“Stacy Finz delivers a fantastic tale of cowboys, cattle rustling and the power of love and family in the California gold country.” —Kate Pearce, New York Times bestselling authorCash, Jace, and Sawyer: Three cousins sharing an inheritance of five hundred acres of prime California ranch land—and a whole lot of surprises . . .Cash Dalton is no rancher. He’s an FBI agent—or at least he was, until … an FBI agent—or at least he was, until he left a haunting case behind him and a load of guilt in front of him. Now it turns out he’s also a father—to a twelve-year-old girl he didn’t know he had. Clearly, it’s no time for a new romance, especially not with Aubrey McAlister, who’s renting the cottage on Dry Creek Ranch. She doesn’t even seem to like him. Still, there’s nothing wrong with looking . . .
After calling off her wedding, Aubrey is trying to focus on her interior design career and avoid the fact that she’s the center of small-town gossip. Clearly, it’s no time for a new romance, especially not with brooding Cash. Though she does find him sexy as hell. And he has softened since his daughter arrived—enough for Aubrey to help decorate her room—and even try to get Cash to open up about the chip on his shoulder. Once he does, both their hearts might just follow—but will their futures sync up as well? . . .
PRAISE FOR STACY FINZ
“Sweet humor, well-defined and appealing characters, and just enough adventure sports and fashion detail make Finz’s print debut, and series launch, a delightful read.”
—Library Journal on Need You
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A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start. Cash trying to now figure out where his life is going after leaving the FBI and learning after twelve years he has a daughter come into his life. Then Aubrey who has grown up in Dry Creek has to overcome a rumor she knows isn’t true because she doesn’t want to hurt a good friend she grew up with. A twist takes a turn you don’t see but easy to follow along. A great start to this series.
I just love the cover of this book. Not going to lie that drew me right in. I really enjoyed the three cousins. I like the relationship they have with one another. I liked the small town setting, but I’m not going to lie I was not a big fan of some of the townspeople for the way they treated Aubrey. I also liked Aubrey a lot. Life may be kicking her butt right now, but she has the gumption not to stay down long. Cash and his daughter capture your heart. They have a lot of navigating to create a relationship, but watching the journey is heartwarming. I’m definitely looking forward to more from this series.
Cowboys, Small Town Life, and a Mystery – Stacy Finz gives it all to you in Cowboy Up,
Cash Dalton’s life was up in the air when he came back home to Dry Creek Ranch. Aubrey McAllister’s life was up in the air when her friend Jace let her move into a cabin on the Ranch. What happens with Cash and Aubrey will make you keep turning page after page
Finz brings fans of western contemporary romance something to get excited about with Cowboy Up, the first in the new Dry Creek Ranch series.
Readers will love the well rounded, complex characters who move the story along with entertaining dialogue. Cash and Aubrey give the small town something to talk about besides her recent breakup with the town’s golden boy. Cash also learns he has a preteen daughter he never knew about. Can they find a home and their place in the world on Dry Creek Ranch?
I’m already excited about more from Dry Creek Ranch. I highly recommend this book to fans of the small town contemporary romance genre.
I read and reviewed a complementary copy of this book.
At first I thought Aubrey was an idiot for not telling people why she and Mitch broke up. Everyone was treating her so horribly!
But then I found out why and it made me even angrier! Aubrey was getting treated like dog poop and she’s being the best kind of person!
So, while I was secretly wishing that most of the residents of Dry Creek fall into a deep pit, sparks start flying between Aubrey and Cash. But Cash is dealing with his own demons. Even when it comes down to the wire you want to give him a good smack upside the head.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read! 5 stars!!
This book is a great beginning to the Dry Creek Ranch series. The chemistry between Cash Dalton and Aubrey McAllister could start a fire. Then there is Ellie, Cash’s twelve year old daughter that is now living with him since her mom died from cancer. Cash did not even know he had a daughter so they are both trying to adjust to each other.
I enjoyed Cash’s sexy cousins , Jace and Sawyer. They are quite close and living on the ranch they inherited from their Grandfather Dalton, who died four months ago. Those are just some of the great characters in the book. My favorite character is Aubrey who is strong, courageous and does not stand a chance around Cash. She also has a horrible ex-fiance, Mitch who makes her life miserable.
