A standalone romance! Read the series in any order! Previously titled Falling for the Younger Cowboy.
Two best friends. One secret chili recipe. The truth comes out when their fake relationship cooks up more feelings than they expected.
On the cusp of turning forty, Lexi Turner is finally single and happy. She has the perfect job working at Sage Valley Ranch and spends her free time hanging out … Valley Ranch and spends her free time hanging out with her best friend, James. Life is peaceful and carefree until her ex pays an unexpected visit to the ranch… with his new, much younger girlfriend in tow.
Head cook James Scott is ready to settle down now that he’s thirty. He’s been smitten with the gift shop manager since she started working at the ranch a year ago, but he’s been biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell her how he feels. When Lexi asks him to be her pretend boyfriend to prove to her ex that she’s moved on, he jumps at the chance to show her love still exists.
The lines of friendship blur as Lexi and James play out their real emotions in their fake relationship.
Adored by the Cowboy is the second book in a heartwarming group series that’ll keep you laughing and swooning from one clean romance to the next. The books can be read in any order, so jump in wherever you like and get ready to fall in love with Sage Valley Ranch, where country life is sweet, and romance is even sweeter.
Sage Valley Ranch Romance
1.Romancing the Cowboy
2.Adored by the Cowboy
3.Cherished by the Cowboy
4.Charmed by the Cowboy
5.Inspired by the Cowboy
more
Lexi and James were just best friends for over a year, but James fell in love with her not long after they met. However, he was too shy and nervous to let her know. Lexi finally started having romantic feelings as well but she was older than him and didn’t think he was interested. Will all the interruptions around them ever let them discover their love? A great read!
You’re going to love this fun cowboy romance book, part of the Sage Valley Romance Series. Lexi runs the store at Sage Valley Ranch and James is a chef there. The two are best friends–nothing more. That is, until Lexi’s ex-boyfriend shows up with his much younger girlfriend. When James pretends to be Lexi’s boyfriend in order to help her out, what starts as a ruse begins to smolder and burn with romance. You’ll laugh and fall in love (and get hungry)! Don’t miss this one!
Lexi and James were afraid to tell each other their romantic feelings because of their age differences, she is ten years older, and that they might hold each other back from fulfilling their dreams. James gets offered a bonus to go back and cook for the band he toured with before. Lexi realizes after spending the past year getting over her divorce that she wants to travel and take pictures. It takes some meddling friends and relatives and a pushy Asian mother to make them see the light. There was plenty of humor and sweet moments in this best friends’ romance.
Such a fun, enjoyable book! Lexi and James both walk right off the page and into your heart. The whole dynamic of both of them secretly crushing on the other, but Lexi thinks that she is too old for James, while he thinks she is perfect… Ahhh… it made for an entirely satisfying love story! In fact, Falling for the Younger Cowboy is the kind of book that makes you happy dance that there’s an entire series. The best part is that I can happily recommend this book to ALL of my friends of ALL ages. It is a wonderful, engaging love story with awesome characters that you would love to meet… Well maybe not Lexi’s Ex. 😉 Or her mother! She’s frightening! ROFLOL!!!
Lovely Story
Lexi come to Save Valley Ranch after a bad divorce, her cousin Cassidy works there. James is the ranch chef and becomes Lexi’s best friend. But he likes her a lot, but she has a little hang up about seeing anyone, plus their age difference. Can they make it work.
Lexi Turner has a best friend named James. They spend a lot of time together and share a lot of things. When they see her ex-husband and new wife at the local restaurant, things change. She introduces him as her boyfriend…just to prove to Thomas that she, too, has moved on. Has she really moved on? Is age ‘just a number’?
A quick relaxing afternoon read!
A heart warming story of how a person can fall truly in love with their best friend if they would just let themselves believe. While trying to make excuses for what they felt, life kept marching on. Full of emotions and laughter, especially from their friend Elvis.
Another short, sweet romance from Liwen Ho. Be prepared for lots of interrupted almost-kisses, meddling relatives, and hesitation to tell true feelings. Don’t read when hungry either, as the cowboy in question is a chef! I like that the relationship starts as a friendship, and that each one unselfishly tries to help the other fulfill his/her dreams. I enjoyed reading this. There are animals too (a rooster named Elvis included!). A great way to relax and escape when you need a break.
Wow! As someone who got to visit Texas for a few months and fell in love with anything southern (especially chili after my first serving. Yes, I went for seconds #YouSimplyHaveTo) a few years ago, those first two chapters got me equally craving a bowl of chili, as well as strangely kind of satisfied. Yes, that’s how good Ms. Ho really is with her writing 😉 however, I have to say that this book has more than enough chili references, so it could be a bit much for some people…
Falling for the Younger Cowboy tells the story of Lexie (a 40yo divorcee) who starts a fake relationship with her best friend, cowboy and cook extraordinary, James (30yo), after learning her ex-husband and his new fiancée are in Sage Valley for a visit. Of course, all that much pretending will lead to some very real feelings to blossom, or for these two characters to be more aware of each other.
With this book being a part of a new series, it was really nice to get to revisit a certain ranch, as well as some animals (like Elvis or Shiloh).
Also, having read different books from Ms. Ho, it was nice to see her kind of signature in her work: a bit of her Asian roots thrown into this story (yep, she manages to mix Asian and Cowboy, and have a more than decent result 😉 ).
All in all, a book with a sweet romance, some seriously cute characters, and great writing that make me recommend it to anyone willing to give it a chance (or who enjoys any of the themes mentioned in this review).
