Tag: Caitlin Crews

Summer Nights with a Cowboy (Kittredge Ranch: Book 3) by Caitlin Crews

Publisher: St. Martin’s, St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Date of Publication: March 29th, 2022

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Western

Series: Kittredge Ranch

Secret Nights with a Cowboy—Book 1

Sweet Nights with a Cowboy—Book 1.5

All Night Long with a Cowboy—Book 2 (review here)

Summer Nights with a Cowboy—Book 3

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible | B&N | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

USA Today bestseller Caitlin Crews returns with Summer Nights with a Cowboy, another emotional romance in her stunning cowboy series Kittredge Ranch….
He doesn’t believe in love…

Traveling nurse Janie Atwood has come to Cold River to uncover old family secrets and maybe, if she’s lucky, find a new home. That the gorgeous, glowering sheriff next door thinks her caring for his elderly neighbor is a nefarious scheme is a bonus. Having never been anything but a good girl, Janie finds Zack Kittredge’s simmering suspicion an excellent reason to try being a little dangerous instead…

She doesn’t believe in squandering it…

Sheriff Zack Kittredge is okay with being… intense. He takes his loner status as seriously as he takes his responsibilities to protect Cold River. And he thinks cheerful Janie might be a threat to the town. But the more he gets to know her, the more he faces the truth―she’s brighter than sunshine and he’s like a moth to her flame. When Janie suggests he could use a few charm school lessons, he surprises them both by accepting. He doesn’t need help. But it’s clear he might need her…

Because the only thing hotter than the summer sun in the Rockies is the forbidden passion that burns between them…

First Line:

Janie Atwood had never met the sheriff of pretty little Cold River personally, but she was already aware that he hated her.

summer nights with a cowboy by caitlin crews

Romances are among my top 3 genres to read. I love all types of romances: erotica, shifter, contemporary, historical, western…etc. So, when an invite for a romance novel is in my email, I almost always accept it. With Summer Nights with a Cowboy, I was already familiar with the series (Kittredge Ranch) and the universe in which the book took place. So, yes, I decided to accept it before reading the synopsis. I knew that it was about Zack and that it took place in Cold River. That’s all I needed to know before I said yes.

Summer Nights with a Cowboy is book 3 in the Kittredge Ranch series. It can be read as a standalone book, but I highly suggest (as I always do) that you read the first two books before picking this one up. The main character of this book makes numerous appearances in that series. Even better, check out Cold River Ranch for the backstories of several of the secondary characters in this book.

Summer Nights with a Cowboy’s plotline interested me. Zack is the sheriff of Cold Creek, and he takes his job very seriously. Janie is a free-spirit traveling nurse who has moved into her client’s house. Janie and Zack’s paths cross when she accidentally trips and dumps her latte down the front of his shirt. And their ways continue to cross because Zack is her client’s next-door neighbor. After another rude encounter, Janie suggests that Zack needs etiquette classes and offers to teach them. To her surprise, he takes her up on her offer. As they get to know each other better, Janie has a secret that could derail their fledgling relationship. And Zack has deep-rooted scars from his traumatic childhood. Will Janie come clean to Zack about her secret? Can Zack accept it? And will Janie help Zack heal?

I loved that the author gave Zack a book of his own. He was such a presence in the Cold River series and in his brothers’ books that I wondered if it would happen. I expected his character to be a little less rigid than what he was portrayed in the other books. But, alas, he wasn’t. But you know what, it worked for me. I loved seeing him gradually (and sometimes it was at a snail’s pace) come to terms with what happened during his childhood. I also loved seeing him happy and relaxed when he was with Janie. The only thing I disagreed with was when he warned Janie about the Halls. I thought it was not cool (mainly because of what she was looking for) and a little selfish of him. Other than that, I loved him.

Janie was awesome. She was precisely the type of woman that Zack needed. She was awkward but sweet. She also was as clumsy as heck. Throughout the book, she was constantly tripping over one thing or another. I kept thinking, “Girl, how can you do your job?” I also loved how she went about gathering information about her secret. Her interactions with Zack, her friends (via text), and the other townspeople had me in stitches.

