 Synopsis: Can she show him how to be a rancher… And a family man? Noah Bodine is paying the price for missing his sister’s wedding by temporarily running his family’s Kansas ranch. But the corporate cowboy is way out of his element. Thankfully, neighbor Kate Lancaster is there to help, though the pretty single mom isn't pleased to spend time with Noah. She still blames Noah for her husband’s death. That is, until Kate’s little boy decides to make Noah his new best friend…and changes both Kate’s and Noah’s meaning of home. Kansas Cowboys Book 1: The Reluctant Rancher Book 2: Last Chance Cowboy Book 3: Cowboy on Call Book 4: Her Cowboy Sheriff Book 5: The Rancher's Second Chance Book 6: Twins Under the Tree Book 7: The Cowboy's Secret Baby Book 8: Mistletoe Cowboy Book 9: A Cowboy's Homecoming
, My thoughts: A Cowboy's Homecoming is a sweet, heartwarming love story which deals with family and relationship dynamics, grief, raising a gifted child, finding a balance between family expectations and one's own desires and many others. When we first meet Noah Bodine, he is coming back home after having missed his sister Willow's wedding, while Kate is anxious to get home to her four year old son Teddie. An unexpected blizzard blocks roads and there isn't anyone to meet Kate. Noah offers to give Kate a lift knowing that Kate holds him indirectly responsible for her husband's death. If you love enemies-to-lovers trope, you are going to enjoy the way these two characters manage to find their way to open up to each other. Kate is still grieving and cannot imagine ever leaving her family ranch, something Noah did many years ago after a particularly heated argument with his strong-willed father. He has built a successful business from scratch and doesn't see himself as a cowboy any more. Yet, when he has to step in and take care of the ranch until his siblings come back, Noah doesn't hesitate-he'll whatever is necessary to help his family. Kate is his neighbour, so it is clear that these two are going to run into each other sooner or later. Teddie, Kate's adorable little boy, and Noah immediately take to each other, although Kate is much more guarded. Will Noah stay for a longer time or will his presence in Kate and Teddie's lives be a transient moment? I got drawn into the story straightaway and was very involved, especially in the first half (the second half was a bit too long and repetitive). There were interesting secondary characters and plotlines e.g. the story of Meg, Kate's aunt. Some characters from the previous books make their appearance adding to the atmosphere of a small town. Noah, Kate, Meg are all well-written and we learn not ony their backstory, but also what dilemmas they grapple with and what decisions they have to make, e.g. Kate knowsthat sooner or later she will have to decide whether to homeschool her gifted son or enter him into a special program, which would mean spending a lot of time driving him to the school in a different town. This was my first book from Leigh Riker's Kansas Cowboys series, but I enjoyed it so much that I would love to go back and read the previous story Mistletoe Cowboy, which is about Noah's sister Willow. An enjoyable book, recommended to any reader who appreciates clean, wholesome romance, enemies-to-lovers and single mother/father finds a new life partner tropes. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Harlequin for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.  Comments are closed.
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