Cowboy Strong

Alana Joy Carey remembers when, at the age of thirteen, she left the fall ranch sale and dinner to take a break behind the barn. She remembers all too well neighbor Paxton Callahan walking up to her behind the barn and kissing her. What a surprise! Then Pax was surprised when she slapped his face. He was lucky she hadn’t punched him a good one. After she thought about what happened she felt bad and decided to apologize. The next day she saw Pax kissing another girl. What a jerk! Now she has added other memories of Pax to her thoughts. The Pax who took her home after Prom so she didn’t have to go to the after-party with her date. The Pax who never hesitated to help her Daddy on the Bar C Ranch when he needed help. Now faced with her Daddy’s devastating news that he has inoperable brain cancer and only has six weeks to live and his wish to see her married and settled, it’s Pax Callahan who comes to mind and she tells her Daddy she has been secretly dating Pax and they are engaged. This makes her Daddy so very happy. He has long looked forward to walking Alana down the aisle on her wedding day. Now to tell Pax what she has done and hope he goes along with this fake engagement and wedding.

Paxton Callahan is the ultimate cowboy living the Cowboy Code of Ethics. When Alana Carey slapped him after he kissed her behind the barn when they were thirteen years old he was so disillusioned. He thought she liked him. Guess not. All these years later he and Alana realize they truly are friends. He has done kind things for her and he respects the heck out of her Daddy, Matt Carey. When Alana tells him she told her Daddy they were engaged and why Pax is determined to do all he could for Matt’s sake. It sure was no hardship pretending to be Alana’s fiance. As time went on Pax started to wish this fake engagement and wedding didn’t have an end date. Spending so much time with Alana made him realize that his feelings for Alana were stronger than friendship. But have Alana’s feelings toward him changed?

Cowboy Strong by Carolyn Brown is the seventh book in her Longhorn Canyon series. Carolyn Brown just can’t write a bad cowboy story. Every time she puts pen to paper, or actually in this day and age fingers to her keyboard, the end result is a cowboy who epitomizes strength, honor, dedication and loyalty. Pax sure fits this description. He is the perfect example of a cowboy living the Cowboy Code of Ethics. He’s not perfect but I greatly admire him and Alana both. Their determination to make Alana’s Daddy’s last days happy ones is admirable for sure. Ms. Brown’s cast of characters in this story is a fun bunch to read about and they all, except Alana’s nemesis Rachel Freeman, make me want to live among them. This story touches at your heartstrings and evokes smiles and tears at the couple’s situation. I sure was rooting for them throughout the book. I liked the surprise appearance towards the end of the story. This book is heartwarming; sunshine for your heart.

‘Cowboy Strong‘ is the seventh title in the ‘Longhorn Canyon‘ series, and it gives us a fake relationship to fall in love with as two people (who really have been attracted to each other forever) end up in a pretending to get married situation that will ease one dad’s heart but possibly break another man’s. I enjoyed Pax and Alana so much. They worked together as friends and as a couple, they fit, now all they have to do is acknowledge that what started out as pretend is as real as love comes.

I’ve loved the ‘Longhorn Canyon‘ series from the beginning. Lots of strong, stubborn, sexy men (and women) who discover that love was right there all along, they just had to really see it. Pax and Alana are similar in many ways yet there is heartbreak here, the kind that every life experiences eventually. So while my heart ached for Alana and her dad, it also warmed as she and Pax came together to ease a father’s worries – and discover a lifetime love at the same time. Not that getting to that ‘forever happily after’ part is going to be relatively easy considering the people involved – but they do get there and the journey to making that wedding a reality was touching, emotional, sexy, and well worth the time.

We’ll run into some familiar faces, I always expect to in a series, yet if you haven’t read the earlier books you won’t feel the least bit lost. I would recommend this entire series if you have the chance or the ability to go back for they are well written, engaging romances that will put a smile on your face. I had fun with Alana and Pax as they worked their way to their happy ending, and I believe if you love a really good love story then you will, too.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Forever – Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Cowboy Strong by Carolyn Brown is another novel of the Longhorn Canyon series. One fake engagement brings a real second chance at love between Alana Carey and Paxton Callahan. She can out-rope and out-ride the best of them. When Paxton arrives back in town, her old feelings for him returns with a vengeance. Paxton has been in love with Alana, well, like forever. They agree to a fake engagement when her father falls ill. Carolyn Brown reawakens the love between Alana and Paxton with a flair of a small-town romance. Cowboy Strong is all about family and a desire to fulfill a dying man’s wish as Alana and Paxton discover love is the real deal.
Carolyn Brown’s Sunrise Ranch, book three of The Canyon series is a bonus story. It has started out with a will stipulating that Ezra’s three daughters must live on the ranch to inherit. Bonnie Malloy is the last one remaining, but then there is Rusty Dawson, who thinks the property is rightfully his based on a promise made by her father. Each becomes determined to drive the other out . . . until they realize just how much they enjoy being together. Sunrise Ranch is a lovable romance about two people finally admitting they are in love.

