As Olivia Logan is about to find out, sometimes the things we want aren’t the things we truly need.

25-year-old Olivia is a woman with a plan. You know the type, the ‘This is where I’ll be in 5-years’ etc. Only her ex-boyfriend put a spanner in the works *frowns*. For someone who strives to be in control of all things, failure is not an option. On a mission to win him back she hatches a plan with the last man anyone would expect ‘Good Girl’ Olivia to spend time with - well, voluntarily.

Gold Valley is the only home that 36-year-old Luke Hollister has ever truly known. If you’re *coughs* looking for a good-time-guy with no strings attached then Luke is your man *snorts* Don’t let that smile fool you though, this is a man loyal to his very core and extremely hard-working but masking a hurt few can imagine.

It’s finally time for Luke to lay down his roots and have something to call his own. Olivia could be the key to making his dreams come true so what’s a little quid pro quo between frenemies?

What is they say? The truth will out? Well, it certainly is for these two. Just being in each other’s orbit causes fissures in their carefully crafted defences. Says a lot, doesn’t it?

Both have secrets, both aren’t being true to themselves. If we can’t be honest with ourselves then what hope is there? As you can tell, I was starting to get a bit exasperated with them at this point. Lots of talking to the book ensued with promises of head knocking if they didn’t get their heads *whispers* out of you know where *smirks*

Whaaa? Puhlease! It wouldn’t be a ‘me’ review without some talking to the characters. Lalalalala *puts fingers in ears* What have I said before? They are real to me. End of.

I defy anyone not to lose a little bit of their heart to Luke. He’s totally swoon-worthy and caused spontaneous outbursts of coquettish laughter *palms face* No need to worry about me, I do enough of that on my own...Sheesh!

This was my first read by Maisey Yates and I can’t wait to return to Gold Valley.

So, what are you waiting for? Come on, you know what they say about cowboys and horses? Save a horse... okay, okay - I won’t say another word *winks*

Western romance at its best! Two very different personalities from very different backgrounds plan, for their own and very different reasons, to pretend to fall in love. She because she wants to make her ex-boyfriend jealous, he because he wants her father to trust him and sell him some land. The best laid plans however, often do not end the way that they are supposed to. But, what else could you expect with a steamy hot cowboy and a very attractive girl! Seems a romance made in heaven. The exploits of this couple had me chuckling and unable to put the book down. Extremely enjoyable.

I enjoy reading about places and people who lead lives very different from mine. Western romance with a sexy cowboy certainly qualifies, those of you who follow my blog will remember I wrote a  novel called The Dangerous Gift, which featured a sexy cowboy too, and I really enjoyed the research for this.

'Smooth- Talking Cowboy' is aptly titled. Luke is a charmer, and although he hides his pain and ambitions from the world at large, he is a complex man. Olivia follows the rules and tries to be the perfect daughter, but Luke both frightens and attracts her, and for the first time she wants to live her life to the full, by her own rules.

The story is one of the opposites attract, and the simmering passion makes this a steamy romance, in parts. Both want something from their deal to market themselves as the town's hottest couple, but when emotions deepen, both realise they want something more.

A sexy Cowboy, a heroine striving for independence and a plot full of action and conflict makes this a must-read for lovers of western romance and those who like to try something new.

I received a copy of this book from Mills & Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Smooth-Talking Cowboy is the first book in the Gold Valley series by Maisey Yates.

I normally only read historical cowboy stories, you know the ones...set in the wild west. I decided to try a contemporary one for a change. I am happy to say that I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I was captivated by the characters from the very beginning and read the book quickly because I didn't want to put it down.

Olivia Logan wants stability and in order to get it she gives her boyfriend of one year, Bennett, an ultimatum, he has to propose to her or they are finished. He chooses the latter. She decides to make him realise what he is missing by pretending to be interested in somebody else.

Luke Hollister is that somebody else. He agrees to help Olivia in exchange for her help to get her father to agree to sell him a piece of land. Secretly though he is more than happy to help her because he gets to spend time with her. He is 11 years her senior but has secretly fancied her from the minute he started to see her as a woman.

Problems start to arise when Luke and Olivia start to spend time together and find out more about each other. Things that they haven't shared with others. The more they learn about each other, the more they like the other person. Like seems to turn to lust, but can lust turn to love when neither of them wants that with each other.

