New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Harper Sloan returns with a passionate and breathless romance about the sparks that ignite when a cautious cowboy and a once-scorned woman open up to each other in the third installment of the Coming Home series. As the eldest Davis, Clayton has always tried to lead by example. He takes his job as head of the family businesses seriously, making sure … businesses seriously, making sure the farm and auto shop are running smoothly–along with keeping an eye on his brother and sister. For him, there’s a time and place to let go of the control he holds with an iron grip. And with the way he grew up, coupled with disastrous end to his last relationship, he’s just fine with his quiet, solitary life.
Most of the time.
What he hadn’t counted on was cute, quirky, shy bookstore owner, Caroline Michaels. She’s the proverbial woman next door–well, the next town over, that is. Caroline hasn’t lived an easy life, but after escaping an abusive ex, she’s finally living it for herself. The last thing she ever expected was a one-night stand with Clay Davis, a night she can’t stop thinking about.
So when she falls on hard times and Clay comes out of nowhere to her rescue, she realizes just how impossible it’ll be to stay away from him. Now all she has to do is convince him to live a little…
Will Clay be able to give up the reins and finally settle down? And, more importantly, will Caroline muster enough courage to lasso him up?more
Wow, what a stunning conclusion to this beautiful series!
Clay is the eldest Davis sibling, the one to hold the family together, the most dependable, their rock. He’s the one whose story I’ve been looking forward to the most, and damn did he live up to my expectations! As his siblings have fallen in love, gotten married, and are expecting babies any day, Clay is starting to feel a bone deep loneliness, but he’s fine with it. Or is he? He has his family. He has his ranch. He has his control. And that’s all he really needs until he meets a beautiful woman and spends a night with her that he can’t get out of his head even after. So he sets out to keep her when he finds her again. And keep her he does!
Caroline is a shy, somewhat quirky bookseller who’s never really let herself go and have some fun since leaving her abusive past behind her. Until she meets a dark cowboy and spends a night with him, never really seeing his face. But when she’s at Quinn and Leigh’s baby shower after the night she can’t get out of her mind, she recognizes the voice of her dark cowboy. Lo and behold it’s the eldest Davis and he comes to her rescue when he mother tries to seek her out.
Gah, I LOVED Clay and Caroline together! They had this connection that isn’t seen often. Heartrending, steamy and solid, so incredibly solid. They are magic together and I loved that Clay finally got the happiness he so deserved after taking care of his family for so long, being their rock, bearing the brunt of their parents’ abusive behavior. I honestly never thought that an author could get me to love cowboys, but as soon as I started reading Leigh and Maverick’s story, I became an instant fan and am an even bigger one after reading Clay and Caroline’s beautiful, emotional story. Thank you Harper for the entire Davis clan’s epic journey. And that epilogue? PERFECTION!!!
Clayton’s story is one that I had been waiting for since we met him in Lost Rider, he had an air of mystery and I was more than intrigued. In Kiss My Boots we learn a bit more about the eldest brother in the Davis Family but we still didn’t know the root of his being, well I am thrilled with what we finally get to see and more than happy with the way his story turned out. You know the saying saved the best for last? well that is exactly what Harper Sloan has done here, and that’s really saying something since I really enjoyed the first two books.
Caroline has been in hiding since she left her abusive ex-boyfriend, she only has two friends, Luke and Lucy (twins), she lives above the bookstore she owns and pretty much keeps to herself. I will say this time and time again, it takes a strong woman to leave an abusive relationship and an even stronger one to move on and believe that there is still good people in the world. Caroline not only had been in an abusive relationship but the relationship she had with her mother really left a bad taste in my mouth, being a mom myself it always boggles my mind when I hear about, read about, or even see that there are parents that abuse their children, not only physically but mentally as well and that is what we have here and I must admit that words can absolutely do more damage to a persons self esteem that a fist can.
We start off with Caroline and Clayton having a one-night-stand without really knowing the other persons name, but the sex….WOW! It has them thinking about the other for a couple of months before another chance encounter. This isn’t a true second chance at romance for me but I am sure some would look at it that way. I really enjoyed Caroline and Clayton together, it was as if they need to go through all the nonsense they both had in order to get to the place where they just clicked.
