Charming the Billionaire Cowboy by Kris Bock

 

I am so excited to welcome Kris Bock back to the blog. Kris is one of the most creative authors I know, with works spanning romcom to western romance and books for young adults. Her Felony Melanie series based on “Sweet Home Alabama” is a brilliant concept. The movie is one of my favorites so I wish I’d thought of the idea first, but…Anyway, that gives you a hint at Kris’s clever viewpoint. And on top of all that, she is a cat lover!

I know you will love her work and I am excited to share Charming the Billionaire Cowboy with you today.

We asked Kris Bock to tell us a little about herself and her journey. Here’s what she said.

Series Background

What inspired the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series?

I was looking at the most popular romance novels and saw lots of cowboys and lots of billionaires, with a few billionaire cowboys. Wait, how would a cowboy or even a ranch owner become a billionaire? In most billionaire romance novels, the guy got rich developing an app, but I doubt many cowboys have the free time to run a billion-dollar business.

But what if they won a lottery?

I came up with the Tomlinson family, four adult brothers and their widowed mother who plays the lottery just for fun, so she can dream of what she’d do if she won. And then they win.  It’s been fun exploring how these hardworking, regular people might respond to a sudden fortune and the complications it brings. They must deal with envy from friends and getting mobbed in public. Plus, how can the guys know if women are interested in them for themselves, or for their money?

In Charming the Billionaire Cowboy, book 1, TC is the second oldest, exuberant and goofy, with something to prove. I put Hallie at a wild animal rescue, working with wolves, bears, and mountain lions, to show off her courage – and because animal rescue is cool!

Charming the Billionaire Cowboy, book 2 in the series, just came out:

With his Texas ranching family’s lottery win, TC Tomlinson is finally able to build a ranch with alternative livestock. When he catches a beauty scooping up an escaped baby ostrich, TC assumes she wants to meet him for his money.

A former vet tech, Hallie Armstrong  moved to Last Stand to work at her aunt’s wildlife rescue and heal from an attack. She’s skittish of the handsome cowboy who called her a thief, but the rescue needs fundraising, so she tricks TC into volunteering for a bachelor auction.

TC finds himself falling for feisty Hallie, but when he learns she’s still in danger, his protective instincts threaten to drive her away. Can TC convince Hallie she can have her independence and him too? (Read an excerpt at the end of this post.)

An Excerpt from Kris Bock’s Charming the Billionaire Cowboy

Hallie knelt beside the bird and wrapped her shirt around its head, loosely tucking the long sleeves around the neck a few times to hold the shirt in place.

The animal gave a few last pathetic peeps and settled down. She put her arm around its body. The gray-brown feathers were downy, silky against her bare skin, so it must be young. She gently straightened at the waist, still on her knees, revealing the bird’s long legs with knobby knees and two large toes on each foot. It might be young, but it would stand about three feet high. An ostrich? She’d never seen a young one, but she thought she recalled hearing about an ostrich farm around here.

Well, they apparently weren’t very attentive ostrich farmers, because this little critter had escaped and was far from the herd or flock or whatever ostriches had. It also had a gash on its leg, shallow but long, still oozing blood. Hallie didn’t have first aid material with her, but her aunt had plenty.

“Okay, let’s get you help.” She rose to her feet with a grunt. The bird must weigh fifty pounds.

She got the squirming bird in the car, dodging its bobbing head. Its beak might be covered with cloth, but it would hurt if it hit her. At least the thrashing hadn’t opened its gash any further. She glanced down at her jeans, which were covered with baby ostrich poop. It figured.

As she shifted toward the driver’s side door, she glanced down the road. An oversized red pickup truck was coming up fast. Hallie hadn’t noticed the truck approaching, and now it was within fifty feet. She slid into the car, yanked the door shut, and turned the ignition.

That truck was almost on top of her. She’d wait for it to pass.

She glared as the shiny red truck pulled past. It was enormous, so apparently somebody felt the need to compensate for something.

The truck swung across the road and stopped in front of her. A door slammed. A tall, lanky cowboy strode around the front of the truck, scowling.

Hallie gave a squeak worthy of the baby ostrich and hit the automatic door lock.

The man stormed up to her door. He had to lean way over to peer in at her. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

Hallie gaped at him. How was she supposed to answer that? She thought she was minding her own business. Granted, she was lost, maybe, but she didn’t want to ask this angry man for directions. She was pretty sure she hadn’t passed any signs marking this as a private road.

He rapped on the window. No way was she going to roll it down.

Hallie put the car in reverse. He was blocking the road ahead, so she’d go back the way she came. But she’d have to back up far enough to get away from him and then try to turn around on the narrow dirt road. His truck was bigger, so he’d take longer to make a turn, unless he simply drove into the ditch and through the edge of the field, which he probably could do with those big tires.

He tried her door handle. Thank goodness she’d locked it.

He knocked on the window again, his fierce face a foot away. “Open up!”

Hallie shook her head vigorously.

She eased off the brakes so the car started rolling backward. It was tempting to go fast and hope she rolled over his foot. That would distract him for a minute or two! But she couldn’t bring herself to hurt a stranger who had so far only yelled and scowled.

He skipped back from the car. Hallie let out a shaky breath and touched the gas. She couldn’t go too fast in reverse, though, or she might back into the ditch. Then she’d really be in trouble.

The angry cowboy ran after her, shouting something.

It took a moment for his words to penetrate.

“Give me back my ostrich!”

Whoops.

What Kris Bock’s Readers are Saying…

So far, reader response has been great, with positive reviews for book 1, The Billionaire Cowboy’s Christmas:

“What a wonderful book! I loved every word of this book and highly recommend it.”

“I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see where these characters go next.”

“I can hardly wait for the next in this series.”

“I highly recommend this book. I look forward to the next book. Kris has a winning series here.”

What’s next for Kris Bock?

What are you working on next and when can we expect to see it?

The Billionaire Cowboys series will have five books, all published by the end of this year. I’m currently working on the last one, where “Mama” gets her later in life romance.

I’m also writing The Accidental Detective mystery series, where a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. I recently finished writing book 5, where Kate’s perimenopausal insomnia gets her in trouble. I love the narrator, Kate, who is supported by her sister and father, plus the “Coffee Shop Irregulars,” senior men who help them investigate.

I’ve written six books in a sweet romance series set in and around a cat café. I’d like to get back to that one someday. I also write a series with my brother, who wrote the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie.

Meet the Interesting Kris Bock

Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. Get a free cat café novella, mystery stories, and more when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter.

In the Accidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. This humorous series starts with Something Shady at Sunshine Haven. Kris’s Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Visit the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series page on Amazon US or Amazon UK. Learn more about Kris and her books at the Kris Bock website.