Sweet, sentimental, and romantic!

Cowboy Strong takes us to the Texas Panhandle and into the life of the hardworking, competent Alana Carey as she relies on the cowboy next door, the rugged Paxton Callaghan to help her fake an engagement in order to make her father’s final wishes, to see his daughter married, come true.

The writing is smooth and light. The characters are supportive, fun-loving, and endearing. And the plot is a charming mix of family, friendship, nostalgia, tender moments, palpable attraction, undeniable chemistry, wedding planning, and ranch life.

Cowboy Strong is the seventh and final title in the Longhorn Canyon series, and once again Brown has written an engaging, heartwarming, fulfilling tale with just the right amount of heart, humour, and heat to be a truly satisfying western treat.

Really enjoyed this friends to lovers/marriage of convenience story. Pax and Alana are great characters and throughout the story you feel they are made for each other. The two of them seem to be the only ones who don’t know that! The characters are well developed, the wonderful small town is charming and the story is intriguing so it has everything you need for a relaxing entertaining read. I definitely recommend this one.

Carolyn Brown has done it again. Cowboy Strong is a second chance small town romance that hits all the emotions.

Alana Carey grew up competing in rodeo events. Alana could definitely hold her own against the guys. She and Paxton Callahan have been competitors all their lives. Living on neighboring ranches, they developed a strong friendship. Pax has much stronger feelings for Alana than he is willing to admit. When they agree to a fake engagement and marriage to make Alana’s father’s last few weeks of life happy, feelings become a little harder to control than they expected.

I was drawn into Alana and Pax’s story from the first chapter. I laughed. I cried. I didn’t want this book to end.

Cowboy Strong is Book 7 in the Longhorn Canyon series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but you really don’t want to miss the rest of this great series.

I received an ARC of Cowboy Strong from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Cowboy Strong is the 7th book in Carolyn Brown’s Longhorn Canyon Ranch series. The beauty of Ms. Brown’s series is how characters may be introduced as incidental in one book but then get the opportunity to be developed in center stage as main characters in another story, or main characters may be revisited to see how things are going for them. I love this continuity.

In this story, Paxton Callahan is brought front and foremost by neighbor and childhood friend, Alana Carey. When Alana’s father Matt reveals to her that he has inoperable brain cancer and that his biggest regret was not having the chance to walk her down the aisle and know he would be leaving her in good hands when he is gone. Alana had lost her mother when she was 10, so when Matt passes she will be alone in the world.

On the fly Alana tells her dad that she has been seeing Pax since he returned to his family ranch and that he had just asked her to marry him. With this lie comes first convincing Pax to go along and then the fabrication of backstory and plans that will embroil them both in a trail of deception that could just lead to a very happily ever after.

This is a well thought out story with wonderful characters and a perfect western setting. Ms. Brown never disappoints! I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!!

This book will just tug on your heart strings. Alana Carey is a hard working stubborn woman. She feels she has time enough to find the right man, get married and raise a family. Life happens though. She tells a lie to please her grandfather and everything changes. Now Paxton Callahan is a confirmed bachelor. He works hard on the ranch with his brother. The only person who has owned his heart since they were kids is offering him the world. Watching those two fall in love as adults was just precious. Planning this wedding brings the whole town together. Be prepared to have a box of tissues near by for the wedding.

Carolyn Brown certainly knows how to write a compelling story that touches your heart and soul. From sexy, cowboy Pax to the strong willed and tall Alana, this story of a fake engagement pulled me right in until the very last page. What a beautiful wedding Matt gave his daughter and she gave him the gift of a lifetime.

I liked that some of the story made me happy, some parts made me laugh, some parts made me sad, and some parts made me cry. That makes the story and its characters absolutely perfect. I am sure Matt and Joy were smiling at the end as they watched over Pax and Alana. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

I love a good cowboy romance and nobody does them as good as Carolyn Brown. Cowboy Strong is a marriage of convenience trope. Pax is more than willing to help out Alana and temporarily marry her. The plan is a quick divorce after the need is over. Fate and Cupid just might interfere with those plans and keep the couple together longer than they planned.
Both characters were very likeable and really good together. The secondary characters were just as important to the book and recognizable from previous books in the series. Overall–very enjoyable!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.