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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Good start to a new series. Turn Around Ranch is a cowboy boot camp for troubled teens. Jessica Cook is worried about her daughter Chloe who has gotten involved with the wrong crowd and was arrested for joyriding with her punk boyfriend. She comes to the camp and begs them to take her daughter in, even though they have a full camp. She offers to work as their cook, if they will take her daughter in. Wade Dawson is the oldest brother working at the ranch and doesn’t like to make exceptions, but he is outvoted by the family and they take Chloe and Jessica in. Really nice characters and a good setup for future books.
A heart-warming and funny romance! Each character in this book is facing their own struggle, but together they just might make it through. Jessica gladly put her life plans on hold and grew up quickly to raise her child solo. Now she’d do anything to prevent her daughter from following in her footsteps, which leads to one hilarious disaster after another. Wade has been burned in the past, so he keeps his focus solely on his job, but nothing can protect him from the spitfire and desire of Jess. This story reminds me of Gilmore Girls, so if you’re a fan, this will be right up your alley (with a few cowboys roped in.) I loved watching the close bond between mother and daughter grow stronger, full of second chances and learning to follow your heart!
Cindi Madsen has become my auto-buy author a long time again and this book again proofs why. I read the entire book in one sitting, because I didn’t want to miss a single minute with these characters.
I loved everything about this book, the story, the setting, the humor and romance but most of all the characters. Cindi Madsen is a master in creating realistic, down to earth, likable characters that you can’t help falling for. Whether it is the what seems like at first grumpy but hot cowboy, with a heart of gold or the funny single mom who can really use a break and works as a cook but really can’t cook.
I really enjoyed them both and the chemistry between Jessica and Wade was of the charts from the beginning.
I loved not only the growing romance but also all the friendships that were being build. And to see how much each character grew in their own way and at their own pace.
Overall, another awesome book with romance, humor and friendships. I can only highly recommend, but not only this book but all books by this author.
I rate it full 5
A Cowboy Never Quits is a fabulous western romance by Cindi Madsen. Ms. Madsen has given readers a well-written book. I love the characters in this story, they’re awesome. Jessica’s daughter has landed in trouble and she’s determined to get her a place at Turn Around Ranch. So she takes the cook job at the ranch to secure her daughter a spot, the problem is, she can’t cook. Wade runs the ranch but the family votes on important issues. Wade was outvoted. Jessica and Wade’s story is packed with drama, humor, spice and is a fun read. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more from Cindi Madsen in the future. A Cowboy Never Quits is book 1 of the Turn Around Ranch Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Single mom Jessica is at the end of her rope with her teenage daughter Chloe, she has just been arrested and she needs to get her away from her smarmy boyfriend. Jessica’s daughter seems to have turned out just like her mom since Jessica had Chloe at the age of 16. I have to say I looked up to Jessica she raised her well and did everything for her. While taking her to turn around ranch and begging for a job, they advise her there are just no openings and Grouchy cowboy Wade is not going to give her a chance he needs to look out for the ranch. Jessica lies that she is a cook since that is the position open, and she is horrible but while there Wade gets to know her and they fall in love but Jessica was just there for a little while and Wade doesn’t want to ask her to stay since he didn’t fair well the last time that he did that…
rcvd an ARc at no cost to author..(netgalley) Voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions
What do you get when you throw a hardened, damaged yet curiously intrigued cowboy who works with the motto “no exceptions” AND a young, insecure former Ranch participant / come Cowboy with a 15 year old who’s found herself in trouble with the law AND her worried, stubborn and protective Mama Bear? Obviously one bad cook and alot of heat.
When Jessica Cook takes her daughter Chloe to the Turn Around Ranch after she’s arrested for joyriding with her so called boyfriend, she will do anything to make sure her daughter is accepted into the program for troubled teens.
Wade, the eldest Dawson son who’s been heartbroken before has developed a hardened & tough exterior for his heart and the family business, & Jessica, Chloes mother who fought to give her daughter the best life possible, simply wants her baby back.
As Wade & Jess fight their frustrations aka attraction to each other (while trying to adhere to camp rules) Aiden, the former troubled teen who came to the ranch via a court order only to be officially adopted into the Dawson family can’t help but find Chloe his missing piece.
I loved this book for many reasons. 1 Well… Cowboys Der 2. The double HEA 3. Ahh, forget 3 there’s too many to count.
Madsen’s writing style is easy to read and has various levels of emotion in this story of how life can knock you down only to bring you back to life when you least expect it.
The double storyline is for the reader, filled with smiles, tears & heartwarming moments. I’ll admit to tearing up while reading.
