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Code of the West #13
A Cowboy's Promise
"I'M BACK! Let's get married."
-- Charlie Seeks Elk, urban Native American turned Montana cowboy
Three years ago, in a war zone on the other side of the world, Charlie had loved Cait Blasingame. Still, home and family weren't his style -- but getting shot could make a guy change his mind. It could show him the meaning of forever -- and send him hunting for what was missing: Cait.
A lot had happened in three years. Cait had changed jobs, gone home, and planned to marry another man. But Charlie believed deep down she still loved him. How could he convince Cait that they belonged together -- forever?
-- Charlie Seeks Elk, urban Native American turned Montana cowboy
Three years ago, in a war zone on the other side of the world, Charlie had loved Cait Blasingame. Still, home and family weren't his style -- but getting shot could make a guy change his mind. It could show him the meaning of forever -- and send him hunting for what was missing: Cait.
A lot had happened in three years. Cait had changed jobs, gone home, and planned to marry another man. But Charlie believed deep down she still loved him. How could he convince Cait that they belonged together -- forever?
192 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2001
About the author
Anne McAllister
341 books124 followersAnne McAllister has written nearly 70 romance novels for Tule Publishing and Harlequin Books.
She has won two RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America — for COWBOY PRIDE and THE STARDUST COWBOY — and has had nine other books which were RITA finalists.
Her books have also been finalists for the National Readers’ Choice Award. She was named Midwest Fiction Writers “Writer of the Year” and also received Romantic Times’ Career Achievement Award as “Series Author of the Year.”
But while the awards and sales are wonderful, Anne thinks the best part of writing is telling the story. With every new book she writes, she meets new characters – or gets to know old ones even better – and discovers what makes them and their relationships tick.
It’s the relationships that interest her most and the question about “where do you get your ideas?” has always astonished her as she has more ideas than she knows what to do with!
She has won two RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America — for COWBOY PRIDE and THE STARDUST COWBOY — and has had nine other books which were RITA finalists.
Her books have also been finalists for the National Readers’ Choice Award. She was named Midwest Fiction Writers “Writer of the Year” and also received Romantic Times’ Career Achievement Award as “Series Author of the Year.”
But while the awards and sales are wonderful, Anne thinks the best part of writing is telling the story. With every new book she writes, she meets new characters – or gets to know old ones even better – and discovers what makes them and their relationships tick.
It’s the relationships that interest her most and the question about “where do you get your ideas?” has always astonished her as she has more ideas than she knows what to do with!
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 31, 2020
I love this series and all the characters I know so well by now.
This book is the story of Charlie, a photographer that, after a near death experience, ends up in Montana trying to reconnect with the woman he always loved but ran away from in the past.
Cait is a midwife and met Charlie in a war zone when she was working for the relief forces and he was taking photographs of the conflict.
As always, Mrs. McAllister characters are very relatable and the stories full of emotion.
This plot is similar to others in the series: man with commitment issues realizes he lost the only person that truly mattered. In this case, Charlie has had a childhood full of losses and had retreated from his feelings, afraid to be hurt again.
Cait is engaged to someone else and struggles between the signals her mind and her heart are sending and with the hurt he had caused her in the past.
There is a pregnant teen, an old man struggling with memories from the Vietnam war, foster parenting issues, midwifery and mama bears in this interesting story.
This book is the story of Charlie, a photographer that, after a near death experience, ends up in Montana trying to reconnect with the woman he always loved but ran away from in the past.
Cait is a midwife and met Charlie in a war zone when she was working for the relief forces and he was taking photographs of the conflict.
As always, Mrs. McAllister characters are very relatable and the stories full of emotion.
This plot is similar to others in the series: man with commitment issues realizes he lost the only person that truly mattered. In this case, Charlie has had a childhood full of losses and had retreated from his feelings, afraid to be hurt again.
Cait is engaged to someone else and struggles between the signals her mind and her heart are sending and with the hurt he had caused her in the past.