Luke and Olivia are complex characters with a lot of emotional baggage between them. Luke doesn't believe he is good enough for any woman unless they are only interested in sex. Olivia is hung up with pleasing her friends and family putting their wants above her own. Reading how Luke and Olivia find about each other's insecurities and hang-ups and seeing how they help to make the other see the truth was lovely to read. I loved seeing their relationship develop even if they both thought it was a sexual one only. That sex was hot and passionate, beautifully written with emotions at the forefront so that the reader knows that the encounters weren't just sex for the sake of it. Do the actual couple ever figure that out though? What about Olivia, she still thinks she wants Bennett or at least should want him...so who will have a happy ever after?

I really did like this story and will definitely read more from this author in the future. Wow, look at me enjoying this genre of book that much! I am happily surprised.

This one I honestly don’t remember why I requested this on Netgalley because apart from the fake relationship aspect (which is my bread and butter) there is nothing about this which would usually appeal. Cowboys are not my jam in romance (and why are they so popular, there a whole heap of cowboy romances out there in the world!). That being said I did enjoy this but it was another middling read as a whole and that was mostly because the fake relationship didn’t last all that long. The very beginning had Olivia and Luke faking their relationship but it very swiftly turned to a genuine one and this pare who were convinced they weren’t going to be together realised that they had a serious case of denial because there were sparks flying and they definitely were meant to be. I mean, I think that aspect would have worked for me but the part that really annoyed me was Olivia had broken up with her ex to try and push him to ‘put a ring on it’. That kind of game playing rubs me the wrong way so that and her uppity attitude you get from her at the start put me off. You do get to see another side of her but I think as a whole she was never destined to be a heroine I loved because I prefer them a bit more stubborn and with a bit more attitude. In the end, it was ok and I enjoyed it… but I wouldn’t go back for more.

I absolutely loved this book it was intriguing and suspenseful and a fabulous read and I recommend giving it a try

Nice easy read. Found myself enjoying getting to know the characters and their history. Look forward to reading about some of the other characters in future books as well.

My heart went out to Luke while reading about his mother and how he ended up working on the ranch at the age of 16, after running away. This book will make you feel sad and happy at the same time. Innocent Olivia want to use Luke to make her ex jealous but she end up falling in love with him.

Olivia has her life all planned out, the only problem is that Bennett is dragging his feet. So she dumps him in order to make him realise what he is missing. So far its not working. She is going to need a man to make him jealous. I have to be honest and say that Olivia came across as very manipulative. It didn't seem to matter what anyone else wanted. Enter Luke who makes a deal with Olivia, he will help make Bennett jealous, if she helps him buy her fathers vacant land. Both our hero and heroine are dealing with issues. Maisey Yates did a great job of peeling back the emotional layers of these two characters. She skillfully brings Olivia & Luke to their happy ever after.

Also included in the copy i had was a bonus novel. Seduce me cowboy. Hayley has led a sheltered life as the pastors daughter. Working for her father in the churches office. Hayley is sick of being the good girl, she has plans to earn some money then move away. She starts a new job at Gray bear construction. Her boss Jonathon is a difficult boss, yet she cant help feeling attracted to him. Jonathon cant help being attracted to Hayley even though she is nothing like the women he is normally attracted too. Maisey Yates takes you on an enjoyable journey as Hayley experiences new things and Jacob learns new things about him.

ARC received from net galley as part of Mills & Boon insiders. This is my voluntary review.

Thank you to Mills and Boon for sending me SMOOTH TALKING COWBOY.
Bearing in mind I live twenty-five miles from London I've never actually met a cowboy, apart from the guy who came to fix the roof on the extension and charged an arm and a leg, so this is the first 'cowboy' book I've read. It's set in Gold Valley, Oregon, and centres on Olivia Logan and her wish to find happy ever after with Bennett, however her plan to snare him into marriage goes awry and she 'accidentally' ends up in the arms of someone else. The book contains descriptions of sexual encounters, which is fine with me; they're done well and the author has not used them in a gratuitous way. This is a genre I have not read before and I would certainly be happy to read more. I don't want to say more than that because it would give away the plot, but if you love cowboys, you'll love this!

Easy to read romance.

Olivia and Luke have their own reasons and agenda why they pretend to be together. Why they act like a couple in front of the whole town and why they cause a 'scene'. Until it all becomes too real for both of them and what if they can't pretend anymore? Is it love or is it just a feeling of freedom and dropping all the pretense.

I enjoyed this book and would read more from this author. The only thing that didn't work for me was fast ending, a bit too easy for me. But overall it was good.

