New York Times Bestselling Author He’s not a man to be played with. Not without consequences. For five years, Levi Tucker had no control over his life, locked up for a crime he didn’t commit. Never again would any woman–any desire–overtake this cowboy’s common sense. Now Faith Grayson, the sexy, brilliant architect he’s hired to design his grand new house, is sorely testing his resolve. … sorely testing his resolve. Faith is too young. Too innocent. Maybe just too tempting.
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Levi lost five years of his life in prison because his wife was a one heck of a selfish witch! However, he had a plan to show the world that he may have been down, but don’t count him out…yet. Hiring Faith to build him the biggest house was just the first step of many. Falling for Faith, however, was never part of the plan!
Faith was really sweet. More brainy then feels, she understood logic and numbers and wasn’t prepared for the storm of feelings Levi brought out in her. I had a lot of fun seeing Faith learn about herself and had a blast watching her unintentionally tempt Levi! It was like watching the devil and angel on her shoulder duking it out with interesting results!
The romance was quick and pretty hot. Even though it was supposed to be temporary, nothing ever goes as planned. Levi was a tough guy who said one thing but his actions showed another. He really had a tough time with the age gap too, causing some rather silly arguments against getting involved with Faith. But Faith gave as good as she got, leading to spectacular fireworks!
I’ve come to really enjoy Yates characters! Whether it’s a full novel or a Harlequin story like this book, I’ve come to love the quirky and unique personalities. And the romances! They have so many levels of emotion, I never know what to expect! Book 6 in the Copper Ridge: Desire series, Need Me, Cowboy easily read as a stand alone. Other characters were mentioned with just enough background that I didn’t feel lost at all.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I absolutely adore faulty, awkward characters in the stories because they are so easy to relate to, to find the common ground with them, to understand their predicaments. And Levi Tucker and Faith Grayson deliver as the faulty and awkward protagonists, tenfold.
I can only imagine the amount of anger, disappointment, hate, and need for revenge that is churning inside Levi. Yet all those negative thoughts are very focused on their target, and he does not take it out on just any passerby. With all the hate and anger, there was also kindness, sweetness, tenderness, and decency in Levi that made me fall for him completely. I loved how he was with Faith. How their attraction was stronger than his years built self-control, how the feelings he had for her were stronger than the build-up need for the vengeance.
Faith had lived a sheltered life, by the busy life brought on by her early success and super smarts, as well as the overly protective older brothers who stood like a wall surrounding her from the world and from all the possible disappointments and hurt.
Together, with the burning passion in between them, these two didn’t only fly free, they soared through the atmosphere with the ardent adoration and deep understanding they had for each other.
The depth of their emotion – and the deep conversation on the topic – floored me with all the feels. I loved Levi and Faith together, and the connection they shared. I loved the world the author created around them, telling a story that was riddled with familiarity to readers following the series yet a tale that could be a great way to get to know the author’s style if a new-to-her reader. The story is shorter in length, yet a great sample of the Copper Ridge series.
A tale of redemption, resurrection, and the power of love, where family, passion, and the yearning for more set the foundation but it is the love that sets them free of the chains of past.
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side
Faith and Levi’s story is simply wonderful–they are both really strong characters who have so much more inside them than first appears. Faith especially kept surprising me (not to mention Levi and even her own family) with her inner strength and determination–she really is so much more than her young age and relationship inexperience would make her seem. And Levi…? Though his wrongful conviction and home life growing up were horrible, the prison that he’d put himself in was so much worse. He was breaking my heart right along with Faith’s–and his own.
Of course we get an HEA, but the author does her best to make him–and us!–work for it. This book was next to impossible to put down once I’d started 🙂
I’ve enjoyed all of Ms. Yates’s books that I’ve read set in Copper Ridge so far, but Faith and Levi’s story simply blew me away. It’s going to be hard to top, but I sincerely hope she tries 😉
I can’t wait for more from this series and author!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Levi and Faith are amazing together. I cannot stress that enough. AMAZING!
The concept of this story is wonderful and heartbreaking and makes me angry. Levi already had a chip on his shoulder before prison, of course he’s going to be a bitter man when he gets out. Faith, on the other hand, has been protected her whole life. She feels she has a lot to prove, she’s ready to stand on her own two feet without input from her brothers, but there isn’t a terrible past or incident she needs to get beyond. Faith is a strong young woman who is finding her own voice…and using it.
This story kept me in butterflies throughout. Whether I had them during the spicy scenes with Faith and Levi, or during the touching scenes when they’d open up to each other, or during the times Levi really opened up and showed his heart, there were always butterflies.
