New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant rounds up the hottest cowboys in Texas in her latest novel of no-holds-barred passion. Audrey Martinez is a veterinarian who has devoted her whole life to the care and protection of horses–even if doing so leaves her little time for meeting a man. Who would have thought that a strange case of criminal horseplay would lead her to falling deeply, … lead her to falling deeply, wildly in love? If only the man who makes her heart race faster than a wild mustang would let his guard down, that is. . .
Caleb Harper is no ordinary cowboy. Sure, he wears his hat, boots, and jeans like a second skin, and displays an easygoing charm that comes from years of working on the ranch. But with his military background, and Army buddies at his side, he is tried-and-true Texas tough. Audrey knows she can trust a man like Caleb to help her save horses. But can Caleb trust himself to resist his attraction to Audrey–or will the sparks of their desire end up getting them burned?
“A fantastic, first-class Lone Star romance.”
–RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!) on The Christmas Cowboy Hero
more
May Have Mild Spoilers
OK I’m gonna be honest here and I’m gonna try not to spoil anything while letting you know why this book was just alright for me. After reading Cowboy, Cross My Heart I was really looking forward to Caleb’s book. I hate to say it, but the book didn’t live up to my expectations. No not the book really, it was Caleb and Audrey relationship that didn’t work for me. I actually liked the plot which is why I gave this book 3 stars instead of less. Those stars were for the plot and catching up with Naomi and Brice. So let me lay out what didn’t work for me with Caleb and Audrey’s love.
1. They had an unrealistic insta-love. They fell in love in like 2 days, however it didn’t feel like love to me. It just felt forced.
2. I got really annoyed at the amount of days both Caleb and Audrey let go between talking to each other. Let me give a few examples. After they sleep together, they have a bit of a fight, and kinda make up(I’m trying not to give away spoilers). Then there is an misunderstanding, and instead of Caleb going after her he waits days. Days! Letting her sit there in pain thinking all kinds “he don’t want me” thoughts. Then when he does finally come to her and tells her he wants her, she does the same damn thing. As the days past, I found myself getting more and more pissed off. They both just acted like cowards. That’s my second biggest pet peeve in books next to cheating. If they would have only waited once, or for one day I would have been able to understand it, but it was too much too long.
3. They spent more time apart or fighting their feels than together. They maybe spent a total of 24 hours actually being together the rest of the time it was drama and fear. So after such little time I don’t get how they fell in love at all.
4. lastly I didn’t buy how quickly Caleb got over his mommy issues. Which was one of the reasons he feared letting Audrey into his heart.
Still I liked the plot. I really liked Maddy, Audrey’s sister. I liked both Caleb and Audrey as individuals just didn’t feel their relationship, which bummed me out. My heart broke for Brice and Naomi. I need them to get some good news in the next book. Overall this was an okay read for me. Donna Grant is a great writer, but this book just had a pet peeve that drove me nuts, so even though I didn’t like it as much as the other I will read more from Donna Grant.
My Favorite Cowboy by Donna Grant is book three in her Heart of Texas series. My Favorite Cowboy can easily be read as a standalone. For better understanding I recommend to read the books in order. The previous books are The Christmas Cowboy Her and Cowboy, Cross My Heart.
My Favorite Cowboy tells the story of Audrey and Caleb.
Audrey Martinez is the lokal veterinarian. Her job is her calling and when horses get hurt and sick she hurts with them. The owner of a auction house calls her for help and bam she’s involved in a nasty war.
And there’s Caleb. He doesn’t do relationships and has abandonement issues. He meets Aubrey and they have this crazy insta- connection.
Favorite Quote: ” Always follw your heart. ”
My Favorite Cowboy is a beautiuful story, excellent written, beautifully thought out and beautifully told. I loved the story and the characters and give 4,5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
This was a charming read. I was enchanted right from the beginning. Caleb and Audrey are two wonderful characters with basically the same issue that prevents them from entering into a relationship. While they work together to save some ill horses and solve a crime, they fall in love. These characters go through a very intense couple of days that help to push these two together. But is it enough to last a lifetime? You will have to read for yourself.