We have not only one crazy ex but two in this story and it does add quite a bit of drama but I never felt as if it was an overload because there was so much else going on in the story. We have both Leighton and Quinn from the first two books pregnant and due soon, we have a baby shower to plan….did I mention we get babies!!! Also, Luke and Lucy, the twins, are best friends with Caroline so we get to see them quite a bit as well, they are so likable that I really hope to see each of them get their own HEAs.
This was a great ending to the Davis siblings stories and I must admit that I read the epilogue twice because it was chock-full of info on the future of the siblings that I felt the need to really absorb what will/has happened to them in the upcoming years.
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book**
Cowboy Up is fantastic! It’s the perfect ending to Harper Sloan’s Coming Home Series.
Clayton Davis and Caroline Michaels’s characters are beautifully developed and entirely relatable. The sex scenes are tastefully done—steamy hot! The setting is superbly crafted. Lol, I wanted to ride through the meadow with Clayton. I would have loved to check out Caroline’s bookstore.
I adored the ending. Bringing back all the characters, Leighton and Maverick, Quinn and Tate, Clayton and Caroline, was a brilliant touch. Five stars.
Clayton sure loves his sweets, “goddarn, I love apple pie,” he says before his mouth is back on mine…” Caroline sometimes has bad timing, “don’t go givin’ me breathy Claytons now, sweetness ,” he warns, pressing against me and pulling me close by the hips so that I don’t miss his erection.” Hands down this was my favorite out of the series, I loved Clayton and his charm and charisma.
I need more stars!!!! This has got to be the very best of the series, and that is saying a lot since I LOVED the first two. I have been so hoping that Clay would get a love so huge and so perfect, and that is exactly what Harper Sloan gave us.
To some, Caroline Michaels might seem a little weak in the beginning, but I didn’t see her that way. I saw a woman who has been through her own kind of purgatory and come out the other side ready to move on and grow. Part of that was a seeming one-night stand (and a chance to be a bad girl, for once) with a stranger who lit something inside. I saw a woman who was full of love and loyalty, perfect for a man who has had so much heartache in that area of his life.
Clay has been shown, time and again, that his siblings are the only people he can trust with his heart. When he first meets Caroline he isn’t willing to believe what his heart is trying to show him. But he isn’t a stupid man and when fate literally throws Caroline in his path he realizes that maybe it’s time to see if maybe he does have a chance at something as beautiful as his siblings have found.
But will their exes leave them alone, or will they ruin the best thing to ever happen to Caroline and Clay? This is a sweet, sexy love story with a few twists along the way.
I am completely blown away. This series stirs emotions in me only possible when I read about the Davis family. Its been a while since a book has taken a hold of my heart, but the Coming Home series always gets the job done. I was consumed by so many emotions reading this book and shamelessly cried at how beautiful Clayton’s story turned out to be.
Lost Rider was hands down m favorite book of this series. But now I’m not so sure. I’m almost certain that Clayton Davis has stolen my heart. It was easy to fall in love with Clayton. As each part of all the things that makes Clayton a great big brother and the man Caroline needed, I was hopelessly pulled into his lasso. I melted at how easy it was for Clayton to fall for Caroline despite his reservations about dating and his aversion to them. But one night with Caroline and he’s thinking about forever. I loved that despite how terrible his last relationship was, he never let it keep him from falling for Caroline, his past was a non factor when it came to her. Sweet and shy Caroline was so hard not to love. I loved how Clayton made her want to be bad and pulled the old Caroline out of her. I loved how easily Clayton and her fit together, how easily their relationship formed. This may be my favorite relationship out of all the Clayton’s. They never kept things from one another, never got jealous or let doubts or insecurities get between them, and it was so refreshing.
But what I loved sooo much about this book was that I got so much of Maverick and Leigh and Quinn and Tate. I loved this family before, but it is nothing compared to how much after reading Cowboy Up. My heart seriously melted for how beautiful and happy this family is. They stick by each other through thick and thin. Its something I love about this series. Lots of beautiful moments with this family.
I love this series. I loved this book the most. Getting to see the man Clayton is was the most beautiful thing to behold. This book has some mystery going on and it had me surprised in the end. But more than that, it stirred all kinds of emotions in me. I cried so hard while reading this book, the only type of tears Harper Sloan can get out of me. This is a truly beautiful series that I loved reading. I have no doubts that I will be revisiting this family sometime soon because I love them that much.
