Genre: Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: November 18, 2014Publisher: Loveswept
Boston veterinarian Hayley Scampini tends the city’s pampered pets but dreams of the rural life of a country vet. She’s single and determined to stay that way, convinced that love isn’t permanent enough to trust. Then a vacation to the Whisper Creek dude ranch introduces her to Daniel McKee, a sexy single dad who runs the kind of veterinary practice she aspires to—and rattles her conviction to keep men at a distance.
Managing a thriving practice, coping with the loss of his wife, and fighting a custody battle with his in-laws over his twin daughters, Daniel couldn’t be more overwhelmed. Hayley is a godsend, accompanying him in the field and winning over his girls. It doesn’t take Daniel long to realize he’s falling for this woman, hard and fast. So before Hayley returns to Boston, he extracts a promise: that she will return to Whisper Creek for Christmas. It’s the perfect time and place to show Hayley that the promise of a beautiful life together is something she can believe in.
A Cowboy's Christmas Promise by Maggie McGinnis is the sequel to Accidental Cowgirl only this time we're getting Kyla's friend, Hayley's story. I liked this story quite a bit. Possibly even a little more than Kyla's story. I think it's because both Daniel and Hayley are animal lovers. Plus, they were pretty darn cute. Daniel's situation made my heart melt, and I love his twin daughters. The attraction was pretty quick, but Hayley doesn't like serious and she certainly didn't want to lead Daniel on, so the romance was gradual. The chemistry wasn't though. You felt that from the beginning. I love the Dude Ranch setting. I can't wait for more fictional trips to Montana!
The ARC of A Cowboy's Christmas Promise by Maggie McGinnis was kindly provided to me by Tasty Book Tours for review. The opinions are my own.
Maggie McGinnis is the author of Accidental Cowgirl and Driving Without a License, which was a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award. A former high school English teacher, an accomplished musician, and a certified black belt, she lives in New England with her family.
To learn more about Maggie McGinnis and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.
The ARC of A Cowboy's Christmas Promise by Maggie McGinnis was kindly provided to me by Tasty Book Tours for review. The opinions are my own.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been dabbling for a long time, but only started writing seriously about five years ago. In my early days, I had a four-year-old and infant twins, so I managed about ten words per week (on a good week!). Hmm. On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t count those early years!
What inspired you to write A Cowboy's Christmas Promise? I really wanted to write a series about three best friends who find love in a completely unexpected place, with unexpected heroes. I had so much fun with this triumvirate in Accidental Cowgirl that I couldn’t wait to write the next two books in the series. I was dying to give feisty, layered Hayley the next happily-ever-after, and voila! A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise was born.
Which of your characters do you relate to most and why?I think there’s a little bit of me in all of my characters, but I’m probably most like Kyla in Accidental Cowgirl. I’m a squishy romantic on the outside, but inside, there’s a whole lot of steel. Some of it’s the surgical kind, but that can make you strong, too, right? J
What is a secret about you that nobody else knows?
I’m not sly enough to have all that many secrets. My family and close friends know this, but years ago I was in a horrific car accident where a driver changing a CD almost ended me. It took years to recover, and you’ll never catch me in a bikini again, but that period of my life gave me a serious dose of perspective that I’m grateful for every single day. It only takes a second for your life to change irreversibly. It only DID take a second.
What book have you read too many times to count? I’m actually not much of a re-reader, but that’s more due to my ADD tendencies than anything else. If I have a pile of shiny new books waiting to be read, I tend to dig into those rather than ones I’ve read before. That said, if I ever had to make a list of ten books I’d take with me to a desert island, I’d have no problem re-reading those ten forever.
What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received? “Keep writing.” I know—it’s not terribly inspired, but it’s the heart of it, really. No matter what else is happening in my life, the best way to keep my sanity is to keep my keyboard and my green pens busy. I have enough notebooks and pens to supply Harvard for a year, I swear. But I use them—in the kitchen, in waiting rooms, in the cell phone lot at the airport, wherever. If I’m writing, I’m learning. If I’m writing, I’m happy.
If you could hop into the life of any fictional character, who would it be and why? Oh, boy. How to possibly decide? I’d say Laura Ingalls Wilder, but I’m far too wimpy to survive even a week as a pioneer woman. Same with Regency England. The corsets would do me in before sunset on the first day! I think, though, that if I could leap back out with a clack of my ruby slippers, I’d jump into one of Julia Quinn’s novels. After all, if I was one of her heroines, I’d be whip-smart, sassy, and funny … and of course, I’d end up with one of her yummy heroes. Sigh.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? I always learn fascinating things while I’m researching, but honestly, I think the thing that surprised me most at first was how deeply I “feel” my books. These characters are figments of my imagination, and yet I hurt for them, I celebrate with them—and despite my best intentions, I fall embarrassingly in love with every hero I write. It’s a problem, but it sure is fun.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?When I’m not writing, I’m usually doing incredibly fun, sexy things like making last-minute cupcakes for the school bake sale, washing 8000 loads of laundry per week, or—ooh!—grocery shopping. I know. Tres elegant. On a banner day, though, I might actually sneak to a quiet corner to read. Inevitably, though, I’m found. Because we need groceries. Or clean socks.
Are any of the things in your books based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? I think it’s hard not to let little pieces of our real lives sneak into our books. For instance, in Accidental Cowgirl, the injuries and PTSD Kyla experiences after her car accident are so real that a couple of the scenes were actually hard to write. I had to relive my own experience through my character’s eyes, but it was actually somewhat therapeutic to help her come through it and find a beautiful future on the other side. My own life might be unpredictable, but I can at least guarantee my characters a happily-ever-after!
Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions and for stopping by!
Thank you so much for hosting me today! It was fun!
Check out my reviews of more books from this series!!
To learn more about Maggie McGinnis and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.
Thanks so much for hosting me today, and for the sweet review!!
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I loved this book! Great interview Maggie!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting today!
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