This story has all the highs and lows of a great book. The roller-coaster ride that you go through is definitely worth it. You also get to see characters from prior books of this series. I so hope that a few secondary characters get their stories as well.
This story is written in my favorite dual POV. Being able to read the characters’ POV really gives a better understanding of their actions and why they say the things that they do.
While this story is a part of a series, you don’t necessarily need to read the other stories to thoroughly enjoy this one.
My Favorite Cowboy by Donna Grant
Heart of Texas #3
I remember starting this series with Abby down on her luck and falling in clover with Clayton. The best thing that ever happened to the Harpers just may have been Clayton East. In the second book Brice meet and fell for Naomi and in this book Caleb – the brother who planned never to marry – meets his match in veterinarian Audrey Martinez. I have a feeling that this series could continue as there is Maddy (Audrey’s sister) still without someone to love and two good friends of the Harpers and Easts that need to find someone – Cooper and Jace. And, is the sheriff married? If not, Danny might need a partner, too.
Anyway, this book starts with sick horses at an auction house and the vet called in just happens to be Audrey. She does her best to save the horses…with mixed results. Security for the auction house is provided by Caleb, Brice and Clayton with Jace and Cooper there, too. So, animals are being harmed, someone is trying to set Audrey up to take a professional fall and there are some very bad things happening in the neighborhood…including murder. In the midst of this Caleb and Audrey manage to find one another, pursue the attraction then have falling out times that have to be corrected before a HEA can be achieved. There are also issues from their pasts that impact their ability to trust that also must be overcome. I still want to find out about Maddy, Jace, Cooper and Danny but at least there was some closure toward the end of the book on some of the family issues and that helped more than one character in the book.
Who was the bad guy out to get Audrey? You will have to read the book to find out.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4 Stars
Take veterinarian, Audrey Martinez who is
hard working, not looking for men in her life
add cowboy, Caleb Harper who distrusts
woman plus an unknown person who is
making the horses sick and the combination
explodes into a suspenseful adventure. The
story has twists and turns with intense,
spicy romance, captivating writing and a
riveting storyline.
The main characters are vivid, colorful, well
defined with instant undeniable chemistry
between them. The supporting characters are
interesting and intriguing.
I volunteered to read My Favorite Cowboy.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press
for the opportunity. My opinion is my own.
OMG! This book! It was fantastic!
I loved how the author managed the tension until the very last moment, how she developed characters so broken yet so lovable, and also how she made them fit together. The rhythm of the narration was fluid, and the story was so well constructed that once I started, I couldn’t stop reading.
My Favorite Cowboy is part of a series, but I didn’t felt like I missed something in this story in particular, so you can read it as a standalone.
Audrey Martinez is a talented and well respected equine veterinarian. She loves her work. When an old friend says that several of his horses are sick, she goes to help. After seeing them she knows someone is hurting the animals, but she’s not sure what is causing the illness. Who would do this? Caleb sees what’s going on and he and his family want to help. He’s sure this isn’t over. His fears are confirmed when there is another attempt to hurt the horses. Who’s behind this? Caleb Harper feels the enemy wants to harm Audrey. He’s determined to protect this feisty female. I liked Audrey. She’s a strong woman who’s afraid to commit to a man. I hated to see how she kept her pain and fears to herself. Caleb is successful, but he won’t let himself give his love to any woman. He says he will never marry. I found their romance intriguing. Here are two people who are hurting from past trauma. I empathized with their pain. I was sorry that they still suffered. I wished that they could trust each other to confide what they feel. My Favorite Cowboy is suspenseful with twists that I didn’t expect. I cared for these two characters. Their dialogue is sharp and realistic. The setting helps move the story along. Donna Grant kept me on the edge of my seat. The mystery is well written. I was surprised by the ending. I wonder what’s next in the Heart of Texas series.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.
