A Cowboy for Christmas audiobook

Very good book. Lissy has had a rough few months. Her husband was killed in Afghanistan, and she discovered that he named his half brother as his beneficiary, leaving her with nothing. And now she has found out that her two year old son is going deaf and there is no way to stop it. Enter Rafferty Jones, Jake's half brother, who has come to Jubilee to give the money to her. He wants to give her the money and be on his way home, but something about her has him deciding to stick around for a little while. I really liked both Lissy and Rafferty. Lissy has accepted Jake's death and the blow of not having his benefits. What she's having trouble with a the start of the book is the news that her son is going deaf and there's no cure for it. She's in the middle of a meltdown when she runs into Rafferty's truck. His kindness and understanding help her calm down and they go their separate ways, not knowing their connection. When he shows up at her door to tell her why he's there she is stunned. But she's finally getting to the point where she likes her independence and she turns the money down flat and sends him away. He comes back and offers to train the horse Jake left her so she can sell it for a higher price, so she agrees to let him stay. Lissy started out in the book as a woman finally starting to find out who she really is. She has been a peacemaker all her life, never wanting to be the one to rock the boat, even as a child. Her husband had been a man who tended to steamroll over anything that didn't suit his wants, so being on her own is different. Rafferty's offers of assistance worry her because she doesn't want to begin to depend on him and lose herself again. What she found was that he would simply make suggestions and leave the decisions up to her. He offered her support and stood behind her when she'd make a decision. I really loved seeing her develop the backbone she had never had before. I loved the scene at Thanksgiving dinner when she stood up to her whole family, shocking them all. Another thing that Lissy had to contend with was her mother in law's attitude toward Rafferty, who was the illegitimate son of her husband. Again, her growing confidence in herself allowed her to do what was right for her and her son rather than cave to Claudia's demands. But the best part of all was Lissy's gradual realization that Rafferty was the man she needed in her life if she could just overcome her fears. She feels guilty having these feelings for him so soon after Jake's death, but their marriage had been in trouble for a long time. She also isn't sure if the feelings are real or just another form of gratitude for the help he has given her. Besides, he has a life in California that he will be going back to soon. She just needs the courage to reach out for what she wants.Rafferty was a really great guy. He had had a rough childhood with a bipolar mother who he took care of even when he was a child. He also did his best to care for his younger brother and sister. When he was sixteen he discovered he had an older brother when Jake showed up after finding out about him. Jake stayed with them for the summer, helping Rafferty with his family, and continued to try to be there as he got older. Meanwhile, Rafferty got involved with training horses and ended up with his own successful ranch in California where some of his horses were used in movies. He was out of the country when Jake died and didn't know about it for three months. When he found out about the money, the first thing he did was head to Texas to give it to Lissy. Rafferty has a "fatal flaw" in that he can't resist trying to help people who are in trouble, and he really doesn't want to get involved with Lissy and her problems. But he just can't resist the need to help her, especially when she refuses the money. He comes up with a way to help by training Jake's horse. He also discovers that he is really attracted to her, which horrifies him. He can't believe it would be acceptable to be lusting after his brother's wife. The more time he spends with her and her son the more he wants to stay. I really liked the way that, because of his experience with his deaf ranch foreman, he is able to help Lissy learn more about helping her son. I loved the fact that he didn't tell her what to do, but got her the information she needed to make up her own mind. It was great to see how good he was with little Kyle and what a difference he made in their lives. They also made a difference in his life, as being around them showed him what life with a family could be like. He looked at the town of Jubilee and couldn't believe how much he felt like he belonged there and with Lissy. All he had to do was convince her. I loved the ending and how they finally got together.

You know a book is going to be good when you are not done reading the first chapter and there are tears streaming down your face. If an author can make you feel something so deep with just a few words, then you are reading one amazing and touching story.This story is about two people from two very different backgrounds and who have both endured very rough trials in their life. Lisette is a widow still trying to overcome her husband’s death when their son is diagnosed as being deaf. Rafferty has come to Jubilee, TX to give Lisette the death benefits that his half brother, Lisette’s husband, left him.The romance between Lisette and Rafferty is sweet and feels real. Both of them have to overcome their own past and be willing to create a future together. I have to say that I like how Lisette handles the death of her first husband. It was very realistic and yet emotional.A Cowboy for Christmas is #3 in the Jubilee series but it can be read as a standalone novel. I do recommend that you read the first books in this series because they are so very good!

