Billionaires, cowboys, and romance collide during the holidays in this next book in the River Ranch series! It’s the most wonderful time of the year at the Ford family ranch. Will one cowboy’s homecoming be the greatest gift of all? He left town and never looked back. Cody Ford is a Wall Street honcho with humble Texas roots. This holiday season, he’d be content to just stay in New York and … he’d be content to just stay in New York and not face his family–and dodge their questions about when and with whom he plans to settle down. . .and if he will do so back at home. But his father isn’t getting any younger, and Cody doesn’t want to miss any last chances to see him and the rest of the folks back on the ranch. The last person Cody was expecting to see? His one-time girlfriend, Lexi Murphy, who’s been working as his dad’s new live-in nurse.
She never forgot him. Can she ever forgive him?
Lexi still holds a grudge against Cody. Back then, the college-bound heartthrob believed he was too good for a small-town girl like Lexi. But now Cody can’t help but see her in a whole new light. Could it be that this beautiful single mother with an unbeatable can-do spirit is the one he’s been waiting for all along? That depends on whether Cody can prove to Lexi that, this time, he means business–and if a sudden snowstorm can lend just the right amount of Christmas magic to help move things along. . .
“Lane warms hearts of readers across the globe.”
—RT Book Reviews
more
Thank you Net-Galley and ST. Martins Press for the copy of this book. I am choosing to review it. The reason this is getting 3 stars is that several parts in the book seemed a bit rushed for me, but it was still a good read.
I enjoyed reading about Lexi and Cody and the rest of the Ford family.
Lexi and Cody were high school sweethearts, but one day Cody left with out saying goodbye and broke Lexi’s heart. Lexi is now working as Cody’s fathers caregiver and she thought it was all going good until one day Cody shows up to spend time with family with what could be his fathers last Christmas.
Will Lexi and Cody be able to move on from the wrong doings and the heartbreak and co-exist for the little time they will have to be around each other or will everything fall apart and leave Lexi looking for new job.
I need to go back and read the other 2 books in this series as I felt a connection with the other family members.
The one character that I truly loved is Harry, the son of Lexi. He stole my heart from the beginning.
This is the first book that I’ve read by Soraya Lane. I enjoyed the flow of the writing, which made it easy to read. I admired Lexi and I liked the Ford family, especially Walter. I wasn’t so sure about Cody. I understood that it was hard on him to watch his mother suffer, especially as a teenager but I found it hard to get over that he didn’t know his former girlfriend, who he thought that he loved. He did redeem himself later, though. This was a pretty easy read and I look forward to reading more of the Ford family.
This is a first read for me by Soraya. I enjoyed this story. It has a few different tropes so I think it helped with having a mix in this story. Cute read especially by the end.
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas was the first book I have read by Soraya M. Lane and I really enjoyed it!
Cody and Lexi were high school sweethearts and over a decade ago, Cody took off the minute he graduated and never looked back. He left a brokenhearted Lexi in their hometown to pick up the pieces of her life and to figure out what had gone so wrong with the boy she thought would be her forever.
When Cody returns home for the holidays to visit his ailing father, after not recognizing her at first, he’s shocked to find out that Lexi is now living on his family’s ranch and is the nurse who is taking care of his father. Not only is he having to face all of the debilitating memories from when he left in the first place, but he is facing the ire of a woman that he genuinely loved, but who has not forgiven him for leaving her the way he did.
As Cody and Lexi spend more time together, it’s clear that they both still harbor feelings, but they both have different reasons for not wanting to open that door again. The question is, can they really dampen what is clearly still a spark between them?
Both Lexi and Cody have a lot of baggage to deal with, but I thought that Ms. Lane handled that well. Each character had been hurt and so those scars came through, but it seemed realistic to me. I really enjoyed this heart-warming Christmas tale. I would definitely recommend it!
Second chance at love romance story. There are a lot of ups and downs for Cody and Lexi’s relationship as old hurts take time to heal. Cody has to rediscover his love for Lexi, his family and his home. He’s a nice guy deep down but he’s also clueless, lost, and a bit broken which came across as unfeeling. Lexi is still in love with Cody but has old hurts that need to be acknowledged and moved on from. I didn’t really connect to this couple and they were not my favorites of this series, but I was still rooting for them to find love again. I did enjoy the premise of the story (workaholic businessman who turned his back on everything and everyone and ran away comes back to his roots and realizes where he belongs) the setting, and the Texas ranching family dynamics. Well written and I’m eager to read the 4th siblings book.
And here we come to the story of another Ford sibling, Cody.
Cody was a financier in New York. Even loving the country life and the family ranch, Cody desperately had to flee there due to his mother’s terminal illness.
He couldn’t see her dying day by day. So as soon as he finished high school, he went to Harvard and didn’t come back.
His mother has passed away, and now, years later, his father has the same disease.
Cody came on the family private jet to celebrate what could be Walter Ford’s last Christmas.
Arriving at the ranch, he is surprised to find out that his father’s therapist/nurse was his sweetheart from the high school, Alexandra (Lexi).
Lexi was a divorced woman with a young son and a mother suffering from Alzheimer’s that was in a facility that had its days numbered close, since a businessman had bought the land and was expelling patients and causing health professionals lose their jobs.
With so many worries in mind, Lexi didn’t have time for romance, right?
Wrong.
Cody was the great love of her life, and had broken her heart by leaving for college without saying goodbye.
Now they would have to live peacefully during those Christmas days.
While away, Cody did everything possible to forget everything that meant the sadness of losing his mother, including Lexi. However, being with her, it was impossible not to see
the wonderful woman she had become, and the good mother she was to Harrison (Harry).
However, old hurts are hard to heal, and can become even worse when revelations come to light.
3,5 stars
Once Upon A Cowboy Christmas is a fantastic western romance by Soraya Lane. Ms. Lane has provided readers with a well-written book populated with great characters. Cody is a businessman going home for the holidays. His father is dying and Lexi is his caregiver, she’s also Cody’s high school girlfriend that got left behind when he went to college without a goodbye. Cody and Lexi’s story is packed with drama, humor and sexy bits. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more from Soraya Lane in the future…even though I did wonder if Cody was ever going to get his head out of his butt. Once Upon A Cowboy Christmas is book 3 of the River Ranch Series but can easily be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A beautiful story that has the past and the present melding together. A night of passion. A few days to remember what love is. Will this renewed relationship, that’s meant to be fleeting, bring back pain, fear and sadness. Or will it spark hope, love and a future filled with warmth? A fantastic read with excellent writing and great dialogue!
Lexi & Cody were high school sweethearts, but after Cody left for college, to start the rest of his life, Lexi didn’t know what he was moving on from her too. Fast forward and Lexi is a single mom, and a care giver for Cody dad. This situation put both of them in close proximity, with a lot of lost and hard feelings.
Cody couldn’t run away from Texas fast enough, and only returned for the obligatory holidays, special occasions, and his mother’s funeral. Too bad he was so busy trying to put Texas in his rear view mirror to really realize what he left behind.
This is a great story, well written, with just the right amount of humor, drama, and love. Can Cody & Lexi find their way back to each other? Can Cody figure out his demons and get a better grasp on reality?