Gina Rae Mitchell

Falling For a Smart Cowboy (Vargas Ranch #4) by Karen Baney 

#Audiobook #BookReview #CowboyRomance #ChristianRomance @authorkarenbaney @iReadBookTours @acornsireadbooktours

A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour.

Quick Summary

Falling for a Smart Cowboy is Karen Baney’s fourth book in the Vargas Ranch series.

Raina is on a mission to bring hope to orphaned children. Devon wants off his family’s ranch for good. Will they survive his shocking family secrets?

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Book Details

Falling for a Smart Cowboy: A Family Secrets Orphan Christian Cowboy Romance by Karen Baney
Series: Vargas Ranch Book 4
Published by Desert Life Media on July 2, 2024
Genres: Fiction, Christian Romance, Clean Romance, Western Fiction
Format: Audiobook, eBook, Paperback
Pages: 206

She’s on a mission to bring orphaned children hope. He wants off his family’s ranch for good. Will they survive his shocking family secrets?

Devon Vargas longs to be more than just a cowboy. After finishing his teaching degree, he plans to leave his family’s guest ranch for good. Besides his growing affection for the new children’s program director, a huge family secret revealed has him second guessing everything about his life.

Raina Crawford lost her parents at a young age. Through the grace of God, she survived life in the foster system. She wants to bring children the life-changing faith that gave her hope. The job at Vargas Ranch was supposed to be a steppingstone. Except she’s losing her heart to the smart, ambitious cowboy bent on leaving his family’s ranch.

Will Raina finally find the family she’s always wanted? Will family secrets unravel his new dreams? Will those same secrets tear them apart?

Source: iRead Book Tours

Content Rating: G. Brief mention of kissing. No bad language. No sex of any kind.

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Purchase Links for Falling For a Smart Cowboy

If the above link does not route you to your country’s Amazon page, please let me know, and I’ll gladly get a link for you.

Using my link does not change the price you pay. Amazon pays me a minimal amount out of their share. Every penny helps to support this blog.

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My Thoughts on Falling for a Smart Cowboy

“Falling for a Smart Cowboy” is Karen Baney’s fourth book in the Vargas Ranch series. This contemporary cowboy romance centers on the lives and loves of the Vargas family and explores the themes of love, family, and the challenges of ranch life.

Returning to the Vargas ranch and the rich, Christian family culture portrayed in Baney’s books is always a pleasure. This time, the main characters, Raina and Devon, are so easy to connect with. While they each have hidden issues, you just know they will work them out with the help of Devon’s family and, as always, reliance on God’s plan.

This book can easily be read as a standalone story, but I think the reader will gain a much deeper understanding of the family dynamics by reading the earlier book in the series. If “Falling for a Smart Cowboy” is the first book you read in the series, I’m sure you’ll be anxious to read books 1-3.

Karen Baney has a unique, engaging writing style and the ability to create relatable characters and heartfelt stories. This book, like the others in the series, delivers a blend of romance, personal growth, and Christian lifestyles, all set within the picturesque Vargas ranch.

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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I love to read books through my  Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription. 

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Guest Post

Writing Male POVs as a Female Author by Karen Baney

Let’s be honest, Ladies, we love our handsome, protector cowboy leading men full of honor and integrity. We definitely don’t want them coming across as weak or sissy or effeminate. Yet we want them to be realistic and relatable to our experiences with men (or what we wish men were really like).

So how do I, as a female author, write a believable male point of view (POV)?

Sometimes it’s a challenge.

One of the things that has helped me is working for more than twenty years in a male-dominated career field. I used to be a computer programmer. Most of my peers were men. So, I observed how they interact with each other and with women. I draw on that experience when I write male characters.

I also remember things that my husband has said over the years. Most of the time, he’s thinking of “nothing”. He also told me most men think about the Roman Empire at least once a day. I doubted him until I asked around, and sure enough, many men in my world truly think about the Roman Empire. I don’t understand it.

I think the hardest male characters to write are sensitive or artsy ones—ones like Drake Vargas coming up in the sequel called Falling for a Humbug Cowboy. Guess we’ll find out later this year how well I did. 😊

Besides observing men in their natural habitat, drawing from past experience, and talking to my husband, I also draw on the men of the Bible like David, Moses, or Joshua. Their stories inspire me to write godly, but flawed men.

I hope you enjoy the wide variety of male cowboys and their vastly different personalities in the Vargas Ranch Series.

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Giveaway!

• Falling for a Real Cowboy
• Falling for a Shy Cowboy
• Falling for a Bossy Cowboy
• Falling for a Smart Cowboy
• $25 Amazon Gift Card

Please visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!

Official Tour Page for Falling For A Smart Cowboy

Full Tour Schedule:

Aug 5 – Locks, Hooks and Books – audiobook review / giveaway
Aug 7 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
Aug 8 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / guest post / giveaway
Aug 9 – Faith and Book – audiobook review / giveaway
Aug 12 – FUONLYKNEW – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Aug 13 – Devoted To Hope – book review
Aug 14 – @regallywritten – audiobook review / giveaway
Aug 15 – Splashes of Joy – book review / giveaway
Aug 20 – @Leannebookstagram – book review
Aug 21 – Liese’s Blog – book spotlight
Aug 22 – My Reading Journeys – book review / giveaway
Aug 23 – Bizwings Book Blog –book review / author interview / giveaway

FALLING FOR A SMART COWBOY by Karen Baney Book Tour Giveaway

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More purchase links

BN     Apple    Google   Kobo    Books2Read

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Book Title: Falling for a Smart Cowboy (Vargas Ranch Book 4) by Karen Baney
Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 208 pages
Genre: Christian Western Romance
Publisher: Desert Life Media
Release date: June 25, 2024
Tour dates: Aug 5 to Aug 23
Content Rating: G. Brief mention of kissing. No bad language. No sex of any kind.

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