There is a pregnant teen, an old man struggling with memories from the Vietnam war, foster parenting issues, midwifery and mama bears in this interesting story.
May 15, 2023
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 stars.
A jaded, wounded photographer tries to win back the woman of his life in “A Cowboy’s Promise”, by Anne McAllister (Tule Publishing), a story about second chances and accepting the past.
Still licking his physical wounds from a close brush with death, Charlie has deep psychological scars from a traumatic childhood.
But now the life altering incident made him see the truth about his own feelings, fears and restlessness.
I thought showing the heroine’s conflict between the former flame, exciting and charming Charlie, and the present, steady fiancée, was interesting and realistic.
While I appreciated the depiction of Cait’s dilemma, I still felt that having her engaged to another man throughout three quarters of the story was too much.
I always enjoy a wounded, tortured hero, yet Charlie sounded a bit flat sometimes when trying to convince Cait to give him a second chance.
He also came across as a bit convinced and annoying, the Alpha who is so sure of his charisma and charm that he doesn’t even feel the need to grovel.
The adaptation to the local lifestyle seemed a bit rushed.
It’s still an enjoyable read with great secondary characters. I liked watching Cait’s father changing from apathy to a zest for life with Charlie’s friendship.
3.5 stars.
A jaded, wounded photographer tries to win back the woman of his life in “A Cowboy’s Promise”, by Anne McAllister (Tule Publishing), a story about second chances and accepting the past.
Still licking his physical wounds from a close brush with death, Charlie has deep psychological scars from a traumatic childhood.
But now the life altering incident made him see the truth about his own feelings, fears and restlessness.
I thought showing the heroine’s conflict between the former flame, exciting and charming Charlie, and the present, steady fiancée, was interesting and realistic.
While I appreciated the depiction of Cait’s dilemma, I still felt that having her engaged to another man throughout three quarters of the story was too much.
I always enjoy a wounded, tortured hero, yet Charlie sounded a bit flat sometimes when trying to convince Cait to give him a second chance.
He also came across as a bit convinced and annoying, the Alpha who is so sure of his charisma and charm that he doesn’t even feel the need to grovel.
The adaptation to the local lifestyle seemed a bit rushed.
It’s still an enjoyable read with great secondary characters. I liked watching Cait’s father changing from apathy to a zest for life with Charlie’s friendship.
April 30, 2023
I voluntarily read an advanced reader’s copy for this book for an honest opinion.
A totally enjoyable story. Could not put it down from beginning to end. A Cowboy's Promise by Anne McAllister. The first book in the Cowboy, Come Home series. A possible second chance storyline. The author Anne McAllister knows how to give you a great story that will have you smiling long after you finish it.
A totally enjoyable story. Could not put it down from beginning to end. A Cowboy's Promise by Anne McAllister. The first book in the Cowboy, Come Home series. A possible second chance storyline. The author Anne McAllister knows how to give you a great story that will have you smiling long after you finish it.
February 22, 2014
This book was misnamed...the hero is no cowboy, but a photographer from the rough streets of L.A.
Unlike the earlier books in the series, the story shows both the hero's and the heroine's point of view. The earliest books showed only the hero's. McCallister seems to have learned as she went along.
This was a great story of a man who realizes too late that he's thrown away the love of his life. When he goes to find her, she is in the process of setting a wedding date with someone else.
It takes a lot of twists and turns before the happily ever after, and they are very well written.
Unlike the earlier books in the series, the story shows both the hero's and the heroine's point of view. The earliest books showed only the hero's. McCallister seems to have learned as she went along.
This was a great story of a man who realizes too late that he's thrown away the love of his life. When he goes to find her, she is in the process of setting a wedding date with someone else.
It takes a lot of twists and turns before the happily ever after, and they are very well written.