Audrey Martinez is considered the best equine veterinarian on her county. She is loved by everyone…..except the person who is trying to destroy her livelihood, her reputation, and possibly, her very life.
Every since his mom walked out when he was a child, Caleb Harper has kept women at arms length – good for bedding but not much else. Until he steps in to help Audrey figure out who’s causing her trouble. Watching after her has brought them close together and he finds himself seriously liking her. Will he be able to hold onto his long-held beliefs while still trying to keep Audrey safe? Or will Audrey be able to break through his defenses….especially when she has some defensive walls herself. It’ll take all their efforts, combined with their friends and families, to get to the bottom of this mystery and put an end to the danger surrounding Audrey.
Kudos to Ms. Grant for a great book that had interesting characters, danger, heat, and smexy-times. It definitely kept me entertained from the first page to the last (even when I wanted to knock some sense into the heads of a couple of those characters).
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias.
I do not often read this genre by this author so right off this was different for me. Cowboys can tug on the heart cause they give their all. Caleb also happens to be more than a cowboy with military in the background also which grabbed my attention. Audrey is more than his match I say in this one with her having a heart for saving. Suspense is also part of this with adding it all up made for riveting reading.
I really liked this read. Caleb and Audrey have great chemistry and their characters have lots of depth. The story is fast-paced with plenty of steam and emotion. Lots of twists and turns keep you hooked from beginning to end. A Sweet Read.
ARC for honest review with no compensation received from NetGalley
My Favorite Cowboy is book 3 in the Heart of Texas series by Donna Grant and a great addition to this series.
Audrey Martinez, equine veterinarian is well known, sought after and donates her spare time to help her friend with rescued horses. While helping the rescue she runs across some very sick horses and during her checks it looks like some foul play is happening maybe involved drugs to destroy them. She and her friend enlist the help of Caleb, his brother and his brother in law who being military and ways to search for answers. When Caleb and Audrey meet the sparks fly but both have really high walls built and neither is willing to let them fall…what happens next will keep you on the edge of your seat, to find answers, open up their hearts and maybe find that they truly do belong together….
This is book 3 in the Heart of Texas series. This is the first book in the series that I have read so it can easily by read as a stand-alone book. This is Caleb and Audrey’s story. Audrey is a veterinarian who loves and cares for horses. She has no time for a man. Until the horses start having a problem. Now she must put up with Caleb but that could be a good thing. I really enjoyed this story. There’s all the suspense and mystery that you could ask for, then you add in a cowboy. You know that’s going to be a good story. I couldn’t pick out the villain until the very last and that was a bit of a surprise. You stay hooked on the story that’s happening from the very beginning. I’m going to go back and get the first two books so that I know the whole background of Caleb’s family. They sound just as interesting as this story. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book that I received from Netgalley.
Lots of drama, suspense and intrigue plus a slow burning romance with a rocky road for both Caleb and Audrey.
Audrey is a wonderfully brave, hardworking veterinarian and Caleb is an ex-Green Beret. On the surface, they seem opposites, but both love animals, horses especially and, surprisingly, both have past familial problems that shape their current circumstances.
While the mystery and romance is 5 star (especially the strength of Audrey’s character, along with her sister, Maddy, 1 star was deducted for the very final circumstances both facing Caleb and Audrey, due to the brevity and almost “glossing over” of these events. Also, some situations arose that should have been further addressed within this story, but instead were dropped as if they never happened. (Or at least the reader never hears anymore about them). Purposely being vague to avoid spoilers.
This was an intense mystery mixed with danger and a developing romance. Ah, I love those. Especially when they are well done. And this one was.
Really good, flawed main characters. It was amazing to see after reading for a while they had something surprising in common. Fear of committing to a love relationship. They both had the method of basically one night and done. They weren’t out to hurt people but it was how they coped. They each had their own reasons but they were powerful ones just the same.
