These hardworking cowboys give everyone a second chance…When single mom Jessica Cook is at the end of her rope, she takes her 16-year-old daughter to Turn Around Ranch. The ranch has a great reputation for teen therapy, and Jessica prays there’s room there for her and Chloe.Wade Dawson’s first priority is to keep the ranch afloat to help teens and their families. But he can’t seem to keep his … families. But he can’t seem to keep his boundaries when it comes to Jessica—she’s talked her way into a job on the ranch so she can stay near her daughter and her tenacity and courage are truly impressive. Not to mention she’s a natural beauty and sparks fly whenever he’s in her vicinity.
But as one crisis after another befalls the ranch, Wade is going to have to decide whether he can afford to let a woman get under his skin…
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A Cowboy Never Quits is the new release by author Cindi Madsen. It’s a contemporary romance, small-town romance, and cowboy romance all rolled into one. And really, with the witty banter between characters and some of the shenanigans and goings-on on the ranch, you could add a bit of romcom to that list.
I’ll be honest. I love Cindi Madsen’s book. I honestly can’t find one that I’ve read that I didn’t like or fall in love with. So you really can’t go wrong with any of her books!
What I liked most about this book were the hero and heroine. Jessica is a single mom who is doing the best she can. She took on the role of mother long before she was ready but has worked so hard to give her daughter the best that she can. I love that she literally will do anything to make sure her daughter doesn’t end up in the same situation as she did as a teenager. Not necessarily because she feels guilty for being a teen mom, but because she doesn’t want her daughter to have to struggle to make it like she did. Talk about a mama bear! And despite Wade having to be the gruff rule follower and enforcer, he really has a big, squishy heart underneath. And the chemistry between them is set to smoldering…which eventually morphs into a roaring blaze. They also allow themselves to be vulnerable to each other despite realizing that their time together has an expiration date. But when it comes down to it, they are both willing to make sacrifices to make it work. And did I mention the witty banter??!
NICUnurse’s Rating: A Cowboy Never Quits is a feel-good, fun, funny, yet emotional read that will have you turning page after page and not wanting to put this book down until The End. Like I said, it’s really hard to go wrong with any book by Cindi Madsen!
I give A Cowboy Never Quits by Cindi Madsen 4.5 out of 5 stars!
Jessica is a single mom trying to make it all work with her 16 year old daughter Chloe. When Chloe starts acting up and getting in trouble Jessica is at her wits end and does not want to see her daughter make the same mistakes she did when she was that age. She takes Chloe to the Turn Around Ranch that has an excellent reputation for helping troubled teens. They make the 2 hour trip hoping there is a spot available in the program for Chloe. When they arrive they find out that there is no spot available, In a last attempt Jessica sees a posting that they are looking for a cook at the ranch so she makes a deal to do the cooking in exchange for her daughter to attend the program. Funny thing is she cannot cook and Wade Dawson one of owners sons and ranch hand is onto her.
Wade’s job is to keep the ranch going to help the troubled teens. He is attracted to Jessica and admires her courage and determination in respect to getting her daughter the help she needs. The more he spends time with her the more intrigued he is by her. Wade finds himself falling for Jessica he knows she is only there for a short time and doesn’t think it is fair to ask her to stay.
As Jessica progresses with her cooking skills she realizes she loves being at the ranch. She finds herself falling for Wade, they decided to make the most of her time at the ranch. Jessica secretly hoping Wade will ask her to stay.
Will Wade get up the courage to ask her to stay or will he let his past experience get in the way?
This was a great read. The characters drew me in very quickly and I found myself reading every chance I got. This is my first book by Cindi Madsen and it will not be my last.
*** Advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ***
A Cowboy Never Quits is the first novel in Cindi Madsen’s Turn Around Ranch series, and it’s also the first Cindi Madsen book I’ve ever read, but it most certainly won’t be the last. Although this isn’t the first equine therapy romance I’ve read, it’s the first one without wounded warriors with PTSD. Instead it’s young teenagers who need to go through the process, but it’s also funny, charming, sexy, engrossing and sweet, and it gets 5 stars from this reader.
Jessica Cook, age 31, got pregnant at 15, the sperm donor boyfriend dumped her when she gave him the news, and she had Chloe when she was just age 16, determined to succeed in life and raise her daughter as a single parent. She and her daughter were more like sisters than parent and child, but now, Chloe is 15, and has started drinking, smoking pot, and when her disrespectful, drunk and high boyfriend steals a car with her in it, wrecks it, and Jessica sees Chloe repeating the same mistakes Jessica did as a teen, it’s time for desperate measures, like enrolling Chloe in a correctional ranch for teenagers.
When we first meet Jessica, she and Chloe arrive at the Turn Around Ranch, and Jessica is begging them to take Chloe into the program, which is already full. It doesn’t help that Jessica can’t afford the fee, even if they weren’t already full. As she is being shown the door, she notices that they are looking for a cook. She lies her way in, saying that she wants to apply the job, that she is a professional cook, and although Wade Dawson, the oldest of the the Dawson brothers, wants to say no, Jessica gets hired, with lots of stipulations, and they find room for Chloe, who isn’t even speaking to her mother at this point. All Chloe wants is to go home and be with her manipulating boyfriend. Although I’m now a senior citizen, I remember what love at 16 felt like, and Chloe isn’t a bad kid, just a young girl who fell for the wrong guy. Even after begging her mother to reconsider her “punishment,” Jessica sticks to her guns, and gets hired.