June 8, 2023
I received an arc of A Cowboy’s Promise in exchange for my honest review. This is the first book in Anne McAllister’s Cowboy Come Home series. It’s a wonderful second chance romance with some good angst. I’ve read several of Anne’s books that have been published by Tule Publishing and have enjoyed them very much. This book is connected to the books released previously and some of the same characters appear in this story as well.
A Cowboy’s Promise features Cait Blaisingame and Charlie Seeks Elk. Cait and Charlie met while working in a war ravished country in Asia. Cait was a nurse working for an aide organization and Charlie was a photographer who took pictures to show the suffering in various parts of the world in his books. When Cait admitted her feelings and desire to be married to Charlie, he left her and went to another dangerous country. She was heartbroken. A couple years later, Charlie ended up getting shot and actually coded. They brought him back to life. He realized then that he doesn’t want to live without Cait. So he returns to the Asian country they had been in together but she is no longer there.
Charlie returns to Southern California and his agent helps him search for Cait. They locate her in Montana. She has returned to her family ranch and she is a nurse in the local hospital. He shows up at the hospital and asks for her. She is shocked to see him. He tells her he loves her and wants to marry her. Cait lets him know that is engaged to someone else, a cardiologist and she will be moving with him to Denver eventually.
Charlie decides he must stay and fight for her. He rents a cabin near her family’s ranch and works on getting stronger by walking and caring for the horse he was loaned. He sees wildlife and is fascinated with the mothers and babies and takes photos. Unfortunately he falls on the mountain and hurts his previous injuries. When returning to his cabin he runs into Cait. She sees how ill he has been and ends up coming to the cabin to provide some nursing and supplies. Charlie takes them back to Cait but she isn’t home and he meets her dad and they develop a friendship. Cait can’t get Charlie out of her mind and it starts to affect her feelings for her fiancé. Charlie is very much in love with Cait and plans to continue to pursue her.
This was a very enjoyable story that has the reader rooting for the couple to overcome their issues and reunite. It is very romantic and the characters are warm and genuine. It is nice to see other people Anne has written about in the prior books too. I have given this 5 stars.
A Cowboy’s Promise features Cait Blaisingame and Charlie Seeks Elk. Cait and Charlie met while working in a war ravished country in Asia. Cait was a nurse working for an aide organization and Charlie was a photographer who took pictures to show the suffering in various parts of the world in his books. When Cait admitted her feelings and desire to be married to Charlie, he left her and went to another dangerous country. She was heartbroken. A couple years later, Charlie ended up getting shot and actually coded. They brought him back to life. He realized then that he doesn’t want to live without Cait. So he returns to the Asian country they had been in together but she is no longer there.
Charlie returns to Southern California and his agent helps him search for Cait. They locate her in Montana. She has returned to her family ranch and she is a nurse in the local hospital. He shows up at the hospital and asks for her. She is shocked to see him. He tells her he loves her and wants to marry her. Cait lets him know that is engaged to someone else, a cardiologist and she will be moving with him to Denver eventually.
Charlie decides he must stay and fight for her. He rents a cabin near her family’s ranch and works on getting stronger by walking and caring for the horse he was loaned. He sees wildlife and is fascinated with the mothers and babies and takes photos. Unfortunately he falls on the mountain and hurts his previous injuries. When returning to his cabin he runs into Cait. She sees how ill he has been and ends up coming to the cabin to provide some nursing and supplies. Charlie takes them back to Cait but she isn’t home and he meets her dad and they develop a friendship. Cait can’t get Charlie out of her mind and it starts to affect her feelings for her fiancé. Charlie is very much in love with Cait and plans to continue to pursue her.
This was a very enjoyable story that has the reader rooting for the couple to overcome their issues and reunite. It is very romantic and the characters are warm and genuine. It is nice to see other people Anne has written about in the prior books too. I have given this 5 stars.
