10 books like The Rancher's Surprise Second Chance

By Dalyn Weller,

Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like The Rancher's Surprise Second Chance. Shepherd is a community of 8,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Catching the Cowboy

By Shanna Hatfield,

Book cover of Catching the Cowboy: A Small-Town Clean Romance

Carmen Peone Author Of Captured Secrets

From the list on romance that rope you into cowboys and love.

Who am I?

Because I have lived on an Indian reservation for more than three decades, own and train horses, have competed in horse shows and competitions, have worked with one of my sons on a cattle ranch, and I’ve been happily married for almost forty years, writing contemporary Western romance became the perfect fit. I love reading clean romance stories with strong female characters. My degree in Abnormal Psychology from Eastern Washington University has proved useful in my development of characters and their fears, the lies they believe, and how to overcome their struggles.  

Carmen's book list on romance that rope you into cowboys and love

Discover why each book is one of Carmen's favorite books.

Why did Carmen love this book?

Shanna Hatfield is one of the few authors that makes me laugh out loud. Catching the Cowboy is no exception. Emery Brighton is as spoiled as billionaire heiresses comes, and rancher Hudson Cole is just the cowboy to put her in her place. This is a story of consequences and forgiveness that made me cheer for both the hero and heroine. It’s a feel-good love story filled with humor, hope, and a good dose of self-reflection aimed at reputation.   

Catching the Cowboy

By Shanna Hatfield,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Catching the Cowboy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


A Fiery Match

By Natalie Bright, Denise F McAllister,

Book cover of A Fiery Match: A Christian Western Romance Series

Carmen Peone Author Of Captured Secrets

From the list on romance that rope you into cowboys and love.

Who am I?

Because I have lived on an Indian reservation for more than three decades, own and train horses, have competed in horse shows and competitions, have worked with one of my sons on a cattle ranch, and I’ve been happily married for almost forty years, writing contemporary Western romance became the perfect fit. I love reading clean romance stories with strong female characters. My degree in Abnormal Psychology from Eastern Washington University has proved useful in my development of characters and their fears, the lies they believe, and how to overcome their struggles.  

Carmen's book list on romance that rope you into cowboys and love

Discover why each book is one of Carmen's favorite books.

Why did Carmen love this book?

These authors had me on the edge of my seat in A Fiery Match. What’s better than a Texas love story set on a ranch with exciting characters and danger? Not much. I admired Janie Olson’s feistiness and drive she obtained from her time in the Army. The way the authors polished Fire Chief Mack Griffitt's rough edges was organic and fun. Though the book is filled with tension, the matchmaking busybodies toss in a helping of humor, which made for a super balance of suspense and comedy I thoroughly enjoyed. 

A Fiery Match

By Natalie Bright, Denise F McAllister,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Fiery Match as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

She left as the ugly duckling and returned a beautiful swan—only she doesn’t know it.

The day Janie Olsen arrives back home, it’s to find major upheaval amidst a prairie fire on her family ranch. When she takes charge, thanks to her years in the Army, she does more than just ruffle the feathers of the town’s fire chief—she sparks an unsuspecting match.

Fire Chief Mack Griffitt is used to calling the shots. But when an upstart, feisty woman shows up out of nowhere and tries taking charge of his fire scene, he’s forced to put his large boot down.…


Undeniably Yours

By Becky Wade,

Book cover of Undeniably Yours

Carmen Peone Author Of Captured Secrets

From the list on romance that rope you into cowboys and love.

Who am I?

Because I have lived on an Indian reservation for more than three decades, own and train horses, have competed in horse shows and competitions, have worked with one of my sons on a cattle ranch, and I’ve been happily married for almost forty years, writing contemporary Western romance became the perfect fit. I love reading clean romance stories with strong female characters. My degree in Abnormal Psychology from Eastern Washington University has proved useful in my development of characters and their fears, the lies they believe, and how to overcome their struggles.  

Carmen's book list on romance that rope you into cowboys and love

Discover why each book is one of Carmen's favorite books.

Why did Carmen love this book?

Whispering Creek Ranch, in Texas, is the kind of ranch I’d love to own. It’s filled with Thoroughbred horses, cowboys, and hope. I enjoyed how Meg Cole deals with her father’s massive empire after he unexpectedly passes away. The handsome cowboy who fights to keep the horse part of the place as he falls for his boss is my favorite character. He’s firm and dedicated to a vision she can’t see. He’s also the anchor for his siblings – one of them being a rebellious younger sister. This story is filled with grief, humor, and healing.   

