A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas

An Anthology

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Pub Date 25 Sep 2018 | Archive Date 26 Mar 2019

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Description

You won't want to miss this powerfully emotional cowboy romance by New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates! It’s Christmas in Gold Valley, and this wounded widower is about to get another shot at love…

Grant Dodge didn’t expect to find a woman sleeping in an abandoned cabin on his family ranch. Or to find her so intriguing. Unlike every other woman in town, McKenna Tate doesn’t know Grant’s a widower. There’s no pity in the looks she gives him. McKenna wants him, and Grant has forgotten what it’s like to feel like a man. A no-strings fling for Christmas might be the kind of holiday cheer Grant needs…

With only a suitcase to her name, McKenna came to Gold Valley to confront her birth father. She didn’t plan to work at the Dodge ranch or fall for the gorgeous cowboy who keeps his heart roped off. But there’s no denying the way their broken pieces fit together. Hope brought her to Gold Valley—but will it be the gift that could finally heal Grant, and McKenna’s own wounded heart?

Also includes a bonus Gold Valley novella, Snowed in with the Cowboy!

Don't miss The Lost and Found Girl by Maisey Yates! A powerful novel of sisterhood, secrets and how far you’d go to protect someone you love.
 

Read the entire Gold Valley series:
1. Smooth-Talking Cowboy
2. Untamed Cowboy
3. Good Time Cowboy
4. A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas
5. Unbroken Cowboy
6. Cowboy to the Core
7. Lone Wolf Cowboy
8. Cowboy Christmas Redemption
9. The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch
10. The Hero of Hope Springs
11. The Last Christmas Cowboy
You won't want to miss this powerfully emotional cowboy romance by New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates! It’s Christmas in Gold Valley, and this wounded widower is about to get another...

Advance Praise


Publishers Weekly: “…a sweet story that also addresses mixed feelings around the holidays….Grant and McKenna’s steamy and refreshingly honest progress toward a romantic relationship is intertwined with stories of the other Gold Valley residents from past and future books, adding extra satisfaction for series fans.”


Publishers Weekly: “…a sweet story that also addresses mixed feelings around the holidays….Grant and McKenna’s steamy and refreshingly honest progress toward a romantic relationship is intertwined...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781335474629
PRICE $8.99 (USD)
PAGES 384

Average rating from 58 members


Featured Reviews

Will be soon appearing on Romance Reviews Today : http://romrevtoday.com/

A TALL, DARK COWBOY CHRISTMAS – Maisey Yates

A Gold Valley Novel #4

HQN

ISBN: 978-1-335-47462-9

September 25, 2018

Contemporary Romance



Gold Valley, Oregon – Present Day



Grant Dodge married his high school sweetheart knowing that she was dying from cancer. Now a widower, he has remained single and uncommitted to any woman. His family thinks his surly attitude is just normal for him, but could it be because he needs a woman in his life? One night while out checking the property on his family’s dude ranch, he comes across McKenna Tate “squatting” in one of the cabins. Grant could’ve called the sheriff to have her arrested, but instead he offers her a job on their ranch.



McKenna is homeless and penniless and had no place to go when she arrived in Gold Valley looking for the father she never knew. Stunned by the job offer from the tall, dark, and handsome cowboy, she accepts. To McKenna’s surprise, the whole Dodge family embraces her by giving her a place to stay, food, and friendship. For someone who grew up in foster homes, it’s almost overwhelming. As her boss, Grant is always around. He acts like he doesn’t trust her, yet there is this sizzling desire simmering between them. Attracted to him, McKenna decides to offer sex as a way to thank Grant for helping her and a way to scratch the itch that burns between them. He accepts, but after one round of making love, it’s clear there’s more that they want from each other.



Christmas is on the horizon as A TALL, DARK COWBOY CHRISTMAS opens, but neither Grant nor McKenna look forward to the holiday. Grant loved his late wife, but their entire marriage had a shadow over it—her looming death from cancer. Everyone in town knows about Grant’s dedication to a dying woman, and he’s not too happy about it. He could have any woman in Gold Valley, but would they bed him because they feel sorry for him? McKenna is the “new girl in town” and she’s also not afraid to tell Grant exactly how she feels. McKenna turns out to be a hard worker and slowly gains Grant’s respect. She doesn’t tell anyone at first about her quest for her father, though during one of their “scratch the itch” sessions with Grant, she confesses. Will she get up the nerve to face the man who fathered her?