June 8, 2023
A Cowboys Promise is the first book in the Cowboy, Come Home Series by Anne McAllister. While I know that some of her latest releases were re-releases from the 1990’s, I can’t say if this is new or one of the re-releases. I can say that when I read the description, I thought that the death experience and turn-around in life sounded a bit far-fetched. However, I am glad that that did not stop me from reading this story which I enjoyed.
Despite not understanding award-winning photographer Charlie Seeks Elk’s sudden change concerning commitment any more than midwife Cait Blasingame did, I liked Charlie. A hard childhood and life he had so I did understand the distance he put between himself and others. I also liked that he never entertained the idea that he was a self-made man. He always understood that others had come along to support, help and love him.
This is a story of romance, of course, but it is also a story of discovering new aspects of yourself and taking that risk. There is a second subplot that does not come to light until near the end. I would be interested in seeing that come to a positive conclusion in perhaps another book.
An ARC of the book was given to me by Tule Publishing which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Despite not understanding award-winning photographer Charlie Seeks Elk’s sudden change concerning commitment any more than midwife Cait Blasingame did, I liked Charlie. A hard childhood and life he had so I did understand the distance he put between himself and others. I also liked that he never entertained the idea that he was a self-made man. He always understood that others had come along to support, help and love him.
This is a story of romance, of course, but it is also a story of discovering new aspects of yourself and taking that risk. There is a second subplot that does not come to light until near the end. I would be interested in seeing that come to a positive conclusion in perhaps another book.
An ARC of the book was given to me by Tule Publishing which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 15, 2023
A Cowboy’s Promise is a heart-warming story of second chances for professional photographer Charlie Seeks Elk and Cait Blasingame, the nurseand midwife he met in a war zone and didn’t realise he loved until his near-death experience.
At first, I wondered at the title of this book because city-boy Charlie seemed as far from my image of a cowboy as he could possibly be. I was pleased to see that once he’d decided he loved Cait, he was a man on a mission, completely focused on trying to get her to love him back despite the way he left her. I loved that he was open to learning a different way of life, and to adapting the type of photograhy he focused on from death and destruction to new life and the wonders of nature.
Cait was just as likeable as Charlie. Clearly devoted to her work and her father, I loved watching her try to love her fiancé Steve even though it was as clear as crystal that while there was srong “like” between these two, there was no spark. I lived how she fought against the way Charlie made her feel. This book gave me plenty of warm fuzzies as I read it, perfect for the cold and damp weather I’m living through in my part of the world right now.
At first, I wondered at the title of this book because city-boy Charlie seemed as far from my image of a cowboy as he could possibly be. I was pleased to see that once he’d decided he loved Cait, he was a man on a mission, completely focused on trying to get her to love him back despite the way he left her. I loved that he was open to learning a different way of life, and to adapting the type of photograhy he focused on from death and destruction to new life and the wonders of nature.
Cait was just as likeable as Charlie. Clearly devoted to her work and her father, I loved watching her try to love her fiancé Steve even though it was as clear as crystal that while there was srong “like” between these two, there was no spark. I lived how she fought against the way Charlie made her feel. This book gave me plenty of warm fuzzies as I read it, perfect for the cold and damp weather I’m living through in my part of the world right now.
May 22, 2023
World famous photographer Charlie Seeks Elk and nurse Cait Blasingame met in a country far from home. One filled with war and devastation. While Cait felt she had a future with Charlie, the moment she mentions a future, Charlie disappeared.
Two years later, after a near death experience, Charlie sees life in a different light, and is determined to find Cait and declare his love. But things don’t work as expected. While devastated, Charlie gets a chance to heal physically, mentally , artistically and emotionally. Realizing that there is more to life.
As they each rediscover themselves , will they have a future or will it be too late when they think they have missed their chance?
While the plot was engaging, and the characters perfect in their imperfections, it’s a story about second chances in life and love. It’s a story about discovering the real meaning of life.