I recently listed Maisey Yates as an author that will keep me up late into the night reading. Honestly, if I hadn’t had to get up for work in the morning I would have never put this book down once I picked it up.
https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2019/04/18/need-me-cowboy-copper-ridge-desire/
My heart broke for Levi, who spent five years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Framed by his ex-wife, he has vowed never to trust again, and certainly never to fall in love. But then he met Faith, who is innocence personified. A story of forbidden love, NEED ME, COWBOY pairs together two strong-in-their-own-way characters who on the surface shouldn’t fit, yet somehow do. A supremely satisfying love story!
Need Me, Cowboy was a fun fast read for me. I was hooked right from the start and really enjoyed the story.
Levi Tucker is fresh out of prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Finally free after being set up by his wife he is set on getting revenge by living the life that was taken away from him. Already coming from a rough upbringing and forced to spend years in prison, Levi is rough around the edges for sure.
When he decides to hire Faith, an up an coming design prodigy, sparks fly when the two first meet. The problem is that Levi believes that his heart has turned to stone and that he definitely doesn’t deserve anyone as pure and innocent as Faith. However, Faith is tired of always playing it safe and living her life in order to make everyone else happy. The things that she feels when she is around Levi open up a whole new world for her and she is bound and determined to explore whatever this may be.
Be ready for a fast paced story full of some serious drama and some very serious hot and steamy moments. You won’t be disappointed! – By Alisa
Need Me, Cowboy by Maisey Yates is book 6 in the Copper Ridge: Desire Series. This is the story of Faith Grayson and Levi Tucker. I haven’t yet read the previous book, so for me this was a standalone book.
Levi is a older jaded man who is fresh out of prison who served 5 years for crime he didn’t commit. Now he has plans to move forward with his life living the best he can to show people that he better than they tried to make him. What Levi isn’t looking for is a relationship after his past relationship. Moving forward to better his life is building a new home on the land he purchased. Which leads him to get a new up and coming architect named Faith Grayson. Faith and Levi first meet at his land to go over plans but the sparks start flying that both try to ignore. Levi knows that Faith is to young (about 13 years younger) and innocent for him but that doesn’t stop his feelings. It doesn’t take but a few meetings for things to take off but of course nothing is easy in love.
This is a short story addition to the Copper Ridge series and due to page count, we sorta get into the “connection” part of things fairly quickly. *ahem* (Might need to say ~ADULTS ONLY~ right about here…) Does that take away from anything? Heck no….but it’s nice to know going in. Anywho…
Levi is a man with a past, but it wasn’t of his own making. Faith is a woman with a future that’s not fully in her own hands. Can they break away from what they expect of themselves and fight their own inner demons (totally varying in kind!) to reach for a future brighter than the fire burning between them? Let’s just say neither one of them are quitters and both are made of stronger stuff than at first perceived…which makes for one LOVE of a story! Seriously, if you’re already a fan of her work, this is one to grab for yourself STAT! If you’re a newbie to the series, it’s not a bad starting point, but know that the full length novels themselves contain just as much spark with a lot more story. Any way you turn the page, you’re in for a treat!
**ecopy for review; opinions are my own
Maisey Yates has become a go-to author for me–I’ve loved both her Copper Ridge and her Gold Valley series, and I generally fall in love with her main characters, but because I voluntarily requested an advance reader copy of this novel months ago, and because the download didn’t include a cover photo, I didn’t realize this was a shorter novel written for the Harlequin Desire line, which explains why I felt this novel was too short, too rushed, and didn’t have the emotional depth I’ve come to expect from Ms. Yates’ longer novels. While I liked the story and the main characters, that lack of depth is the reason I can only give this novel 4 stars.
The prologue opens with correspondence between Levi Tucker and architectural wunderkind, Faith Grayson, whose lightning-fast success at age 25 has made demands for her innovative designs highly prized. Levi is and has been behind bars for 5 years, serving a life sentence for murdering his wife, Alicia, although no sign of her body or evidence of any violence was ever found. He’s about to be released because his wife finally shows herself after remaining in hiding for the past 5 years, clearly proving that she’s not dead, ergo, Levi didn’t kill her, although after serving 5 years in hell for a crime he didn’t commit, has him consumed by his rage, his hatred for her, and his need for revenge. Now that he’ll soon be released, he’s filed for divorce, and, while imprisoned, has managed to grow his considerable wealth even though his supposedly dead wife has been siphoning money out of his accounts during his incarceration. Levi has become fascinated with Faith Tucker’s architectural designs and he wants her to design his dream house, high up in the mountains overlooking the town of Copper Ridge, the town that turned against him when he was wrongly accused and convicted of murder.
Young, sheltered and virginal Faith initially turns down Levi’s requests for her to design his home, until he is finally exonerated of the crime he didn’t commit, and when Levi offers her 3 times her going rate, she finally agrees to meet with him. Her overprotective brothers, who are also her business partners, don’t trust ex-con Levi as far as they can throw him–quite a task since he is big, muscular, tattooed, and downright scary because of the rage he harbors. Although Faith first meets him secretly, with some trepidation, she’s intrigued by him, by the property on which he wants to build his new home and equestrian center–at least his horses have never let him down or betrayed him. Faith, after meeting with him, manages to see Levi’s dream house–one without doors, and all windows, so that he never has to feel shut inside again. Faith sees Levi’s dream home, and he, in turn, is attracted to her looks, her innocence, her self-assurance, and her ability to envision his dream home, although more than a decade and the hard life he’s led in prison, make them a rather odd couple.