I enjoyed the book. I listened to the audiobook. The one drawback for me about the narration waa that it was often hard to discern which female character was speaking. It served to throw me off the direction of the story having to figure out who was saying what to whom.
I liked the characters. Jessica gave me pause. I could understand her wanting to protect Chloe, but she often moved into overprotective. Especially considering all she did to get Chloe a spot at Turn Around Ranch. I understand how difficult it is to be a single parent, and I guess Jessica didn’t want to accept that Chloe was having problems out of guilt.
I liked that a good portion of the story was from Chloe’s perspective and the writer was upfront with Chloe’s issue and resolution.
I liked Wade and Jessica’s slow moving, flirtatious romance. I enjoyed the whole idea of reading how Turn Around Ranch has a positive effect on Wade, Jessica, Chloe, and Aidan. There were a number of humorous moments, sensitive moments, and frustrating moments. They all culminated in a HEA for everyone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
WOW! This book just blew me away! I adored the quick wit and snarky comebacks of Jessica Cook. This book had my emotions on a roller-coaster of a ride. I was laughing so hard at times that the hubby would give me “the look”. Then there were times that I was crying my eyes out. This book was just one that I wanted to linger over. There were sections that I did re-read a couple of times, they were just that good.
Jessica is a single mom to Chloe. Jessica was a young 16 when she had Chloe. This two weren’t just mother and daughter but best friends as well. At least, until Chloe falls into the “wrong crowd” with the bad boy boy-friend. After picking her 15 year old daughter up from jail for a joy-riding stint in a stolen car with said boy-friend, Jessica packs her daughter up and takes her to Turn Around Ranch. The ranch specializes in troubles kids and helps to turn them around. Unfortunately for Jessica, the ranch is full and it is over her limited budget. BUT fortunately the ranch is looking for a cook and Jessica said she would volunteer if they would make the exception and accept Chloe into their program. Now if only Jessica could cook!
Wade Dawson is the oldest son and the sternest cowboy. He has to keep his “bleeding heart” family in check. Rules are rules for a reason. Wade has been hurt before. He doesn’t believe in exceptions to the rules. He turns Jessica and Chloe away until Jessica mentions she can cook. Wade knows Jessica is trouble with a capital “T”! But the ranch needs a cook. The job formerly belonged to his ma but she is recovering from an illness and the doctor’s orders stress a less stressful life and not being on her feet all the time. Now let the fun begin!
This book is one that I would definitely be re-reading again and again. It was written in a multiple POV format. We not only get Jessica and Wade but Chloe and Aiden (Wade’s adopted brother).
This is a slightly sexy read. It is not truly clean but the way those scenes were written, they highly glossed over details (at least to me that is.) On that note, as I don’t want to offend any parents of young children, I would only HIGHLY recommend this to anyone OVER the age of 18. I look forward to reading the next book in this series. There are a LOT of Dawsons to go through and I can’t wait!
A Cowboy Never Quits by Cindi Madsen was a story about family, love and second chances. Jessica is a single mom who loves her daughter and would do anything for her. But when she begins to go down a bad path, she will do anything to help her. Even become a cook on a therapy ranch for teenagers. A mom who is not the best cook to begin with and that is an understatement! But Wade had his doubts about her. Even with the crazy chemistry they share! It was so much fun watching Wade and Jessica interact. And her cooking adventures were a hoot. Jess was smart and determined. Wade was grumpy and not ready for Jess.
Happy reading!
Cindi Madsen gives a powerful story with this book…Overcoming trouble, heartache, anxiety and so much more on Turn Around Ranch.
Jessica Cook would do anything to help her wayward teenage daughter even if it means bringing her out to Boot Camp Ranch, taking on a job as a cook and sometimes Ranch hand.
Wade Dawson was outvoted to bring Jessica on as a cook and allowing her daughter to stay in the program and he knew she would be trouble he just didn’t realize that it would involve him.
Mother and daughter trying to find their way again in fighting the world together. Jessica aka mom is desperate and takes her daughter, Chloe to The Turnaround Ranch to try to get the daughter she once knew back. Wade is the rancher in charge of the family that runs the ranch and he’s reluctant to hire Jessica as their cook in exchange for Chloe to attend their ranch. Chloe finds her own solace in Aiden, who is so cute in trying to be her friend without crossing any lines or breaking any rules.
This story was heart melting and heartwarming. Even though we follow two “couples” there are so many more characters to explore. I loved this story and the ranch setting.
Sweet cowboy romance sure to put a smile on your face.
So I found myself grinning when reading this story. Although it deals with some real life teen issues, it also is a very sweet romance between two people who’ve been burned by love in the past and are cautious about giving love a second chance.
