for each other.

If you are looking for a sweet holiday romance that is clean then this book maybe for you. I loved the deal that Ella and the boys made with each other, the more she was around the boys it helped better them a bit by getting them to calm down. I loved getting to know more about Ella as the story went on finding out about her phobia with it comes to horse and what happened to cause it to happen then seeing her face her fears. I loved seeing Beckett helping out and supporting her when she needed it because facing her fears was no easy thing. I loved that Ella was a strong and capable women will do what she can to help others and not afraid to ask for help when needed. Overall this was a sweet romance and I really enjoyed it.

Great Christmas story! Just want I needed to get in the mood for the upcoming holiday. RaeAnne Thayne nevers disappoints.

I was introduced to the Cowboys of Cold Creek series with book #13. I didn’t feel like I missed anything by not reading the previous books in the series and I can tell you the same after reading #16 – so don’t let the number scare you. I’ve found all of her books can stand alone.

This year’s Christmas book is a lovely family story. There’s rancher Beck, single father of young twin boys, and Ella, former city girl and current local music teacher. Ella’s father owns the ranch next door to Beck’s so they are acquainted but that’s all – until the annual Christmas program begins rehearsals and the two find themselves playing more important roles in the other’s life.

In true RaeAnne Thayne style The Rancher’s Christmas Song is a charming story that embraces the true meaning of the season. Recommended to fans of the author and romantic Christmas novels you want to read in one sitting.

Adorable and heartwarming holiday romance story that captivated my mind and heart.
The twins with their horses and puppies certainly were a delightful addition to the story, their love towards their father was palpable and desire to please him with the Christmas gift so lovely.
Ella Baker is a strong female lead. I liked her strength, patience, and aim to go after what she wants. She has had a tough childhood, her relationship with her father is turbulent, yet she has clear goals in life and is willing to work towards them when needed.
Beckett McKinley is a family oriented man, his love for his twins is the driving force in his life. He has big heart, caring nature, he is generous and kind. But what he doesn't want is to fail in a relationship again, so acting upon his attraction towards Ella Baker is completely out of question.
Ella's father has a Parkinson's disease and needs constant care and help. Ella's struggle to accept her father's new challenges came close to my heart. I found that part of the story oddly comforting and consoling, my personal feelings and struggles coming into the play.
Beckett and Ella, as well as the twins, they all have challenges they are facing this holiday season. And while working on their fears, overcoming obstacles, and learning new skills they get to know each other in a new way. They find their hearts and minds are in tune, and there are new feelings taking root in their souls, feelings they cannot ignore for long. The attraction growing between Beckett and Ella is flaming, palpable force yet the story is sweet in nature leaving the passion to the reader's imagination.
With snow storms, ranch life, lots of Christmas caroling, cute kids, and alluring romance the story has all the ingredients that touch the emotions, and make you smile, sigh, and long for the season to start.
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

A great addition to the Cowboys of Cold Creek series. A perfect holiday read. If you are a fan of the series, this is a must read, you will not be disappointed.

“I told myself I wasn’t going to do that.”
“I… Why?”
“Because I was afraid as soon as I kissed you once, I would only want to do it again and again. I was right.”

I have to admit, I’m a little sad that The Rancher’s Christmas Song was such a quick read. I enjoyed it—quite a bit, actually. It helps, of course, that I’m a sucker for a cowboy—and a cowboy at Christmas is icing on the cake. Or perhaps the angel at the top of the tree. Either way, it makes for a fun, feel good read.

Ella and Beck are sweet together—their requited attraction is clear from the outset and, without much in the way of drama, that means a lot of happy moments and swoons, along with a little slow burn and some true grit. Beck’s twin terrors add another enjoyable element to the story, as does Ella’s somewhat-grumpy father and the town’s people who make appearances here and there, and all of whom seem like the kind of quirky, kind folk that bring me back to small-town series like this again and again.

This is my first book by this author and it’s highly unlikely to be the last. Even though I started this series at number 16–yes, SIXTEEN—I never once felt lost or confused or like I should have attempted a marathon binge-read of the earlier books. It’s easy enough to just fall into this story and smile at the adorable, Christmassy goodness.

Which I did. I read this one quickly and happily and even now, several hours later, I am still thinking about how much I liked this book and these characters. TL;DR - The Rancher’s Christmas Song is a sure thing if you like your cowboys and holidays as much as I do. (Which is a lot.)

This moment, this night, this woman were beyond his wildest dreams.

~ 4.5 Creampuff STARS ~

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

4.5 Hearts Need a holiday story that will put you in the Christmas mood? Well this is the one for you!

RaeAnne Thayne is one of my go to authors but this might be one of her best yet. Certainly the best holiday romance I have read this year.

Ella is so real. I can imagine going through what she is going through I would act exactly the same. Beck just has his hands full and needs help. And I liked he could ask for it. But besides the romance the best part may have been the twin boys. Talk about trouble with a capital “T”. But yet adorable!

Big up this book today! You will not be disappointed.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

You just know that when young twins show up there will be a romance in the air. This time Beckett McKinley's wild twin boys set the stage by making a bargain with Ella Baker. In return for helping them with a special song for their Dad they will teach her how to ride. Of course Beck ends up doing the teaching and finally realizing that Ella is much more than he thought. A great romance that takes place at the Christmas Ranch while introducing a new cast of characters. A great fit for the series.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Holiday stories are always a welcome addition to even a very busy life. Perhaps it’s because they provide a welcome pause in a hectic schedule but I think it’s due to their very nature of good spirit and family. It doesn’t really matter what holiday you celebrate – the spirit is universal. And spending a holiday with RaeAnne Thayne is the stuff of magic and miracles.

In THE RANCHERS CHRISTMAS SONG we are back in Idaho revisiting some old friends, getting better acquainted with some and meeting new one. Ranching towns are rather notorious their close knit community. Being a good neighbor is welcome and candidly expected.

When Ella Baker returned to her father Curt’s ranch – Bakers Dozen – she didn’t really have ranching on her mind. Her attention at this point was helping her dad manage his ever increasing difficulty with Parkinson disease. So much he could no longer do. So many things Ella would like to help with but as far as the ranch was concerned her dad has always kept Ella at arm’s length.

Ella was determined to get her father to see her value not only to him personally but to the ranch which she proudly considers her legacy. But she tries to maintain optimistic that in time Curt would realize she was there for good. Ella was developing a sense of belonging, an excellent rapport with her music students and a bit of interest in her hunky neighbor Beckett owner of the Broken Arrow ranch.

Ella already knew Beckett’s twin seven year old sons as students. These two were well known as the terrors of the school. For the most part Ella concurred with that opinion but after spending time with Trevor and Colter she knew they were actually caring, wonderful kids. Beckett was obviously doing a pretty good job as a single dad.

Problem with small towns is the scarcity of single folk. Ella and Beckett were not really intending to develop anything more than friendly neighbors. Too much at stake. Attraction aside these two clear headed people were somewhat determined to just ignore it. But with the holiday season approaching you just can’t help but have a bit of romance in all of us – including two really adorable twin boys.

THE RANCHERS CHRISTMAS SONG is a cheery tale to be sure and reminds us to look toward the future. RaeAnne Thayne – always the romantic – uses this season to bring love and happiness into the lives of two very deserving characters.