Undeniably Yours

By Becky Wade,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Undeniably Yours as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2014 Carol Award Winner for Romance
2014 Inspirational Reader's Choice Award Winner for Long Contemporary

When Meg Cole's father dies unexpectedly, she's forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of his empire. The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? Her father's Thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down.

Bo knows he ought to resent the woman who's determined to take from him the only job he ever wanted. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him…


Lonestar Sanctuary

By Colleen Coble,

Book cover of Lonestar Sanctuary

Carmen Peone Author Of Captured Secrets

From the list on romance that rope you into cowboys and love.

Who am I?

Because I have lived on an Indian reservation for more than three decades, own and train horses, have competed in horse shows and competitions, have worked with one of my sons on a cattle ranch, and I’ve been happily married for almost forty years, writing contemporary Western romance became the perfect fit. I love reading clean romance stories with strong female characters. My degree in Abnormal Psychology from Eastern Washington University has proved useful in my development of characters and their fears, the lies they believe, and how to overcome their struggles.  

Carmen's book list on romance that rope you into cowboys and love

Discover why each book is one of Carmen's favorite books.

Why did Carmen love this book?

Lone Star Sanctuary is one of those books that stirs up emotions and leaves you thinking about the characters and storyline for years. The Bluebird ranch in Texas Hill country is a place I’d love to live, and Allie Siders and Rick Bailey are folks I’d love to sit down with on a cool summer evening and swap stories. Infuse the plot with a daughter who won’t speak due to a traumatic event, and you have a tale of folks who want safety first and foremost, then they make a plan to help heal broken hearts. 

Lonestar Sanctuary

By Colleen Coble,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lonestar Sanctuary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the quiet safety of the Bluebird Ranch, old promises resurface and unexpected love brings new hope.

Though tragedy has wrecked her life, Allie Siders holds on to the hope that her five-year-old daughter, Betsy, will speak again. But with a stalker out for revenge, all Allie can think about now is their safety. She must sever all ties and abandon life as she knows it. She heads to the peaceful Bluebird Ranch, nestled deep in Texas hill country, and to the only person who can help them.

The ranch is a sanctuary for abused horses, and also for troubled…


Rodeo Road

By Vera McGinnis,

Book cover of Rodeo Road: My Life As a Pioneer Cowgirl

Tracey Hanshew Author Of Oklahoma Rodeo Women

From the list on cowgirls and ranching women.

Who am I?

I grew up around ranch and rodeo life, having always been fascinated by it, attended several rodeos each year. Watching Jonnie Jonckowski ride bulls and Martha Josey break records wining barrel races—they were an inspiration. When an opportunity arose for me to build a career around researching and writing about cowgirls, rodeo, and cattlewomen, it was a dream come true.  Hope you enjoy the books about them that I’ve recommended.

Tracey's book list on cowgirls and ranching women

Discover why each book is one of Tracey's favorite books.

Why did Tracey love this book?

This book is fun! A rare autobiography of one of early rodeo’s star athletes, Vera McGinnis tells her story as a non-ranching woman who began a career in rodeo riding broncs and relay racing. This book reads like an action film with an early twentieth-century style of prose. We get bronc rides, relay wrecks, barns even stowaway rides on trains as Vera breaks into rodeo life. Through her firsthand account, readers are introduced to the rodeo “family.” Vera tells of the physical setbacks that rodeo contestants faced, the personal sacrifices cowgirls made to keep rodeoing, and perhaps most enlightening is the almost addictive lure of rodeo that resulted in cowgirls prioritizing it in their life.  

Rodeo Road

By Vera McGinnis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rodeo Road as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first woman to travel the rodeo and wild-west-show circuits records her twenty-year career when she successfully competed with the male riders for championships, trophies, prize money, and broken bones


Cowboy Camp

By Tammi Sauer, Mike Reed (illustrator),

Book cover of Cowboy Camp

Doris Fisher Author Of Jackson Sundown: Native American Bronco Buster

From the list on cowboys and rodeos.

Who am I?

