My Books!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Harlequin Super Romance: Convincing the Rancher

Convincing the Rancher
by Claire McEwen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

About that night…

Benson, CA, represents all that Tess Cole doesn't want. So she intends to keep her business trip there brief. Too bad her idea to quickly change the mayor's mind about some planning issues dissolves the moment she recognizes him! That one night with Slaid Jacobs remains a personal favorite for Tess—and for him, too, it seems.


Even though he's gorgeous and hot, it's clear to Tess that the single dad wants a commitment—something she avoids. It's also clear Slaid is bent on convincing her they can build a future out of their passionate past. And that's a very tempting offer…

EXCERPT:

TESS WASN’T PREPARED for a Jeep that looked like an ice sculpture. With a pang of longing, she pictured her underground parking space in San Francisco, where even on the rare frosty morning she never had to worry about a frozen car. Reluctantly she opened her wallet and stared at her rainbow assortment of credit cards, wondering which one she could sacrifice as an ice scraper. The Saks Fifth Avenue card was nice and thick and would work the best, but she didn’t want to risk ruining it. Same with Bloomingdale’s. And there was no way she’d sacrifice Nordstrom—their annual shoe sale was coming up.
           
She finally settled for Talbots and started scraping at the frosted windshield. The ice came off in a spray coating her bare skin. “Ow!” she exclaimed and pulled her hand away abruptly, shaking it to try to get the frost off and the heat back in.
           
“Don’t tell me you didn’t bring gloves?” The deep voice had her whirling to confront the mayor. He looked warm and comfortable, his thick parka advertising the fact that he was prepared for the weather. The battered leather cowboy hat on his head was one more reminder that she’d left San Francisco far behind.
           
“It’s probably seventy degrees at home today,” she said by way of an answer.

“It’s seventy degrees in San Francisco most days. Didn’t you check the weather report before you drove out here?”

She hadn’t. She’d been in denial until she’d pulled into town yesterday. Despite all the arguments with Ed and the cramming she’d done to understand wind power, she’d ignored the fact that she’d be living in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere for the next month or so. Tess could safely say that denial was one of her strongest abilities.

And now a word from the author.

Why Do So Many Women Love Western Romance?

Thank you for inviting me to Hope. Dreams. Life… Love today!  I’m so happy to celebrate the release of my new book, Convincing the Rancher with you!

I’m not sure I know why ALL women love western romance, but I know why I do!

First of all, let’s cut to the chase.  Who doesn’t love a man in faded jeans, a cowboy hat, boots, maybe a worn flannel shirt, or better yet, no shirt?  There is just something about that look that is pretty appealing!  Just by donning that hat, the jeans, the boots, a guy looks like he’s been busy doing something outdoorsy and exciting.  Like he might take off at any minute to chase down an errant cow.  There’s an automatic edge of bad-boy and adventure to a cowboy!

Plus there is something about a cowboy that is so down-to-earth and American, in the best kind of way!  Maybe it’s different for younger generations of women, but I was raised on a heady combination of old John Wayne movies and Robert Redford in The Electric Horseman saving that gorgeous and wronged racehorse.  And that image of a man with his values intact, who makes decisions based on what’s just and right, rather than what’s socially acceptable and legal, is probably branded into my psyche somewhere.  I can’t resist those heroes!

I think the toughness and capability that it takes to succeed as a rancher is another thing that really appeals to many women.  A rancher or cowboy has to be capable - it’s part of their job description.  If there’s a problem that comes up, they’re going to have to figure out a way to deal with it.  They’ll be up at all hours taking care of their livestock, out dealing with issues in all kinds of weather.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most modern men I know aren’t really like that.  It’s the women of my acquaintance who are out in all kinds of weather taking care of whatever needs doing!  How refreshing to spend some time with a guy who gets things done - even if it’s just for a few hours in a book!

And the horses!  So many young women fall in love with horses and many of us never lose that love.  I know for me, the original reason I chose to write about ranchers is that I grew up riding horses and I really miss it.  I knew if I set my book on a ranch, I’d get to spend time with horses again, at least in my imagination.

This final reason might be more personal to me, but I think there are so many interesting topics that can be woven into a story on a ranch.  I am pretty interested in environmental issues and preserving open spaces.  Drought, land use, water use, environmental regulations, plant biology, livestock vs. wildlife – it’s all a part of a rancher’s every day life because their livelihood is so directly tied to our natural world.  I like learning and writing about all of it.

Whatever your reason for enjoying western romance, I hope you’ll consider picking up a copy of my new book, Convincing the Rancher.  It’s the story of a rancher who’s also a single dad, and the mayor of his small town.  He’s got to try to find some way to balance his traditional values and his role as a parent and a community leader, with the very unconventional woman he falls in love with.  It makes for a complicated and emotional story that I hope readers enjoy!

Thank you for joining me on Hope. Dreams. Life… Love today! And if you’d like, please leave a comment about why you enjoy, (or don’t enjoy!) western romances.


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Claire McEwen lives by the ocean in Northern California with her family and a scruffy, mischievous terrier.  When not dreaming up new stories, she can be found digging in her garden with a lot of enthusiasm but, unfortunately, no green thumb.  She loves discovering flea-market treasures, walking on the beach, dancing, traveling and reading, of course!  Convincing the Rancher is her third book for Harlequin Superromance.


Buy Links:

Amazon: 

Barnes and Noble:

Harlequin:

iTunes:

Kobo:

 Claire McEwen will be awarding $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter. You can find her tour schedule at   http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/11/vbt-convincing-rancher-by-claire-mcewen.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

8 comments:

  1. I liked the excerpt

    ReplyDelete
  2. Loved the word from the author :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog today. I LOVED writing this post. Do you know... I'd never actually thought about why I liked western romance until I wrote this? I guess I'm not as introspective as I like to think I am! So it was great to try to define it and really think it through. I'd love to hear from other people commenting whey they enjoy western romance!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I liked the excerpt best. This book sounds like such an interesting and intriguing read. I will totally have to add this book to my "to-read" list.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Enjoyed the excerpt and Tess' various store cards.

    ReplyDelete