Once the two begin a sexual relationship, Levi is quite clear that it’s only going to last while Faith is designing his new home. He hasn’t had sex in 5 years, she’s never had sex at all, and he’s very clear about it being sex only, hard, fast and dirty, since he has too much pent-up rage to make soft, gentle love to this shy, sheltered virgin. His abusive upbringing by a violent alcoholic father, and his beaten and abused mother, who deserted him after his father’s death, have led him to believe he’ll never have a wife or family because he believes his father’s propensity for violence is something he’s inherited, and something he certainly doesn’t want to pass on to any children he might father.
Can Faith’s upbeat, optimistic attitude, her wide-eyes hopefulness, her need to pursue her own dreams, manage her own career, choose the projects she wants to design, and gain her independence from her overprotective brothers to forge her own path, help Levi see that he needs to do the same? Faith certainly is clear with him about his need to let go of the anger he’s harboring and choose a new path for himself and his life–something he can’t do while hanging onto his troubled past. Instead, he tells her their relationship is over, and that he’s not the man she needs, breaking her heart. It doesn’t seem likely, but Alicia’s sudden appearance at Levi’s home site, and his reaction to seeing and talking again to the woman who so negatively impacted his life, may change things in ways Levi doesn’t expect, and in ways Faith cannot anticipate.
This is, like all of Ms. Yates’ books, an addictive, well-written novel, with memorable characters, and an interesting plot, but the Desire imprint simply doesn’t allow her the time or space to do more than give us a bare-bones glimpse at the inner workings of these two fascinating characters. Although the framework for more is certainly present, as is the HEA ending, it left this reader wanting more. It’s because I’ve read and adored her earlier Copper Ridge and Gold Valley novels, that I know Ms. Yates is capable of giving the reader so much more than the brevity of the Desire imprint allows, that although I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I felt somewhat disappointed at the brevity of the ending.
As stated earlier, I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
4 1/2 STARS!
A rugged return to Copper Ridge! Maisey Yates always has a way of wrapping a hero around our hearts from start to finish, and even though this hero is a little tarnished, he’s easy to love right from the start. Great characters, a very intriguing back story and a sweet happily ever after. Really enjoyed!
Levi Tucker spent five years of his life locked up for a crime he didn’t commit, and now it’s time to try to put his life back together again. He arranged to have an architect ready to design him a fancy new house upon his release, he just didn’t expect her to be so tempting … so young, and tempting!
Architect Faith Grayson sees a side of Levi that most people overlook, and she can’t help but be drawn to the man he is. He’s been hurt and unjustly crucified, she just wishes she could fix the way it still tears him up inside. She might be young, but she knows a good thing when she sees it.
I really enjoyed Levi and Faith’s book. This age-gap romance was filled with emotional turmoil, hot chemistry, an intense attraction a healthy dose of sweetness. You truly had to feel for Levi and the baggage he carried was completely understandable. Jaded and bitter and with a pretty big chip in his shoulder, he was Faith’s polar opposite in so many ways. Faith may have been younger and had less experience than Levi, but she was more than a match for him. She had no problem standing up to him and butting heads when needed. I loved these two together and I thought that this book was just wonderful. All thoughts and opinions in this review are entirely my own.
I really loved this latest Copper Ridge book by Maisey Yates. It can definitely be read as a stand-alone alone…all you missed was secondary characters’ own coupling up.
Levi and Faith are definitely a mis-matched couple. He’s fresh out of prison, innocent of the crime he was accused of, and very angry. She’s a brilliant new face in architecture world, lacking in her personal life, but optimistic in general. While there’s a bit of an age difference, and she’s inexperienced, I feel like they were more alike than different. Levi may have been bound by the walls that enclosed him, Faith is bound by responsibility to her work and to her family, which she seems to put on herself more than they do. I liked them as a couple, as they brought out different sides in the other.
The only thing that bothered me was Faith’s relationship with her family. I would have liked a little more interaction between Faith and her “best friend”/sister-in-law Mia. There was definitely some friction hinted at, and while I’m catching up on back stories from Yates, I don’t think I’ve read Mia and Devlin’s so it’s possibly explained there. Also, considering her bothers all married women who, it is explained, are a bit younger than they are, it might have been a girl bonding moment for Faith to talk with her other sisters-in-law, too.
A new-ish author to me, Maisey Yates writes interesting and complex characters that stay in your heart and mind, long after their story is read. She’s become a must read to this romance lover!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine and freely given.