Interview with Tate and Luke

Welcome to the

Cowboys & Christmas

Blog Tour!

A kickoff of new holiday romances by Shanna Hatfield

and a fundraiser for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund

An Interview with Two Heroes

Have you ever wondered what two men from two different centuries would discuss? Today, Shanna Hatfield brings together two of her popular heroes for an interesting interview. Luke Granger is a banker, rancher, and involved community member in The Christmas Bargain, a sweet Victorian romance taking place in 1893 in Hardman, Oregon. Tate Morgan is from the contemporary sweet romance The Christmas Cowboy. He’s a retired saddle bronc rider who calls his ranch near Kennewick, Washington home. Welcome to you both. Tell us a little about your home. Luke: I live in the small but bustling community of Hardman, Oregon in Eastern Oregon. We have several churches, a school, a newspaper office, skating rink and mercantile there. My wife, Filly, and I live in the house where I grew up on the edge of town. We raise cattle and a few horses. Tate: Kenzie, my wife, and I live on the ranch that my grandfather started back in the early 1900s. We’re about thirty miles from Kennewick, Washington. We primarily raise beef cattle, wheat, and hay.   What is your single most favorite modern convenience? Luke: Indoor plumbing. Filly frequently reminds me we are very fortunate to have indoor plumbing at our house. When the weather outside is cold and nasty, it sure comes in handy. Tate: I have to say I appreciate indoor plumbing too, but since that is something common that we all take for granted, I’d say my phone is my favorite convenience. (At Luke’s confused look, Tate grins and hands over his cell phone, giving him a brief explanation of how it works.) Luke: I can’t believe you can instantly speak to someone whenever you wish or look up any piece of information. This is like holding the world in your hand. Tate: Yeah, it is.   What’s your favorite thing about your home? Luke: (Smiles) Without a doubt, my wife is what makes it home. Filly is the best thing that ever happened to me. Tate: (Nods in agreement) Kenzie turned a quiet ol’ ranch house back into a home. She’s the best and first thing that comes to mind when I think about home.   Here are three fun questions... Coffee or tea? Tate: Most of the time coffee, except during the holiday season. Kenzie makes the best Christmas tea. Luke: (Glances at Luke with a curious expression) Filly makes Christmas tea, too. Is the tea your wife makes dark and spicy with just a hint of sweetness? Tate: Sure is! Maybe it’s an old recipe. Cats or dogs? Luke: Dogs. Tate: Definitely dogs. Sweet or savory? Luke and Tate: Sweet! Tate: Christmas treats are one of the best things about the holidays. Luke: I heartily agree. Tell us one thing you admire about your wife. Luke: It’s hard to choose just one. Filly is such a strong person. Her father imprisoned and abused her for more than a decade before I married her. She not only survived but also thrived. She’s witty, charming, lovely, and loving. (Takes a photograph from his pocket and shows it to Tate) Tate: (Grins at Luke). She’s beautiful. She reminds me of Kenzie with that twinkle in her eye and her height. Isn’t that unusual for your era? Luke: Yes, it is. She’s an unusually wonderful woman, though. Is Kenzie tall? Tate: Yep. (Pulls up a photo of Kenzie on his phone and hands it to Luke) Luke: She’s enchanting. Is that your son she’s holding?</ strong> Tate: (Nods) The thing I admire most about Kenzie is her drive. Once she decides on something, there is no stopping her. She’s funny and ten-times smarter than I ever hope to be, not to mention gorgeous and sweet. I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but I’m grateful every day for her love... (Smirks) and her cooking. Luke: (Chuckles) Thank you both for joining us. Any parting words for our readers?</ strong> Tate: If you enjoy historical fiction, sweet romances, or good westerns, I hope you’ll consider reading our stories in the Hardman Holidays and Rodeo Romance series. Luke: Be sure to check out The Christmas Calamity, releasing Nov. 13. My assistant Arlan really gets into the magic of the season with the arrival of a prestidigitator in town. Tate: I’ve never met a prestidigitator, although I’ve been around some great rodeo clowns. (The two men get to their feet.) Luke: If you aren’t in a hurry, do you mind if I look up a few things on that? (Gestures to Tate’s cell phone) Tate: (Hands Luke the phone) Go right ahead. By the way, I’d sure like to know how...    

Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund®

Now through Dec. 24, Shanna will donate 10 percent of the net proceeds from all her book sales to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. The JCCF is a non-profit organization that assists rodeo athletes who’ve sustained catastrophic injuries and are unable to work for an extended period.  

Where to Find The Books

Start the Rodeo Romance Series with The Christmas Cowboy.

Kindle | Paperback | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple | Audible

Travel back to a different time with the historic Hardman Holiday Series,

beginning with The Christmas Bargain.

Kindle | Paperback

You’re Invited to PARTY!

You’re invited to join in the online Cowboys & Christmas Facebook Party Thursday, Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PST). Drop in anytime during those four hours to enter to win great prizes, chat with guest authors, and more! Here’s the link to the party: http://tinyurl.com/ cowboychristmasparty The third book in the Hardman Holidays sweet Victorian romance series releases that day! The Christmas Calamity takes readers back to Hardman just in time for the holiday season. Preorders are available now for just $1.99 on Kindle. You can reserve your copy here: http://amzn.com/B00OGOO994 In addition, the first book in the Hardman Holidays series, The Christmas Bargain, will be available free that day, as well!

