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milliebks's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
faithful_books's review
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
Jody Hedlund is ususally an automatic five star read for me, and I loved every book in the Colorado Cowboy Series, and The Last Chance Cowboy was enjoyable as well, but I just didn't love it like I usually do. In this prodigal son/redemption story, Dylan continues to try to right the wrongs of his inebrirated, womanizing, gambling past while being faced with the temptations to return to it, With themes of forgiveness, danger, crime and general cowboy shenanigans the story was a real page turner! I loved that the McQuaid brothers continued to be a tight-knit family and were always there to support each other. Purely the mystery of what was going to happen when the truth was finally revealed kept me wanting to read more.
But there were some things that I just didn't like:
Marriage of convenience is one of my absolute favorite book tropes. However this marriage of convenience is based on miscommunication/mistaken identity, which I found frustrating. It wouldn't have bothered me so much, expect the miscommunication goes on for so long! Over half the book! As a sherriff, it didn't make sense to me that Dylan wouldn't have picked up on things before they were literally spelled out in front of him.
Jody Hedlund is known for books with plenty of sizzle but this one felt like a little too much sizzle. The "chair kissing scene" was a bit over the top and seemed completely out of character for Catherine who I think would have very much minded there other people in the same room. I don't know...I guess I am getting tired of reading about how hot and muscular the male character is and how he ignites a fire in the female character's belly. There are other ways to make a reader fall in love with the character or the characters to fall in love with one another...like maybe making the book a little longer and developing more of a relationship between them.
The Last Chance Cowboy is the last book in the Colorado Cowboys series, and even though this story was not my favorite, I will admit I am sad to see it end. All the books in the series can be read as a stand alone. Ivy's story, Falling for the Cowgirl, is still my my favorite of the five.
The Last Chance Cowboy will be available for purchase from your local or online book retailer on February 14, 2023.
Thank you Jody Hedlund, Bethany House and Net Galley for the complimentary DRC of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.
boeken_fee's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
charitys_book_escapes's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What is it about Jody Hedlund's writing that immediately sucks me into a story? Instantly, I was in the brothel, watching this baby being delivered. I was there with Catherine, watching a man get murdered. I could see Austin's little puckered mouth, with the milk dribbling out. I was in the midst of the action, the adventure, the chaos, and turmoil. Her writing just draws me.
I finished this 348 page book in one day. That was AFTER I finished a different one, and after I finished homeschooling my kiddos. I just couldn't put this down. This was the perfect ending to the Colorado Cowboys series, but it makes me sad to say goodbye to the McQuaid family.
Guess I'll just have to go back and visit them from time to time.
bookrecsbyjess's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for the ARC of this book.
This was the first romance book that I’ve ever read set in this time period. I wasn’t sure if I would like a western romance, but I am happy to say that I loved it!
Besides the time period, I haven’t read many Christian romance books, but this is something that I wanted to read more of this year.
While this is book 5 in the series, I was able to read it without having read the previous books. I now want to go back and read those books though because I want to learn more about those characters.
The Last Chance Cowboy was cute, romantic, and I loved how Christianity was weaved throughout the story.
Dylan was such a wholesome character, and I love how he wanted to continue bettering himself. He was constantly fighting temptation, but he trusted God to help him overcome it. I also really admired how he treated Catherine and didn’t push himself off onto her even though they were married. He took an unexpected situation and made the best out of it.
Catherine was very sweet and naïve. I did get frustrated with her at times for keeping her secrets from Dylan. I could understand why she felt the need to, but she had to know that she couldn’t run away from her problems forever.
Besides the main characters, I did like several of the side characters. The amount of support that the town gave Dylan and Catherine was wonderful to see.
One character that stood out to me was Trudy because she was very observant. She noticed that Catherine didn’t know how to cook and that she had a lot of worries, and she supported her through them.
One quote that stood out to me was from Trudy when talking to Catherine. She said, “We women have to stop defining ourselves by lining ourselves up against other women. Instead, we need to define ourselves the way our Creator does.” (p. 240)
This quote really spoke to me because I often find myself comparing myself to other women even though I know I shouldn’t. It can be so easy to see what others have that you don’t and think less of them or yourself. This was a good reminder to focus on how God sees me and not how I see myself.
It’s so nice to read a story of redemption and full of hope. So many romances I read are so worldly, so it was also nice to see how a Godly man should act and what a Godly marriage should look like. Overall, I would recommend this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Medical trauma, and Kidnapping
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