The author thoroughly explains Zack’s childhood in the book. It was alluded to in the previous two books but never explained. All I have to say is shame on his mother. What an awful thing to subject your children to. I had some sympathy for her, but at the same time, I was outraged. Her actions caused her children to have issues that took years (and the love of a good woman) to fix. I was irritated with his father, but my irritation turned to sympathy after what his mother revealed.

I loved how the author chose to reveal Janie’s secret and how she explained everything behind it. It brought tears to my eyes and made me laugh simultaneously. Janie finally had explanations about things that her grandparents had told her.

Janie and Zack’s romance was sweet. It wasn’t HEA. Zack didn’t like Janie when he first met her. He was suspicious of her and thought she was a klutz. Janie was intimidated by Zack and his manliness (yes, laugh, but it is true), and he made her very nervous, making her clumsy. But the more they got together, the more Zack started to see her for who she truly was and started falling in love with her. The same went for Janie. Their relationship was natural and evolved as it would have in real life. Which means there was no HEA. Maybe lust on Janie’s end but NO HEA.

The chemistry that Janie and Zack had was off the charts. The author built up that chemistry and let it linger until the middle of the book when they kissed for the first time. Then, she built it back up again and let it go until they had sex for the first time. I enjoyed that the author chose not to have them having sex rule the second half of the book. Instead, it was graphic once and then mentioned or alluded to a few times afterward.

The end of Summer Nights with a Cowboy seemed almost dreamy to me. The author gave me the impression that the book was Zack looking back at how he met and fell in love with Janie (with scenes cut in with Janie looking back). The way it was written gave me that impression. I thought it was a perfect way to wrap up the story.

I would recommend Summer Nights with a Cowboy to anyone over 21. There is mild violence, language, and sexual situations/scenes.

All Night Long with a Cowboy (Kittredge Ranch: Book 2) by Caitlin Crews

Jensen Kittredge was kicked back in his favorite booth in the most disreputable bar in town, enjoying the usual spoils of a fine Saturday night.

All Night Long with a Cowboy by Caitlin Crews

All Night Long with a Cowboy is the 2nd book in the Kittredge Ranch series. I am not a big fan of picking up books mid-series, but this series is set in the same world as the Cold River Ranch series. Since I had read that series and was familiar with some of the characters, I had no issues reading this book. But, I suggest that you read book one to get a complete background on the Kittredge family.

The main plotline in All Night Long with a Cowboy is the romance between Harriet and Jensen. It is your typical opposites attract trope. What made this book great to read is that there were layers to both Harriet and Jensen. And those layers were peeled back and explored during the book.

There is a secondary plotline involving Aidan Hall. I was a little put off by two things about that plotline. One being that Aidan was screaming out for help and everyone played ostrich. Everyone except Harriet and she had to bulldoze Jensen into helping him. The other was that there was this expectation that Aidan would end up like his father, uncles, and grandfather. That made me almost blow a gasket when Jensen first told Harriet that. And I got even madder when Jensen said it to Aidan!!! But everything did turn out for the best. Still, that was the maddest I have been for a secondary character in a long time.

I like Harriet. I liked that she marched to the beat of her own drummer. She was a self-proclaimed cat lady (she had five cats). But I felt that she was a little two-dimensional at times. Her character didn’t feel as fleshed out to me as it should have. But then again, The author wrote Jensen to be larger than life, and he did take over scenes with her.

I liked Jensen too. I did feel that his backstory (about what happened when he was a teenager and the damage his childhood did to him) was dragged out. But I did appreciate it when he told Harriet about Daniel. That was his first step towards healing. I also got why he never changed people’s minds about him. All they saw was the fire jumper who was up for a good time, the man whore who never stayed two nights in a row. Instead, who Jensen was deep down was not even close to that image.

The romance angle of the book was well written. Jensen and Harriet had some serious chemistry going on. It was apparent from the beginning that they were going to have fireworks. And oh boy, did they!!

The end of All Night Long with a Cowboy was interesting. I liked the peek into the future that the author gave with Jensen and Harriet. I also couldn’t tell who book three is going to be about.

I would recommend that anyone over the age of 21 read All Night Long with a Cowboy. There is graphic sex, mild language, and some mild violence.

