Spotlight: Second Chance With a Cowboy by Jennie Marts

(The Lassiter Ranch Series, #3)
Publication date: September 24th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Second Chance With a Cowboy: A Wounded Cowboy/Curvy Heroine, Second Chance, Small Town Western Romance

Three abandoned cowboys, born in heartbreak and bonded by brotherhood, are brought together by the fierce love of the grandparents who took them in and the ranch that’s the only home they’ve ever known… 

He gave her up once, but will he risk everything for a second chance?

Ford, Dodge, and Chevy Lassiter are three half-brothers whose mother named them after the trucks that their dead-beat dads drove away from them in. Chevy is the middle brother, the easy-going flirt who uses his charm to keep anyone from getting too close. He’d only let himself fall in love once…but then he’d pushed her away so she could chase her dreams of becoming an aerospace engineer—leaving him and their small-town life behind.

Eleanor (Leni) Gibbs left the small Colorado mountain town of Woodland Hills behind ten years ago. Now she’s back, temporarily trading rocket science for diapers to help her sister with a new baby, but isn’t sure she can handle facing the cowboy who broke her heart. But the undeniable chemistry between them still simmers beneath the surface, and every encounter has her wondering if they’re meant for something more.

Both have been burned by the past, and neither knows if they can trust the other—or themselves—with their fragile hearts. As old wounds reopen and new sparks fly, can Chevy and Leni find the courage to take a second chance on love—or will he let her fly away again, this time for good?

**Each book in the Lassiter Ranch series can be read as a standalone—a boots-knockin’ hot cowboy HEA guaranteed in every one!** 

The Lassiter Ranch Series

Save the Date For a Cowboy: Prequel Novella

Love at First Cowboy: Book 1

Overdue for a Cowboy: Book 2

Second Chance with a Cowboy: Book 3

Readers will love this small town, western romance series filled with wounded cowboys, curvy wallflower heroines, second chances, friends to lovers, fake relationships, unrequited love, forced proximity, and grumpy versus sunshine.

Excerpt

The water did look amazing, and he’d been dying for a swim all afternoon. 

He shucked off his boots and jeans then let out a whoop as he raced past her, wearing only his black boxer briefs, and splashed into the water. 

He ducked his head under then came up, shaking the water out of his hair. The temperature was perfect, warm but not hot, and cooler the deeper it went. He lifted his hand and beckoned her toward him. “Come on in. The water’s fine.”

“No way. I don’t have a swimsuit.”

He offered her one of his best flirty grins. “Never stopped you before.”

She shifted from one foot to the other, chewing on her bottom lip.

“I know you’re mentally weighing the pros and cons,” he told her. It was what she’d always done.

She planted a hand on her hip. “You don’t know me that well.”

“Yeah, right. Go ahead. Lay them on me.”

She let out a little indignant huff before starting the list. “The biggest pro is that the water looks incredible, and I’m hot and could practically die from wanting to go for a swim.”

“Avoiding dying seems like a pretty big pro. What kind of con could possibly challenge that?”

“Wellll, the biggest one is that getting in the water means I’d have to take my clothes off.”

“Nope. That definitely goes in the pro column for me.” He waggled his eyebrows playfully at her. “Oh, come on. You’ve got nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“Oh yes, I have. I have much more now than you’ve seen before. I’m no longer a seventeen-year-old girl with flawless skin and no dimples or cellulite. My body has changed. I am much…” She paused as if struggling to come up with the best descriptive word. “Much curvier now.”

“I happen to like your new curves. In fact, the curvier the better I like to say.”

“Oh yeah? When do you like to say that?”

“Just now. And also, any time there’s a possibility of a gorgeous, curvy woman, stripping naked in front of me.” He offered her another one of his trademark grins—the one that most women couldn’t resist.

But most women weren’t Eleanor Gibbs.

She was different.

“Tell you what,” he said. “How about if I turn my back, and I won’t look while you strip down and wade in.”

She twisted her mouth from side-to-side with indecision. “You promise you won’t look?”

