The year is 1888 and in the small town of Cactus Creek, it’s that time of year when two people are picked against each other to swap jobs for the month. At the end of the month the town’s citizens vote for which person did the best job, and the winner receives money for their cause.

This year the council members have thrown in a surprise. They have allowed women to be entered into the contest, and in doing so, there will be four people swapping jobs, women versus men.

Cassie Bucknell is the town’s school teacher. She is tough, strong, independent and stubborn. When she is chosen to swap jobs with the town’s sheriff, Ben Wilder, the man she has been in love with since a child, she is up for the challenge, unlike Ben, who dismisses the idea straight away.

Ben sees Cassie as a young tearaway that he used to save when she got stuck up trees, not the woman she has become, and he treats her like his kid sister. He is outraged that the council think that a child, a female child, could do his job.

Ben is pig-headed and just as stubborn as Cassie, although his motives for not wanting to swap are honest. He doesn’t want Cassie getting hurt, or his town being thrown into disarray, along with the fact he doesn’t think she could do his job.

Alongside Cassie and Ben, bakery owner Jenny Hart and livery stable owner Carl Gustafson are pitted against each other. Carl is as outraged as Ben. A livery is no place for a woman, what with all of the manual work, Jenny would never cope. Jenny is not thrilled with the idea either, but she is fed up with men thinking that she is a push over, and is determined to show Carl just how capable she is.

I thought the book was beautifully written and catches the era perfectly, with the vivid descriptions of the folk and the surroundings of a wild west town. The narrative just added that little bit extra to help make you feel like you are in 1888.

The school children are a delight and certainly give Ben a hard time, especially as they want their teacher to win. I loved the chemistry and funny moments that the twins, Ulysses and Quincy have, and their antics and tricks that they pull.

The plot is unlike any other I had read before, thus making it interesting reading. I love American historical fiction and I found myself getting completely involved in the character’s lives, especially Deputy Sheriff Jigger, who I thought was a brilliant and well thought out, amusing character.

The characters grew as the story evolved and you watch as Ben realises that Cassie isn’t a child after all, but even so, they clash on almost every aspect of the policing of the town, especially when Cassie adds ‘girl things’ to his office, and messes with his paperwork.

The added twist near the end gives the story that added punch, and its lovely to see Ben’s unusual teaching methods come in use, and that finally Cassie gets to prove herself.

The only criticism that I have is how the romantic side to the story was left until right near then end and then felt rushed. It would have been nice for it to play out a bit longer.

Apart for that I really enjoyed the book and thoroughly recommend it.

I enjoyed this book immensely! It was cute and clever and full of human foibles. The characters caught my attention and I couldn't put the book down! I couldn't wait to see how the challenge turned out as well as the romances!

Zippy, fun and spirited, Erica Vetsch proves she is still at the top of her game. Enjoyed the competitive aspects of the book and the strong, sprightly heroine. Fans of Mary Conneally will be impressed!

This novel is set in a Texas town in the late 1800s where the annual "Cactus Creek Challenge" takes place- when four people switch jobs for a month to raise money for various causes around the town. This year is a little different, though- the council has decided to allow the women to participate, which means that schoolteacher Cassie Bucknell is required to switch jobs with Sheriff Ben Wilder, and stable owner Carl Gustafson has to switch with baker Jenny Hart.

This book was really cute! The plot idea was perhaps a little unlikely, but interesting and unusual enough so that I knew I wanted to read it :) One thing I really liked was that it wasn't just Cassie and Ben's story; it was also about the other couple doing the challenge, too. There were several times this story had me smiling or even giggling to myself as they all made complete messes of each others' jobs.

The characters could be pretty stubborn, though...sometimes I felt like they were getting upset over nothing and making bigger deals than were needed. Still, I did enjoy this one.

Rating: 8

I received this book for free from netgalley.com in exchange for my honest review.