*5 Stars*
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first Harper Sloan book, and I really really enjoyed it. I LOVED Clayton as a character. Wow, what a sweetie under that rough exterior.
The characters are well written in this one, both the main characters and the secondary characters, and everything flowed really well.
I loved the way that Clay and Linnie were with each other, and also with their best friends and family too. The accents were awesome (I’m Aussie, so reading the US country accent was really cool), and this was honestly just a really fun and easy book to read.
There are a few serious issues happening in the book, but they’re written well and dealt with well. Even the big part near the end is really well done too.
The end of the book is fantastic and just perfect for these guys, my only wish now is to go back and read the first two books about Clays siblings. I’d love to see a book for Caroline’s two best friends and see each of them get their own happy endings as well.
Loved it, would recommend.
If there was ever a character that could make you swoon then Clayton Davis is that character. This is the third book in The Coming Home Series and believe me when I say the best of the best was saved till last. When you have devoted a good portion of your life caring and protecting your brother and sister it doesn’t allow you to feel lonely or alone. When all is said and done and you have done such a good job with your siblings that they now are with their true loves maybe it’s time for Clayton to take a hard look at his life. This book will turn you into a pile of goo when the eldest Davis sibling finally Cowboys Up. Caroline may appear meek, mild and shy and be the epitome of a good girl but when she stumbles across a dark cowboy he might be just the person to bring out her bad girl. Their story is what love songs are made of and believe me when these two get Bad you will feel the heat they generate right through your Kindle. This is a book that draws you in and makes you feel like you are right there in the saddle riding off into the sunset with the cowboy and his good girl as they both get bad.
4.5 STARS!
Cowboy Up was such a great read. I actually enjoyed this book more than I did the previous books in this standalone series. There was just something about this book that had me finishing it in one sitting. I loved Clayton and Caroline’s characters from the beginning of the book and enjoyed them until the very end. I liked the mystery in the beginning with Caroline’s “dark cowboy” and the chemistry between them was undeniable. I loved how these characters supported and stood by each other no matter what; they weren’t all family through blood but they were family through the love they had for each other. This was a sweet but steamy, second chance romance filled with a bit of suspense, revenge and forgiveness. I truly loved the Davis clan and their families, and they all deserved their HEA’s. This book had such a sweet ending and I loved reading everything come full circle. I highly recommend this book to romance lovers. This one will not disappoint.
Caroline and Clayton spent one anonymous night together. A few months later neither one of them has forgotten the other so when they unexpectedly meet again they each take the opportunity to see where this thing they have between them will lead.
This was a deeply romantic book with just a tad of angst and then some small amount of extreme drama toward the end. Once Clayton had a second chance at Caroline he was all in. She had never felt the love of any man, much less a good man and her heart is instantly ensnared by her dark cowboy.
There were times when I actually got a bit bored with all the sweet, romantic dialogue between these two. The angst was so low there was nothing really driving their story. For those who love such a story, this one is going to be the perfect read for you. The epilogue was great giving us a look fifteen years into the future.
This is an honest review of an advanced copy provided by NetGalley and
Dual POV
Some ow drama but the hero hasn’t had anything to do with her for several years; some om drama although, again, the heroine had nothing to do with him for several years
Possible triggers – domestic abuse
Clay and Caroline are different in many ways, but they share a bond that is destined to bring them together. Both have been burned by love and scarred by life. Clay is the ever responsible older brother determined to lead by example. His role hasn’t been easy and his choices not always wise, but his heart has always been in the right place. When it comes to love of family he’s on solid ground, matters of the heart are a personal minefield. Caroline is the first woman who slips under his radar and finds her way into his heart. She has a few suitcases full of her own emotional baggage to carry. Trust issues, painful memories and a fresh start, land her right in the path of the biggest recluse in town. What unfolds is a relationship that is passionate, flawed and will make a heart ache, but it will also inspire. Before reading this series, I had never heard of Harper Sloan and now I can’t imagined my bookshelf without her.