He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Now I know you’re lyin’. You were never a Boy Scout.”

He laughed. “Okay. I promise I won’t look…after your shirt and shorts come off.”

She huffed again.

“Come on, darlin’,” he drawled. “You gotta give me a little something here.”

“No, I don’t.” She tried to keep the annoyed expression on her face but couldn’t hold it as she broke into a laugh.

He splashed a small spray of water in her direction then held up three fingers. “All right, you had your chance to do this the easy way. Now, Miss Eleanor Gibbs, you’ve got exactly three seconds to peel those clothes off, or I’m coming out of this lake to do it for you.” 

Leni narrowed her eyes at him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Oh, he would dare. In fact, he couldn’t wait to dare. Chevy took a step toward her as he called out, “Three!”

She let out a shriek as she retreated up the shore, splashing water as she walked backward.

His grin widened as he took another menacing step toward her. “Two!”

“Okay, you win. Stop counting.” She laughed as she shimmied out of her shorts and tossed them further back onto the bank, then pulled her shirt over her head and pitched it toward the shorts, leaving her in only a black lacy bra and a pair of black bikini panties. She made a circular motion with her hand. “Now, turn around.”

He stared, the sight of her half-naked body making his mouth go dry. 

The last time he’d seen her like this, she was seventeen, and he was a horn-dog teenage boy. Now, she was a full-fledged woman, round and lush, and as his gaze roamed over those curves she’d described, he felt like that love-sick out-of-control teenager again.

“Why are you staring at me?” she asked, self-consciously putting her hands up to cover herself.

“I can’t help it,” he said, all teasing aside. “You’re just so gorgeous.”

A grin tugged at the corners of her lips. “Stop it.”

“It’s true.”

“You’re just trying to get me to take my bra off in front of you.”

He shook his head, trying to keep the sincerity in his voice. “No, it’s true. You’re beautiful.” He couldn’t help the grin that creased his face. “Although, if you do want to take your bra off in front of me…”

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About the Author

Jennie Marts is the USA TODAY Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”

She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends. 

Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky hockey-playing men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and the small-town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek Romances. 

Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, or Twitter at @JennieMarts. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.

Connect:

https://jenniemarts.com/

https://jenniemarts.com/newsletter/

https://www.facebook.com/JennieMartsBooks/

https://www.instagram.com/jenniemartswriter/

https://twitter.com/JennieMarts

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6876233.Jennie_Marts

Spotlight: A Cowboy Country Christmas by Jennie Marts

(Creedence Horse Rescue, #6)

Publication date: October 10th 2023

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

Synopsis:

There’s no better time than Christmas to open your heart

Holt Callahan used to love the holidays, but getting dumped on Christmas Eve would turn anyone into a Grinch. Now he hates Christmas and all the holly jolly shenanigans that go with it. When he moves back to his cousin’s ranch in Creedence, Colorado, the last thing he expects is to come face to face with the one who got away and all her holiday cheer.

Lainey McBride is all about Christmas, and despite running her family’s ranch festivities while her grandfather is in rehab, she hasn’t lost her holiday spirit, no matter how many things don’t go according to plan. But the holidays have their own way of healing, and a Christmas in Creedence just might be the merry magic that brings these two broken hearts back together again.

Excerpt

This book is so chockful of funny, heartwarming AND steamy scenes—it’s hard to pick just one for an excerpt. The ugly Christmas sweater scene was fun and I think the live nativity scene is one of the most fun scenes I’ve ever written. This book has a fainting goat in it, so you know that’s going to cause some fun. But there is also a lot of Christmas magic and memories. And making a little girl’s Christmas dream come true.

There is an adorable dog that Holt finds under the porch of the bunkhouse and against his better judgement, he feeds it and gives it a blanket. Eventually, it finds its way into Holt’s house and both his and Lainie’s hearts. There was a scene I had a lot of fun writing when Holt and Lainie are talking about naming the dog….

Lainey sucked in a breath as she reached to pet the dog’s side. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t you keep her? She’s obviously already attached to you.”

