About the Book
Book: Clara and the Cowboy
Author: Erica Vetsch
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Release Date: October 13, 2025
She’s the rancher’s daughter. He’s the reformed outlaw who became her father’s foreman. Love was never part of the plan.
Clara Bainbridge has loved Alec for years, long before she left for finishing school in Boston. And though she is convinced he loves her too, he seems determined to push her away now that she’s back. So when the handsome stranger who protects her during a stagecoach robbery reveals that he is her new neighbor, Clara begins to wonder if accepting his suit might be wiser than waiting for Alec.
Ranch foreman Alec McConnell has worked hard to overcome his criminal past and prove himself worthy of Colonel Bainbridge’s trust. When cattle start disappearing from the Cross B Ranch, Alec’s checkered past makes him the prime suspect. He must catch the real rustlers to clear his name, but his growing feelings for the Colonel’s daughter, Clara, threaten to undo everything he’s built. How can he protect her when his very presence in her life could destroy her reputation?
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MY REVIEW
Clara and the Cowboy is filled with hardship, danger, and anger. Clara's stage on the way back to Money Creek is robbed. Clara's father, a local ranch owner, is worried about her. It's been a year since he has seen her. The man on the stage with her protects her from the outlaws, but he has a secret past.
The story has a wonderful ranch setting, and the characters are interesting with many layers. The Stovepipe Hills that run between Clara's home and another ranch have secrets of their own. There are lots of surprising twists. Along with kidnapping, cattle rustling, and danger, there is also forgiveness and redemption.
A sweet love story flows through the pages, but not without its many problems. Both people deal with stubborn pride and forgiveness. The ending wrapped up everything nicely. The story had something happening continuously, and I finished it in one sitting. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy from the author via Netgalley; a positive review is not required. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
Best-selling, award-winning author of The Debutante’s Code, first in the Thorndike & Swann Regency Mystery Series, Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum.
More from Erica
Did you, like me, grow up watching westerns on tv? I watched often in reruns as the heyday of the TV Western was waning about the time I was born. But I watched Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Bonanza, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Rifleman, Wagon Train, The Virginian, and more.
And so grew my love of the old west, of cowboys, cattle drives, frontier justices, and rolling tumbleweeds.
I also read westerns. Zane Grey, Louis L’Amour, Abel Shott (Yes, that was the pen name of the man who wrote the series called Solo Strand: The Silver Kid.) I was a firm believer in The Code of the West.
So, when it came time to write my own ‘cowboy book’ I took much inspiration from the screen and the page.
Clara and the Cowboy is the story of Alec and Clara, a cowboy and the ranch owner’s daughter. There’s cattle rustling, gunplay, good vs. evil, a damsel in distress…all the best parts of western classic lore. I had such fun writing it, influenced by those who had written the genre before me.
The setting was chosen (Southwest Idaho) because of a series of books I had read as a teen, written by Glenn Balch, about a ranching family near Nampa, ID. I’ve never been to that part of the US, but I felt as if I had because I read those books (many times!)
As I look back on the hours I spent watching classic westerns on tv and reading western fiction, I’m reminded of the impact they had on my life. How they taught that good and evil exist in the world, and that it takes bravery to stand up and do the right thing. I learned that honor and integrity do not come without cost, and that actions have consequences.
Who would have thought that watching a rerun of The Big Valley would instill a desire to embrace the cowboy culture through my own fiction?
I hope you enjoy reading Clara and the Cowboy, and that perhaps it takes you back to your own childhood of rooting for the man in the white hat to get the girl he loves before the credits roll.
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, October 14
Book Looks by Lisa, October 15
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 15
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 16
For Him and My Family, October 17
Devoted Steps, October 17
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 18
Devoted To Hope, October 18
Simple Harvest Reads, October 19 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Fiction Book Lover, October 20 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
Books You Can Feel Good About, October 20
lakesidelivingsite, October 21
Locks, Hooks and Books, October 21
She Lives to Read, October 22
Pens Pages & Pulses, October 22
Books Less Travelled, October 23
Blossoms and Blessings, October 23
Life on Chickadee Lane, October 24
Cover Lover Book Review, October 24
Bizwings Blog, October 25
Melissa’s Bookshelf, October 25
Pause for Tales, October 26
Holly’s Book Corner, October 26
Jodie Wolfe, October 27
Vicky Sluiter, October 27
Giveaway. To celebrate her tour, Erica is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/3d27f/clara-and-the-cowboy-celebration-tour-giveaway
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