Erica Vetsch has done the unthinkable--she's written a romance including two romances but not by using the romance novel formula (boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back--or something similar). This breath of fresh air has humor, mystery, hi-jinks, and the touch of romance.

First: What is the Cactus Creek Challenge?

Cactus Creek, Texas, has a money raising challenge every year with the funds going to the winner's cause. The Challenge is that the contestants change jobs for a month every year--usually it's two men who change their jobs, but in this particular year, women have been allowed to enter the challenge as well. When Cassie--the town's teacher, and Jenny--the town's baker are chosen for the women; and Ben--the town's sheriff, and Carl--the town's livery stable owner are chosen for the men; the fun is only beginning. Instead of Ben and Carl exchanging jobs and Cassie and Jenny changing jobs, the town council throws a wrench into the works--Cassie trades jobs with Ben, and Jenny trades with Carl. At the beginning, no one wants to be told how to do the job they've been given--and it is to their detriment that they don't listen.

Ben encounters Quincy and Ulysses, twin terrors in the classroom--hiding birds in the desk, and blowing up the outhouse are just a couple of the tricks up their sleeves.

Cassie has to deal with Melvin and Alvin Sloop, the town's drunks and ne'er-do-wells. On their first drunken skirmish after Cassie takes office, she grabs the barber's shaving water and throws it on them to break up their fight.

Carl knows nothing about baking except for making sour dough biscuits and Jenny knows nothing about keeping a livery stable, so the challenge is more than demanding on all of its participants. Yet no one participant is willing to give up on the challenge.

When a shipment of gold comes into town, everyone on the council and the participants get up in arms, because of the lack of security for the gold. Here is where the excitement really begins.

Erica has done a masterful job of creating characters whom every reader will love, a plot that is hard to put down, and ultimately a book that provides the reader with a rollicking good time. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a sour dough biscuit.

My thanks to Shiloh Run Press for allowing me to read and review this book!

The Cactus Creek Challenge is such a fun read. I thought this book was great. I found myself laughing throughout. It was funny, light, sweet and even had some action. I love Erica Vetsch's writing and this one is no exception.
Great book!
5 stars.

Thoughts:
Inside The Cactus Creek Challenge, author Erica Vetsch takes us back to 1888 and puts us in the middle of a calm Texas town with a son of a legendary lawman as sheriff to keep this town safe.

Well, that’s not that way it remains after March 31, 1888.

The lawman’s office gets upended by the town doctor, the sheriff’s own father, and rest of this town’s committee leaving his town’s future on the edge and somewhere between hysterical, historical, and dangerous!

Although, a woman sheriff is an unheard of appointment, a lawman school teacher becomes a downright scandalous venture, and all the while, a female baker is running from family and working in the livery but the livery man is fixing to service a wedding with sourdough biscuits instead of cake.

Cactus Creek is up to many challenges, stemming from just one, putting kids on the prowl, gold in the eyes of the townsfolk, and lives in danger, but as these pages keep turning, their problems just multiply drawing you deeper into the story and into love with these characters.

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:
Erica Vetsch’s The Cactus Creek Challenge is a western tale about a town, its people, and a contest with a twist.

The Cactus Creek Challenge is a yearly escapade lasting one month where contestants switch jobs and the winner who does the best gets donations for the cause of their choice. However, in this year of 1888, it is also a first.

It is the first year women gained their entrance, and while it is expected that each will change positions with their gender, it comes as a total surprise to the entrants and the townsfolk that men will do the women’s work and the women will do the men’s work.

While the women set out to prove themselves, the men suffer from the I could do it better syndrome, each becoming sure that their opponents will do bad but wondering if the jobs they thought so easy would be their ultimate of failures. Do they have what it takes to let go of their old post and win the challenge in their new positions? Will they lose their limbs, life, or hearts trying?

The Cactus Creek Challenge surprised me in more ways than one. For some unknown reason, I was under the mistaken impression that it was a novella, so I was very pleasantly surprised to find a full length novel. This is actually the first book I’ve read by Erica Vetsch, so I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I can very happily say that I loved this book and will definitely be looking for more of her writing! When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued. It was a new premise, one that sounded like loads of fun and I was anxious to find out where Ms. Vetsch would take the story. It was definitely a wild ride! I had a blast following the characters through their days as they learned to work together and get all of their respective jobs done. I definitely laughed out loud several times and had to smile and shake my head at some of the situations the characters found themselves in. I loved the creativity, both in the premise itself and how the characters managed each task.
Erica definitely does an excellent job with the descriptions and historical details. I was able to easily picture the town of Cactus Creek and I really enjoyed the little reminders she added here and there, that kept the scenes fresh in my mind. The story flows very smoothly and kept my attention from the first page to the last. I didn’t want to put it down and saw more than one late night, wanting to know what would happen next! My only negative comment for the entire story is that there were a couple words the author used a few times that didn’t really fit the story or were not used correctly for the sentence structure. Yes, I’m going to nitpick that, because grammar is important to me and I found it a little annoying. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story, just bugged me a bit when they would pop up.
Another thing I immensely enjoyed was that the story came from the perspective of all of the contestants. I thought it was just Cassie and Ben’s book, but I was wrong. There is another layer to the story that I really loved. I adored all of the characters and getting to meet them. They are so realistic and I was able to relate with each of them. They all have something to work toward, something they are striving for. Amanda and all of the students were so cute and such a fun addition to the story! I loved how well drawn even the secondary characters were. Erica took the time to bring the whole town to life, not just the main characters and I really appreciated that. There is definitely romance in this book and I enjoyed watching the thick-headed men (and sometimes women) slowly come to the realization that maybe there was something more for them than just the course they had chosen for themselves. It was fun and quirky, while at the same time being really sweet and endearing. Following each of the characters on their journey definitely had me rethinking a few things and I appreciated the reminder that despite our best laid plans, sometimes God throws a wrench into the works to make us look up and notice what He has waiting for us. Speaking of God, this book actually doesn’t do much of that. It is definitely Christian, but there isn’t a lot of preaching, or even talking about Him. Instead, it shows us and leads us to the suggestion of His hand in all of it, but rarely comes right out and says it. I would easily be able to recommend this book to my non-Christian friends without having to worry about them complaining or becoming offended. I could probably talk about this book for another few paragraphs, but no one particularly wants to read that, so I’ll stop here. My last comment is that I really hope Erica sets another book in Cactus Creek so that I can visit again! I immensely enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction filled with humor, romance, and suspense. I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

Every year the town has a month long contest where contestants change jobs . As the townspeople give contributions to their favorite contestant , the winner will be able to use it for their particular project . This year the council has decided to let women enter the contest. When the names are announced you could hear gasps, and grumbling from the crowd. Ben Wilder, the sheriff will now have to exchange jobs with Cassie Bucknell who is the schoolmarm. There are a few chuckles as the men in the town know that Cassie won't be able to be sheriff for a day , much less for a long month. What happens when there is trouble in the town? Cassie finds it quite funny that Ben, the big strapping no nonsense sheriff will be surrounded by children all day. How will he cope with teaching children of all ages in a small classroom?

Carl, who runs the livery stable is switching jobs with Jenny who runs the bakery in town. Carl is described as a burly sort of man, who works long hours that entails a lot of physical strength to keep the livery running smoothly. Jenny , on the other hand is a sweet lady who always dresses with impeccable taste and bakes delicious , mouthwatering treats for the town. Carl is concerned that Jenny will not be able to keep up with the demands of running the livery, while Jenny must be wondering if she will have a bakery to go back to , or will Carl burn it down in his attempt to bake.

The story is filled with many laughs and lots of unique and interesting characters. The twins that Ben encounters at the school are a mischievous pair who love to play pranks and liven up the classroom with their witty and uncanny personalities. As I read their shenanigans , I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. Erica has given us a book filled with laughter, unforgettable characters and a story that is so engrossing, you lose track of time.

When a book has the ability to make you laugh out loud, find yourself cheering the characters on and hoping for the story to never end, you have a best seller.

This wasn't my favorite fictional book but I definitely liked it; enough to read it twice. Overall it had a good story line with a few unexpected twists. The main female character had a few too many classic swoon romance novel references for my taste. The main male character changed his feelings by the end of the story, which was what any reader would want with this storyline, but with that it seemed like his personality also changed in a way that didn't quite fit in my opinion. My favorite two characters were the other two competitors in the challenge; I loved their story.

Lucie's Review:

Get ready for some major laughs as the townsfolk of Cactus Creek switch jobs and find out how hard the things other people do with ease really are! It's the first time in this town tradition's history that the women are allowed to participate, and this year;s challenge is sure to be a doozy!

This book follows Ben , Cassie, Jenny, and Carl, as they take on each other's jobs for a month. Cassie becomes the town sheriff, Ben becomes the new schoolteacher, while Jenny takes over the livery, and Carl runs the bakery.

Ben quickly discovers that teaching a classroom full of children is much harder than he thought, especially with the rambunctious set of twins that love to give him trouble. But despite his less than enthusiastic attitude, he finds that there are many things that the children can teach him.

I loved how Jenny took one the challenge of running the livery, even though she is quite petite and has never even hitched a wagon up before.

Carl knows that he's out of his element, but he doesn't let that scare him away, as he is open to learning and quickly befriends Jenny's shy little girl.

Cassie has a challenge in front of her, as she must work alongside the deputy, Jigger, a man who doesn't like taking orders for a woman, especially when her first order of business is to clean up the jailhouse!

Overall, a terrific read with a unique and hilarious plot, and fantastic characters who captured my heart and made me smile and cheer right along with them. I loved how they grew and learned. A highly engaging and entertaining read, highly recommend!

There are times I just want to read something lighthearted, which doesn’t require deep thought on a hot day. The Cactus Creek Challenge satisfied that craving this past week as I sat on my porch with my e-reader and enjoyed a day without rain. It’s an age old battle of the sexes when the annual Cactus Creek Challenge includes women for the first time. Cassie and Ben aren’t the only two to swap roles for one month. Jenny must learn to run the livery stable while Carl must keep her bakery in business. What could possibly go wrong if Carl only knows how to bake biscuits? And how hard can teaching school really be?

It’s a fanciful plot that could never happen today due to workplace legislation, but it was fun to read the difficulties each contestant faced. There was a little bit of cheating, due to the foursome all receiving help from each other and other townsfolk. But who could really foresee what a set of mischievous twins would get up to when their real teacher was away? There are many moments of humor due to these children and their pranks, but there’s a serious side as well. One of Cassie’s students is an abused little girl who is fearful around men. Can Ben and Carl gain her trust? And what happens when her life is put in danger?

Thank you to Barbour Publishing for my complimentary electronic copy of The Cactus Creek Challenge, which I downloaded from NetGalley. No review was necessary.

There were just so many things to love about this book. Honestly, I was hooked once I read the back cover. The premise at the center of this story made for an unpredictable story with humor and fantastic characters--and in fact, getting to meet these characters in situations that are quite different from their natural element was so much fun!
I was even a bit surprised at the depth that this story reached at certain times. Some of the characters came from some difficult pasts or had things that challenged them. These elements helped me to connect with the characters.
This was such a wonderfully fun read--and a unique story. I highly recommend this story to anyone looking for a fun, lighthearted, and all around entertaining book.

"The Cactus Creek Challenge" by Erica Vetsch is the first book that I've read by this author, and it is a stand-alone novel. I came across this book randomly while searching through books by this publisher, and was intrigued by th eplot line, which I thought sounded cute.

This book is set in the small town of Cactus Creek, Texas, where for one month out of every year people put their name is a drawing to trade jobs with one other person. Usually it's just one or two people out of the town, of course, so as to give a new perspective but not completely disrupt the town.

Sheriff Ben Wilder has been the object of teacher Cassie Bucknell's girlhood infatuations, but he still thinks of her as a little sister. When their jobs are switched, she hopes he will have a great appreciation for how hard it is to be a teacher. But when trouble comes along in the town, can she keep her own head afloat?

There was another couple that switched places alongside Ben and Cassie, and while they were almost treated more like secondary characters than main ones, I liked their story just as much--if not better.

This was a fairly light read; there was suspense with trouble in the town that Cassie had to take care of as Sheriff, and so that kept me on the edge of my seat, but mostly it was just a really sweet read, and one that I would read again. It's clean, and quite frankly, just adorable. I would recommend it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Barbour publishing for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and were not required to be positive.

I really enjoyed the fun-loving Texas town of Cactus Creek. To raise money to benefit the town, members of the Cactus Creek community have put their name in the hat to be drawn to switch jobs with someone else for a whole month. When the school teacher changes jobs with the town sheriff and the baker switches jobs with the livery man, you know they’re going to be in for a few funny mishaps.

I loved the characters and how everyone learned that stepping in someone else’s shoes was maybe not as easy as it once seemed. Once I picked up this book, I could not put it down! I had to see what happened – and how many sourdough biscuits one man could make! Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Review will be posted at below link on Monday, Sept. 21, 2015.

This was a great and unique book. It kept my attention, the characters were believable and you got to know and relate to them. I loved the difficulties and victories that the challenge provided, it was unpredictable and fun to see how each did with their job and how they problem solved. Great book, interesting perspective and sweet ending.

“The Cactus Creek Challenge” was a fun read from the beginning to the very end. What could be more fun than two men and two women exchanging jobs for a month as part of their town’s annual challenge? And to have to swap jobs with the man you love who still thinks of you as a kid sister? Well Cassie Bucknell has a lot to prove to Ben Wilder and she does not intend to give up easily.

It was so entertaining to see Ben trying to teach Cassie’s students, Cassie’s efforts to prove herself as sheriff, brawny Carl’s attempts to run the bakery, and frail-looking Jenny’s struggles to keep the livery going. As you can imagine, this book was filled with humorous incidents as each character attempted to perform jobs that were totally unsuitable for them. With a bit of suspense mixed in and not one but two romances in the works, “The Cactus Creek Challenge” was well nigh perfect. Here’s hoping this author has another fun-filled installment in the works.

The Cactus Creek Challenge by Erica Vetsch

Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Shiloh Run Press Christian, Romance

Pub Date Jul 1, 2015

1888 Cactus Creek Texas, Cassie Bucknell is getting ready to take part in the Cactus Creek Challenge because this year women are allowed to compete and they are switching jobs with the men to keep the challenge interesting. Cassie finds herself taking on the job of Sheriff while the Sheriff takes on Cassie’s role as teacher.

Cassie finds herself learning to fire a weapon.

Who will when the Cactus Creek Challenge and what lessons will they learn?

Five out of five Stars

Happy Reading

Cactus Creek Challenge month is going to take a twist this year-they are going to accept the women this year!
So sheriff Ben Wilder is going to trade jobs with schoolteacher Cassie and stable owner Carl is going to try his luck in Jenny Hart's bakery and vice versa.
So called 'girl stuff' shows as tough, but real men can teach and bake, too! And girls can well protect the city and the horses, right?
Well, everybody of the contestants is going to learn something about themselves and the others, too. And if the city fathers have some matrimonies on their minds, who can blame them?

This one, while in the cozy category, is both mature and funny, making me smile and think about the unknown depths in people, too.
A real winner!
The characters quite stole my heart (the sidekicks Carl and Jenny a bit more, as they have been facing some more serious troubles in their lives).
The writing is very eloquent and witty, too - and now I plan to follow Ms Vetsch's novels to check for myself, if they are as cute and witty as this one!