Katie Ruggle has started a new series with a romantic suspense that will keep you wondering, a hero that is so fricken sweet and a heroine that really needs a keeper. Add in four kids you just want to hug and you have this terrific Christmas time tale. I will tell you I was totally surprised to find out who the bad guy was. I look forward to more Rocky Mountain Cowboys.

I requested this ARC after reading the chapters included in Ruggle's Through the Fire. It turned out to be a satisfying romance with unique characters and engaging setting.

Though the back cover blurb hints at this being a second chance romance, it's not. She thought he was cute and had a crush on him but they really didn't know each other at all. Camille and Steve haven't been pining, and what they know of each other before helps them take the first awkward steps towards each other in this book. It's really sweet.

Steve has moved back to raise his kids on the home farm, which is a Christmas tree farm with horses. He's a volunteer firefighter with the local fire station, and Camille is an artist who moved home and finished in college degree online to look after her grandmother. Her grandmother has passed on several years earlier, and Camille is very isolated.

One of the (many) elements I enjoyed of the story is that characters are accepted for who they are. Camille doesn't enjoy being around people - especially large groups - and she gets to do so on her terms. To be fair, the townspeople aren't that nice to her because they find her odd and they're nosy in that not-so-special small town way.

I'm always interested in single parent romances and this one was refreshing because the kids aren't threatened by their dad meeting someone new. They want him to have someone, and cheerfully mock him for how bad he is at flirting. I also liked that it showed how hard Steve worked for all his kids and didn't turn him into a overwhelmed single father who needs help stereotype. One of his first interactions with Camille is asking for her help buying tampons and pads because his oldest daughter is of an age where she could need them soon and he wants her to be prepared. He does ask Camille for help or advice because he trusts her and she gets to develop her own relationships with the children.

Forced proximity comes into play when Camille's house is burned down and she moves in with Steve. This helps their awkward flirting and they finally make a move towards each other. It also gets his brother Ryan to back off, because he got competitive with Steve when he realized Steve liked her. Ryan is pretty annoying and should've backed off sooner. Not sure if he's supposed to be sequel bait but he has a lot of work to do first.

The mystery of the fires is well-paced and connects well with the overall story. While I would not classify this as a cowboy romance, per se (it's a Christmas tree farm), it's recommended for viewers looking for unique rural romances.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about Steve and Camille. The SLOW burn had me going a little crazy, but the kids stole the show. I loved Camille's shyness and eccentricities, and Steve was heartthrob material down to the minutest detail. I wished there had been more detail about his first wife, and I almost expected Camille to be a virgin based on her lack of social experiences all around. I felt like I was missing something about the kids since it was never discussed why they moved twice in a short amount of time. But the suspense part was just enough and the Christmastime feel was perfect. I'll read more from Katie Ruggle in the future.

Camille is as close to a hermit as you can be while still running your own errands. She works as a metal artist from the garage of her childhood home. Her biggest childhood crush has moved back to town and she has unexpectedly come face to face with Steve during a search and rescue.

Steve is the single dad of four genius level children. If they go a week without an explosion he would call it a win. Moving back to his hometown and back to his family's tree farm is becoming a great decision. There is never enough supervision for his active kids and now he is distracted by Camille. Did his brother really call dibs?

Quick, yet fun read about family and coming home.

I was so excited to finally read Steve’s book and I loved it! Steve and Camille were very sweet together and I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow. I think Camille is my favorite female character that this author has ever written. I can understand what Camille goes through every day when facing other people and it’s nice to read a female character I can relate to. I’ve read other authors who have tried to write “shy” characters and they never quite hit the mark, but Katie Ruggle did a great job writing Camille. Steve was as awesome as I thought he’d be. He’s been in the background of a few different books and I was happy when I found out he was getting his own story. I loved Steve and Camille and I can’t wait to reread this book during the holidays.

Steve-freaking-Springfield! Longtime fans of Katie Ruggle have been waiting for this book since Steve’s kids were rescued in On His Watch. Steve is the hot single dad/firefighter (with four kids) who has been on the periphery of the last eight (?!?!) Katie Ruggle novels. Finally, with the start of a new series, Steve got his well deserved Happily Ever After.