The Last Real Cowboy (Cold River Ranch: Book 3) by Caitlin Crews

The Last Real Cowboy (Cold River Ranch Book 3) by [Crews, Caitlin]

3.5 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Date of publication: January 28th, 2020

Genre: Romance

Series: Cold River Ranch

A True Cowboy Christmas—Book 1 (Review Here)

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy—Book 2 (Review Here)

The Last Real Cowboy—Book 3

Where you can find The Last Real Cowboy: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

In Cold River, sometimes forbidden love is the sweetest of them all…

Perennial good girl Amanda Kittredge knows that her longtime crush on Brady Everett was never really supposed to go anywhere. But when Brady comes home to Cold River during Amanda’s first attempt at independence, well, who better to teach her about rebellion than her older brother’s bad-boy best friend?

Brady’s plans did not include being forced to work the family homestead for a year–and yet, here he is. And, to make matters worse, his best friend’s innocent little sister is making a menace of herself in the most grown-up, tempting ways. When Amanda begs Brady to teach her about men, he knows he should refuse. But could Brady’s greatest temptation be his salvation?

First Line:

Brady Everett was the insufferable, patronizing, sadly all-too-gorgeous bane of Amanda Kittredge’s existence.

The Last Real Cowboy by Caitlin Crews

My Review:

The major plotline for The Last Real Cowboy centered around Brady and Amanda’s romance. The author chose to have that plotline go at a medium pace, which was more than OK with me. There was some lag towards the end of the book. I wasn’t thrilled with it, but the author was able to get the book back on track, so I dealt with it.

I am going to put up a quick trigger warning. Brady suffered intense emotional and verbal abuse by his father. The author didn’t hold back any punches when it came to writing what Angus did to him. Those were some of the most intense scenes of the book, and I will admit, I sobbed through them all. So, read with care if that type of abuse triggers you.

Brady was an enigma in Grey and Ty’s books. He was portrayed as someone who could care less about the ranch. I will admit, I was curious about how he would come across in the book. I was surprised when his character turned out to be the exact opposite of the previous two books. I felt terrible because he did have some legitimate business opportunities, and he got bullied/laughed at by his brothers. That was hard to read because they were continuing what Angus was doing to him.

I thought that Amanda was immature and impulsive for most of the book. But, once I got to thinking about it, I would have been the same way if I had four older brothers breathing down my neck. While she did mature throughout the book, her impulsiveness stayed. That impulsiveness was crucial towards the end of the book.

I did think that Brady and Amanda were a good couple, right from the beginning. They complimented each other. I loved that Amanda wasn’t afraid to go to bat for her man when the going got tough. I wouldn’t want to piss her off, that’s for certain. That scene was the best in the entire book.

The sexual attraction between Brady and Amanda was immediate and red hot. Of course, Brady did try to reign it in (because of her brothers), but Amanda kept chipping away at his defenses. That sexual attraction morphed into some intense sexual chemistry. The author was smart and built that chemistry up. So when they did have sex, it was explosive.

The plotline about Brady and the ranch was sad. As I mentioned above, his father abused him. He ensured that Brady would continue to be outcast by his brothers after his death. His college education was used against him time and time again. There was a point in the book where I did wonder why Brady was staying.

While The Last Real Cowboy is the last book in a series, it can be read as a standalone. But I would strongly suggest reading the first two books. It explains more about Angus and the brothers’ relationships.

I do wonder if Amanda’s brothers will be getting their books. If they do, I want to read it. They were a massive presence in The Last Real Cowboy!!

I wasn’t thrilled with the ending of The Last Real Cowboy. While everything happened the way I thought it did, I was left with a feeling that it was rushed.

I would give The Last Real Cowboy an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Last Real Cowboy. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy (Cold River Ranch: Book 2) by Caitlin Crews

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy (Cold River Ranch Book 2) by [Crews, Caitlin]

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Date of publication: July 30th, 2019

Genre: Romance

Series: Cold River Ranch

A True Cowboy Christmas—Book 1 (review here)

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy—Book 2

The Last Real Cowboy—Book 3 (expected publication date: January 28th, 2020)

Where you can find Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

A game of pretend with the highest stakes of all in the latest novel of breathtaking romance from USA Today bestselling author Caitlin Crews

Ty Everett ran off to the rodeo when he turned eighteen and has been riding bulls ever since…until his last fall causes partial amnesia and he must return to Cold River Ranch to figure out what comes next. But how can he pick his next move when he can’t remember how he got here in the first place—much less the beautiful woman who appears at the ranch, claims she knows him, and warms his cold heart for the first time since he woke up in the hospital?

