This was a short romance novel I did not like the storyline, but I appreciate th the author.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Bolinda Audio for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Her Big Sky Cowboy
by Alissa Callen
3.5/ 5⭐️

Her Big Sky Cowboy instantly caught my attention with its title and adorable audio cover. This is my first time reading a book from his author. Although this story is part of a series, I was able to read it as a stand-alone and follow along easily.

I loved the small-town romance between Zane and Trinity. Zane is a rancher who has taken in his nephew, Finn. Trinity is a speech therapist who is working with Finn after the tragic loss of his mother. Zane has sworn off women but as Trinity works with Finn, she makes him realize forgiveness is better than hatred.

The narrator’s, Jessica Preddy, performance is perfect. When reading Trinity’s parts she is delicate but lively. As Zane, she captures his masculine voice without overpowering his character. I would definitely listen to more books narrated by Preddy. I listened to this book is one day and highly enjoyed it.

Read if you like:
🏘️small town romance
👨🏻single dad
😠grumpy vs. sunshine ☀️
🤠cowboys
🚪closed-door romance

Thank you to @Bolindaaudio and @netgalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. All my opinions are my own.
Publication Date: October 1, 2024

This was my first time reading a book from this author and I have a new Closed-door romance author!
I loved the small town, cowboy vibes in this one. There was tons of chemistry that kept the story alive.
I just loved Finn and his bug obsession, all little boys have to have one.
I with we got an epilogue with the whole family together, though. I felt I missed out on how our MMC got along with his mother and if she ever found out about his relation with her grandson (don't want to say too much, so I don't spoil it.)
I listened to the audio for this one and she was great. I would have loved it more if we had duo voices, one for the MMC (I'm a sucker for a male voice doing the cowboy characters.). But I enjoyed the female narrator, she did most characters very well (with exception of the Australian character, but she had a short appearance, so it didn't bother me much).

Her Big Sky Cowboy is a quick, cute, small town romance.

I struggled a little with the first half, due to trouble keeping the characters straight, and the repetitiveness of both characters internal narratives.

However it really picked up in the second half and I’m glad I stuck with it. I enjoyed the twist and the character growth, and overall thought this was a sweet and wholesome romance.

The narration was animated and added a vibrancy to the emotional experiences of the characters, making for an easy, escapist listen.

Thank you Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Her Big Sky Cowboy is a cute, small town, single dad, cowboy romance with a couple of quirks to keep it different.

Of course our MMC is a dreamy rancher who has sworn off women forever due to his past but our FMC can show him to trust again. Has some swoon worthy tropes: single dad, cowboy, grumpy sunshine. It’s almost single dad/nanny vibes but not quite.

I haven’t read the other books in this series (yet) but likely will go back and read them after finishing this one. Super quick read, done in a day for me, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It probably won’t stand out as a super memorable rancher romance but it was good and would still recommend.
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🫑(meaning sweet and not spicy, not even a little bit)

I received the Audio ARC from Bolinda Audio on NetGalley. Jessica Preddy is the perfect narrator for this story. She has a softness to her voice that perfectly captures Trinity’s spirit. Her masculine voice when narrating Zane is subtle and works well, it isn’t distracting or off putting which can sometimes be the case with a single narrator. Would happily listen to other books that she narrates.

thank you netgalley and bolinda audio for this early audiobook review book 🫶🏻

a cute, quick and easy small town romance!! it’s short one but still very wholesome. finn was so cute and i loved seeing him grow and be more open with trinity. zane also breaking down his walls and learning to trust trin was done well.

i wasn’t expecting some of the plot twist which made it more of an interesting read but overall if you want something light but still impactful, pick this one up!!

thank you netgalley and Bolinda Audio for the audio of this book.

This was a cute read. But I do struggle with 3rd person narration, especially if there's one narrator.

✨️small town
✨️single dad
✨️broken mmc
✨️grumpy x Sunshine

Finn was a little cutie, and I loved his bond with Trinity. This book definitely felt like one for those healing from trauma.

Zane was great, I think he was an honest character in terms of his feelings and intentions. But his last really dictated his life.

I just think this was extremely slow paced. And I am not a fan of third act breakup.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for the ARC

This was a short and sweet romance novel with a teacher and a single dad. I liked the forbidden relationship between the pair. While our mmc was afraid of getting his heart broken again and was abit closed off in the start I appreciated how in touch he was with his emotions. He was quick to forgive and though he was scared to show it, he always knew what he felt. I thought their relationship was healthy. I also found the bond between our fmc and the kid heartwarming and sweet.

Really enjoyed this short cowboy romance. The male lead was absolutely adorable, the story was believable and didn't get wildly complicated. And it was just such a lovely read. Definitely recommend if you're love cowboys!

Her Big Sky Cowboy is a cozy, small-town romance set against the backdrop of Montana's rugged beauty. The story of Trinity and Zane has its charming moments, especially with its heartwarming family dynamics and the healing both characters seek. However, the plot feels somewhat predictable, with few surprises along the way.

Jessica Preddy’s narration is clear and easy to follow, though her character voices can be a bit hard to distinguish at times. While her performance brings warmth to the story, some listeners might find the pace a bit slow, making it hard to stay fully engaged.

Overall, if you're a fan of sweet, low-conflict romances with a scenic setting, this audiobook can be an enjoyable listen, though it might not stand out among more dynamic or gripping romances.

It wasn't anything exceptional, just okay overall. The narrator really didn’t work for me, which might have affected my enjoyment.