Wow. I can't put into words how much I enjoyed this book. I had tears flowing down my face almost from the beginning. Then, tension from the breakup you knew was coming cause Lisette couldn't accept that what she and Rafferty had was really love. Then, more tears at the end. But it was oh-so-good. While this was the third book in the series, I didn't feel I missed anything by not reading the other ones in the series. Yes, the characters from the other books were mentioned, but this can easily stand alone. That being said, I will go back and read the rest of the the series cause I liked this :)

Amanda's review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews 4.5 StarsHave you ever felt you were at the end of your rope and couldn’t hold on? That if you had one more thing happen to you, you wouldn’t know if you were able to handle it? That’s what Lisette Montcrief was feeling as she is trying to shop for a few baking staples. She’s just been given the news that her 2 year old son Kyle is going deaf. This on top of the other news that her dead husband Jake left his life insurance money to a half-brother she didn’t even know he had. It’s been a trying 3 months since finding out her husband died in Afghanistan and wouldn’t be receiving any of the military survivor benefits either because he disobeyed orders and was not named the beneficiary. Money she could really use right now. She was on her own and had a son to take care of and only herself to rely on. The opening chapter captured my attention and my heart for this woman and I had to know how this was all going to play out for her and her son. What she wasn’t expecting was Rafferty Jones, her brother-in-law to come into her life and change it profoundly. A Cowboy for Christmas by Lori Wilde is the final story in the Jubilee, Texas trilogy and is a heartwarming story of unexpected love and new found self- reliance for the heroine. For the first time in her life Lisette finds herself alone without a man for support and she knows she’s got to expand her baking business to support herself and her son. She’s got plans and is working things out as she goes along. Rafferty comes to Jubilee to give her the money Jake left behind but she won’t accept it. It wasn’t given to her for a reason and she’s not about to accept a handout. He can’t leave without helping her in some way so he comes up with a plan. He’ll train Jake’s cutting horse and try to sell him after his futurity competition at the end of the year in exchange for free room and board. He’ll stick around long enough to get her on her feet and somehow figure out a way to give her the insurance money. What he didn’t figure was his attraction to his dead brother’s wife and child. Something he’s always wanted for himself. I really liked both of these characters individually and together. Lisette has strong maternal instincts and wanted to do what’s best for Kyle but didn’t know how to trust her own instincts. Her past behavior was to go along with what others wanted, especially her husband Jake, in order to keep the peace. But she’s been mulling things over in her mind that things can be so different now but she has got to start standing up for herself. I saw the gradual transformation, with Rafferty’s encouragement; she started to believe in herself and telling people what she wanted. She didn’t know exactly how she was going to approach Kyle’s teaching and didn’t want to be persuaded one way or another in how to teach Kyle how to communicate. The subtle changes she makes to please herself start to show from her website design even to her relationship with her mother-in-law Claudia. I saw a range of depth to Lisette’s character over feelings she is beginning to have for Rafferty. Should she be feeling this sexual desire for him? Should she act on them or is this a reaction to her needing help and its from gratitude? Rafferty is also feeling the same thing and wonders if he would ever escape the need to want to help someone in need. He is a well- established horse trainer in California with his own horse ranch, and he doesn’t need to take on a complication like his sister-in-law and her many needs. If he was smart he would get out of town fast. Yet he can’t deny this attraction to her. He wants her even knowing that he isn’t here for the long run. He needs to get back to his life in CA. Can they build on something that Jake somehow forced them together? When the two of them finally get together it just feels right for both of them. Lisette comes to the realization that what she had with Jake wasn’t strong enough to last for a lifetime but it could be with Rafferty. Now she could only hope he felt the same. Don’t let the title fool you into thinking that it is a true Christmas story. I would have to say that it is more of a contemporary romance story which starts before Halloween and leads up to Christmas. I’m sad that this is the last story in this setting of Jubilee, Texas and yet this story finished on a high note and I’m happy it ended so well. The story has a little of everything from conflict and struggle, to sweet and tender moments. Lori Wilde is a favorite of mine and would recommend her to anyone who wants a small hometown feel good type story to read. A Cowboy for Christmas has a HEA with a cowboy and what more can you asks for.Review copy provided for an honest review.