Rodeo Queen Hannah Monroe gave up her crown for Ty Everett, and her innocence. What she wants from Ty now is a divorce. But Ty can’t remember her—or their secret wedding, or even the son she never meant to hide from him—and Hannah is torn. How can she leave the man she can’t forget and still loves despite herself? And even if she’s willing to start over, what will happen when the truth comes out?

First Line:

Hannah Leigh Monroe—which wasn’t her actual, legal married name, because she didn’t quite know if she was actually, legally married any longer—had been driving up and down the same county road in the Longhorn Valley outside of Cold River, Colorado, this pretty summer for going on two straight hours.

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy—Caitlin Crewes

My Review:

Plot:

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy’s plot was simple. A former rodeo queen goes searching for her husband after two years apart. She wants a divorce. Tracking him to his family’s ranch in Colorado, the rodeo queen makes a startling discovery. The former bull rider suffers from partial amnesia. He doesn’t remember anything from the past two years, which includes their marriage. She has some hard decisions to make. Will she give him another chance? Or will her secrets push them apart?

I enjoyed Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy’s plotline. It was simple and to the point. It was the simpleness of the plotline which made the book stand out to me. I didn’t have to remember a ton of plotlines. Just the main one and a few secondary plotlines.

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy’s plotline was moderately paced. There were times where the plotline seemed to drag. There were also other times where the plotline seemed to go fast. There were no dropped storylines, but there was a bit of a lag in the middle of the book.

I liked the secondary plotlines in the book. I did find that they were a bit sad. They were merged with the main storyline flawlessly.

I liked that Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy was set in Colorado. I felt that it was the perfect place for Ty and Hannah’s story to take place.

Characters

Hannah: My feelings for her were mixed. On the one hand, I did feel bad for her because of what she went through. But on the other hand, I didn’t like how she handled the whole Ty situation (keeping the baby a secret). But, I started to like her after how she dealt with Brady. By the end of the book, I loved her. She put everyone, including Ty, in their place. I did think that her Southern sass was too much at times, but that’s me.

Ty: He was a hot mess for most of the book. He was abused by his father growing up. The lack of self-esteem and self-confidence that his father hammered into him was evident during the entire book. His actions kept showing that. He became everything that his father said he would be and then some. Becoming a bull rider was the tip of the iceberg with him.

I didn’t like Hannah’s mother. She was bitter. Her scenes with Hannah left a bad taste in my mouth.

Even though he was dead, Amos was also a considerable part of the book. He lived on in Ty’s head. It was Amos’s voice that urged Ty to do the things he did. I wanted to cry during those scenes. That man did so much harm to Ty and all because he looked like his mother.

Brady was also featured in this book. I wasn’t fond of him. While I understood where he was coming from each time he went toe-to-toe with Hannah, it left me shaking my head. I am not letting how he acted in this book color how I look at him in his book.

Thoughts on the book:

I enjoyed reading Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy. I thought it was a fantastic fit in the romance category. Even with three troupes in the book (secret spouse, secret baby, and amnesia), it was still able to deliver on the romance.

Hannah and Ty had instant chemistry and sexual attraction. They were apparent the minute she confronted him at the ranch. What I found refreshing was that the author had Hannah and Ty hold off on having sex until halfway through the book.

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy was a great romance. Even though it had the three troupes that I don’t like/are getting sick of, I still enjoyed reading it. There were things that I didn’t like. I didn’t like how Hannah and Ty didn’t discuss their issues. I didn’t like how most of the book were Hannah/Ty talking about how they felt, in their head. I didn’t like Hannah keeping Jack a secret. I didn’t like what Hannah’s mother did. I most definitely didn’t like what Ty did at the end of the book.

I would give Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**