My Favorite Cowboy (Heart of Texas, #3)

by Donna Grant

Caleb didn’t expect to find her in the midst of crime. Stumbling upon a horse theft in the west is plenty wild for this cowboy - until he meets the fierce, talented, equine veterinarian. Between her keen, skillful healing and his adept command of the saddle, their comradery rescues horses across the desert. Their mutual admiration grows. With a demanding duty to protect the beautiful beasts they love, this duo must let nothing distract them. But can they keep their growing attraction fenced in? Or will they let the passion between them run untamed?

• ISBN13: 9781250169020
• Publish Date: 1 April 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 4 April 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: St Martin's Press
• Imprint: St. Martin's Paperbacks
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: http://melia.co.uk/page/detail/?k=9781250169020

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

This story belongs to the youngest Harper, Caleb. Retired from the military he owns a ranch with his brother and is passionate about training horses. Their mother abandoned Caleb and his siblings the year Abby turned eighteen. While each of them carry baggage, Caleb has kept his heart safe and has never been in a serious relationship...that is until he meets Audrey Martinez.

Audrey is a highly desires Equine veterinarian who lives with her sister Maddy. Like Caleb, Audrey protects her heart and never takes chances.  The tale that unfolds soon pulled me in when Audrey tries to save horses from a mysterious illness as danger mounts and sparks fly.

I really enjoy the way Grant blends suspense, romance, family and ranch life. I am a sucker for a good cowboy story and Caleb Harper was swoon-worthy, even if I wanted to hit him over the head. Sibling interferences, and a twisted mystery along with an unwelcome visitor had me devouring this in just two sittings.

I enjoyed watching these two deal with feelings and the undeniable chemistry. My Kindle heated when these two finally came together. I love when we see character growth and both characters experienced it. We got updates on Brice and Naomi and some news that has me yearning for a novella about them. Clayton and Abby were present as well and aided in the mystery. 
This might be the last book as it wrapped up most loose ends and we've received each of the siblings stories. However, I am hoping we get a spin-off or more books with secondary characters like the boys' friends and Audrey's sister that includes updates on the Harpers.  Grant hinted at things, so I am crossing my fingers.

Fans who enjoy a nice balance of suspense and romance with plenty of heart will enjoy the Heart of Texas series. While My Favorite Cowboy works as a standalone, there is an overall ARC that begs to be read in order of release. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[chymerra]

I have mentioned in other reviews that I love reading contemporary western romances. Something about cowboys makes me weak in the knees. They are my not so guilty pleasure. It was a no brainer that I was going to read and review My Favorite Cowboy when I was approached by the publisher.

I liked Audrey. She was a no-nonsense large equine veterinarian who genuinely cared about the animals. She worked for two large ranches and also helped a horse rescue out, free of charge. Her passion and love for horses were palpable. I loved that she was Hispanic. I have read very few books where Hispanic’s are the main female romantic lead. I thought it was wonderful and refreshing.

Caleb had some serious abandonment issues. He was the last person to see his mother before she took off. He asked her not to leave and she left. Her leaving affected everyone but Caleb was affected the most. That left some deep-rooted issues that manifested in Caleb having trust issues. He also couldn’t invest himself in relationships. I did like Caleb. Besides his issues, he was a great guy. It was interesting watching him fight himself as he was falling in love with Audrey. Interesting and sad.

The main plotline was excellent. It went from who was making the horses sick to who had a personal vendetta against Audrey. Usually, I guess who the person was early on in the book. But, in this case, I was kept on my toes. I was surprised at who that person turned out to be. I was also surprised at the lengths that person went through to cover their tracks. I thought it was going to be someone else and my mind was blown when that person’s identity was revealed.

There were a few secondary plotlines. One involved Caleb, Brice and Abby’s mother, Helen. Another one was Brice and Naomi’s fertility issues. Another one involved Audrey and Maddy’s father. They were all wonderfully written.

I was mad with the storyline involving Brice and Naomi. Caleb shouldn’t have said ANYTHING. NADA. It wasn’t his place. I would have been so upset if someone else broke news like that to the family.

I also understood why Caleb was so against meeting Helen. I also understood why he did what he did at the end of that storyline. Forgiveness is a hard thing to do.

I will say that the storyline involving Audrey and Maddy’s father was the only one that didn’t make sense. From the beginning to the end, I was left going “He did what? Why turn up now?“.

The sex scenes were fog up my Kindle’s screen hot. I was a little disappointed that the author went the whole “I forgot to wear a condom, hope you are clean” route. I know these are fictional characters but I was mentally screaming at them “Diseases, people. DISEASES. Get tested ASAP.”

The end of My Favorite Cowboy was nail-biting. The bad guy was revealed as was the reasons why that person did what they did. I loved the epilogue. I was left wondering if there was going to be more books in the series. I am hoping so.

I would give My Favorite Cowboy an Adult rating. There is sex (not explicit). There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be the abandonment of a child, death of a parent, death of a spouse, infertility and animal abuse. I would recommend no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread My Favorite Cowboy. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review My Favorite Cowboy.

All opinions stated in this review of My Favorite Cowboy are mine.