Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Clara and the Cowboy Tour & Giveaway

About the Book

Book: Clara and the Cowboy

Author: Erica Vetsch

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Release Date: October 13, 2025

She’s the rancher’s daughter. He’s the reformed outlaw who became her father’s foreman. Love was never part of the plan.

Clara Bainbridge has loved Alec for years, long before she left for finishing school in Boston. And though she is convinced he loves her too, he seems determined to push her away now that she’s back. So when the handsome stranger who protects her during a stagecoach robbery reveals that he is her new neighbor, Clara begins to wonder if accepting his suit might be wiser than waiting for Alec.

Ranch foreman Alec McConnell has worked hard to overcome his criminal past and prove himself worthy of Colonel Bainbridge’s trust. When cattle start disappearing from the Cross B Ranch, Alec’s checkered past makes him the prime suspect. He must catch the real rustlers to clear his name, but his growing feelings for the Colonel’s daughter, Clara, threaten to undo everything he’s built. How can he protect her when his very presence in her life could destroy her reputation?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Best-selling, award-winning author of The Debutante’s Code, first in the Thorndike & Swann Regency Mystery Series, Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum.

More from Erica

Did you, like me, grow up watching westerns on tv? I watched often in reruns as the heyday of the TV Western was waning about the time I was born. But I watched Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Bonanza, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Rifleman, Wagon Train, The Virginian, and more.

And so grew my love of the old west, of cowboys, cattle drives, frontier justices, and rolling tumbleweeds.

I also read westerns. Zane Grey, Louis L’Amour, Abel Shott (Yes, that was the pen name of the man who wrote the series called Solo Strand: The Silver Kid.) I was a firm believer in The Code of the West.

So, when it came time to write my own ‘cowboy book’ I took much inspiration from the screen and the page.

Clara and the Cowboy is the story of Alec and Clara, a cowboy and the ranch owner’s daughter. There’s cattle rustling, gunplay, good vs. evil, a damsel in distress…all the best parts of western classic lore. I had such fun writing it, influenced by those who had written the genre before me.

The setting was chosen (Southwest Idaho) because of a series of books I had read as a teen, written by Glenn Balch, about a ranching family near Nampa, ID. I’ve never been to that part of the US, but I felt as if I had because I read those books (many times!)

As I look back on the hours I spent watching classic westerns on tv and reading western fiction, I’m reminded of the impact they had on my life. How they taught that good and evil exist in the world, and that it takes bravery to stand up and do the right thing. I learned that honor and integrity do not come without cost, and that actions have consequences.

Who would have thought that watching a rerun of The Big Valley would instill a desire to embrace the cowboy culture through my own fiction?

I hope you enjoy reading Clara and the Cowboy, and that perhaps it takes you back to your own childhood of rooting for the man in the white hat to get the girl he loves before the credits roll.

MY REVIEW

I love a good book that will take me to a place where hard work and faith combine. This story is rich in the rugged country life that illustrates how hard it can be as a rancher. Day after day the cattle need attention, horses need exercise and of course the everyday chores to keep everyone fed. I really liked how the author uses creative words to help readers visualize ranch life.

I love how the story starts with an unexpected situation that finds Clara in grave danger. I can’t imagine being in a stagecoach in the middle of nowhere and suddenly danger surrounds you. The only thought on Clara’s mind was getting home to see her father after a long time away. She is also secretly excited to see a certain man who has had her heart for a very long time.

With a mystery of cattle and horses missing on the ranch the story takes a serious tone as suspicion swirls around. Alec seems to be a little distant with Clara when she first arrives. Maybe he is too focused on the ranch but I think he doesn’t want to show his emotions just yet. I did feel his uneasiness when he goes to town with Clara. His father’s bad reputation is well known and reflects on him and his brothers. Have you ever had a family member who did something wrong and others judge you because of it?

I like the illustration of turmoil Clara and Alec face as they both walk through forgiveness. Alec wants to be able to forgive his father but the pain of rejection runs deep. I’m sure we each have faced a similar situation that only God can heal. With Steadman trying to get Clara’s attention, Alec needs to wake up before he loses the woman he loves. I was suspicious of Steadman and wonder if his kindness to Clara is real or an act.

I appreciate how the author illustrates how bitterness can destroy a person if they don’t ask God for help. Trying to seek revenge when hatred is in your heart can only lead to your downfall. Don’t miss this exciting adventure filled with cattle rustlers, greed and an exceptional lesson in forgiveness.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.