4.25 stars-COWBOY UP is the third (and final?) instalment in Harper Sloan’s contemporary, adult COMING HOME erotic, romance series focusing on the Davis siblings- Clayton, Maverick and Quinn Davis. This is thirty six year old rancher and eldest sibling Clayton Davis, and thirty year old book store owner Caroline Michaels’ story line. COWBOY UP can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Clayton and Caroline) COWBOY UP follows the building relationship between Clayton Davis, and Caroline Michaels. A one-night stand between strangers had our leading couple fantasizing about that night two months earlier only to discover that Clayton Davis was Caroline Michaels’ one-time, best friend’s oldest brother, and the high school crush she apparently forgot. After an invitation to Quinn Davis’ baby shower, our heroine will come face to face with the man with whom she will fall in love. Enter Clayton Davis, rancher and eldest Davis Sibling. What ensues is the building romance between Clayton and Caroline, and the potential fall out as both of their pasts collide in a game of jealous revenge.
Caroline Michaels left the town of Pine Oak, Texas immediately after high school to escape the gossip mills and rumors, and the mother who made her entire life a living h*ll. Her return to Wire Creek, Texas to open up her dream bookstore comes with ambivalence and a yearning to be free of the past-a past that almost destroyed our heroine’s life. Clayton Davis doesn’t do relationships in light of heartbreaking childhood and the fractured family dynamics of the Davis clan, as well as the bitter memories of a woman who continues to demand and push Clayton into a second chance.
The relationship between Caroline and Clayton is one of immediate attraction; a one –night stand that turns into something more when Caroline and Clayton bond over past betrayal, broken hearts and parental rejection. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
All of the previous story line couples play secondary and supporting characters including Maverick and Leighton (Lost Rider #1), and Quinn and Tate (Kiss My Boots #2). We are introduced to Caroline’s best friends and bar owners Luke Hazel, and his twin sister Lucy, as well as Caroline’s ex John Lewis; her mother Misty Michaels; and Clayton’s ex Jess.
The world building continues to focus on the Davis family-their growing love and support for one another, once destroyed by the very people meant to bring happiness and peace. There are two epilogues that fast forward the story line approximately one year, and another that looks fifteen years into the future.
COWBOY UP is a story of family and friendship; romance and love; betrayal, jealousy, revenge and obsession. The premise is heart warming and tearful; the characters are colorful, charismatic and welcome; the romance is passionate and seductive. COWBOY UP is an amazing tale about two people, one family and the struggle to move forward from demons of the past.
Book 3 and the final book in the Coming Home Series and for me Harper Sloan left the best for last, well that could have something to do with the fact I was desperate for Clay’s story he was a man I needed to get to know and I wanted to get inside his head and that’s exactly what we got in Cowboy Up.
Clay was the oldest sibling in the Davis family and he held the family together, he stepped up to be the father figure and took the families problems on those broad shoulders of his but what happens when he meets Caroline again and he finds feelings he thought he would never have…
This isn’t the first time Caroline has crossed paths with the hot broody cowboy but this time around she wants it all, so when she sits next to him at the local bar you knew sparks were gonna fly…
Cowboy Up is the ultimate second chance romance, this series will tear at your heartstrings and have you riding an emotional roller coaster, this book made me laugh and it made me cry and yes I was sad to see it come to an end but what a way to end a brilliant series, Harper Sloan ended this series on a high. Great job loved this book and loved the series.
5 Star Review Cowboy Up (Coming Home #3) by Harper Sloan
The final book in the Coming Home series and one that I have been waiting for. I love the Davis family and I have been eagerly and not so patiently waiting for Clay’s story and what a story this was.
Clay has been the glue that held his family together for so long and he needed a heroine that could match him in a number of ways and that is exactly what Caroline Michaels is.
Caroline finally had the courage and means to escape from an abusive relationship and is slowly working her way back into the land of the living and now runs her own book store.
The connection between Caroline and Clay is instantaneous and their one night stand leads to a passionate and sizzling night. However fate deems that these two should meet again and Clay is determined not to let the shy Caroline get away a second time.
When their pasts come back to haunt them, will Caroline decide to stand and fight with Clay’s support or will she run?
Will Clay accept that the time has finally come for him to love and be loved by someone, that he truly deserves the happiness that his siblings have already found?
This was a romantic and at times tense read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. As will previous books from Harper Sloan it was well written and the story line solid. I was invested from the first to last page and truthfully did not want the story to end.