The problems begin almost immediately because by breakfast the next morning, it’s really clear that Jessica’s idea of cooking is opening a can or making a box of mac and cheese, and now she’s got to start cooking for 30 people, the campers and staff. It doesn’t help that handsome cowboy, Wade, is onto her ruse, and he’s just waiting for her to fail, since he was outvoted when the rest of his family voted to hire her, especially his mom, who’s just recovering from a serious illness and really needs someone to take over the kitchen duties, and they’ve had no other applicants in months, so she’s willing to hire Jessica without even checking her references.
One of the things that sets this novel apart from the other equine therapy novels I’ve read is that, at times, it’s laugh out loud funny. Jessica is one sassy, smart mom, and she gives as good as she gets, especially with Wade, and the attraction between these two characters has a nice slow build up. She’s determined to prove not only her cooking abilities, which are nil from the get-go, but her stamina, and her commitment to raising her daughter by setting her on the right path. When Jessica got pregnant as a teen, her parents abandoned her, and she had to make it on her own. She absolutely won’t do that to the daughter she loves so much, no matter how hard it is to get through to her, and I couldn’t help but respect her grit and her determination.
I also liked the fact that this novel is written with alternating points of view. While Jessica is dealing with her new job, she’s still working at her other job in her free time via computer. Wade is torn between his attraction to the feisty Jessica and the strict rules of the ranch, especially because he’s a rules guy, and getting involved with staff is definitely prohibited. We also get to see what Chloe is dealing with, from the panic attacks she’s kept hidden, her attempts at communicating with her boyfriend back home, and her distress when he fails to respond to her messages.
If you’re looking for angst, this novel has it in spades, but it also has its lighthearted moments as well. The hot chemistry between Wade and Jessica, as well as Chloe’s growing friendships with other campers, her horse, and her growing friendship with and attraction to the youngest and newly adopted member of the Dawson family, Aiden, make for one engrossing, sweet, sexy, funny, sad, dramatic, and heartfelt read. Ms. Madsen has herself a new fan in this reader, and I can hardly wait to read the next novel in this series.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.
I’m so in love with a Cowboy Never Quits. It’s such a heartwarming story filled with love and family. The mother daughter duo of Jessica and Chloe is fabulous. I love how close they are and how they work hard at getting their relationship back on track. It takes a Ranch and a few cowboys to help these ladies out and you will just love every moment of this. I love the gruffness of Wade. The banter between Jessica and Wade will make you giggle and swoon. Their chemistry is red hot. Then you have the sweetness of Aiden that will make your heart just swell with how he treats Chloe and just make you fall in love with young teen love. This book is just a wonderful start to the Turn Around Ranch series and I can’t wait for more of the Dawson boys and watch them fall.
This is a story about forgiveness and second chances. Jessica is willing to do anything to save her daughter Chloe from heartache. That includes becoming a cook on a ranch with no experience. Wade is a tough cowboy who likes to live by the rules. When Jess and her daughter arrives at the ranch he sees his life being turned inside out. He is outvoted by the members of his family and they get to stay. This is a multi level love story between Jess and Wade as well as between the teenagers Chloe and Aiden. Both relationships start out rocky, goes to friendship and then love. The story is filled with funny moments as well as heartfelt serious ones. It shows how one has to let go and trust as well as a family can be made up of all the people we choose to love.
Turn Around Ranch is such an amazing place that I can’t wait to visit again!!
I loved how determined Jess was to help her daughter and was willing to do whatever it takes and make any sacrifice to make it happen. Wade, while seeming to just be gruff and unyielding, has the warmest heart and kindest spirit.
I loved watching the kids get the help they all needed in this peaceful place. I’m definitely looking forward to coming back to Turn Around!!
There aren’t just troubled teens at the Turn Around Ranch. There’s a loving atmosphere that will warm your heart!
Turn Around Ranch has an excellent reputation as “THE” place for troubled teens to get a new start in life. Jessica Cook has driven a long way listening to her rebellious teen daughter Chloe whine and carry on about how her mother has ruined her life by taking her to this correctional ranch for teens. Of course it’s Chloe who has put herself in this position. She was caught in a stolen car with her “bad news” boyfriend and hauled off to jail. This ranch is Jessie’s response to the middle of the night phone call from the police station.
It’s a long way to go for what might be a wasted trip. Jessica hasn’t secured a place there for Chloe plus she really doesn’t have the money to pay for it. She will make it work somehow. Now that she’s here and facing the ranch-owning Dawson family, especially Mr. “Gruff-and-Grumpy” she’s not so sure she can pull this off though. She is told that their roster of teens is full and they can’t help. As Wade “Gruff-and-Grumpy” Dawson is escorting Jessica out Jessica notices a sign saying Help Wanted – Cook for Turn Around Ranch. Yes! She can make this work if she can get hired as the cook. Never mind the fact that she can’t cook. She can make it work. Burned biscuits and eggs the following morning for breakfast isn’t an auspicious start but Wade didn’t fire her. Now if only she could ignore her attraction to Wade. But wait – he looks at her with interest as well.
A Cowboy Never Quits by Cindi Madsen is the first book in her new series, Turn Around Ranch. This was a truly delightful read. I loved all the characters, the family and staff’s devotion to the troubled teens and the mother-daughter love between Jessica and Chloe. Chloe was furious with her mother for dragging her to the ranch but the way the author developed Chloe’s reinvention of her life and renewal of faith and love for her mother was a warm, emotional aspect to the story. The relationship that developed between Jessica and Wade enabled the warm and fuzzies in my heart. The goodbye scene towards the nd of the book when Jessica and Chloe were leaving to go home brought tears to my eyes. A very emotional scene. It was beautifully written. In the end the readers gets a very happy HEA. I look forward to more books in this series.