After moving two times in the last few years, Steve has finally settled his kids back in his hometown at family Christmas tree ranch with his three brothers. His first day on the job as a volunteer fireman, he is sent to find our quirky, artistic heroine, Camille. Camille had a crush on Steve back in high school. As soon as they reconnect, sparks fly.

I loved this story! Camille’s awkwardness and social anxieties made her extraordinarily relatable and an interesting foil to Steve’s calm level-headedness. Her antics with her meddling neighbors and encounters with Steve had me laughing out loud. Steve is a dreamboat but to be honest, his kids stole the show. Ms. Ruggle knows how to write a fun ensemble cast all with their own personalities.

There were only had a few sticking points with this book. One was Will’s parentage, it was explained a little bit but for the most part was an unresolved plot point. I was curious as to how he joined the family. I also felt a little let down that we didn’t find out much about Steve’s late wife, why they got married so young, etc. It seems odd that Camille and Steve didn’t discuss his marriage. The last thing that drove me a little bit nuts was the slow, slow, SLOW burn! The third or fourth time Steve and Camille were interrupted I was ready to toss my kindle across the room or scream, “JUST DO IT ALREADY.”

Overall, this book delighted me. It is the perfect Christmas romance with lots of warm fuzzy moments and an arsonist on the loose, so you don’t get bored by all the cute. The pacing in this book was excellent (besides the sexy times), and I can’t wait to see what Ms. Ruggle writes next (I’m rooting for Joe, Steve’s hermit brother).

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

Wow! From the first page until the last, I absolutely loved this book. From the extremely shy and talented Camille ,who was almost a hermit to the sweet, loving and devoted father of four talented chidren, Steve. This was an amazing story about family, love, loss and two souls coming together like two halfs of a whole. Add in the intrigue, danger and four wonderful children and this book is a must read. The amazing storyline and the endearing characters pull you in and keep you turning the pages until the end. To anyone who enjoys a great story, or a wonderful romance, or an intriguing mystery , I would definitely recommend this amazing read.

Camille is an artist and is happy creating her pieces. She finds social situations awkward and avoids them whenever possible. Steve has moved back to town with his four children to help out at the family's Christmas tree farm and volunteers with the fire department. When the noisy neighbor reports Camille missing Steve is on the team that finds her. As they reconnect, mysterious "accidents" happen to Camille. Are they more than accidents? When her studio burns down, she moves in with Steve and his family. She gets along great with his kids and finds that her high school crush is not a thing of the past. Loved Steve, his kids and Camille. I was surprised by the identity of the culprit and wonder what the author will do with this character in the series. A great seasonal read. I look forward to the next book.

I love the books by Katie Ruggle, they are thrilling and captivating and draw you in. This book makes no difference even though I thought that the end was somewhat anti-climatic and that on the whole, even though I loved Steve and his amazing kids a lot, I didn't like his brothers. Ryan and Nate were a bit too much. Ryan's pursuit of Camille got nón my nerves because it was for all the wrong reasons and Nate, well. Nate.


The chemistry between Camille and Steve was great and I really enjoyed all those awkward and dorky actions and the talking to oneself and such things. It made them very authentic and very relatable because, well, who hasn't had that stupid "I carried a watermelon"-moment when talking to or dealing with someone he or she cared for? The way Steve's kids opened up to Camille and welcomed her to their family was wonderful. Those kids are so loving and caring and so amazing all around, it's simply heart-warming. You can feel Camille click in like the missing piece of a puzzle.

Gossipping neighbors that made me cringe and spitting mad at the same time, explosions, artists and fire, too much fire...this book kept me on my toes.

I'm really looking forward to the next books in this series!