When I originally signed up to be on this book tour I was on a huge romance novel kick, which coincidentally always coincides with my period, and I kind of forgot about it. Then I got it in the mail and was like, oh... I hope this isn't one of those hokey romance novels where the woman just loses her breath when the cowboy whips a cow and and down on the farm loving. Oh stop it, you know I'm judgey like that. Fortunately, this turned out not to be like that at all and I totally loved it, finished it in the afternoon and really can say I'm a Lori Wilde fan after one book. What I love is that Lissette is not a wussy. She's a recently widowed mother of a son who she just finds out has a disability where he'll eventually become totally deaf. Which, single parent or not, that's a tough lot to handle. Her husband dies in combat and even though he wasn't the stellar husband she thought he'd be towards the end, it's still a rough situation. Then comes long lost half brother of her dead husband, Rafferty, and he just wants to do right by her and bam- it's kind of a tense situation but it obviously turns romantic. But what I like about it is that it was actually kind of realistic. Sure, the chance of a widowed mother of a partially deaf child falling in love with her husband's long lost half brother in a few short weeks maybe isn't the most realistic, but it's better than some of the novels out there. And none of it was over the top, everything felt normal and not overly dramatic and it was just a really great book. I thought the ending with Rafferty was kind of ironic because he is portrayed as this guy who's always trying to do good by others and save others and becomes a victim himself, but I loved how there was that final twist so not everything is as smooth as some romance novels will have you believe. So I loved it. It's a fun read, it's a fast read, and I think you'll like it. http://strandupdate.blogspot.com

Can't help but love me some Rafferty Jones...oh baby!! This book should come with a warning label, "Will Fall For Hero".Lori Wilde does it AGAIN!! She always manages to grab my heart and play with it for a while, taunting and teasing, and then she gives it back whole again...I don't know if I can take it anymore. I loved the first two books in the Jubilee, Texas series, but I think A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS has some stiff competition for them...no pun intended...hee hee!I simply adored this book from page one, getting sucked into Lisette Moncrief's grief and sorrow, falling in love with little Kyle and wanting to bring Jake back from the dead so that I could kill him again. But then Rafferty Jones walks, well saunters, into her life and somehow the sun is shining again. You will literally fall in love with Rafferty the moment he opens his mouth...he is everything Lisette needs and wants but doesn't think she can have. I loved this book from start to finish, wishing that it would never end. The relationship that builds between these two is electric and I literally sat on the edge of my chair waiting for the tension to explode!! This is a TO-READ, as well as, the other two books in the series, THE COWBOY TAKES A BRIDE and THE COWBOY AND THE PRINCESS. They will have you feeling joy and pain, will have you laughing and then crying, but isn't that what we love best about romance, the way a book can pull you so far into the story that you feel as if you are standing right there, feeling emotions right along with the characters...Lori Wilde does it to me EVERY TIME!!Enjoy and Happy Reading!!

I read Lori's First Love Cookie Club a few years back and I loved it. This book was no different. It is what I like to call a cozy romance. It focuses on the characters rather than on a lot of sex.Now don't get me wrong, I like a good smutty novel now and then, but at the holidays, I love books that are about PEOPLE! Lissy and Rafferty were people that were characters you could relate to. They had real problems. Lissy's son is going deaf and she lost her husband in the war in Afghanistan. Rafferty is her husband's half brother. The bastard child of Gordon Moncrief and Ameila Jones. He's had a hard life, but he's made good.Both are strong characters determined to do what they feel is right for themselves and those they care about. You may think this may make the book slow, but it isn't . I breezed through this book in a day and loved every page.I really loved her little boy, he was so sweet, especially as he starts learning sign language. There's a cute scene at Thanksgiving when a fight breaks out over dessert, because he signed that he wanted cake and pie.One of the things that really draws me to Lori's books is the food. There's a whole lot of baking going on in her books and that makes me happy, especially when you get to the end and there are recipes. I can't wait to try them too!If you love authors like Debbie Macomber, Robyn Carr and Hope Ramsey, and their take on small town America, you'll love Jubilee, TX and all the people there!

A sweet slow building steamy romance! Lissy has had a very hard year losing her husband and her life has had lots of changes. Rafferty is a kind, caring man who had always taken care of his very dysfunctional family. He’s devoted, nonjudgmental, and just can’t say no to helping others out. Rafferty and Lissy have instant attraction but don’t act on it for a long time. Their friendship and relationship builds slowly and they form a strong bond. I really enjoyed watching them grow together.

I really enjoyed A Cowboy For Christmas. Heartwarming, charming, sad, encouraging; the story of Lissette and her young son losing his hearing, and the cowboy who steps in to help them will keep you turning the pages. A must read for the Christmas season.

I have enjoyed Lori Wilde's Jubilee, Texas series, and loved this Christmas edition! Lori captures the small Texas town atmosphere so well, and her characters are personable, warm and loving! I highly recommend this series!

