Cute, sweet, small town second chance romance. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life, which I appreciate! Overall it was okay if you want a quick easy read but for me personally it just wasn’t memorable enough.

Hold Me, Cowboy by Alissa Callen is a hear warming romance that takes readers straight to the rugged beauty of the countryside, where love blossoms against all odds. This story pairs an independent, driven heroine with a charming cowboy who has his own share of vulnerabilities, creating a captivating dynamic that makes for a truly enjoyable read.
Set on the breath taking plains, the novel beautifully captures the spirit of small-town life and the magic of nature, adding depth to the romance as the characters connect over their shared love for the land. Alissa Callen’s writing shines with vivid descriptions, making you feel right there under the open sky. The chemistry between the leads is natural and sweet, with just the right amount of tension to keep you rooting for them as they navigate both internal struggles and the obstacles in their way.
With heartfelt dialogue, memorable characters, and a storyline that balances tenderness with humour, Hold Me, Cowboy is a feel-good story that’s perfect for fans of wholesome, slow-burn romance. This was a delightful listen, and my first in this series so I’ll definitely be reaching for more from Alissa Callen.
Thank you to @Bolindaaudio and NetGalley for providing an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

'Hold Me, Cowboy' is the fifth book in the Wildflower Ranch Series. It is also the second book in The 77th Copper Mountain Rodeo series. I had not read any of the other books in these series and read it as a standalone.

Hold Me, Cowboy was originally published in 2015, with the audiobook due to be released on 1st December 2024.

I loved this easy cowboy romance! I read the entire book in one sitting and immediately fell for Kendall and Brent. The book opens with a scene that immediately draws you in - I can imagine it as a small excerpt from a previous book in the series (although can't confirm!). Following this, there is a small time jump. I couldn't help but root for Kendall and Brent to be together and felt the slow burn nature of the book felt entirely natural. I loved the relationship between Kendall, Peta and Rhett, too!

The audiobook is narrated by Jessica Preddy, who has the most calming voice! She seems like the perfect voice to match Kendall's character. I only wish it was a dual POV with FMC -and- MMC narrators.

I've added the remaining books of the series to my TBR as I can't wait to hear more from Alissa Callen (and return to Montana!)

This is the second book in the series and the abruptness of it starting definitely made it feel like it was either missing a chapter at the start or you need to read book 1 in the series first. I listened to the audiobook, and I think I would’ve liked it a lot more had I read a digital/physical copy. Firstly, there was quite a few pauses with weird breathy noises which seemed like they were missed in editing the audiobook. Secondly the FMC’s brother Rhett and her boyfriend Brent sound very similar and was often confusing to me.

I was really irritated by the MMC and his reason for staying far away from his hometown and Kendall for 4 years. It also annoyed me that he just kept saying that Kendall should be seeing the world and not staying in the small town with him when she has made it clear to him multiple times that he is all she wants. If you don’t like spice this book is probably great for you as the extent of it is the couple kissing. Personally, I felt like this book would’ve benefitted from a bit more because it only reinforced my belief that they didn’t have much chemistry. Overall, this book is an alright second chance romance but isn’t anything remarkable or something that will stick with me for a long time.

Thank you much to the author, Bolinda audio and Netgalley for providing me with an audio arc in return for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Just a cute little cowboy novella. The story is a bit of a stretch but it was a cute listen. Narrator did a great job with all of the voices. I want to read the rest of the series.

I received an arc from Netgalley and the publisher.

A lovely wholesome second chance romance, located on a ranch.

Kendall and Brent are destined to be together but fate kept them apart until the right time, and even then Brent tried to fight their relationship by “setting Kendal free”.

They finally end up together and it’s beautiful.

Kendel and Brent where sweethearts that broke up and became estranged. Now they are both living in the same town again, creating the perfect scenario for second chance romance. They are immediately drawn to each other again, but something is holding him back. The idea of this book is good. I continued to miss some more back stories, more details in their interactions, more tension. It would helpful if he just listened to her rather than projecting his feeling and create a challenge to prove she loved him. Narration has some strange pauses.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for the ALC.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for the ALC, it was much appreciated. Hold Me, Cowboy was a super quick listen, but ultimately just wasn't for me.

This was a cute second chance romance. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and overall I liked it but it was missing emotional depth and the characters felt surface level to me. If you’re looking for a quick cowboy romance audiobook then you should definitely check this out. I really liked the narrator for this book!