I vaguely remember reading about Steve when the author wrote her stories set in Monroe, Colorado so it was with great anticipation that I cracked open this book. Let’s face it who doesn’t view firefighters as heroes and the author takes that idea and adds her own unique twist.
Camille is a loner and quite content to live by herself following her artistic dreams until one night a blast from the past ‘ apparently ‘ comes to her rescue. Steve remembers the sweet, quirky girl from school but his life has moved on over the years and now here he is back where he started but this time he’s very much a family man ! Yet no matter what fate somehow keeps throwing these two into each other’s orbit. So when the unthinkable happens and Camille needs a place to stay Steve and his family step up but Camille's problems are closer than she thinks !
This story set at Christmas is warm and just makes the reader feel good. The author excels at writing about kids that steal every scene they are in and you will find yourself smiling as you come to know more about the wonderful children that Steve struggles with everyday.
I think writing about characters that sneak into the readers hearts is why every book I’ve read by this author has held my attention so well. This time however somehow the overall plot and its villain just didn’t quite work for me. I loved the set up, the warmth that permeated so much of this book and it was very endearing but even with the often clunky slow burn romance I do feel the big reveal at the end lacked something. However if you want a sweet story with a festive feel then this book which works very well as a stand-alone is very entertaining.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Book Info
Mass Market Paperback, 416 pages
Expected publication: September 25th 2018 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN 1492658669 (ISBN13: 9781492658665)
Edition Language English
Series Rocky Mountain Cowboys #1
Other Editions (1)
Source:Netgalley EARC

Buy book from
Amazon
B&N

BOOK BLURB


In the heart of the Rockies
In the arms of a cowboy
One white Christmas can change everything.

When firefighter and single dad Steve Springfield moved his four kids to a Colorado Christmas tree ranch, he intended for it to be a safe haven. But he never expected danger to follow them to his childhood home...

Or that he would come face-to-face with the one girl he could never forget.

Folk artist Camille Brandt lives a quiet life. As the town's resident eccentric, she's used to being lonely--until Steve freaking Springfield changes everything. Brave and kind, he's always had a piece of her heart, and it doesn't take long before she's in danger of falling for him and his rambunctious kids. But as mysterious fires break out across the sleepy Colorado town, Steve and Camille will have to fight if they want their happy family to survive until Christmas...


My Thoughts


Steve Springfield and his brothers run their Christmas Tree Ranch together, sharing the chores and also all of the men take part in the small towns Emergency Response teams.

Finding himself with 4 growing older-by-day children single dad Steve has moved his family twice trying to relocate them to a safer place to live.

This time he has moved them to his families ranch, a place where one can breathe without inhaling smog or exhaust fumes. Instead the earthy aroma of earth and animals along with the soothing scent of pine from the trees permeates the air.

Camille Brandt's character is the best kind of weird!

She works with iron and a welding torch creating beauty from scrap metal trash and she herself is probably one of the most beautiful inside female characters I have met in a long while.

However she soon finds herself in over her head as Camille is drawn into the folds of Steve Springfields family.

Steve and his 4 children soon come to feel as if Camille is the missing piece in their puzzle while she finds herself for the first time fitting in instead of being the odd-man-out. A feeling both comforting and scary at the same time.

An opposites-attract romance with 2 people who are so easy to see together and a household filled with affection, love and the warmth of a close family group who eagerly bring Camille into their hearts as well as their lives.

(view spoiler)

The start of a new series that takes readers into a new Colorado setting that will easily attract a fan following of it's own just like the previous 2 series penned by author Katie Ruggle!

[EArc from Netgalley]


On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Lots of excitment with a little bit of mystery included. Camile had been in love with Stephen since they were in highschool together. He was three years older than her - but was always looking out for her. He moved away immediatly out of highschool and was empliyed as a fireman for fifteen years. Stephen recnetly returned to his hometown with his four children after his wife died and he needed security for his children. The Sinclair brothers have always been in compintition since they were in school. All four of the brothers live on a Christams tree farm / ranch. Each of the boys/men serve on the local fire dept / search and rescue team in their town. Camile has continuerd to live in her grandmother's home - even after her grandmother;s death. Camile was rasied by her grandmother upon her mother;s death from an overdose. Camile now designs metal art from discared motor parts. Camile's family home is distroiyed by a fire. She is invivted to stau at the Sinclair family ranch - which she jumps at to aviod staying with her nosy neighbor Mrs, Lim, Stephine and Camile delvelope a family atmosphere for his four kids. I don[t want to give anything away.... you just need to erad it to find out what happens.

