Just months after his wife's death, country singing star Ashton Raines has reached the end of his strength. He abandons his band and managers in the midst of a tour and goes for a long drive, wondering if life is worth living without her by his side. He considers driving his car off the road in the storm and ending it all, but the lights of a out-of-the-way diner draw him in instead.

Waitress Beth McCasland agrees to take a late shift when some of the staff doesn't show. In the middle of the night, a weary, disheartened stranger straggles in from the storm and lands at her table. She sees the pain and grief in his eyes and understands. She's been there, just a few years ago when her husband died in a fire. She reaches out to the man, offering kindness and a listening ear.

He gives her his real name, Timothy, and shares a little of his story, feeling better for having talked to this woman who seemed to want nothing but to help him out of a dark place. As he prepares to leave, she writes her phone number on a napkin and offers to listen anytime he needs an ear.

Ashton does not intend to use the phone number, but a few nights later when he's really low, he finds himself calling her. They fall into the habit of talking almost every night. He is thankful for someone who seems to care about him for who he is and not how much money they can make from his talent or fame. She finds herself caring in a real way for this man who has made himself vulnerable to her in their late night chats.

But she doesn't know who he really is, and when she finds out, will it be too late to salvage any remnant of the wonderful relationship they've built on false pretenses?

Lisa Tuttle, ACFW Member

IF YOU'RE IN THE MOOD FOR A ROMANCE . . .

Pick up Staci Stallings' novel Cowboy, Book One of the Harmony Series.

Five years after the tragic death of her husband, Beth is struggling to raise her little girl on a waitress's paycheck. At the same time, country superstar Ashton Raines fights to hold onto his image and his sanity as he goes on with his public career only months after losing his wife to cancer.

When Beth offers a listening ear to a distraught young man, during a late-night shift at the diner, she has no idea that she is comforting the one and only Ashton Raines. That night they are simply two people who understand the searing pain of loss. He introduces himself as Timothy, Beth slips him her phone number "if you ever need to talk," and soon both are slept up in a phone friendship, and eventually unexpected love. But will it last when Beth discovers who Timothy really is? After so much loss on both sides, can either risk loving again, especially when it means one of them making a sacrifice?

Cowboy is a sweet, refreshing romance, involving characters that I immediately cared about. Though the author flip-flops between Beth's and Ashton's point-of-view more often than is typical (sometimes switching back and forth several times on one page) I had no problem following the story. I felt Beth's confusion and Ashton's grief, as both fought the love that so obviously needed to blossom.

This is a great choice if you are a fan of old fashion romance!

by: Jeanette Hanscome, Rave Reviews

Home on the range, or around the town, or in the hands of any suburbanite, Cowboy by author Staci Stallings is an intense and moving novel about a man and a women who find themselves in an improbable relationship with nearly impossible odds to beat.

There's Beth McCasland, a waitress down on her luck, and Timothy Ashton Raines, a world-famous country singer at the top of his game and at the end of his rope. They meet when Timothy stumbles into Beth's diner looking to drown his sorrows in a cup of coffee, but gets an unexpected serving of compassion on the side. Timothy, feeling safe in his anonymity, pours out his heart to Beth, a total stranger, and she shows simple kindness in return. He is moved by her generous spirit even in the midst of her obvious poverty. Though they meet face to face only briefly, they continue to keep in touch through late-night phone calls. Worlds apart in many ways, their need for connection draws them into a closeness neither has experienced in ages.

It's a reverse romance in some ways; even though the 'Cinderella' of Cowboy does struggle daily to make ends meet, while Prince Charming seems to have it all. And Timothy comes riding into town not on a white horse but on a tour bus, while Beth is busy waiting tables at a run-down diner at the edge of town. Yet circumstances do not dictate character; the one who has nothing ends up rescuing the has-it-all from his spiraling depression. Timothy begins to recover himself under Beth's kind ministrations. Her compassion teaches a world-weary cowboy the reality of God's love and encourages him to seek God on his own. And in the end, it is Timothy's faith and perseverance that allows the two of them to finally come together.

Cowboy is an inspiring novel from beginning to end. I highly recommend it and truly look forward to reading more of Staci Stallings works.

Judy Fedele, MOPS

Cowboy

The unique presentation in this story using telephone conversations to comprise the majority of the dialogue between the hero and heroine made the reading flow in smooth succession and kept me turning the pages (figuratively speaking of course since I read it electronically). Featuring a country music star immediately piqued my interest, and the story drew me from the start. To read how the heroine got involved in the hero's life and how their relationship developed made for enjoyable entertainment. Both the hero's and heroine's plights were presented in a way that made me sympathize with the characters and want to see them succeed.

Amber Miller, Heartsong author

Staci Stallings Cowboy is a romance that kept me reading from cover to cover. Ignoring tasks that I should've been doing, I found it hard to put the book down without thinking about Beth and Timothy and what their growing love held!

Cowboy is a story about two people who understand the life altering grief of losing a spouse. Beth has found her way through the grief of losing her husband and has entered a new stage in her process of healing in which she's able to reach out to others who are hurting. Timothy, actually country music super star Ashton Raines, is still in the early stages of his grief process.

Timothy reaches his breaking point after trying to juggle his career in the music industry and his grief one too many nights and finds himself in the small diner Beth works in. Beth, having no idea of his super star status, reaches out to a man she sees as hurting and alone. The hand she extends to Timothy and her scribbled phone number on a napkin changes both of their lives. Beth falls for a man she has no idea is the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year. Timothy discovers the healing touch of the God he had been running from and in another surprise, the gift of love a second time around.

Their love story has the unique twist of evolving through telephone conversations giving this romance a fresh perspective. Another aspect to the book that I enjoyed and learned from was Beth's continual desire to head to prayer first. The confines of their situation put Beth in the position where she had no idea where Timothy was or what he was doing. Her response? If his name came to mind, she prayed for him, even if it was only a brief sentence petitioning God for his protection.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cowboy, finding it to be a romantic, entertaining and poignant book about love developed across the miles. And, perhaps more importantly, of the power of prayer to change lives. I highly recommend Cowboy if you are looking for a sweet romance that holds deeper truths than many you might reach for.

Elaina M. Avalos, ACFW Member