God Sent Me a Cowboy (Unfortunately, He’s Fictional)

Howdy Howdy Howdy…..

Gel Pen… it is currently midnight in DC, and I can’t fall asleep, so I decided to blog—which, if you’ve been reading my blogs for a long time, you know means:

IT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA.

Everything I decide to write and post past 10 p.m. gets weird.

But when in Rome… erm… DC.

ANYWAYS, with that little disclaimer and exposition dump out of the way, I’m going to tell you about my latest obsession:

HISTORICAL WESTERN ROMANCE BOOKS!

(10 bonus points if they’re Christian.)

I feel very fortunate that this niche book genre found me.

You see, I was rewatching the romance movie Redeeming Love when I learned it was based on a book! And not just any book, ladies and gentlemen:

A CHRISTIAN BOOK!

Now, I’ve never been one to reach for Christian fiction. I thought it might be very… preachy… or cheesy.

But by this point, I had struck out on my last three romance books. And by “struck out,” I mean I had to abandon them because the characters were doing the graphic devil’s tango within the first 15 pages!!!!

CAN A GIRL GET A CLEAN, ZERO-SMUT BOOK ANYMORE?!!! RAHHH!!!

(If that’s your thing, you do you, girl. It’s just not mine.)

ANYWAYS! I bought Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and finished it in one day.

The next week, I reread it.

THAT’S HOW GOOD THE FLIPPING BOOK IS.

(Francine Rivers—I know you will probably never read this, but you kick some serious butt when it comes to writing.)

I immediately needed more of Rivers’ western books injected into my veins. That’s when I stumbled upon The Lady’s Mine.

HOOOLLY.

If it were even possible, I loved this book EVEN MORE!!! I think about it DAILY. It’s one of my favorite books of all time.

IT HAS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

• A STRONG, HUMBLE, RICH MAN

• A STRONG, INDEPENDENT LADY

• A LOCAL NEWSPAPER RUN BY THE LADY

• LOCAL POLITICS (strong man runs for mayor—SO HOT!)

• SALOONS

• GOD

• GOLD

• WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE! (Susan B. Anthony mentioned!)

• ENEMIES TO LOVERS!

And did I mention IT’S CLEAN?! You can give this book to your grandma without feeling ashamed.

(Again, if you and your grandma enjoy spicier books, literally no judgment. I’m amping it up for comedy’s sake.)

One of my favorite things about these books is that the historical settings give me something to think about besides whether two fictional people are FINALLY going to admit they’re in love.

A lot of the westerns I’ve been reading take place after the Civil War, with characters heading west for a fresh start, a fortune, or a little distance from whatever happened back home.

I love that fresh-start premise: show up in a new town, work hard, and try to build a different life.

Preferably with a handsome man and a local newspaper.

And then there’s the MAIL-ORDER BRIDE trope.

A woman looking for a fresh start answers an advertisement, travels across the country, and agrees to marry a STRANGER.

A STRANGER!!!

I’m telling you, the fictional version of this time period has me hooked. It truly was the wild, wild West.

Would I actually have enjoyed living without modern plumbing? Unclear. But would I read 300 pages about a woman arriving in town to marry a grumpy rancher? Apparently, in one sitting.

I also love reading these books because they make me feel closer to my dad, who loved reading Louis L’Amour westerns as a teen. It gives us one more thing in common.

He had his westerns. I have mine—with a little more kissing. Or lack thereof—once again, these are all VERY Christian books.

Which brings me to my last point: the Christian themes in these books are done so well. They’ve had me looking for God in the mundane and praying more than I ever have.

I think God was like, “My daughter doesn’t call. QUICK! Send her something that’ll make her think of me!”

Apparently, that something was a fictional handsome cowboy.

If you’ve made it this far, congrats! You get to read all my recommendations now.

(Fair warning: some of these covers, especially the Christian romance covers, are so CRINGY!! Why, oh why, do they have to look like that? Please do not judge these books by their covers. I am begging.)

• Redeeming Love — Francine Rivers

• The Lady’s Mine — Francine Rivers

• Short-Straw Bride — Karen Witemeyer

• A Tailor-Made Bride — Karen Witemeyer

• Mail Order Bride: Jake — Faith Johnson, from the Jensen Brothers series

And a bonus current read: My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. It isn’t a western—it’s a funny, fantastical reimagining of Lady Jane Grey’s story—but I’m currently reading it!

Anyways, I hope you pick up one of these books. Most of these I’ve read in the short four weeks I’ve lived in DC…

I HAVE A PROBLEM.

If you have a favorite clean historical romance, please tell me. Clearly, this problem needs enabling.

#Come for cowboys stay for God

Until next blog,