Smooth Talking Cowboy is the first novel in the Gold Valley series. Written by Maisey Yates and published by Mills & Boon the series is set in Gold Valley, Oregon. There is also a bonus book - Seduce Me, Cowboy - which is set in Copper Ridge.

Smooth Talking Cowboy is set in Gold Valley Oregon. Olivia Logan is still seething and hurt after being dumped by Bennett Dodge, the man she thought she would marry and also the man her father wanted her to marry. She keeps running into Luke Hollister, the chirpy, handsome cowboy who always rubs her up the wrong way. They concoct a plan to pretend they are a couple. Luke needs Olivia to put in a good word about him to her father as he wants to buy some land from him and Olivia wants to show Bennett what he is missing. Will the fake relationship become a life long romance?

I enjoyed this book as it is interesting to see Maisey Yates reconcile two determined characters with issues. Olivia has always tried to be the prefect twin and daughter after her sister went off the rails as a teenager and has always been held to a much high standard. Bennett moved to Gold Ridge at 16 and has always felt like an outsider to the close knit community. The book is well written and I found the small American town angle interesting.

The bonus book Seduce Me, Cowboy is set in Copper Ridge and focuses upon Hayley Thompson breaking loose from the being the good girl who worked as the secretary at her father's church and going to work for Jonathan Bear, the local bad boy who also happens to be a construction millionaire. She has a bucket list of wishes- see the world, get a passport, lose her virginity. Jonathan soon helps her fulfil her last wish. This book didn't follow the formulaic M&B life plan. They didn't meet each other and fall in love. Instead Hayley so Jonathan as a means to an ends. If anything he fell for her firs! The new found romance founders as he has deep seated issues relating to love and , trust and abandonment which can be traced back to his turbulent childhood. Can he overcome these issues or will Hayley travel the world without him?


Maisey Yates is an Oregon native ( I follow her IG account and it does look a beautiful state) and it is clear that she enjoyed writing about and is proud of "her" State. I enjoyed both books, especially the bonus one as it didn't necessarily follow the traditional romance novel rules. Hayley, although the perfect Pastor's daughter but is determined to break out and follow her dreams where ever they take her. Love doesn't feature on her agenda! Smooth Talking Cowboy also has a heroine who is determined and single minded. They are both very Americanised stories. Some romances focus so much on the characters and generic storylines it is easy to guess the ending (not that that is a bad thing to do, I estill enjoy reading them) These have been well thought out and the characters woven in with the traditions, influences and psyche of a small Oregon town, which is interesting to read as I m from the UK and wouldn't think of some of the problems/ issues that shape the characters' lives. I am looking forward to the next instalment and may well go back and read her Copper Ridge series.

I received this book via Netgalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review. I am a #MillsAndBoonInsider #netgalley

Available from:
Amazon UK

Mills & Boon

On what a joy!
A well written story of romance and discovering want, need, emotional feelings that burst forth and finally erupt at the happy ever after ending of an erotic, sassy romance.

Three and a half stars.

Olivia Logan broke up with her boyfriend when he didn't take the romantic opportunity of a family Christmas party to propose to her. She's hoping that time apart will make him realise that he does want to marry her after all. Olivia has had her perfect life mapped out in her head for years, very different from the wayward life her twin sister has adopted. Olivia wants a nice steady husband, a white picket fence and maybe some dogs, she certainly doesn't want someone as obnoxious as Luke Hollister. But when her car gets a puncture on the way to work Luke is the only person who stops and gives her a lift.

Luke sees right through Olivia, maybe he's been watching her just a tad too closely since she was 18 years old, especially since her ex-boyfriend is like a younger brother to him. Bit somehow he agrees to make Olivia's ex jealous by flirting with her and taking her on a couple of dates. Suddenly Olivia wonders how she could ever have settled for 'nice' when Luke makes everything sizzle and burn.

I liked this, I love a bad boy/ good girl trope and I also love the fake relationship to make someone jealous that turns into something more. Olivia had created an imaginary life and populated with a cardboard Ken-doll, then Luke came along and blew that dream out of the water. Luke on the other hand was afraid to go after what he wanted, afraid to rock the boat and take a stand, until Olivia shone a light on the dream he couldn't even imagine to himself.

My ARC came with a second novel - but this was the one I requested.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A fast paced read.
Olivia is using Luke to make her ex jealous. Luke is using Olivia too. Not sure I particularly liked either of the chracters so made it difficult to care what happened to them.