Sarah (no, not me, though I freely admit my brain is one big HaBO) writes:
I have a HABO book that for the life of me I cannot remember the name of. I
thought it was one book, and searched for it on amazon and it is not that
book. Sigh. I’m sure you know how awful it is to have a hankering (yes, I
just said hankering) to read a book that you cannot find and don’t know the
name of.Anyhow… the book. It’s a Silhouette or Harlequin from the late 90’s or
early 2000’s. It’s a western. It stars a cattle rancher and his friendly
Vegetarian (or maybe Vegan, I don’t quite remember) next door. Vegetarian
neighbor runs an animal rescue and takes in retired ranch horses. Rancher’s
young daughter has a horse that is aging and needs a new horse for
competition. He wants to run it through the auction, daughter wants to send
it to the neighbor. Daughter spends time volunteering at the rescue, and
rancher fears she will turn into a crazy tree-hugging (or horse-hugging in
this case) liberal.I have no idea how anything ends up, except they end up together (how could
they not?). I can’t for the life of me figure out how they worked their
differences out, and can’t explain why I want to read this book again so
badly, but there you have it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.P.S. It is not titled The Rancher and the Vegetarian. I checked, just in
case.
Please can there be a Rancher & the Vegetarian? Or, at the least, The Station Owner and the Vegetarian, if it’s set in Oz?!
The Carnivorous Rancher’s Vegan/Vegetarian Virgin
Seriously, I have no idea, but I would read that book.
LOL
I have no idea, but anyone who’d read this one should go read Pioneer Woman’s “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels” section on her blog. It’s the real story of how a vegetarian fell in love with and married a rancher.
Best romance novel I’ve ever read, and it’s a true story.
“Beefy McBeeferson’s Bride”?
Ok, the fact that it’s a romance novel and she doesn’t “eat meat” has me rolling…..of course I’ve been out in the hot sun cutting grass for two hours already. That might have something to do with it.
Good luck finding it!
Long shot, but could this be it?
FIT TO BE TIED by Carol Finch (Harlequin Duets, 2000): http://www.fictiondb.com/author/carol-finch~fit-to-be-tied~48413~b.htm
Sarah S,
I just spent like 3 hours reading Black Heels to Tractor Wheels – it was such a great moving love story! Thanks so much for the heads up, I had never heard of her blog.
There is a Vegemite joke just BEGGING to be made here – unfortunately my brain has wandered off in the direction of the punch bowl and I can’t come up with it.
Over to you, Bitchery!
Sounds like The Rancher’s Rules by Lucy Monroe. But that was an HP, not a Western. But it was not a typical HP (It was a modern heat in the UK, I think) The hero was a beef rancher, the heroine was a vegetarian and had all kinds of animals. It was set in Oregon. In the end he started breeding horses instead so they weren’t slaughtering animals anymore. I’ve read it like NINE BAJILLION TIMES.
How about Temporary Texan: “Troy Crawford has requested the help of a seasoned rancher to turn the Rocking C around. What he gets is a farmer from New Hampshire, a strict vegetarian who adopts stray dogs and tries to send his calves off to a petting zoo.”
It sounds like “Cowgirl, Say Yes” by Brenda Mott. It’s a Harlequin SuperRomance. Here’s part of the back cover blurb, “Widowed rancher Wade Darland freely admits that Tess Vega’s way of thinking has him scratching his head. He believes in shipping old barn animals off to auction, whereas she’s just set up a sanctuary for abused and abandoned horses. He can’t go a day without tucking in to some meat, whereas she hears the word and it sends her fleeing.”
The widower’s daughter has an aging horse she rides in 4H. She needs a younger animal, and her father wants her to sell her horse to raise money for the new one. Daughter knows what will happen to the aging horse isn’t good and doesn’t want to sell it.
Tess and Wade fall in love, (of course) and Wade makes a Grand Gesture at the end to prove his love for her.
It’s me, the email Sarah.
Schambers has the right book! Awesome! Ok, now I need to get it off amazon.
Thank you Smart Bitches!
Sarah S: Thanks so much for posting that site. I DEVOURED the story (so cute, so sweet, I can’t believe it’s real) and then got started on her blog posts. So funny! Love it!
Holy cow, that’s a lot of possibles. Who would have thought that Rancher + Vegetarian would be a Romance trope?
“Perfection of the Morning” by Sharon Butala is about her transition from being a university prof to being a rancher’s wife in Saskatchewan’s Cypress Hills area. It’s not a romance, but it’s gorgeous. I totally recommend it.
Awesome! Her lastname’s Vega??? ROFL.
Also, RebeccaJ? I’m so with you in the “doesn’t eat meat” gutter 🙂
as my spam-sorter, notes I eat “anything34”
Sarah S…Thank you so much for recommending the Black Heels to Tractor Wheels blog. I wasted so much time reading it yesterday – but it was so worth it! I’m lucky enough to have my own HEA, but it is still nice to be reminded there is still magic and real romance elsewhere in the world.
This book sounds awesome! I ordered a copy. This will be the first Harlequin I’ve ever read.
@Carrie Lofty: Austrian Romance sold! I have been intrigued by what I heard about this book before, but was wary. Your handselling convinces me ^^. I do hope the German used is correct o.O
Oh it’s not out yet, aww, but it’s in ebook from Carina Press, yay ^^.
Oh and I added your blog feed to Goodreads.com.
gah I am so sorry this is entirely the wrong thread for this comment
To make up for my blunder to all her new fans: Pioneer Woman has recently blogged that Black Heels to Tractor Wheels will in fact be her next book (somewhat rewritten and she’ll finally explain the four month break until Marlboro Man contacted her again), although she hasn’t announced a publisher yet.
I would expect it not to be her cookbook publisher…
I would love to read the Black Heels to Tractor Wheels book! I have been pooring over her website and I am suddenly in love with cowboys and chaps…yummy.
Where is my Marlboro Man? Just kidding (sort of), I do have my own sweetie who is my HEA – but he doesn’t ride a horse or wear chaps.
Sarah S – Good call!! That is one of my fave love stories of all time. I emailed her a long time ago and told her to sell it to Hollywood to make it a film!
I love the Pioneer Woman’s blog! Definitely food porn! LOLOL So fun, such good food and the photo and homeschool sections are very cool as well.
I can’t remember when, exactly, but I want to say in the fall it was announced that Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, even tho it hasn’t been finished yet, has already been optioned for a movie, starring Reese Witherspoon.
Diane :o)
Proof it wasn’t just the voices in my head:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=371&articleid=20100318_371_0_imgsrc462123
Thanks Sarah S for the link to The Pioneer Woman’s blog. I loved reading their story- it was even more romantic than those Harlequin Romance novels I have been reading lately. And the food and pictures of her family and ranch were awesome. I just read that her book will be published soon and that they are turning her book into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon. I hope they make a movie as cute as Sweet Home Alabama.
I’m late to the party, but I could have sworn it was the bestseller; Billionaire Cattle Rancher vs. The Virginal Vegetarian’s Animal Protein Rescue Mission. Glad someone found the title. I think I’ll have to read it now.
@Sarah S. *groan*. No, double groan. I’ve spent the past 2 hours pouring over O’Pioneer woman’s website. She is really quite funny. Thanks for the heads up.