This book was so good I could not put it down and read it in one day, only to be sad when it was done. I am so glad there will be more books in the series. There is romance, intrigue, family crisis, lies secrets, affairs and so much more. It is no wonder Cash has to face his demons, move on and build a home for his daughter, Ellie and as his cousin would tell him he needs to Cowboy Up.
I absolutely loved reading this book and would enjoy reading it again. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
Emotion, mystery and romance. Cowboy Up offers a bit of everything. With a former FBI agent turned reluctant cowboy and a newly single dad to a daughter he just learned of and a recently single woman with a pile of secrets and most of a small town against her there is not a second of this book that doesn’t have something going on.
I zoomed through this one pretty hooked on Cash and Aubrey. From sort of enemies, to friends and eventually lovers these two had quite the roller coaster ride to happiness. Add in the complications of a daughter who is just learning who her father is while grieving for her mother and some serious small town drama and it makes for a read that has you looking like that Michael Jackson with a tub of popcorn gif.
Cowboy Up by Stacy Finz
Dry Creek Ranch #1
Cash Dalton and his cousins have inherited their grandfather’s ranch and though would rather sell the ranch to pay off back taxes his cousins, Jace and Sawyer, would rather keep it. How they will manage financially is a mystery in this book and remains a mystery at the end BUT with at least two more books for the cousins and perhaps one for someone named Angie a solution may be found before the series ends.
In this book we learn a bit about all three men but this story belongs to Cash. What do we learn about him?
* He had a big career in the FBI until something happened
* He just found out that he has a twelve year old daughter, Ellie, that he will be responsible for rearing from here on out
* He has a sense of humor
* He believes in “the truth”
* He is someone who has not put down roots
* He is HOT
* He is conflicted about a number of issues
* AND that he might fall for his neighbor, Aubrey McAllister
What do we know about Aubrey?
* She just broke off a long-term relationship with her fiance, Mitch
* She is considered to have wronged Mitch by all and sundry in their small town
* She is an excellent interior decorator-designer
* She knows what she wants
* She is spunky
* She gets along with Ellie
* She thinks Cash is HOT
Ellie is in a bad spot emotionally and really would prefer to stay in Boston so quite a bit of the story revolves around her feelings and how her new life in Dry Creek impacts her and others. We meet her cousins, Travis & Grady, Jace’s sons and she seems to like them well enough. She has a friend back in Boston she keeps in touch with. She misses her mother – a LOT. She is not warming up to Cash. AND she does a bit of soul searching before the end of the book. She also is sometimes wiser than her twelve years might expect her to be.
In addition to setting the stage for this series there are some secrets, a cattle rustling operation to suss out, decisions to be made by more than one, a romance, some secrets exposed, crimes perpetrated, libel, job futures to figure out and a few other issues that crop up.
Did I enjoy the story? Yes
Do I want to read more in the series? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Lyrical-Shine for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4 Stars
When Aubrey catches her fiancé cheating, she’s fortunate her old friend Jace Dalton lets her rent a cabin on the ranch his grandfather left to him and his two cousins, Sawyer and Cash. And it becomes even more fortunate when her fiancé twists things, turning the entire town of Dry Creek against her. Even though the ex has blackballed her from working as an interior designer in town, at least the Dalton cousins are on her side. She’ll just have to ignore her pesky little attraction to Cash since they both have much more important issues to deal with.
This is my first book by this author, and I love the Dalton cousins. Cash’s challenges with his daughter were heart tugging and poignant and really brought out the emotion of the story. I really liked Aubrey’s character and easily felt her struggle between doing what she felt was right and dealing with the town’s treatment of her. And I must say, it was rewarding to see her ex get what he deserved.
The drawback for me was some extraneous narration, character supposition and introspection. It became repetitious and I found myself skimming through paragraphs to get back to the meat of the story. I’ll admit to being a bit of an impatient reader, so this may not be an issue for some, but I found it detracted from moving the story forward. Otherwise, the storyline was interesting and the characters were engaging and endearing, and I’m interested in reading the other cousins’ stories when they come out.
*I reviewed an early edition of this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide feedback and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source.