I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and have always been fascinated by the Wild West. Native Americans, cowboys, rodeos, settlers, farmers, and the great National Parks of the West. I’ve been fortunate to see Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Glacier National Park, and many western national monuments. My first elementary school was Sequoyah, named for the great Cherokee who created the Cherokee alphabet. While researching early library methods of transportation, I came across books being delivered by stagecoach in the west. That eventually led me to discover the amazing life of Jackson Sundown. I hope these books on cowboys, buckaroos, and rodeos enchant you and your little ones like they have me.

Doris' book list on cowboys and rodeos

Discover why each book is one of Doris' favorite books.

Why did Doris love this book?

Who doesn’t want to be a cowboy or cowgirl when they grow up? Avery certainly does. Cowboy Dan will help his campers become true rootin’ tootin’ cowboys. Although Avery tries to dress like a cowboy like the other campers, things aren’t quite right for him. He is allergic to grits and beans, he sneezes around horses, and develops rope burn when is tries his hand at twirling a lasso. But his problems come in real handy when Black Bart appears one night.

Cowboy Camp

By Tammi Sauer, Mike Reed (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cowboy Camp as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Giddyup and gallop right over to read this rootin' tootin' tale of an unlikely cowboy. Avery's at camp, training hard with his horse and his lasso. But he's just not feeling up to the challenge. Then a bully threatens all the campers-and Avery proves his mettle in his own unique way. Kids will love the story's lively language and wildly playful pictures.


Cowgirls of the Rodeo

By Mary LeCompte,

Book cover of Cowgirls of the Rodeo: Pioneer Professional Athletes

Tracey Hanshew Author Of Oklahoma Rodeo Women

From the list on cowgirls and ranching women.

Who am I?

I grew up around ranch and rodeo life, having always been fascinated by it, attended several rodeos each year. Watching Jonnie Jonckowski ride bulls and Martha Josey break records wining barrel races—they were an inspiration. When an opportunity arose for me to build a career around researching and writing about cowgirls, rodeo, and cattlewomen, it was a dream come true.  Hope you enjoy the books about them that I’ve recommended.

Tracey's book list on cowgirls and ranching women

Discover why each book is one of Tracey's favorite books.

Why did Tracey love this book?

This book is a must-read for any fan of cowgirls, rodeo, or female athletes. LeCompte’s history of cowgirls whom she identifies as “America’s first successful professional women athletes” is one of excitiment equivalanet to live competition. Through the description of early rodeo when women competed with men, performed for presidents and royalty as well as for crowds in the thousands we learn of their athletic talent, their personal sacrifice, and determination to pursue their own careers. They became stars and sometimes won annual earnings that surpassed the men. This thoroughly researched history describes women in rodeo from the mid-1800s to 1992 when Charmayne James Rodman and Scamper set a new world record for earnings in a single event. This book is as exciting as any professional sport.

Cowgirls of the Rodeo

By Mary LeCompte,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cowgirls of the Rodeo as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Acclaimed as a foundational study of rodeo women, Cowgirls of the Rodeosurveys the early rodeo cowgirls' achievements as professional athletes. Mary Lou LeCompte follows the story through the near-demise of women's rodeo events during World War II and the phenomenal success of the Women's Professional Rodeo Association in regaining lost ground for rodeo cowgirls. Recalling an extraordinary chapter in women's history and the history of American sport, Cowgirls of the Rodeo deepens our understanding of the challenges facing women in the American West and in American sport.


The Rounders

By Max Evans,

Book cover of The Rounders

Rod Miller Author Of Rawhide Robinson Rides The Range

From the list on cowboys who are actually cowboys.

Who am I?

Cows and horses were part of daily life in my family. For many years of my youth, my father was a working cowboy, running the cattle ranch on a large agricultural operation. We also had our own herd and trained horses as well. While we watched the popular TV Westerns of the time, we were always aware that they had no connection to the reality of cowboy life, and that “cowboy” was a term misused and abused on the screen and in the pages of shoot-’em-up Western novels. Authenticity and a sense of the reality of cowboy life are important to me, and have been since boyhood. 

Rod's book list on cowboys who are actually cowboys

Discover why each book is one of Rod's favorite books.

Why did Rod love this book?

Max Evans knows cowboy life and he writes about it authentically. In The Rounders, we laugh along with Dusty and Wrangler as they do battle with one of literature’s best horses, “Old Fooler.” The boys break horses, hunt for cows in rough country, rodeo, drink, and chase the girls—and it’s all in good fun. 