“She just likes me because I feed her. But look at her. She’s too friendly not to be someone’s pet.” After getting over her initial skittishness of the night before, the dog had been cuddly and affectionate, either following after them if they walked around the bunkhouse or rolling over for belly rubs if she was sitting next to them. “Some family is probably missing her.”

“Maybe.”

“I need to at least call the Humane Society and the sheriff’s office to see if someone’s looking for her.”

“Okay, but if no one claims her, then she’s for sure your dog. And you should totally name her something Christmas-themed, since this is the time of year when you found her. How about Holly? Or Mistletoe? Or how about Carol?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “What a great idea. Then I can always be reminded of this holiday I’m such a huge fan of. And also, if I were keeping her, there’s no way in hell I’d name my dog Carol. Or Mistletoe. Unless you want me to just turn in my man card right now.”

Her eyes went dreamy as she stroked a finger along his sizable bicep. “As if. And no, I’m quite partial to your man parts. I mean your manly parts. Wait, I mean your manliness.” She dropped her head into her hands. “Pretend I did not say that.”

“Too late. You already said you loved my man parts.”

“I said partial to…and anyway, we were talking about the dog. And thinking of ideas of what to name her.”

“You were thinking of what to name her. But I’d rather go back to talking about what you love about my—”

She held up her hand to cut him off. “What about Jingle or Snickerdoodle for a name?”

“For my man parts? I don’t think they’d take too kindly to being called Snickerdoodle, but Jingle Balls does have a certain holiday ring to it.”

She let out one of her hearty laughs, the kind that came from her belly and snuck out as a surprise. The kind that made his manly heart melt like butter on a hot biscuit. “We are not going to start talking about your Christmas balls again,” she said, still laughing. “How about Eggnog or Snowy? For the dog.”

He grimaced. “How about not?”

He was acting grumpy, but he was really having fun with her. Too much fun. She was so easy to be with, and not just to be with, but to be himself with. He was only this comfortable with a few select people. Although his comfortableness with her was also interspersed with moments of fluttering heartbeats and a racing pulse whenever their hands touched, or her shoulder brushed his, or if he caught a whiff of her delicious scent. Her nearness could send jittery nerves spiraling through his stomach that made him feel like a love-crazed teenager, which probably shaved several points off that man card they were just discussing.

She tapped her fingers to her lips. “Okay, I’ll stop with the too cutesy. But I really still like the idea of a Christmas name. Just give me a second. I know I can think of a good one. Hmm. I suppose Cindy Lou Who is out?”

He shrugged. “Not if I can shorten it and just call her Lou.”

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Jennie Marts is the USA TODAY Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”

She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends. 

Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky hockey-playing men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and the small-town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek Romances. 

Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, or Twitter at @JennieMarts. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.

Connect:

https://jenniemarts.com/

https://jenniemarts.com/newsletter/

https://www.facebook.com/JennieMartsBooks/

https://www.instagram.com/jenniemartswriter/

https://twitter.com/JennieMarts

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6876233.Jennie_Marts

Spotlight: Love at First Cowboy by Jennie Marts

(Lassiter Ranch, #1)

Publication date: September 27th 2023

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Three abandoned cowboys, born in heartbreak and bonded by brotherhood, are brought together by the fierce love of the grandparents who took them in and the ranch that’s the only home they’ve ever known…

Surly cowboy, Ford Lassiter, named after the truck his dad was driving when he’d left him and his mother, has only known abandonment and doesn’t trust relationships—until he shares an intimate weekend at a wedding with a woman he met by chance. Now he can’t stop thinking about her and what could have happened if she hadn’t driven away from him too.

Tall and curvy, Elizabeth ‘Bitsy’ Cole, who is anything but bitsy, has spent her adult life wishing for change but is afraid to take risks. Then a crazy hot weekend with a cowboy finally gives her the courage to make some big changes in her life. She quits the family business to start her own accounting firm and buys a rundown farmhouse in the mountains with a yard for her dog, finally leaving her dinky apartment in the city that’s never quite felt like home.

