She came home to make things right

Will she be given a second chance?

Gloriana Prescott has returned to her Texas hometown to make amends—even if the townsfolk she left behind aren’t ready to forgive.

But when her mother’s ranch manager, Justin Broussard, is tasked with saving the struggling rodeo so his teen daughter can compete, Gloriana sees a chance to prove she’s really changed.

But can she prove to Justin, and the town, that she’s trustworthy? 

Titles in the Hope Crossing series include — The Cowgirl’s Redemption —♥— A Christmas Bargain —♥—

This is a romance that includes no swearing, no violence, and no sexual content (beyond a few light kisses).

Title:  The Cowgirl’s Redemption
Series:  Hope Crossing #1
Author:  Mindy Obenhaus
Genre:  Inspirational Romance, Modern Western Romance
Published:  August 23, 2022
Publisher:  Harlequin Love Inspired
My Rating:  4.5 stars

When Gloriana quit her tv network job and returned home to help her mother through a cancer diagnosis she knew that she was about to do one of the most difficult things in her life.  Show her family and the people of her small town that the girl they knew, the disrespectful, outrageous, and somewhat wild girl of her youth was no more.  She had changed through God’s help, lots of prayers – she was a new woman in Christ – and she had amends to make, forgiveness to ask for, and a different lifestyle back home, one she actually missed very much.

The trouble would be that very few people believed in this new Gloriana.  They still distrusted her, there was still so much anger over her past actions, and even Justin, her mother’s new ranch manager was ready to paint her with that old brush of a previous life.  She would work hard to prove herself to them all… but it wasn’t going to be an easy task.  Add to that mix trying to help the town bring in a larger crowd to the annual rodeo or they’d lose that too, and they’d already lost so much that made up the yearly festival.  Some misunderstandings, a few setbacks, and still Gloriana held on to her belief that eventually, people would see her differently.  That the man she was starting to have feelings for will see those changes as well was something she could only pray for since Justin ran hot and cold in his reactions to her, usually seeing her in the worst light possible before believing anything else.  It was all frustrating, but she would not move from her plan to show her new self to those who doubt her, no matter how much it hurts.

The Cowgirl’s Redemption is perhaps the most realistic romance surrounding a person accepting Jesus and all she’d grown up hearing about… and facing the consequences of her past full on with regret but determination as well that I’ve ever read.  It is such an emotional story on many levels and for several different people in Gloriana’s life as well.  Justin and his daughter Kyleigh will be such a vitally important part of her life… if Justin allows it, and that is up in the air.  There are twists to this story that put a slightly different spin on events the more details we get.

The secondary characters, some seen more often than others but all of them add another layer of believability to Gloriana’s quest to prove herself changed for the better.  I kept thinking when is this girl going to get a break? I enjoyed this romance, and would definitely recommend it, and while I had hoped some people would change their attitude sooner, well, I understood their reasons as well.  It’s a complex story, one well worth any reader’s time.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in print or for your favorite e-reader