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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
I didn't expect to enjoy this but it was pretty alright! Not so for the novella at the end - that I DNFd.
This is such a sweet, sexy, fun second (but really third) chance romance that you will not want to miss. They are standalone but really go read book one for sure and book 1.5 is also a nice addition. This town is so much fun, with great support for the community which will come into play even more in this book. Claire is the daughter of the big ranch in the area and fell for Ford a wrangler who can't stay in one place, and leaves her heart broken. But agrees to come back to help her father. Claire is sweet, hard worker, doesn't put up with shit girl you will love (heals and rock climbing) and Ford is the quiet, lone cowboy that you don't want to like but he finally grows and learns.
I can't wait for more of these books! Bloom is now an automatic buy/read for me--her writing is smooth, the flow is great, development of characters is always full and lovable, and steamy as all hell!
Overall, I give it 5 stars and 4 steams!
**Thanks to Netgalley, Forever, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I can't wait for more of these books! Bloom is now an automatic buy/read for me--her writing is smooth, the flow is great, development of characters is always full and lovable, and steamy as all hell!
Overall, I give it 5 stars and 4 steams!
**Thanks to Netgalley, Forever, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I contributed this review to Really Into This
Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!
Thank you Read Forever for my gifted review copy.
After reading, loving & talking nonstop about Big Bad Cowboy for the last several months, I have high expectations for Cowboy Come Home by Carly Bloom. As soon as the ARC from Read Forever arrived, I took a deep breath & went in for more Big Verde romance.
Two days later & it's safe to say that I loved every page.
What I Love About This Book
First, Cowboy Come Home takes place in Texas. Being from Texas, I read books set in my home state with a critical eye. To put it simply, Carly nails it. The landscape, the people & just that overall feeling of the Lone Star State has me wanting to pick up all my things and move back. Washing lawn chairs with a hose, coming together when your friend & neighbors need you & having that sense of community. Big Verde is a town with big relationships that all feel like family. Bloom makes sure readers feel this with each & every character.
While all books set in the Once Upon a Time in Texas series can be read as a standalone, I encourage you to start from the beginning. These books are such addictive & quick reads you'll devour them. Readers get to catch up and get tidbits of other characters as we turn the pages. This just adds to the sense of family & community in Big Verde. Honestly, you'll never want to leave this place. Big Verde is a town with sweeping landscapes, handsome cowboys, tough female leads & people who have your back.
Vulnerability Among Cowboys
Another thing I really love about Cowboy Come Home by Carly Bloom is the constant communication between the characters. We're talking tough, closed-off & damaged cowboys here. Yet, when it comes to conversations, characters of all genders are open, vulnerable & trusting in their communications with one another. We see these types of conversations between siblings, neighbors, bosses & amongst generations of characters. I just can't get enough of it.
The more romance I read, the more I realize the ability to have an open & honest conversation is the thing that can truly make or break a book for me. From the very first page, Carly has her characters talking, laughing & helping each other. This helps know Big Verde is a wonderful community. Big Verde is a forgiving, loving & generous place. In a town like this, you can be free to be your true self. With characters that are open & vulnerable, readers can easily relate to their struggles & it is easier to root for the relationships.
THE VERDICT
In case you didn't realize, I am Really Into This book! Cowboy Come Home is a tender & meaningful open door romance. While the open door romance is preset from the first few pages of Big, Bad Cowboy, this one takes it time. What we have here is a tender, sweet & believable second chance romance set in the great state of Texas. I love every page of this book & hope you do too.
Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!
Thank you Read Forever for my gifted review copy.
After reading, loving & talking nonstop about Big Bad Cowboy for the last several months, I have high expectations for Cowboy Come Home by Carly Bloom. As soon as the ARC from Read Forever arrived, I took a deep breath & went in for more Big Verde romance.
Two days later & it's safe to say that I loved every page.