I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start. The one about Lexi and James and how they working together at the ranch became best friends and feelings for each other. A journey that gets feelings stirred up.
I’ve read all of Liwen Ho’s books and really enjoy her as an author. I was excited for this story because it was so different from her other books. I love cowboys and ranches and all that comes with it and I think she did a great job stepping out of her comfort zone. In the beginning I didn’t realize Lexi was Chinese, but I was not really surprised when her Chinese mother showed up. She adds some fun to the story. Lexi and James were so cute together, yet so frustrating at times. Several times I wanted to shake them and tell them to have a DTR, but it turned out perfect. This has been a fun series so far.
5.0 out of 5 starsAnother Winner…. Older Woman, Younger Man? Perfect
March 24, 2019
Format: Paperback
Is it love or is it fake? Or is it really love but they really think it’s fake? Hmmmmm….. when does fake become real? I was hooked when I saw this book was a sweet and funny romance involving an almost 40 year old woman.
So tell me, what’s a woman to do when her ex makes his presence known with a younger woman? Well, that’s easy, she just parades out a younger man, right? Now, that may make the imagination run wild an conjure up some plans, but reality and fantasy have a way of getting mixed up. Maybe that younger man wants a real relationship rather than a pretend fantasy. Maybe he doesn’t care if there is a 10 year age gap. Maybe he’s had his eye on this ‘older’ woman for a while now sees this as the perfect time to start cookin’ up something real. I mean he is a good chef and knows how to mix up the perfect ingredients to lure his way straight to her heart. Oh yes, and don’t forget the chili either 🙂
I jumped at the chance to read an advanced copy of this book. Liwen Y. Ho never disappoints. I’ve read many of her books and always love them. She pulls at the heartstrings while keeping it clean and interesting. This book is no exception…. and I really applaud her for remembering not all romance involves 20 year olds.
Who knew the way to Lexi’s heart was a bowl of chili made with a secret ingredient and by a sexy cowboy named James, who can cook. Looks like more than food simmers in this fun story set in Sage Valley, Texas. I loved the characters, including Elvis, the rooster. I did not like Lexi’s ex-husband showing up with his new fiancee but it did show Lexi she was better off without him and it really started an interesting tale. Absence does make the heart grow fonder in this story. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
Sweet and Clean Cowboy Romance
This sweet and clean romance is set in modern-day Texas. This is a novella length story that centers around a couple who are working on a Texas ranch. They are best friends, but there is a ten-year difference in their ages. The story is well done and has some details not found in many stories. It was a very enjoyable story! I received this ARC for free from the author and this is my honest review.
I really enjoyed reading this book! Best friends hang out together on the ranch and then because of an ex showing up on the ranch, they fake being in a relationship. Then—-they realize that they really have feelings for each other. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance.
Oh, what a fun and sweet novel about a dashing cowboy-cook and a soft-hearted photographer! Liwen Ho has a way of bringing two lovable characters together in such a tender way through her easy-to-read writing style and a well-crafted plot with just the right amount of angst in the relationship. Lexi is the older woman, an insecure divorcee, who is looking to turn her life around. She has a crazy Asian mother who is so stereotypically and hysterically “Asian”. James is the younger chef on the ranch who adores Lexi but doesn’t know how to express himself in words. He has a great aunt and uncle who run the ranch who share great wisdom and witty and funny banter. Lexi and James share an easy and beautiful friendship that’s on the cusp of something more and it’s really fun to watch their love unfold.
This is actually book 2 in the Sage Valley Ranch series but each book is written by a different author and only loosely tied together by the setting of the ranch so it can totally be read as a stand-alone. If you enjoy a sweet, clean contemporary romance, you will really enjoy this book.
I received a copy of the book from the author and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
What’s an almost forty year old woman to do when her ex shows up at the ranch she works at with his new flame and it’s a younger woman. Easy, just pretend her best friend is her love interest. James and Lexi have been best friends for awhile, he would do anything for her including go along with her suggestion of pretending they are an item to fool her mother and her ex. He couldn’t possibly be interested in her could her, after all he’s ten years younger than her and according to her has his whole life ahead of him. He’s the cook at the ranch and makes the most delicious bowl of chili you can imagine by adding a secret ingredient. Nope, it’s secret I won’t tell you, you have to read the book to find out what it is. When does the crushing on each other become real? Can’t they admit their true feelings for each other? It takes something happening to make their romance spring to life. This is a sweet contemporary romance that was fun to read. I always enjoy reading this author’s book and look forward to reading many more.
Expected publication: April 4th 2019.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.
Falling for the Younger Cowboy is another clean, interesting, fun romance from Liwen Ho. Lexie and James really sparkle in this older woman/younger man romance. They are best friends. Lexi thinks she is too old for James. He thinks she is perfect. Lexi’s mother is a real piece of work. This was a fun but clean heart warming romance. I loved it!
Falling for the Younger Cowboy is a clean, fun romance. James and Lexi are likable characters that are easy to relate to. They’re best friends with crushes on each other and don’t want to mess up their friendship. So many times they’re so close to that admission or that kiss, but something interrupts. Elvis (not Presley) makes an appearance. He’s one of my favorite supporting characters. The plot moves quickly with twists and turns. There’s a great HEA, and the reader and Lexi learn the secret ingredient! I enjoy Liwen Ho’s writing style and hope to read more of her work. I received an ARC. I chose to write a review and share my opinion of this delightful romance.