Hold Me, Cowboy by Alissa Callen ⭐️⭐️

This was a cute read but it fell a little flat. I think it was rushed and short and also very similar to another series I’ve read. The story had potential but needed more plot/climax.

This was an audiobook kindly gifted by NetGalley to read and review. It is sweet and easy to listen to, full of loving kisses and happy people. It’s fun hearing the women being cowgirls and competing.

A sweet book of young love that comes to fruition. It was a quick read and clear there are side-stories to explore.

Unfortunately this was a let down. I considered DNFing it, but it was such a short/quick read I decided to ride it out in hopes of improvement but it just didn't get better for me.

The writing felt very basic and robotic. Unfortunately, the narration wasn't any better.

I found the FMC to be kind of problematic? I mean, if the roles were reversed and the MMC was doing and saying some of the things she was it wouldn't be received well. For example: he said he couldn't kiss her again and she said no problem, I'll be the one kissing you.

On the flipside, his reason for staying out of the country for four years to avoid her for the sake of being a martyr was not justified in the slightest. The reasoning was dumb and just didn't land for me.

Despite the having many of my favourite tropes, I think this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC opportunity!

This book felt a little lacking to me. The pace seemed off and it wasn’t anything remarkable.

The MMC was a little annoying with his constant persistence of her going and getting her “freedom” when she had never even given that inkling. He let other perceptions or opinions dictate what he thought she needed and had actually hurt her. And even once he had her, he wouldn’t stop trying to push her away. I didnt understand that, because if anything, she had proven that she wanted to be where she was.

This was a quick/cute romance. I loved the Cowboy theme. If you love something, let it go, and if it is meant to be, it will come back to you. I listened to this on audio, and the narration was superb. I very much enjoyed listening to this audio book. Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC of this audio!

The poor narration didn’t help this already okay book. The narrator’s pacing was slow, and she often sounded like she’d reached the end of a line and forgot to read the next word. I sped it up to 1.2x, but the pauses were still really noticeable.

With shorter books, it can be tough to really get to know the characters, and that was definitely the case here. The female lead’s main trait was being upset that her love interest left, while he remained distant and uncommunicative. There just wasn’t enough depth to bring them to life.

To start the audiobook was well done and added to the story.
This book had a lot of promise. The prologue starts with a brothers best friend and high school romance where they share a kiss for the first time. Then we are suddenly four years later and they are not together and have not talked in a long time. I had wished that we got to see more of them together before the split as it would help with the developed feelings and animosity after the breakup. I also struggled with the MMC feeling the need to distance themselves from the FMC because he wanted her to follow her dreams but he wouldn't listen to what her dreams actually were. Overall it was a sweet story but definitely left something to be desired.

𝟐 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 .𐦍༘⋆
it was okay.
i’m trying not to be too critical because this is a book from 2015 being re marketed so i mean of course the work is dated. that being said i feel like they could have reread and improved the story.

i genuinely think that if it were longer my rating would go up. i feel like we didn’t really get to meet the characters in depth and get to know them super well outside of their obvious plot necessary traits and because of this i wasn’t super interested in the plot or their relationship.

i feel like they also could have just communicated from the start where each other’s mind was at, considering that they’re adults and not children. like yes i get that it would be awkward at first, but you’re going to be seeing each other quite a bit.

also i am yet again begging authors to stop bringing up hints of the characters getting married or wanting to get married. its just such a boring cliche way to wrap up a story.

Ugh. I hate this. I hate not giving 5 stars. The book is well written but I can't get past the MMC and his BS.

I really did NOT like the way Brent forced her to make an uncomfortable choice because he was bullied into the same choice. He didn't like it when his dad did it to him and then he goes and guilts her into doing the same thing? It feels icky and I really wish it would have backfired on him. Kendall could not have been more clear about her feelings and why does he feel like he knew better than her. Then in the end he was still an annoying idiot. (view spoiler)

I'm glad this was just a Novella. I've read another book by this author and enjoyed it so I don't think this is an overall problem. Jessica Preddy did really well narrating this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bolinda Audio, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this story.

Thank you to Belinda Audio & NetGalley for an ALC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series, and while it could be read as a SA technically; it seemed like I missed a lot of back story on the characters because this book just jumped right into it.

Honestly not much happened, there wasn’t any build up to any of the plot points. The MMC was pretty annoying, and forced the FMC to make uncomfortable decisions for herself, just to deal with his insecurities. There was also no chemistry at all between them, and then boom they’re engaged.

This book just wasn’t for me.