What I Love About This Book
First, Cowboy Come Home takes place in Texas. Being from Texas, I read books set in my home state with a critical eye. To put it simply, Carly nails it. The landscape, the people & just that overall feeling of the Lone Star State has me wanting to pick up all my things and move back. Washing lawn chairs with a hose, coming together when your friend & neighbors need you & having that sense of community. Big Verde is a town with big relationships that all feel like family. Bloom makes sure readers feel this with each & every character.
While all books set in the Once Upon a Time in Texas series can be read as a standalone, I encourage you to start from the beginning. These books are such addictive & quick reads you'll devour them. Readers get to catch up and get tidbits of other characters as we turn the pages. This just adds to the sense of family & community in Big Verde. Honestly, you'll never want to leave this place. Big Verde is a town with sweeping landscapes, handsome cowboys, tough female leads & people who have your back.
Vulnerability Among Cowboys
Another thing I really love about Cowboy Come Home by Carly Bloom is the constant communication between the characters. We're talking tough, closed-off & damaged cowboys here. Yet, when it comes to conversations, characters of all genders are open, vulnerable & trusting in their communications with one another. We see these types of conversations between siblings, neighbors, bosses & amongst generations of characters. I just can't get enough of it.
The more romance I read, the more I realize the ability to have an open & honest conversation is the thing that can truly make or break a book for me. From the very first page, Carly has her characters talking, laughing & helping each other. This helps know Big Verde is a wonderful community. Big Verde is a forgiving, loving & generous place. In a town like this, you can be free to be your true self. With characters that are open & vulnerable, readers can easily relate to their struggles & it is easier to root for the relationships.
THE VERDICT
In case you didn't realize, I am Really Into This book! Cowboy Come Home is a tender & meaningful open door romance. While the open door romance is preset from the first few pages of Big, Bad Cowboy, this one takes it time. What we have here is a tender, sweet & believable second chance romance set in the great state of Texas. I love every page of this book & hope you do too.
Hold my purse, I need to rope me a Cowboy! You know the song save a horse...ride a cowboy, it must have been written for Ford!
******
Overall Rating: Five Foreman Ford Stars!
Kindle Unlimited: no
Standalone: yes
******
Claire has ranching in her blood. She eats, sleeps and breathes her family’s ranch. Well, except for that one time she fell in love...with a cowboy...who left her...
Ford is a cowboy through and through. Moving from one ranch to another, never sticking around long. Well, except for that one time, when he met Claire...and fell in love...with a cowgirl...and then left her.
Ford thinks he’s cursed and doing the right thing by leaving Claire. Until he has to come back to help with the ranch again. It’s a big ranch, he can avoid her right? What could go wrong...or right?
This book is the second in the series and I loved it! There is character growth, a great story, witty banter, romance, and awesome characters. Everything just worked for me in this book! Strong heroine, a cowboy hero that thinks he’s cursed, secondary characters that add to the feel of the book, and a story that flows at just the right pace! Sure a couple of times I wanted to smack Ford, but that just endeared me to him more!
This is a definite recommend from me! Love the series and will definitely keep reading!
******
Overall Rating: Five Foreman Ford Stars!
Kindle Unlimited: no
Standalone: yes
******
Claire has ranching in her blood. She eats, sleeps and breathes her family’s ranch. Well, except for that one time she fell in love...with a cowboy...who left her...
Ford is a cowboy through and through. Moving from one ranch to another, never sticking around long. Well, except for that one time, when he met Claire...and fell in love...with a cowgirl...and then left her.
Ford thinks he’s cursed and doing the right thing by leaving Claire. Until he has to come back to help with the ranch again. It’s a big ranch, he can avoid her right? What could go wrong...or right?
This book is the second in the series and I loved it! There is character growth, a great story, witty banter, romance, and awesome characters. Everything just worked for me in this book! Strong heroine, a cowboy hero that thinks he’s cursed, secondary characters that add to the feel of the book, and a story that flows at just the right pace! Sure a couple of times I wanted to smack Ford, but that just endeared me to him more!
This is a definite recommend from me! Love the series and will definitely keep reading!
I really liked the first book in the Big Verde series, and after this one - who knew? Apparently I like the western sub-genre!