There was a good unit of secondary people in the story and I would like to read more of “Maddy’s” story. Maddy helped her sister Audrey a lot in the story but she has her own hurts that she is hiding. Caleb also had a good group of people behind him too. A sister, brother, in-laws and friends were all there for him and he was there for them.
I had my suspicions on who the “bad guy” behind everything was. And maybe even the why. Nope. Not even close. And I had looked at several different possibilities after a while. Still, no. The author did a good job of jerking me around to the who and why of the culprits. I was running all over the place trying to guess!
I liked that there is dual P.O.V.’s in the story. The only flaw if you want to call it that, is a bit too much angst replayed over and over about Caleb’s inability to trust women. His inability to trust women doesn’t keep him from having hot sex with Audrey though. One good thing to my way of thinking is that it didn’t happen right away.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
This is the 3rd book in the Heart of Texas series and I would absolutely read the previous books before you read this one. This is about Caleb Harper and Audrey Martinez. Caleb is the brother of the main characters in books 1 and 2. Audrey is an equine veterinarian who has become fairly well known in their circles for being not only hard working but great with horses. A family friend comes to her to ask for help when some of his horses become sick, and when she suspects foul play, Caleb and his family are called to ask for help. Caleb is the younger brother of Abby and Brice. He truly doesn’t believe that he will ever get married or have a family. He doesn’t believe that people truly stay, not after what happened with his mother. But he doesn’t expect to feel the things he does towards Aubrey. Neither one of them expect to feel the pull they do towards each other, and have no idea whether it is something that is real or just in the heat of the moment. And when things come to a head and Aubrey’s life is in danger, will either of them admit the feelings they have? Or will they walk away in order to avoid heartache?
I think I loved this story even more than either of the other 2 books! Caleb has such emotional trauma from what his mother did and no one really knows exactly how much he truly has or knows what happened to him when she left. Aubrey has her own issues that she has to deal with and isn’t sure she can trust in any kind of love. Throwing these two together and having them learn about what is truly important and how much someone can mean to you? It is beautiful! Even when things happen that make you wonder if they will break apart, you find out that their family understands exactly what family means. Including Jace and Cooper! Family isn’t always about blood and I am glad that Caleb finally realizes that in this book!! And knowing that he has to work through what happened and actually forgive his mother for what she did, not for her, but for himself? That’s truly mind blowing. Most people can’t or won’t do that, and never move beyond the issues they deal with from past trauma’s. I love how it was written that! Now I am ever hopeful that Jace, Cooper, and now Aubrey’s sister will have their own stories because I love those characters just as much as I loved the main characters of these books!
Mystery, intrigue, sick horses, sexy cowboys and an interesting heroine make for a wonderful story I could not put down. Perfect title for a perfect, sexy, sweet, and strong heartthrob of a cowboy. He will solve a mystery and melt your heart all at the same time making you unable to put the book down because you want Audrey to break through his abandonment issues to bring him true love, something he did not even know he even wanted. It is amazing these two characters are able to forgive their parents and finally move on. This is a great series by Donna Grant. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
I did not want to put this down once I started reading it. Another fantastic book in this series. It takes a LOT and I mean a lot for both Audrey and Caleb to get over their pasts and find love. In the end it is all worth it. You can read this as a stand alone but I wouldn’t recommend it as the other books are so good. Caleb helps Aubrey when someone is out to hurt her and things spiral from there. One of things I love about these books is seeing everyone come together to help. You always get a glimpse of what is going on in everyone’s life because they are always around to help.
*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
My Favorite Cowboy is book three in the Heart of Texas series by Donna Grant. In book one, we met the oldest sister, Abby Harper. Book two, her younger brother, Brice got his turn. Now it’s the youngest Harper brother, Caleb’s turn.