This book is a great start for a series that is sure to become a winner. A series about three cousins who inherited from their grandfather, a dilapidated ranch , each of the men carrying their own heartaches and demons.
This one belongs to former FBI special agent Cash Dalton. A man that was fired from his job and still has nightmares about his last case.
In the midst of this turmiol, he suddenly is entrusted a twelve year old daughter he knew nothing of when his one night stand dies. He is at a loss as is the child. Thankfully, their next door neighbor , Audrey, a woman that is renting a cabin in their property and is being ostracized by the town, ends up not only helping with his daughter, Ellie but also with his battered heart.
But Cash has responsibilities and feels he is not good enough for Audrey. In the midst of all of this, there is also a mystery that entails cattle rustling that will keep you guessing.
All in all , the plot is engaging, and the main characters as well as the secondary characters in the form of the other cousins ,are all well developed.
One of my favorite lines in the book are “…you are my future.. You’re my heart, my future, my everything.”
I can’t wait to see what else this talented author has in store for us in this series.
I was entrusted a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
Stacy has started a new series, and it’s clear her heart is 100% in it with this tale of failure, recovery, redemption, and second chances, with a little mystery thrown in for good measure. Aubrey and Cash meet at the very lowest point in their lives, and are drawn to each other despite knowing that nothing can come of it. Yet it’s clear that they bring out the best in each other, and despite their best efforts they start to bond. Can both of them ‘cowboy up’ and face the rotten hands they’ve been dealt, the town’s censure, and their growing attraction?
I love that Ellie, Cash, and Aubrey are flawed and occasionally graceless; one of the reasons I read Stacy’s work is that she is a master at characterization. The tension in the book comes partly from circumstances that make it clear Aubrey can’t stay in town, and Cash isn’t so sure he can either, though they both would prefer to. In addition, there is a crime that needs to be solved. It’s not super-hard to guess what’s going on, but this is a romance rather than a mystery and I happily grant a bit of leeway when solving the crime gives the HEA a shove in the right direction. Overall, there is a joy in the writing that shines through and is easy to appreciate, that makes even the darkest parts of the book a delight to read. I received an advance copy in return for my honest review, and I’m already anxious for the next book in this new series.
Cowboy Up by Stacy Finz is the first in a new series: Dry Creek Ranch. Cowboy Up focuses on Cash Dalton, a former FBI agent who is still haunted by the victim of a serial killer who he was too late to save. He lost his job over the fiasco and has been sitting, drinking, on the porch of a cabin on the ranch he and his three cousins inherited recently from their grandfather. A few weeks ago he discovered he had a daughter from a one-night stand twelve years ago. Lat week her mother died and left him with custody of twelve-year-old Ellie. Now his neighbor is yelling at him for holding target practice (sober) at dawn. Could life get better? Aubrey McAllister is the neighbor. She is renting an identical cabin from his cousin, Jace, the local sheriff. She has just broken off a 10-year long relationship and is letting the town think that the reason is Jace. It’s not.
What a terrific read this was! This is my introduction to Finz’ work and what a happy one, at that. Both are complex characters and the most complex is Ellie, who Finz has made typical for all parents in the world. Granted the kid has just lost her mother and discovered a father she knew nothing about, but she had attitude to high heaven and Finz portrays it perfectly. Fine one minute, snarky the next. The cell phone in her hand constantly. The crying. The hunger strike; trying to eat when no one notices instead . All perfect. Cash takes a while to work through his stuff but does it and helps Aubrey and Jace AND Ellie. Loved it. I recommend it.
I received a free ARC of Cowboy Up. All opinions expressed herein are solely my own. #netgalley #cowboyup
Cowboy Up starts a new series set in another small but great Northern California town. This is the story of Cash Dalton, former FBI agent and father to a 12 year old “surprise” and Aubrey McAllister, local girl, who has recently broken her engagement to the supposed “catch of the town”.
There is great dialogue as well as humor as Ms. Finz works out the relationship between Cash and Aubrey, Cash and his daughter and Aubrey and the town.
It was a fun read and am looking forward to the stories on Jace and Sawyer
Cowboy Up has themes similar to other books I have read recently, but the characters keep the story fun.
This is an alright book. I read it all the way through which is unusual for me. I’m not sorry I read it but I wouldn’t read it twice.