Claire and Ford - oh, I loved them! She is so determined to do everything herself, and she succeeds at most of it. None of this damsel-in-distress business for her, which is so refreshing. Rock climbing? Step into her dad's shoes on the ranch? She's there for it. Ford is rock-solid dependable as a ranch foreman, but makes a habit of running from his demons in his personal life. Claire is the anchor he needs to stop running. (Sailing? My metaphors are mixed here.)
The author's bio says Carly Bloom lives on a working ranch in Texas, and I love it when an author clearly writes what she knows! From flash floods to cowboy superstitions, she gives the reader a taste of ranch life.
Claire and Ford - oh, I loved them! She is so determined to do everything herself, and she succeeds at most of it. None of this damsel-in-distress business for her, which is so refreshing. Rock climbing? Step into her dad's shoes on the ranch? She's there for it. Ford is rock-solid dependable as a ranch foreman, but makes a habit of running from his demons in his personal life. Claire is the anchor he needs to stop running. (Sailing? My metaphors are mixed here.)
The author's bio says Carly Bloom lives on a working ranch in Texas, and I love it when an author clearly writes what she knows! From flash floods to cowboy superstitions, she gives the reader a taste of ranch life.
Many thanks to Estelle at Forever Publishing for sending me the copy in exchange for an honest review
"Who needed oxygen when this man's lips were made of everything she needed to survive?"
Steamy, sweet, and heartwarming, this book was an absolutely amazing addition to the Once Upon a Time in Texas series!
So, what's this book about?
Some cowboys aren't cut out to be Prince Charming and Claire Kowalski knows that better than anyone. She gave her heart to Ford Jarvis two years ago, yet that didn't keep him from disappearing into the sunset. Now that he's back in Big Verde, Texas, she's determined not to make the same mistake twice. But the ruggedly sexy cowboy still knows how to push all her buttons, and avoiding him is nearly impossible when she needs his help.
Ford didn't plan on returning home—ever—but when he hears that the Kowalski ranch is in trouble, he hightails it back to town. He's not eager to be reminded of the life he can never have, but his time in Big Verde is only temporary. He'll stay long enough to get the ranch up and running, then hit the road again. But when Ford finds out the new foreman he's training is Claire, still as stubborn and beautiful as ever, this cowboy is going to have to decide what matters most---repeating the mistakes of the past or fighting for a future with the only woman he's ever loved...
I have so many thoughts right now, mostly positive and a few critical and I'm not quite sure where to start... How about the characters?
Claire - To be completely honest, she was a smidge bit annoying. I think she was meant to be headstrong and independent but I ended up finding her to be kind of bratty.
Ford - Swoon! Although Ford's character flaw felt a bit cliche and overused, I still loved Ford.
Maggie & Travis - OMG! It was absolutely amazing seeing more of Maggie and Travis and how their relationship (now, marriage! EEEEEEEE!!!!) was going. Honestly, I would be totally happy if Carly just decided to write a whole series on the life of Travis and Maggie. And Henry! Oh my gosh, they are all just the cutest family ever.
The best part of this book was its humor. I bookmarked all the scenes that made me laugh and there were a lot of them.
"'I bet you got through the book super quick then,' Claire said. 'There were a lot of racy scenes. Like the one at the inn where he tied her to the bed-'
'That was at the castle,' Miss Mills said. 'The inn is where they had that sinful food orgy. That is not what the good Lord intended butter for.'"
I could go on and on. This entire review could just be me typing up whole pages of hilarious scenes. The bar scene, for instance. In spite of its slightly heavy themes, it made me giggle so many different times!
I also, as always, loved the steamy scenes. They were hot which I loved. Beyond that, they were also so heartfelt and genuine. The raw passion and emotion was just...
Overall, this book was emotional, sexy, and hilarious! Highly recommended!!