The connection between McKenna and Grant is fraught with emotion, and their relationship is a roller coaster ride. He doesn’t want anyone to care for him, and she doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her. They’ve both put up strong fronts to hide their true emotions, but their lovemaking opens the dam as they talk to each other. In A TALL, DARK COWBOY CHRISTMAS, readers will see the intense connection between McKenna and Grant and soon will be rooting for them to make it all work out. Neither wants to admit they care for each other, yet when they break things off, they can’t wait to be together again. Their romance is a rocky road that is both sweet and infuriating for readers. By the end of this tale, will things work out? While this is the fourth book in the Gold Valley series, it can be read as a standalone as the story is about Grant and McKenna.



A TALL, DARK COWBOY CHRISTMAS is a fabulous read that will capture the heart of readers as love rises from the ashes of hopelessness. In finding each other, will Grant and McKenna embark on a new life together? Find out the answer by grabbing a copy of A TALL, DARK COWBOY CHRISTMAS.

Patti Fischer

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Another excellent book by Maisey Yates. Readers know Grant from earlier books in the series and know his backstory. But, of course, not all of it. The snark between McKenna and Grant is great. She thinks he is such a good looking guy and it's such a contrast to how he sees himself, which reoccurs throughout the book. When his brother and sister in law offer her a job and a place to stay, he is very weary of her and becoming involved because he does supervise her at times. This is very well handled in the book, as they make it clear they're both interested.

A lot of this book focuses on how they see themselves and how it's been reflected by those around them. There is a great deal of personal growth before they can admit they're in love and may want more than a sexual relationship. One thing of note: Grant is a widower, as mentioned, but he's not determined never to love again because Lindsay was his one true love. He just feels burnt out after his wife died after eight years of cancer relapses and pain, like he's maxxed out his ability to take care of others. Lindsay helped him with the rage he had after his mother died and he feels like she made him a good person again (not due to her illness, but because she loved him). I thought the background here - which is so important to both characters and their developing relationship - was really well done. The backstory is smoothly woven throughout the book and doesn't feel like info dump.

McKenna's in town because she had discovered that there was a typo in her birth records that she received at age 18 and her father is actually Hank Dalton. She's not sure how to approach and she desperately wants to be part of a family; part of it is she also wants support as she's been on her own since her mother left her in foster care when she was two. Her dad attempts to buy her off to not upset his wife (who knew he cheated multiple times, but they reconciled a decade ago and he doesn't want to lose her again). She meets one of her half-brothers, Gabe, who definitely has some history (and maybe a future) with Grant's sister Jamie.

Ultimately, a deeply satisfying book. I look forward to seeing more of their HEA - as we see Lindy and West's in this book - in future books.

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McKenna is a woman who is trying to find her birth father, thanks to the birth certificate she was given when she aged out of the foster care system. Exhausted, she finds a cabin that seems abandoned and curls up to get away from the cold. It is there that Grant finds her, as the cabin is on his ranchland.
Grant is famous (TV interviews, newspapers) for marrying a dying young woman, whom he loved very much. After she dies he swears he will never marry again and the loss was so painful. After finding McKenna Grant’s heart is slowly awakened to possibilities and hope, but he still can’t overcome his grief of the loss of his first wife. Grant takes her in to help her heal, which starts a chain of events that leads to hope, and eventually to love, something neither McKenna nor Grant expected.
This is a wonderful Christmas season story that will melt your heart. I have not read the first books in the Gold Valley series, but this one can stand alone, so I recommend it to anyone who loves a romance with a strong HEA. Meantime, since I loved this book and characters so much I will go back and read the first three books.

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Though this is listed as a Gold Valley series book, it takes place in the same community that the Copper Ridge books do so you may "see" familiar faces. I've just started on my Christmas reads and this has been one of my favorites so far.
Grant is a member of the walking wounded and it's fascinating watching him gradually come back to life while helping homeless McKenna adjust to life in what has become one of my favorite areas, Copper Ridge. As always with Yates books, the underlying story is family and this one will tug at your heartstrings on multiple levels.

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I’ve been waiting for Grant’s story since the first mention of his background.