But I’m oh so glad they did as Wade and Jessica are perfectly imperfect for each other. “…as he watched her go, he prayed that the way she completely threw him off his game and brought up emotions he usually kept under lock would be better, too.”
This story has strong woman characters, real life teen problems, stubborn cowboys and the women who soften them up.
Such a fun read and I’m looking forward to more from this series.
I voluntarily requested and read an advance reader copy.
For Jess Cook, the Turn Around Ranch is her last best hope to keep her daughter Chloe from repeating Jess’s mistakes. Jess was a teen mom and Chloe’s started running with a bad crowd. Jess is willing to do literally anything for Chloe, including learning to cook for thirty hungry ranch folk, and it’s the mother-daughter story which tugs on the heartstrings most in this book. The hero Wade, a co-owner of the ranch, is a lovely guy who’d come across a bit too good to be true if he wasn’t occasionally testy and impatient, is obviously perfect for Jess, and it’s really just logistics that get in the way. There’s a cute side romance with Chloe and Aidan, a former troubled teen and Wade’s adopted brother, and a whole side cast of characters who I’m guessing will all find their own happy endings as this series progresses.
As a mother of two boys rapidly coming up on teenagerhood, there were a lot of messages in here that really resonated with me. Jess was such an easy character for me to empathise with, her maternal instincts trumping everything else, including her own self-preservation. Her grit and determination was genuinely inspiring, and honestly I think anyone who’s ever had to dig in and struggle through tough day after tough day with no end in sight can relate to what she told Wade.one night.
“Sometimes in life fair and unfair and easy and hard don’t matter. You do what you have to do. You keep on swimming.”
It’s a powerful sentiment, and interestingly enough, it brings me back to the title of the book, which I admit I looked at with a certain degree of puzzlement once I’d finished it. Yes, the male love interest in the book is a cowboy, but he’s not the one who shows extraordinary persistence, who refuses to quit even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It’s Jess who’s the heart of the story, Jess the one who won’t quit no matter what. But then… I suppose ‘A Mom Never Quits’ doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
If you enjoy heartwarming stories about overcoming tough odds and finding true love where you least expect it, I reckon you’ll absolutely love this book. I certainly did. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
This book is about Jessica Cook, a single mom to a teenager that is beginning to head down the wrong path. Although Jessica is a young mom and barely finished high school, she is a smart cookie. She knows her daughter Chloe needs the kind of help that she is not qualified to provide. As a result, she takes leave from her data entry job, and travels two hours to the Turn Around Ranch, a mental health facility for teens. The Turn Around Ranch has an excellent reputation, and Jessica is extremely hopeful that she can get Chloe into their program. After some begging, she is able to grab Chloe a spot. In exchange, Jessica is the ranch’s new cook. An odd occupation for someone who has almost no cooking experience, especially for large crowds. Jessica definitely has her work cut out for her, but getting Chloe on the right track is reason enough to fake her way through three square meals a day.
Cowboy Wade Dawson and his family own the Turn Around Ranch. As the eldest Dawson, his many responsibilities leave him almost no time for a social life. In addition, he believed his former girlfriend was the one, until she decided that the life of a rural rancher was not her cup of tea. At the time, Wade was devastated, so now he prefers lots of hard work and helping the families that come to his ranch for assistance. Overtime, he realizes that Jessica is what has been missing from his life, and their casual flirting evolves into much more.
I truly enjoyed A Cowboy Never Quits by Cindi Madsen. It has quite a few funny moments, especially as Jessica learns how to cook the most simplest of meals. The author’s writing style is easy to understand, and the story flows effortlessly from beginning to end. The originality of the characters and their situations, immediately drew me into this well told story. When Jessica and Wade finally sleep together, they are super hot. This is the first book from the Turnaround Ranch series and it can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
Jessica is a young mother of a teenage daughter. She thinks her daughter is going down the wrong path, one she’s already been down. Jessica is a good mom and takes charge. She takes a job as a cook at a camp for troubled teens, that is known for turning them around. Unfortunately for the whole camp, she can’t cook at all. She tricked her way in, willing to bend the truth to save her daughter. Wade is the lead cowboy at the family run camp and he doesn’t trust her, his family hired her. Yes, he’s a hunk, a sweet sexy hunk in boots. Her exaggerations and his polite cowboy ways lead to a sweet fun romantic story.
I laughed so hard imagining these characters eating Jessica’s food. I may have looked disturbed. Warning don’t read this in public. 😀
I just love Cindi Madsen’s characters, she always writes people I’d love to live next door to. I can’t help but care about them and that makes the story such a better experience.