Bottom Line:
4.5 stars
Age Rating - [ R ]
Content Screening -
Positive Messages (4/5) - [Kindness, Bravery, Commitment]
Violence (3/5) - [Bar fight, Punches, Minor injuries]
Sex (4/5) - [Detailed sex scenes, Sexual themes and terms]
Language (3/5) - [F**k, D*mn, Sh*t, Cl*t]
Trigger and Content Warning - Loss of a loved one, Cancer, Violence, Floods, Near-death experience
NOTE: This is an adult book with detailed sex scenes and isn't intended for younger readers
Publication Date: March 31st, 2020
Publisher: Forever (an imprint of Grand Central Pub (an imprint of Hachette Book Group))
Genre: Contemporary/Romance
------------------
4.5 stars! YES! YES! YES!
review to come
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This is the second book I have read in this series. Just like the first book, I enjoyed reading this book as well. Therefore, I look forward to reading the third book.
Claire and Ford share some hot, steamy chemistry. Although, I like that even though they had instant chemistry; they did not make any moves on it until further into the story. This was it felt more real. While, Claire and Ford may have been the main lead characters in this book, don't count out the other ones. They played just as big a parts as well. Thus the reason I enjoyed this book. No second strings here. Just plain fun and romance. Oh and plenty of cowboys.
Claire and Ford share some hot, steamy chemistry. Although, I like that even though they had instant chemistry; they did not make any moves on it until further into the story. This was it felt more real. While, Claire and Ford may have been the main lead characters in this book, don't count out the other ones. They played just as big a parts as well. Thus the reason I enjoyed this book. No second strings here. Just plain fun and romance. Oh and plenty of cowboys.
3.5 Stars. I've loved Carly Bloom's past works (both the novel and novella) so much so I think my feelings towards this book were completely a reflection of current events. This book felt very disjointed to me. It was missing elements of second chance romance that I love, such as learning about what happened with Claire and Ford the first time around, and was too much small town romance for my taste. It felt like at one point the plot took a detour from their relationship into what was happening with all the other characters in Big Verde, which is not something I'm a fan of. I also felt like the Cinderella element was a little forced. I still look forward to reading Beau and Alice's book though!
Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for my ARC to review.
Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for my ARC to review.
Well this was just as sweet/funny/tender as the first one, and I can't wait to read the next one! Western romances are a new genre for me, and I have to say that Carly Bloom has set the bar high. Strong women in a male-dominated business? Yes, please! This was just the lighthearted read I needed right now.
Two years earlier, Ford Jarvis and Claire Kowalski were an item. They were the hot ticket of Big Verde. Ford captured Claire’s heart, and Claire thought Ford was her knight in shining armor. Her Prince Charming. But as sudden as their romance started, Ford suddenly leaves for “greener” pastures.
Devastated by the loss of her love, Claire seeks out distractions to occupy her time. Only to find disappointment at every corner. Then, one day, she spots him. Ford Jarvis is back on her ranch! How could her father, Gerome Kowalski, allow the man that crushed her heart back to Rancho Cañada Verde? Yet, Claire’s heart still tugs at the sight of him, and she still might have a little love left. If only Ford could love her back…
Cowboy Come Home is a steamy western romance novel set in the Texas High Country where you either go big or go home. And on a twelve thousand acre ranch, it sure went big. With a picturesque backdrop and engaging characters, Cowboy Come Home is a novel that will warm and touch your heart in more ways than one. Five heartwarming stars.
I received a digital copy of the novel from Forever through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Devastated by the loss of her love, Claire seeks out distractions to occupy her time. Only to find disappointment at every corner. Then, one day, she spots him. Ford Jarvis is back on her ranch! How could her father, Gerome Kowalski, allow the man that crushed her heart back to Rancho Cañada Verde? Yet, Claire’s heart still tugs at the sight of him, and she still might have a little love left. If only Ford could love her back…
Cowboy Come Home is a steamy western romance novel set in the Texas High Country where you either go big or go home. And on a twelve thousand acre ranch, it sure went big. With a picturesque backdrop and engaging characters, Cowboy Come Home is a novel that will warm and touch your heart in more ways than one. Five heartwarming stars.
I received a digital copy of the novel from Forever through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.