The Rounders

By Max Evans,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Rounders as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The bawdy and moving story of two contemporary bronco busters, The Rounders, originally published in 1960, was Max Evans's first novel and is still his best known work, thanks largely to the success of the 1965 movie version starring Henry Fonda and Glenn Ford. Acclaimed for its realistic depiction of modern cowboying and for its humor, it is also a very serious work, described by the author as a tragicomedy.


Phoebe Clappsaddle and the Tumbleweed Gang

By Melanie Chrismer, Virginia Roeder (illustrator),

Book cover of Phoebe Clappsaddle and the Tumbleweed Gang

Doris Fisher Author Of Jackson Sundown: Native American Bronco Buster

From the list on cowboys and rodeos.

Who am I?

I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and have always been fascinated by the Wild West. Native Americans, cowboys, rodeos, settlers, farmers, and the great National Parks of the West. I’ve been fortunate to see Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Glacier National Park, and many western national monuments. My first elementary school was Sequoyah, named for the great Cherokee who created the Cherokee alphabet. While researching early library methods of transportation, I came across books being delivered by stagecoach in the west. That eventually led me to discover the amazing life of Jackson Sundown. I hope these books on cowboys, buckaroos, and rodeos enchant you and your little ones like they have me.

Doris' book list on cowboys and rodeos

Discover why each book is one of Doris' favorite books.

Why did Doris love this book?

Phoebe Clapsaddle was a southern belle who lived on a ranch. This fiction book involves the Tumbleweed Gang who made an acquaintance with Phoebe after they visited her town. Appalled by their lack of manners and impolite speech, Phoebe decides they need her southern charm and culture. Phoebe teaches them lessons in riding, roping, and good manners. There are more Tumbleweed Gang adventures in other books, too. I know the author personally. Phoebe Clapsaddle’s name is in her family tree. Though she didn’t know if Phoebe was a southern belle cowgirl, the author loved her name so much, she wanted to write a book about her as a main character.

Phoebe Clappsaddle and the Tumbleweed Gang

By Melanie Chrismer, Virginia Roeder (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Phoebe Clappsaddle and the Tumbleweed Gang as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Long ago in south Texas lived a Southwestern belle named Phoebe Clappsaddle. When the good-for-nothing Tumbleweed Gang blew into town, it was time for Phoebe to teach them a lesson in riding, roping, and good manners.


Tad Lucas

By Laura Edge, Stephanie Ford (illustrator),

Book cover of Tad Lucas: Trick-Riding Rodeo Cowgirl

Doris Fisher Author Of Jackson Sundown: Native American Bronco Buster

From the list on cowboys and rodeos.

Who am I?

I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and have always been fascinated by the Wild West. Native Americans, cowboys, rodeos, settlers, farmers, and the great National Parks of the West. I’ve been fortunate to see Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Glacier National Park, and many western national monuments. My first elementary school was Sequoyah, named for the great Cherokee who created the Cherokee alphabet. While researching early library methods of transportation, I came across books being delivered by stagecoach in the west. That eventually led me to discover the amazing life of Jackson Sundown. I hope these books on cowboys, buckaroos, and rodeos enchant you and your little ones like they have me.

Doris' book list on cowboys and rodeos

Discover why each book is one of Doris' favorite books.

Why did Doris love this book?

Tad Lucas was an amazing cowgirl! Born in Texas, she amazed crowds at rodeos all over the world for more than 40 years. She was known for trick riding, bronco riding, and steer riding. She is the only woman honored in the National Rodeo Hall of Fame. Her daring horse riding was astonishing in the rodeo world of men and cowboys.

Tad Lucas

By Laura Edge, Stephanie Ford (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tad Lucas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“A different take on women’s prowess and accomplishments that equine lovers will find appealing.” —Kirkus[green]

Texan Tad Lucas traveled the world dazzling rodeo crowds with her daring trick riding, bronc riding, and steer riding. She competed for more than 40 years and is the only woman honored by the National Rodeo Hall of Fame, the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. In her will, she established the Tad Lucas Memorial Award to honor women who excel in any field related to Western heritage. Illustrations from cowgirl and Western artist Stephanie Ford accompany the text…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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