4.5Once again, Lori Wilde pleasantly surprised me with an heartbreaking and compelling story while also delivering on the sweet and warm feelings I expect from a romance novels. Lissette Montcrief's life resemble a drama movie lately. It'll be her first Holidays since her husband died in Afghanistan and she can't help think about all that went wrong between them before he enlisted again. And now she just learned her two year-old son have genetic nonsydromic autosomal recessive progressive hearing loss. In other words, he'll be completely deaf by the time he'll start school. Lissy also learned that her husband left his life insurance to an half brother she didn't know he had. Rancher Rafferty Jones came to Jubilee, Texas to return money he believes doesn't belong to him. He's on his way to give it back to his half brother's widow when his car is rear-ended in a grocery store parking lot and he see a woman on the verge of an emotional meltdown. As chance would have it, she's the one he was searching for, and in more way than one. There's an instant mutual attraction between Lissy and Rafferty and I loved how they communicated a lot with their eyes. Having someone in his life who can't hear, he was there to help her and give her advice without choosing for her. Something she appreciated greatly because it gave her the chance to finally stand her ground and make her own decisions, something she didn't allow herself to do with her people before. Him having a savior complex also means she didn't know if she could trust his feelings. Is it love or does he only see a damsel in distress ? There's also her former mother-in-law who's being acting weird lately. What is she hiding? But as a mother, Lissy have to think of her son first and she'll have to decide what she thinks is the best way to learn to communicate with her little boy. All kind of different love and Lori Wilde's books are always full of heart.

A Cowboy for Christmas by Lori Wilde is a romantic story about a widow named Lissette who learns her son is going deaf, and begins effecting change in her life when she would otherwise crumble over all the loss and devastation of losing a husband and being left alone to deal with all of life’s problems. She encounters her husbands half brother Rafferty when he comes to her hometown of Jubilee. Rafferty assists Lissette with many things that she would otherwise not of been able to handle so quickly, such as teaching her son how to communicate with his handicap. A genuine love and admiration for one another brews rather quickly and the two aren’t sure if this is drowning sorrows in lust or something more substantial, only they are each sure it is love and each does not want to be the first to say it! By Christmas, Rafferty and Lissette reunite in Jubilee but will they be able to set aside fear and take a chance in love? Side note- this is not a Christmas book, it spans from Halloween to Christmas which comes at the very end but the holidays/setting are not a primary focus in this book. It does not make a difference to me because the story line is really engaging! I just love a good damsel in distress story, sexy cowboy saves the day. Happy Reading!

Lissette Moncrief is dealing with a lot right now and backing into Rafferty Jones’s pick-up truck is just the icing on the cake. What more can possibly go wrong?Rafferty Jones is in town for one reason. As soon as he completes the task he promised himself he would keep, he’s headed back home. The little fender bender in a grocery store parking lot is just a minor inconvenience. He assures the young woman who backed into him that everything is okay, and she shouldn’t worry about the damage to his vehicle. She finally agrees with him and drives off with her young son.Imagine his surprise when Rafferty shows up at the home of his half-brother’s widow and sees that it’s the same woman who backed into him in the parking lot. When he explains why he’s there, Lissette refuses his offer. He ends up hanging around town anyway and as the two of them get to know each other, sparks fly. But both know that nothing can come of it. She lives in Jubilee, Texas, and Rafferty’s home is in California, and he needs to be heading home soon.I loved this heartwarming story of two lost souls finding each other, and even shed a few tears.

Raffery comes to Jubilee Tx to give Lizzy his step brothers wife his life insurance when he was killed in the war. Lizzy wouldn’t take it. Although she really needed it as she just found out that her son was going deaf. She was trying to expand her business as a baker. Rafferty stayed to help train her cutting horse so she could get good money for him. During this time they talked and get to know each other he helped her to become strong. They felt bad because it was his brothers wife. So he left and said if we really feel something be back on Christmas Eve. So as time went by he knew he really loved her on the way back to Cali a women was stranded on the side of the road, they blindsided him and left him for dead. They found him and word got back to Lizzy Rafferty was in the hospital, was coming to Tx for her. She goes to him and they became a family.

's Christmastime in Jubilee, Texas, but Lissette Moncrief is having a hard time celebrating . . .Especially after she accidentally smashes her car into Rafferty Jones's pick-up truck. Yes, he's a whole lot of handsome—from the tips of his boots to the top of his Stetson. But he's no Christmas present. Lissy's not about to let herself get whisked away by his charming ways and words . . . only to watch him drive away in the end.But what Lissy doesn't know is Rafferty's in town just to meet her—and to give her a share in a windfall that doesn't rightly belong to him. At first, he just wants to do his good deed and get out. But one look at this green-eyed beauty has him deciding to turn this into a Christmas to remember . . . making promises he's determined to keep—whether she believes in them or not