Looking forward to what else the author will have in future stories in this new series.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Tule Publishing. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
Two years later, after a near death experience, Charlie sees life in a different light, and is determined to find Cait and declare his love. But things don’t work as expected. While devastated, Charlie gets a chance to heal physically, mentally , artistically and emotionally. Realizing that there is more to life.
As they each rediscover themselves , will they have a future or will it be too late when they think they have missed their chance?
While the plot was engaging, and the characters perfect in their imperfections, it’s a story about second chances in life and love. It’s a story about discovering the real meaning of life.
Looking forward to what else the author will have in future stories in this new series.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Tule Publishing. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
June 13, 2023
I had a like/dislike for Cait. I felt like as a nurse she should have shown a little more compassion for some of her clients, however it felt like Cait acted like she just can't even be bothered with them, it drove me crazy. However you do seem a softer side of Cait and she does want to see the best for those she truly cares for. I really Liked Charlie you see him grow so much in this story. He was faced with so much in his life and he took so much in stride and continued to grow and learn from those who come in his life. This author does throw a twist in at the end of the book and I have so many questions and hope there is more to come from this group of friends. This is sex indicated in this story but not described the author keeps the book fairly clean. Overall the story was cute and for the most part a quick read.
July 4, 2023
This is a re-release of a book from 2001. It is a second chance romance. When they were together Charlie didn't want to settle down and left Cait in the middle of the night. Now, after a near death experience Charlie has to find Cait. When his life flashed before his eyes she was his one regret. She has moved on and is engaged to a nice and steady man. When he finds her he causes Cait to doubt her current relationship. She will always love Charile, but love is not always enough. He didn't want her before so why now? How is it fair for him to show up now that she is happy and has moved on with her life? Good read.
July 26, 2025
Fortitude and perseverance
What an incredible story of fortitude and perseverance on the part of Charlie. He knew he had to right his mistake with Cait, who he had met while photographing the effects of war. Charlie was scared to commit to love so he had left Cait. But suddenly after a life altering experience he realised that he needed to find Cait and win her love again. Charlie put his all into getting her back, but Cait was stubborn to the very end until she realised that she too loved Charlie. Finally they were able to find their happily ever after.
What an incredible story of fortitude and perseverance on the part of Charlie. He knew he had to right his mistake with Cait, who he had met while photographing the effects of war. Charlie was scared to commit to love so he had left Cait. But suddenly after a life altering experience he realised that he needed to find Cait and win her love again. Charlie put his all into getting her back, but Cait was stubborn to the very end until she realised that she too loved Charlie. Finally they were able to find their happily ever after.
May 19, 2023
Such an enchantingly emotional story full of apprehension and worry. It is the best of second chance romances with decisions made out of fear and experiences that change perspectives.
The story of Cait and Charlie is a heartfelt tale of discovering what is true and real.
I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The story of Cait and Charlie is a heartfelt tale of discovering what is true and real.
I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 9, 2023
This is a wonderful written second chance story. From the moment I began reading this book I was drawn into Charlie and Cait's story. It was full of surprises, laughter and so much more. I cannot wait for book two! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 12, 2023
Excellent second chance romance.
July 30, 2016
He's not really a cowboy, but what the hell. He's a photographer, and ambition made him leave the love of his life. Then he had a near dead experience, as in he balanced between dead and life for quite a bit, and he realized what he had done and lost.
So he set out to win her back, but she has moved on.
I liked Charlie, and I liked Cait, but something felt off about it all the same. Somehow it never really moved me, and normally I'm such a sucker for second chance romance.
So, great idea and characters, but the execution didn't do those justice.
So he set out to win her back, but she has moved on.
I liked Charlie, and I liked Cait, but something felt off about it all the same. Somehow it never really moved me, and normally I'm such a sucker for second chance romance.
So, great idea and characters, but the execution didn't do those justice.
June 24, 2016
Don't get fooled he is not a Cowboy. However I really like the story. I like a man who fights for the woman he loves.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews