Book: Dreaming of a Cowboy Christmas by Ann Einerson
Reviewed by Desi Disassociates
Rating: 4/5
Instead of spending the holidays alone, Noelle (25) decides to flee a wintery New York City for the desert of Arizona. Or so she thinks. A quick Google search would've told her that the (scam) short-term rental she booked was in the mountains and likely to land her in some snowfall there, too.
Shep (45) is a grumpy cowboy who had no intention of spending his holidays with someone, and he certainly could've never prepared for Noelle to show up on his porch. Jaded and having sworn off love, the last thing he wants is to be around someone so full of life that reminds him of everything he's missed out on.
This was the perfect grumpy/sunshine age gap cowboy story and was just made even better by adding in the holiday element. While a grump, it was cute to see all of the ways Noelle rounded his rough edges just by being herself and reminding him how easy life can be just spending time with someone and sharing experiences together.
Dreaming of a Cowboy Christmas read like a novella but with all of the context since it was a full length story. It was really enjoyable as a reader and made me a little sad it's a standalone and there won't be any follow up. It was cute and fully in 4-star territory.
Audiobook:
Story: 4/5
Narration: 4/5
I thought that Vanessa Moyes was a fantastic Noelle! She was bubbly city girl that brings a bit of sunshine to Shep's life, and throws off all of his plans. Ryan Hudson was good, but felt a little monotone at times. Generally, I did enjoy the audiobook though! The duet was chefs kiss and for a re-read, this was perfect for me to kick my holiday romance fix!