Enter to Win Prizes!

To enter the drawing for an Amazon gift card, autographed books, chocolates, original western artwork, and more fun goodies, fill out this form. http://tinyurl.com/ cowboychristmasprizes

About Shanna Hatfield

A hopeless romantic with a bit of sarcasm thrown in for good measure, Shanna Hatfield is a best-selling author of sweet romantic fiction written with a healthy dose of humor. In addition to blogging and eating too much chocolate, she is completely smitten with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.” She is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, and Romance Writers of America. Find Shanna’s books at: Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple Shanna loves to hear from readers! Follow her online: ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | You Tube | Twitter

The Christmas Cowboy and The Christmas Bargain by Shanna Hatfield

Source: Amazon

Source: Amazon

The Christmas Cowboy Synopsis:

 Flying from city to city in her job as a busy corporate trainer for a successful direct sales company, Kenzie Beckett doesn’t have time for a man. And most certainly not for the handsome cowboy she keeps running into at the airport. Burned twice, she doesn’t trust anyone wearing boots and Wranglers, especially someone as charming and handsome as Tate Morgan.
Among the top saddle bronc riders in the rodeo circuit, easy-going Tate Morgan can handle the toughest horse out there, but trying to handle the beautiful Kenzie Beckett is a completely different story.
As the holiday season approaches, this Christmas Cowboy is going to need more than a little mistletoe to win her heart. 

The Christmas Bargain Synopsis: 

Luke Granger is about to get more than he bargained for…
As owner and manager of the Hardman bank, Luke Granger is a man of responsibility and integrity in the small 1890s Eastern Oregon town. When he calls in a long overdue loan, Luke reluctantly accepts a bargain in lieu of payment from the shiftless farmer who barters his daughter to settle his debt.
Philamena Booth is both mortified and relieved when her father sends her off with the banker as payment of his debt. Held captive on the farm by her father since the death of her mother more than a decade earlier, she is grateful to leave. If only it had been someone other than the handsome and charismatic Luke Granger riding in to rescue her. Ready to uphold her end of the bargain as Luke’s cook and housekeeper, she isn’t prepared to marry Luke as part of a crazy Christmas bargain.

Hey Guys,

So about a month ago I got an email from Shanna Hatfield asking if I'd be interested in reviewing some of her books for an upcoming blog tour. Now since she was already on my Goodreads to-read list I jumped at the chance! So here goes it, my thoughts on The Christmas Cowboy (TCC) and The Christmas Bargain (TCB).

Thoughts:

I was initially apprehensive about reading Christmas-themed novels because even though I absolutely LOVE Christmas, I am not a fan of Christmassy-ness. In fact, I'm altogether scrooge-like until enough Christmas spirit hits me LOL! But once I started reading The Christmas Cowboy (I read that one first), I was pleasantly surprised because it wasn't at all cheesy or over the top with Christmas cheer. I loved that the story wasn't based around Christmas, it just so happened that part of the story occurred at Christmas time. I thought that was a great approach to take. And it was the same with The Christmas Bargain. So these books definitely left me open to more Christmas-themed reads.

Now onto the books themselves.

As I mentioned earlier, I read TCC first. And I enjoyed it. It gave off a very lazy afternoon vibe. You know? Like when you just kind of want to escape and have your heart warmed without having to put much effort in? That's what it was like. I got a very hallmark movie feel from it. (I love hallmark movies btw). It was very sweet and nice and there weren't any surprises. I liked that the characters had unique backgrounds that you don't see very often. Like for example, the hero's father was in his nineties! I appreciated little touches like that. I also liked how sure the hero was of his feelings for the heroine. Now on the other hand there were just a few things that I didn't like as much. For some reason I didn't connect to the heroine. I felt like her prejudice was a bit... juvenille? Or maybe irrational is a better word. I mean the source of said prejudice was explained to us but I just wasn't convinced that what she had experienced would realistically cause such an aversion to cowboys. Also while I loved their attraction and chemistry, it felt like each time they kissed or looked at each other, we were told that either Tate or Kenzie had to stop before things got out of hand. I felt like that statement would have been more effective if it was just mentioned a few times instead of every time. However, another thing that I appreciated was the amount of time that passed by over the course of their relationship. This wasn't like after a week they were in love, actual months and seasons passed by as things happened- that was refreshing.

While I just liked TCC I really enjoyed TCB. You should know that I'm a sucker for any type of marriage of convenience novel. Especially one that was so well executed. This type of story can get cheesy real quick but Shanna did a great job. I found myself grinning and laughing so much while reading this and at the end I was completely satisfied and thoroughly glad for the characters. It's funny because at the beginning I didn't know if I was gonna like the hero, he had a second where he seemed like he could be shallow. But he wasn't, he was awesome. I loved the supporting characters. I loved how their relationship unfolded and how they went from strangers to lovers in the purest sense. It was a great read. And while I put TCC down many times while reading, I read TCB beginning to end in one go. I should also say that while we were again told that the hero was practising restraint when they kissed, it wasn't every time, so it didn't bother me (bother is such a strong word but I can't think of anything weaker right now) like it did in TCC.

Ok I think that's it. TCC was ok but TCB was great!
Note: both are clean TCC gets 3 stars and TCB gets 4.

Stay tuned for an interview with Tate and Luke, the heroes of these novels, next!