Claire McEwen

"Heroes of Shelter Creek" is one of my all-time favorite contemporary romance series. Author Claire McEwen skillfully creates engaging characters, gives them real-life personal issues to overcome, and then adds story lines set in beautiful Northern California which focus on wildlife welfare and environmental preservation. These characters are passionate about the work they believe in, and they are just as heartfelt in their care for the people in their lives. In Book Six, "Falling for the Lawman", Shelter Creek Sheriff's Deputy Adam Sears is still coping with his anger over his wife Tanya's abrupt walk-out on him and their two children, Jack and Penny, almost a year ago. After ten years in the sheriff's department, Adam is taken aback when he is made partner to an officer from the State Department of Wildlife who is conducting a bear poaching investigation. Gracie Long is an experienced and successful poacher hunter. Having recently survived a brutal attack by one of the poachers in her sights, she is well aware of just how dangerous her work is. Used to working alone, Gracie must accept the decision of her superiors to have her partner with another law enforcement officer on this case. Adam is a by-the-book, follow-the-rules kind of guy. Gracie operates on the spur of the moment, and follows her own instincts. Much to their surprise, they make a terrific team. Working side-by-side, they get to know one another, and a professional relationship begins to grow into something more. Watching Gracie spend time with his kids, Adam begins to hope for a happy future with them together as a family. Are the differences between Adam and Gracie too great, or can loving hearts learn to trust and accept change? I highly recommend the "Heroes of Shelter Creek Series". I have read all of the books, loved them all, and look forward to more books in the series.

Book Copy Gratis Author… (altro)

What an absolute delight to return to Shelter Creek and catch up with some fictional friends as well as meet some new ones in Second Chance Cowboy.

If you’ve followed the series, you are already familiar with the town vet, but you haven’t gotten to know her yet. If you haven’t followed the series, this book is an excellent introduction to this small California town where friendships are strong and a community comes together for the sake of both wildlife and ranch life.

Wes has returned after a fifteen-year absence but never forgot the town and the people who kept him going through the difficult years away. But boy does he have some work cut out for him where Emily is concerned. Good thing that cowboy is a charmer!

Claire McEwen delivers a sweet second chance romance for Emily and Wes. These two are fun to watch as they navigate past hurts, working together, an abandoned horse, and a bald eagle.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.… (altro)

Author Claire McEwen is a gifted storyteller whose contemporary western romances captivate the reader's imagination while also providing a compelling look into the complexities of Northern California ranch life. Emily Fielding is a second-generation veterinarian, and the only veterinarian in the community of Shelter Creek, California. Having taken over her father's vet practice when he retired, and also working with the Shelter Creek Wildlife Center since it began, Emily was overloaded and starting to feel overwhelmed. She needed help--and she knew it. She never imagined that help to come from the last person she expected to see--Weston Marlow, who had broken her heart fifteen years ago when he had left town without a word. Emily's parents had taken in Wes as a troubled foster child full of rebellion. Under the steady care and happy family life Wes came to know at the Fieldings' home, he finally felt a sense of belonging. He and Emily became friends, and that friendship slowly turned to young love, which they kept quiet. Just before the senior prom that Emily and Wes were to attend together, he left town with no warning. Through all the years that he had been gone, he had never contacted them, and now he was back in Shelter Creek, a veterinarian himself, and wanting to work with Emily in her practice. The explanation that he offered Emily and her parents for his abrupt departure all those years ago was deeply personal and also justifiable for a young man surviving the tribulations of the foster care system. Emily had striven to establish herself as a vet in her own right, not just to be her father's daughter, just has she had tried to overcome the heartbreak Wes had caused. Should she put aside her personal concerns and make a bold move to strengthen her capacity to provide care for animals? Will her heart be on the line along with her professional reputation? As Wes proves his worth as a healer of animals, a friendship once again grows along with their working relationship--can it bloom into something more? Fifteen years apart seems like a lifetime, but is it long enough to let old hurts fade and bright new hopes begin to shine? "Second Chance Cowboy" is a highly-recommended, heartfelt reunion romance, and I look forward to the next book in the "Heroes of Shelter Creek Series".

Book Copy Gratis Author… (altro)

I received a complimentary copy of “After the Rodeo” direct from the author Claire McEwen in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Being able to back-track in the series right now - seeing how Vivian first met Trisha and how these women along with Maya formed such a strong unity of a team for being wildlife warriors was such a special treat for me as a reader! It was a beautiful time capsule - getting to knit together the missing pieces between the first and third installments; etching out more of the girth of the series whilst finding myself so dearly connected to this installment as well. The whole series itself is full of characters you are excited to meet and become familiar with because of how McEwen granted you such wonderful licence to walk beside them and find your own way to fit into their lives.

I truly understood the complicated web of choices befuddling the calm of Vivian - how much was too much stress? And when does positive stress turn to negative stress? How do you balance your own mental health with the needs of others and how do you turn off your emotional responses when life has a way of sneaking up on you whilst your focusing on rebuilding your career? Vivian was moving through the same emotional tides as Jace just from a different entry point. They both had too much to juggle and yet, their paths had crossed and there was a murmuring of interest bubbling under the surface of their heated conversations. Heated of course because they were both stubbornly prideful of their own opinions and they each believed the other was right when they could learn to concede and compromise a bit to get more done that worked for them both.

I could definitely relate to Vivian wanting to keep her health issues private but as I learnt over the years, at some point it is better to be transparent about a chronic health issue than to try to hide it (ie. my migraines) as it just doesn't serve a purpose. When you have a chronic issue that effects your life at different intervals of time, it is better to simply state why you're having a bad day or having difficulties doing normal things you love doing than to try to shirk out of owning the truth which could lead to misunderstandings. I felt McEwen knew exactly the internal conversation everyone has about how much to keep private, when to share a health issue and how to find balance when your medical issues start to overtake your life.

McEwen showed the realities of how two persons who had zero interest in meeting someone could find themselves in a love story being knitted out of happenstance and serendipity! It is also a story that celebrates found families and how the beauty of life is truly a life that is shared with people who love you - however which way they enter your life, their the true blessing which enrich our hours in far more ways than we can ever hope to foresee being possible. This story truly touched my heart and soul because of how much of a life it celebrates that I would love to have for myself one day. I cannot hug it enough and the characters who burst to life off the pages of Ms McEwen's soulful romantic style which etches itself into your memories.

// This is a quotation of my full review originally shared via jorielovesastory.com… (altro)