This was a good time - it's definitely not a life changing romance, but it was a lot of fun! If you're looking for a cowboy romance with some family drama, I think you'll really enjoy this!

I was granted an audio ARC and found the narration to be really phenomenal! It was easy to enjoy!

Short and sweet cowboy romance. Spice level is low to non existent but still an enjoyable read. I liked the plot twist but did feel they were easily guessed throughout.

I have to say I did not enjoy this book very much sadly. It somehow took FOREVER while not going quick enough. I think the plot and the reveal felt like a soap opera and a bodice ripper at the same time. The other cover very much giving bodice ripper vibes.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I think if this is your preferred style of book you'll enjoy it but I felt like nothing was REALLY resolved other than choosing to not feel a certain way any more. The other character reveal I saw a mile away and also seemed sudden... I just felt very meh about the book as a whole sadly.

This book was a ride of mediocrity. Her Big Sky Cowboy by Alissa Callen is a story that’s as dusty as the fictional town it’s set in, lacking the tension and emotional stakes that make a romance worth reading. I will do a special mention to Jessica Preddy who narrated the the audiobook, you did a good job, but the book utterly fails to deliver a compelling story.

The story revolves around a surly, emotionally unavailable cowboy named Zane, his son Finn, the only really interesting character of the book, and an inexplicably devoted woman, Trinity, who, quite frankly, could have done much better!

Zane spends the novel being the quintessential brooding, emotionally unavailable man, who does not trust woman due to a past trauma (yet really he should not trust the men around him rather than the women). Trinity on the other hand, is portrayed as a strong independent woman, yet for reasons only known to her, she spends the entire book chasing after this emotionally stunted man.

What’s most frustrating is the lack of any real chemistry between the two. Their conversations are stilted, often bordering on tedious, and their romantic interactions feel forced, as though the characters themselves are as uninterested in each other as the reader is. There’s no spark, no banter, and certainly no passion.

As I'm reviewing the audiobook, the narrator, Jessica Preddy, is the only saving grace of this novel, bringing professionalism and nuance to a story that frankly doesn’t deserve it. It’s hard to root for a couple when it seems even they don’t care if they end up together. If you’re looking for a swoon-worthy cowboy romance, this isn’t it.

Thanks NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for giving me the opportunity to review the audiobook for "Her Big Sky Cowboy". Despite Preddy's best efforts, this book was not for me.

This one’s a quick read and a standalone in a series of romances. I enjoyed the tension between Trinity and Zane and the ranch lifestyle portrayed in the story. Zane’s son is sweet despite his love of creepy crawlies, which Trinity enthusiastically supports. It feels as though these three will make a great family but I would have liked to see more of Zane and Trinity together to get a sense of them as a couple, sharing with each other and building an emotional connection as this seemed to be glossed over and it felt like we spent more time with Zane’s son and Trinity than anything else. It felt like a great start to a story, and I enjoyed seeing Zane trying to work through his feelings and become more communicative for Trinity, as well as hearing his thoughts about her. All in all a sweet read but perhaps with their relationship too rushed.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration for this!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Her big sky cowboy
Alissa Callen
⭐️⭐️⭐️

5yo Finn is having trouble communicating after the loss of both of his parents. Speech therapist Trinity has made it her mission to help him move through his grief and regain his confidence before school starts.

Zane is a handsome, grumpy cowboy who use grunts in lieu of words and trusts no one. He took custody of his nephew Finn and wants to work with Trinity to give Finn his best shot at life but can he get past his trust issues (read: mummy issues) and let her in?

•••

This is a cute short romance novella in an interconnected series.
> Insta-love
> Grumpy x Sunshine
> Single Dad
> Cowboy
> Complicated family matters
> HEA

Thankyou to NetGalley for providing this ARC

A great story if you're looking for an introduction into the cowboy romance genre!

The plot of this revolves around the MMC Zane, a broody rancher and new single dad to five year old Finn who is going through speech therapy with Trinity, the FMC. Zane has been wronged in the past and isn't looking for love while Trinity is searching for her mr. right (which she is positive could never be the rancher she's crushing on).

I really enjoyed the pace of this story and how Alissa wrote Zane and Trinity's relationship. From the start you could tell they were attracted to each other but feeling the pressures of how off limits a relationship between them was. There were also a lot of components to this story outside of the romance that kept me intrigued and really brought this story (and the characters) together.


Overall I rated this a 3.5/5 stars and would definitely recommend if you are looking for a quick audiobook with a good story and no spice/a clean romance (no explicit scenes or descriptions during the characters inner monologues).

Special thank to NetGalley and Bolinda audio for this ALC!

This was such a cute listen! I loved the audiobook version of this and thought the narrator did an amazing job. As for the plot, I thought it was a little superficial and could've used more development into the backstory of Trinity being a speech therapist, Zane becoming a father, and Finn's past. I wasn't buying the romance between Zane and Trinity... it felt insta-lovey and like they had more backstory that should've been mentioned.

★★★☆☆

This book offers a pleasant writing style paired with a good narrator, making for an enjoyable listening experience. The storyline has that comforting Hallmark feel, perfect for when you’re in the mood for something light and heartwarming.

The characters are really likable, and I enjoyed following their journey. However, I would have liked to feel a bit more tension between them to add some depth to the story. Overall, it’s a happy-go-lucky read that’s easy to relax with, even if it doesn’t bring a lot of surprises.