Betting on Hope by Debra Clopton

I enjoy light-hearted romance books! Debra Clopton had me laughing out loud in certain parts of this book. It'd been awhile since I've actually done that! Maggie Hope was a true character. She's a girl who is stronger that she actually realizes she is. Who would have ever thought that she'd need a horse and a cowboy in order to figure out just how much she could handle. Needless to say, she learned that falling out of the saddle didn't mean being down forever. She learned to pick herself up again and move forward.

Tru is a cowboy that any girl would love to know. He's a sweet gentleman who has been through a lot. His love for his brothers and grandfather is beautiful. He lives in a small little town, called Wishing Springs, where everyone knows everyone and is full of wonderful, fun people.

Betting on Hope isn't just romance, though. There is a little bit of tension throughout the book because neither Maggie, nor Tru, have a clean past. They both have to come to the realization that they can trust each other in order for them to move forward. For Maggie, that's hard to do when it's out of her hands.

I'm glad I don't have long to wait for the next book in this series to come out..... August 2015!

Read more reviews on this book by going to http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/betting-on-hope-debra-clopton.

_______________

A bet gone wrong. A small town’s meddling. And a cowboy intent on saving his ranch.
Maggie Hope is an advice columnist whose background leaves her with little advice to give . . . and it’s beginning to show. When Maggie fills in at an interview with champion horse trainer Tru Monahan, the on-camera chemistry between them is undeniable. Maggie’s bosses know this is the opportunity she’s been looking for to launch her career—and their bank accounts. In order to save her column, Maggie takes Tru up on the bet that he can teach her to ride a quick-stepping cutting horse like any cowgirl, despite the fact that she has never been on a horse. And in the meantime, she can get the scoop on the man under the cowboy hat.
Tru has been on the competition circuit for longer than he’d like, but he knows it’s the only way he can afford to keep the Four of Hearts Ranch that means so much to his ailing grandfather. So when his sponsors see the opportunity for Tru’s fans to get to know the star on a more intimate level, he knows he must oblige. To his dismay, Maggie not only invades his small town of Wishing Springs, but she also invades his heart, and that is something he cannot let any woman do—for her own good.
In Wishing Springs, Maggie finds what she has always been looking for: a community and a home. But when her past catches up to her, it threatens everything, even the tender hope that this town holds all of her heart’s desires.
Learn more and purchase a copy at Debra’s website.

{More About Debra Clopton}

Debra Clopton is a multi-award winning novelist and has written more than 22 novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra’s goal is to shine a light toward God while she entertains readers with her words.
Find out more about Debra at http://debraclopton.com.
FacebookTwitterPinterest

_______________

I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group and Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Trouble with Cowboys by Denise Hunter

I had forgotten how much I loved Denise Hunter's writing until I read this book.  When I finish a book that was written by her, I always close it and think how much fun that books was to read and there's no way she'll top this particular book.  So it's definitely not a shock to me that I closed this book thinking there's no way in the world that her new series will be better than this one.  However, I'm sure she'll once again prove me wrong! 

Hunter's books are written so well and are light, fun reads.  She incorporates romance into this story, but adds her own touch of humor.  I was a little frustrated when Annie wouldn't let her guard down for what seemed like forever, but it resolved itself in a perfect way.  I could see myself in Annie because I think firstborns tend to think they need to "help" their sibling make choices.  It was a good reminder for me to let go and trust and pray.  Dylan has always been perfect in my eyes and am so glad he finally found the perfect girl for himself.

Sprinkled throughout, you get a little update of some of the characters in the previous two books, as well as you get to learn a little bit more about Luke and Sierra.  If this was the first book in the series that you would have read by her, you wouldn't have felt lost at all when the characters were mentioned.  It was just quick little mentions with the main focus on Annie and Dylan and a side focus on Sierra and Luke.

I saw that her new series comes out in 2013....I'm thinking they need to bump that date up a bit!  Perhaps I'll have to hunt down some of her older books to read because I'm going to miss her stories.

________________
Curious what others think?  You can see what others thought about this book by going to  http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/the-trouble-with-cowboys-by-denise-hunter-facebook-party-and-blog-tour
________________

I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group and Thomas Nelson Publishing in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.