As did Abby and Brice, Caleb Harper has some serious abandonment issues. Their mother left them when Brice and Caleb were little, leaving an eighteen year old Abby to raise the boys. Now, years later, Abby is happily married to Clayton East and Brice is married to Naomi. But Caleb is convinced he will never risk being hurt by opening his heart. He is a one and done cowboy. Brice and Caleb own a ranch together and train horses. Their entire family is very close knit. They’ve all been through so much together.
Audrey Martinez is an equine veterinarian. She’s become well known and her services are highly sought after. She also donates her free time to horse rescues, caring for the horses. A family friend runs such a rescue and has asked Audrey to help him with some sick horses. They can’t figure out what is wrong with the affected horses and the situation is getting worse by the hour. Foul play is suspected so Caleb, Brice, and their brother in law, Clayton are called in to help. That is how Audrey and Caleb first meet.
Horses are Audrey’s life. She’s worked night and day to get to where she is so she has given little time to relationships. She’s never really felt any sort of affection to anyone she has dated. She has always dreamed of finding that deep love her parents shared. But when she and Caleb first meet, she can’t deny there is something there that keeps drawing her to him.
Caleb and Audrey can’t deny the pull they both feel to each other but both are also dealing with the walls they have both built up. At the same time, the horses are getting sicker. As Audrey works night and day to find the answer, the situation gets more dangerous as things continue to happen. They have to wonder, who is the bad guy after? Is it a vendetta against that particular rescue? Or could it be Audrey herself that is being targeted.
“Whatever mess David had pulled her into was too deep for her to wade through on her own. She needed help. No. She needed Caleb.”
“We protect what’s ours, as well as our friends. You and your sister are counted among those now.”
First, I want to mention that I love the secondary characters. Jace and Cooper that have been in the books throughout are not blood of the Harpers and Easts (Addy’s husband’s last name) but they are family. And there is also Maddy, Audrey’s little sister. She was so spunky. This book had a fair amount of suspense as they try to solve the mystery of what has been happening to the horses. It was obvious from the beginning that Audrey and Caleb belonged together. They both had so much to work through, though, before they could let each other in. And it was not an opportune time with everything else going on. But does love ever choose an opportune time to strike? Perhaps it’s more like fate stepping in? Even though these two experienced pretty fast insta-lust, it took them both awhile to let the other in. They both made a lot of mistakes along the way. But, this is a cowboy romance. So you know that everyone will get their happy ever after in the end. It had a cute little epilogue as well that was six months down the line so we get a glimpse into their future. Things felt pretty tied up in the end so I don’t know if there are more books planned in this series or not. You could easily read this as a stand alone although then you just wouldn’t know the history of Caleb’s two siblings.
A cute little number that I couldn’t put down. I love the mystery behind My Favorite Cowboy. You can just feel the spark between Caleb and Audrey from the start. Caleb is amazing and you can tell he is a little broken. I love how close he is with his family. Audrey is dedicated, stubborn and hardworking. She is amazing with horses and I love how she is with her sister Maddy. Once you start reading this you can just tell that Caleb and Audrey are meant to be. Caleb does an amazing job in protecting Audrey through everything that is thrown their way. If you love a good cowboy book with a bit of a mystery and touch of sweet then My Favorite Cowboy is one to pick up.
I received a free copy from the publisher for review.
I’ve been reading Donna Grant for a year, maybe more now, and she’s never ceased to capture me with her stories. My Favorite Cowboy is a Contemporary Romance that has a touch of suspense. It is part of a series but it’s not necessary to have read the others before reading this one. It features Audrey, an equine vet; and Caleb, a local cowboy who’s former military.
I enjoyed reading how these two characters work together under pressure to solve who’s harming the horses in Audrey’s family friend stables. There’s major chemistry between Audrey and Caleb and as a reader I couldn’t wait to see the combustion!
If you’re not a paranormal reader, Author Donna Grant offers you a way to read her writing by these contemporary cowboy romances. They won’t bore you and you’ll be rooting for the characters to get their HEA at the end. Ms. Grant doesn’t tend to let her readers down. I hope you enjoy!