Camille is a bit of a wallflower. She is ill at ease in social situations but she creates stunning works of art. She has had a bit of a crush on one of the local quartet of brothers, Steve, since high school. But he was the star of the school and she was so out of his league.

Steve has returned to the family farm after the death of his wife. Along with his 4 children they are making a go of the Christmas Tree farm, whilst also working for the local fire department. His kids all excel in one way or another but they also all have their own little troubles. Micah, like Camille, suffers from anxiety and I really loved the way they could bond over art.

I know it's a bit early but this totally out me in the Christmas mood. I love a great feel-good book and this ticks all the boxes; great leads, cheeky and charming kids, appropriate weather and a strong plot.

The kids will totally steal every scene they are in. Will is the happy chappy, Micah is the quiet thinker, Zoe is the mad inventor and Maya is just the adorable little one! Zoe may be my favourite of the kids just because she is so....intensely dependable to be unpredictable LOL.

Loved the overall tone of the book and the way that it illustrates that you don't have to be the life of the party to be worthy of love. The sub plot involving the brothers was really good and gave great impetus to the love story.

What a lovely story. So heartwarming and heartwarming at the same time. The story took some turns i didn't see coming. I did love the connection Camille and Steve had right from the beginning. It was wonderful how they grew with other and they made an adorable couple. Definitely a book worth reading it you are looking for a warm feeling around the Christmas theme.

This totally got me in the Christmas mood! There were so many good things in this story!

Camille, the heroine is described as a socially awkward hermit who spends all of her time creating beautiful pieces of artwork out of metal. I really wish I could have seen some of these pieces in real life based off of the way they were described. I was fascinated by Camille.

Steve, the hero is a cowboy, volunteer fireman, a widower with 4 very smart kids and one of them also suffers with social anxiety. He works with his 3 brothers on their family ranch selling Christmas trees.

This background setting is what truly will put you into the Christmas mood. They use horses to take families out to the rows of trees to pick one for their home. The kids get to ride the horses while the horses pull the tree to the cars.

The kids in this were such a great addition to the story line. Will, the oldest boy is friendly, outgoing and always happy. Micah, is the youngest boy who suffers from social anxiety who also happens to be an artist. His interaction with Camille will make you want to cry! Then there is Zoe, the oldest girl. She's a genius with mechanics. There are few explosing from her experiments that will make you laugh. Then there is Maya, the youngest girl. She is just very loving and as adorable as you think a little girl would be.

The overall feeling of family is felt in almost every page. I love to read about socially awkward characters find that one person who accepts them for who they are. When you add in that person getting a full family when she only every had her Grandma, just gives me the warm and fuzzies!

This was very well written and I would love more from these characters.

Widower and fire-fighter Steve Springfield returns home to Borne, Colorado with his four kids to live at his family's Christmas Tree ranch and store with his three brothers. His first call out is for a missing person, Camille Brandt, a girl he recalls vividly from school.

Camille isn't lost at all, she's foraging in a local scrap heap for metal to use in her art, a socially-awkward loner who avoids people she can't think of anything worse than being gawked at by a whole crowd of search and rescue teams, until Steve freaking Springfield, her high school crush, takes the heat by pretending to get his foot stuck in the scrap.

But mixed in with the burgeoning romance is a mysterious shadowy figure and a spate of fires ...

This was great, a holiday romance which was just the right level of cute (brilliant, cute kids, Christmas Tree farm, sleigh rides, home-made soup) without being sickly or cloying, to be honest right up until the end it didn't even feel very Christmassy. The suspense was good and I was cleverly misdirected. As befits a holiday novel (and a single father of four teenagers) the smexy times were rare and air-brushed.

Overall, loved it, although I don't think I would classify this as a cowboy novel, but that's semantics.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Steve Springfield has moved back home with his four kids to his family Christmas Tree Ranch. He's volunteering for the Fire Department until the kids are settled and a position opens up.

Camille Brandt is a life-time resident and vying for the resident eccentric and hermit. She is a folk artist and very, very shy.