Bravo Ms. Madsen, you did it again for this reader.
A Cowboy Never Quits by Cynthia Madsen is a wonderful contemporary romance replete with modern day issues and problems. In this modern day, keeping a ranch afloat is not easy deal. Turn Around Ranch is just such a place, a working ranch that caters to at risk youth, and caters well. It is home at any given time to 15 or 16 young people looking for a second chance, not always by choice. There is a resident psychologist, a visiting physician, a teacher, any number of cowboys, but sadly no cook. Jess saw her chance. He daughter needed this place badly and they needed a cook. She could make them see reason. Not to worry he biggest cooking accomplishment was mac and cheese from a box. How hard could it be. Wade, the oldest cowboy brother and the one in charge, mostly, was totally against it, but they had been without a cook for weeks and they were hungry, and he got voted down.
Jess was 31 years old; her daughter was 15. She was a very young mother and had done it mostly right, until recently when she accepted a promotion that meant more money and longer hours. She trusted Chloe. They had always communicated well, but Chloe had gotten in with the wrong crowd and Jess had been late to notice, until she got caught in a “borrowed” car with her boyfriend who had been drinking and side swiped another car. The boyfriend reminded Jess of Chloe’s father, the one who had run the minute the pregnancy was discovered. Things at the ranch developed slowly. Chloe hated it. Cooking was really harder than it looked. Wade’s presence gave Jess feelings she hadn’t had in years. The Dawsons were great and she was coming to respect the job they all did. This is contemporary at its best. Rife with real life and hot cowboys. I recommend it
I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations are solely my own. #netgalley #acowboyneverquits
This book being described as “Gilmore Girls Meets Cowboys” is a perfect way to describe this book. Jessica and Chloe’s life is similar in some ways to Lorelai and Rory, but it’s the differences that bring them to Turn Around Ranch. Jessica is determined that her daughter not follow the same path that she took and she sees this ranch as her last resort. Jessica has to do some fast talking and takes a job she might not be qualified for, but she will do just about anything for her daughter.
This was such a sweet read. Wade is all about being the strict, somewhat grumpy cowboy, but he couldn’t help but fall for Jessica. And of course once she gets past the grumpy version of Wade, Jessica is right there with him. There is even a nice storyline between Chloe and one of Wade’s brothers which was a bit of a surprise, but totally welcome.
But for me, the real story in his book is the relationship between mother and daughter. Jessica and Chloe are very close and as I mentioned before, Jessica would do just about anything for her. While at the ranch, they both learned some life lessons and became even closer, which is saying a lot considering how close they were to being with. I enjoyed their witty banter, a la Lorelai and Rory, and I was definitely rooting for them to work things out.
The concept of family is something that is not only talked about in this book, but it is shown many times through the characters actions. I have no doubt that it is something that will keep showing up in subsequent books. I really look forward to reading the rest of this series.
Cowboy romances are not my usual go-to stories, but I love Cindi Madsen’s books. This one is a story about more than cowboys and second chance romance, but there are plenty of second chances throughout. It is about cowboy Wade Dawson and his family, who run the Turn Around Ranch where kids are given a second chance, like Aiden, who became part of the Dawson family. It’s about single mom, Jessica Cook, and her relationship with her troubled teen, Chloe, who definitely needs a second chance. It’s truly a heartwarming story about family, friendships, discipline, learning to trust and earning trust, some intimate romance as well, and, of course, second chances. You will not be disappointed in this story.
I read an ARC of A Cowboy Never Quits, and this review is my own and was written voluntarily.
It’s been a while since I picked up a cowboy romance and one that was good. A Cowboy Never Quits was a little slow at a few spots for me but other than that it was a really good book. I loved how Cindi did the point of views and we got different perspectives on the story.
This was a sweet, slow burn with lots of sexual innuendo and smoking chemistry. It was filled with tenderness and swoony moments as well as a little angsty tension to make for a great all around romance.
Cindi has become one of my new favorites and I can’t wait to get more of this series.
Everybody needs a second chance!
Everybody needs a second chance especially Jessica Cook’s daughter Chloe after she got involved with a group of friends at school that are trouble especially the boy she is dating. Jessica told the staff at Turn Around Ranch that she was a cook even though she wasn’t just so she could get the help that Chloe needed. Wade Dawson owned and ran Turn Around Ranch with his family and staff but he tried to turn them down but he knew that they needed a cook so his mother could take it easier.
Jessica had a trial by fire learning how to cook in large amounts using the internet and television but reading her kitchen problems is entertaining. Jessica and Wade weren’t sure about each other since they had been hurt before but they slowly became friends first.
Now I want stories about the brothers!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.