So what happens when the handy-man she hires to help fix up the farmhouse turns out to be the same cowboy she spent that steamy weekend with? She thinks he was only with her out of pity and as a favor to the groom, but the looks he’s giving her now makes her wonder if there might be a chance for something more. If she has the courage to find out…

Excerpt

Ford’s body was shaking as he strode back to Elizabeth. “That took everything I had not to punch that conceited jerk in the throat.” He softened his tone and expression as he took her by the shoulders. “Are you okay? He didn’t touch you, did he?”

She shook her head, too stunned by Ford’s reaction to say anything. He was pissed. But was he really this angry because of the way Chad treated her? Or did he just not like the guy in general?

“Shoot,” he said, letting out his breath and scrubbing his hand across the whiskers on his jaw. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said all that. That guy just made me so frickin’ mad. I heard the way he was talking to you, and I couldn’t let that stand.”

“It’s okay. I appreciated it.”

“Did you know he was coming over here?”

“No. I just walked down the stairs, and he was standing in the kitchen. Scared the heck out of me. My phone was in my purse, and he was standing between me and the door. And then the stuff he was saying was really starting to freak me out. I hadn’t really thought about how isolated I would be out in the country.” She pressed a hand to her heart as she imagined what could have happened. “I’ve never had an unwanted man in my house like that. I mean, sure I’ve had my landlord stop by, but he never made leering remarks or insinuated that I should offer him sexual favors for fixing the garbage disposal.”

A growl sounded in the back of Ford’s throat as his hands tightened into fists. “On second thought, I should have punched that guy.”

“No. You handled it just right. Getting him out of the house and discouraging him from coming back was what I was trying to do. He just wasn’t getting the hint from me.”

“That’s what I was trying to do, too.” He frowned. “But I probably shouldn’t have told him I was moving in here. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I wasn’t. Thinking, I mean. I just reacted. But I didn’t want him thinking you would be out here alone or that he could come back by when I wasn’t here.”

“I appreciate that. And I was doing the same thing by telling him I had a boyfriend.”

Ford’s lips pulled together as he eyed her. “Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Have a boyfriend?”

A nervous giggle bubbled out of her. Dang. She’d forgotten how many times that had happened to her the last time she’d been with Ford. “No. I do not have a boyfriend.”

She liked the way his lip twitched, as if he were trying not to smile. He cocked an eyebrow and offered her a sheepish grin. “Well, apparently, you do now.”

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Jennie Marts is the USA TODAY Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”

She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends. 

Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky hockey-playing men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and the small-town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek Romances. 

Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, or Twitter at @JennieMarts. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.

Connect:

https://jenniemarts.com/

https://jenniemarts.com/newsletter/

https://www.facebook.com/JennieMartsBooks/

https://www.instagram.com/jenniemartswriter/

https://twitter.com/JennieMarts

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6876233.Jennie_Marts

Spotlight: Never Enough Cowboy by Jennie Marts

(Creedence Horse Rescue, #4)
Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication date: July 26th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Fans of Carolyn Brown, Maisey Yates, and Jennifer Ryan will fall head over cowboy boots for this second-chance romance from USA Today bestseller Jennie Marts.

Single mom Jillian Bennett barely has a moment to herself between raising her ten-year old son, volunteering at the horse rescue ranch, and working her new job as head librarian of Creedence, Colorado. She doesn’t have time for romance either, even though she and the cute deputy, Ethan Rayburn, have been doing a lot of flirting the last few weeks. But when he also forms a bond with her son, Milo, Jillian falls hard, and Ethan soon realizes he would do anything for the feisty librarian who’s won his heart.

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Jennie Marts is the USA TODAY Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”

She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.

Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky hockey-playing men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and the small-town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek Romances.

Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, or Twitter at @JennieMarts. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.

Connect:

https://jenniemarts.com/

https://jenniemarts.com/newsletter/

https://twitter.com/JennieMarts

https://www.facebook.com/JennieMartsBooks/

https://www.instagram.com/jenniemartswriter/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennie-marts

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6876233.Jennie_Marts