The two run into each other when Camille's neighbor sounds the alarm that Camille is missing which activates Search and Rescue. Steve is one of the searchers along with his brothers. When he finds her scavenging at a scrapyard and in no danger, he takes the heat so that she doesn't have to be the center of attention. He's her hero just like he was when he was a senior in high school and she was a lonely, shy freshman.

The two begin a flirtation which is very difficult for each of them. And Camille begins a relationship with each of Steve's kids - inventor, 12-year-old Zoe, equestrian 10-year-old Maya, gregarious 14-year-old Will, and shy 13-year-old artist Micah - when she is hired by Ryan Springfield to create found art sculptures to sell in the Christmas shop. Ryan is just about the only fly in the ointment. He's decided that he needs to compete with Steve for Camille's attention which really makes Camille uncomfortable. There is one other fly in the ointment too. Someone is skulking around Camille's house watching her.

When her house burns down, she finds herself living with Steve and his family until she can get everything settled. She and Steve fall more and more in love but danger is still lurking...

I loved the relationship between Camille and Steve. Camille is such an endearing character and Steve is a true hero.

This was a wonderful read. Heartwarming, funny and full of twists and turns.
I loved the characters, the humour and the atmosphere of the book. This's a page turner and you cannot put it down!
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and Netgalley for this ARC

​This was the first Katie Ruggle book I'd read and it was a very enjoyable easy read.

The story is about Steve Springfield, a single father of four (his wife had died). He is a firefighter but has moved back home with his children to provide a safe haven for them and work on the family Christmas Tree farm. I didn't find it very clear as to why he was looking for a safe haven, it made you think other things had been happening to them whilst they were living elsewhere, but it was a bit fuzzy with the details.

The other main character is Camille, an artist and a real recluse, still living in the same town she'd lived in since moving in with her grandmother when she was young. She had gone to school with Steve, and the other three Springfield brothers, who were always the popular boys, but she was three years younger than Steve and although she had a crush on him she wasn't on his radar at all at that time.

At the very beginning of the book Camille's (extremely nosy) neighbour calls in search and rescue as she thinks Camille has been missing in the snowy forest for a couple of days, all a complete mistake as it turns out, but Camille and Steve meet up again as 'finding' her is his first job back home.

They then meet up again when Camille starts selling her metal sculptures to his family Christmas Shop on their farm, and shy, awkward Camille really gets on with his children, and everyone starts to get closer to one another. Steve's children were all fabulous and such completely different characters, I really liked them all.

There are a couple of disasters that happen, and a slight edge running throughout the story, that throw Steve and Camille together more often and she starts to relax more around him.

I did find Camille a lovely character, but I'm not sure why she was quite so socially awkward, running out of shops if there were too many people there etc. And without ruining anything the 'edge' to the story I found a bit unbelievable at the end, both in the disastrous event that happened and the way it was handled by the family at the end.

So in the end a very enjoyable easy reading story, bar the slight unbelievable bit. It certainly had a very Christmas feel to it, as there was lots of snow and it was set on a Christmas tree farm with lovely big horses that pulled your tree through the forest out to you, which sounded so lovely.

Romance and suspense intertwined with fun, engaging dialogue Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas is another great read by Katie Ruggle. Eccentric artist Camille Brandt lives a quiet life. Socially awkward she's happy to avoid most people in her quiet Rocky Mountain town but her nosy neighbor refuses to be one of those people. Fortunately the nosy neighbor meddling leads us to Camille's old high school crush Steve "freaking" Springfield! He's a handsome, strong and kind Cowboy who is back in town to live on his family ranch with his 4 kids years after losing his wife. Steve and Camille's initial encounters are fun and awkward. Katie Ruggle's engaging dialogue will at times have you laughing out loud. Keeping you on the edge of your seat with not only blossoming romantic intrigue but some mysterious fires will also keep you guessing until the end (okay maybe the middle). With a interesting mix of characters, Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas is a nice read with a few twists, lots of endearing moments and enough romance to keep you interested from beginning to end. Read it twice already and highly recommend!