This mellow and family-friendly romance is one of a series of linked books by different authors, called The Blackwell Belles. While I hadn’t read any of them, each book concentrates on a different sister in the family.  A COWGIRL’S THANKSGIVING KISS spends time with J.R. Blackwell, a divorced mom of a bright ten-year-old girl, Tessa.

Both J.R. (Jasmine Rose) and her co-worker, Hunter Robbins, help run a ranch business that breeds bulls for rodeo purposes. The animals are valuable and well cared for, but Texans also assess the genetic potential in a young bull before sale. I am interested in seeing the bulls being treated like racehorses, with training for their bucking careers. The Bucking Wonders ranch is owned by the Wonder family, but the senior family members announce their decision to retire to Florida. Either J.R. or Hunter will get a promotion. They are in direct competition. J.R. feels she needs it more – Hunter’s family owns a guest ranch – but Hunter was a rodeo bull rider, and competition is in his nature. 

A calamitous storm, dropping a tree on the roof, obliges J.R. and Tessa to stay on Hunter’s guest ranch, and that’s where other people start trying to control her life. From lying to her that the six-bedroom suite is all that’s available, which could potentially see her accused of insurance fraud, to manipulating her through care for her daughter, I don’t think Hunter and his folks make great decisions. They mean well. Then some senior members of the Blackwell family arrive. They have not been speaking with J.R. for years, and suddenly they want something from her. This is where it would be helpful for J.R. to have a small cottage, but no, she’s now required to host them for Thanksgiving. 

One aspect I found odd is that J.R. gets told each of her sisters has agreed to something, and she never contacts them to check. How hard is it to phone, text or mail your sisters? Since she knows her mom – who once trained them as a performing cowgirl troupe – is not above manipulation, why take her at face value?

With enjoyable trail rides alongside Hunter, hay wagon rides to collect pumpkins, cute baby goats and handsome horses, A COWGIRL’S THANKSGIVING KISS is a scenic feast. The series will wrap up with a Christmas-themed story, which I expect will be interesting and great fun. I’d like to get to know the other sisters before reading about the potential reunion.