I love love loved McKenna. She’s had an interesting life and maintained hope the entire time. I enjoyed her tenacity and strength. Grant was just as stoic as I was expecting, but he’s also a bit of a gooey marshmallow. I loved seeing McKenna push his buttons and while their chemistry wasn’t super apparent to me, I was there for it.

Plot wise, it did get a bit slow at points. There’s a lot more inner monologue than there is dialogue. However, I loved seeing all of the other couples and the set up for the next story.

Overall, it was definitely worth the wait. I can’t wait for Bea’s book.

**Huge thanks to HQN for providing the arc free of charge**

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Have you ever read a book that you enjoyed and wondered how either you would review it or discuss it with someone else?  A Tall,Dark Cowboy Christmas was like that for me.  There are a few reasons for that which I will explore with you.

First, the fun reason.  Readers of the Gold Valley series have likely been anticipating Grant's book.  We've gotten so many glimpses of him and know his painful background so of course we think we know all there is to know about Grant.  For those of you that haven't read any of the books in the series yet, Grant married his highschool sweetheart knowing she had a terminal illness, and due to some unwanted media attention he can't ever escape the imagine of the saintly widower.  Even in the moments where he is able to forget the pain of losing his wife, the well meaning members of the town bring it back up. So like I said, we've heard and seen so much of Grant in the other books that we assume we know all there is to know about him.  Well let me tell you, there was a huge reveal in this book and it's a doozy that I never saw coming.  Here's the bummer, I can't tell you about it here even though I REALLY want to.  While I'm not always anti-spoilers when it comes to reviews, I feel like in this case it's something each reader should come across as the story unfolds.  What I will tell you, is Grant is an even more amazing man than his backstory would lead you to believe.  When you read this book, I'd love to discuss it with you so feel free to pop on over to Twitter and chat with me about it.  (I'm @NE_rom)reader for those of you that don't already know).

Now for the not so fun reason this review is hard to write.  You see McKenna's backstory had some elements that mirrored events in my own life.  While that wasn't readily apparent from the blurb, looking back I realize I should have seen it coming as the story progressed.  You see, McKenna is searching for the paternal side of her family.  They have no idea she exists, so she's understandably nervous about how they will react whens he approaches them.  I happened to be reading the scene where this reunion took place one morning before getting out of bed to get ready for work and to say that it would rip my heart out unexpectedly would be an understatement.  When Hank turns McKenna away, I was devastated.  I've lived that moment, although without someone trying to hand me a check to soften the blow.  I thought I had worked through all of that, but when I read that scene it seemed to pick a scab I didn't think was still there and I'll have to figure out what to do with that wound now that it's feeling raw again.  While it was painful to experience along with McKenna, i think the fact it had such an emotional impact on me as a reader speaks to how well the author described both the event and the associated feelings that McKenna was experiencing.  Luckily for McKenna, thank you romance, she found her HEA so all is well that ends well in Gold Valley.  If only real life followed the same pattern.

If you're a fan of cowboy romance or holiday romances make sure to pick up A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas.  You won't be disappointed.

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Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas by Maisey Yates is a book that grabbed my whole heart and soul. A young woman is sent off to live in the fosters homes at the age of two. From there, she goes back and forth with no one loving her. She has no family. Just as she leaves the foster system, they give her a birth certificate. One that led her to her birth father. Now, she has the opportunity of a lifetime. Meet her family. But she's afraid. Then, upon her way there, she sleeps in a broken down cabin where a tall, dark cowboy found her. 

Grant Dodge has lost his mother. And then his young wife. She died of cancer. His heart has never been the same. Until he found a young tiny woman sleeping away in a cabin. That's when his world got turned upside down. Utter chaos, complicated, and hot sex...make Grant feel again. Things he never wanted to feel yet he does. All because of McKenna. A lost woman searching for family. 

Maisey Yates created a beautifully written novel about family, hope, and love. Letting go of the past is harder to than others say. Grief, loss, and unexpected love found its way into my heart. I cried. Their loss and pain felt like it was my own. The characters were downright charming. Irresistible banters and plenty of humor to keep my interest. Overall, this sexy contemporary is a must read for all.

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This was a good book. He finds her hiding in his cabin he derides to help her out. Two damaged souls come together. This will have you laughing and frustrated, Overall good read.

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