I really enjoy Katie Ruggle's romantic suspense series and Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas is not only a holiday read, but the first novel in a brand new series. Family,...

Reasons to grab your 🎧 and listen to Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas

I really enjoy Katie Ruggle's romantic suspense series and Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas is not only a holiday read, but the first novel in a brand new series. Family, friends and a wonderful setting quickly pulled me into this heartwarming story.

A single father of four who is also a firefighting cowboy. Come to momma! A scare regarding the children had Steve Springfield moving his young family to his childhood home, a Christmas Tree ranch in Borne, Colorado. Steve works the business with his three brothers and accepted a position with the local volunteer firefighters dept. On his first call he encounters, Camille Brandt, a shy, socially awkward girl, well woman now, that he remembers from high school. She was three years younger than him, but memorable all the same.

Camille Brandt remembers Steve alright. While they never hung out, she had the worst crush on Steve freakin' Springfield. I loved their first encounter. Camille made me giggle and the way these two spoke warmed my heart, as I snuggled in to see what would happen.

Camille was a fun character. I easily identified with her reclusive nature. She is a bit of a nerd and a talented artist. When she would start babbling around Steve, adorable things would happen.

The romance or as my young friends like to say, "the ship" was wonderful, awkward, blush worthy and slow building with a touch of heat to curl your toes.

Secondary characters like the Springfield brothers and Steve's precocious children added humor, some sticky situations and helped pull the storyline together.

The suspense angle was more of a side thread, but powerful and suspenseful. It involved fire and plenty of danger as Camille finds herself the center of unwanted attention. Ruggle presented clues and to be honest I had a hunch but quickly dismissed it. Ruggled added a few twists and surprised me with this thread. I felt it was well done.

Fans of Ruggle will remember Steve from the Search & Rescue series but new fans can begin here. I love when Ruggle ties in previous series and characters.

Callie Beaulieu has narrated all of the Ruggle books I've listen to, so it was a surprise to see a new narrator for this series. This was my first time listening to narrator, Vanessa Daniels but I was pleased. She captured the characters and pacing making the transition smooth for me. I would listen to this narrator again, and hope she continues with this series.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

Firefighter Steve is not so great at making choices since he started out at Simpson, CO in Search and Rescue before the murder and arson started, and he moved his kids to Monroe, CO at the beginning of Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit and that place went to hell and everything was blowing up, then he moves back to his hometown of Boone, CO and things aren’t any safer. Steve should have learned by now that all that snow makes people crazy and he should move his family somewhere warm.

We met Steve Springfield and his daughters in the first Katie Ruggle novel, On his Watch, when his girls get lost in the snowstorm in the mountains while on a school trip. Again, why would you take a school bus of kids out in a snow storm to visit a state park? Is is a Colorado thing?

Steve’s wife died eight years ago and left him to care for their four children. We question his decision to leave his hometown and the quaint, family-run tree farm which is featured in this book and move to towns were everything blows up, but other than that, Steve seems to be a very good Dad and has four very smart and polite children.

Camille is a socially awkward artist who is simply misunderstood. Orphaned and raised by her grandmother, Camille didn’t blend well with the others in school. She has a hard time making friends and as we start the story, she is seen by the town as a hermit and an oddball. Camille certainly remembers Steve-Freaking-Springfield. Camille has had a crush on him since she was only a high school freshman.

When I say Camille is socially awkward, I mean really awkward. We all have that moment when to talked to someone we just met…or babbled maybe the right word, and you really wish you had a do-over so you an erase that conversation. But Camille has that with every conversation. It is only around Steve and his children that she feels comfortable, and it is not that she entirely stops babbling, but that they seem to understand her and accepts her flaws and all.

That is good especially when Camille’s house burns down and she has no where to go. Steve immediately offers to take her home with him. Camille feels so comfortable with Steve’s family and for the first time she truly fits in. The problem she fears most is if they decide they don’t want her around anymore, her heart won’t just be broken, it will be shattered in five little pieces because she falls for the whole family.

I certainly empathized with the shy, awkward Camille, and enjoyed her getting her HEA. Like all the other Katie Ruggle stories, this one had a nice flow and a good balance between romance, excitement and intrigue. This is also the only book she has out that seems to be a stand alone. Even though Steve has brothers for a possible series, this one doesn’t have an underlying, unfinished mystery. So if you have had Katie Ruggle on your list of authors to try, pick up Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas for a taste of what makes her stories so enjoyable.

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Written on Nov 7, 2018

Combine a single dad, a small town, 4 adorable kids, and an awkward artist and you have Rocky Mountain Christmas Cowboy! Steve is back in his small home town of Born and working on his family's Christmas tree farm....Read more