USA Today bestselling author Caitlin Crews returns to the Cold River Ranch series with The Last Real Cowboy! In Cold River, sometimes forbidden love is the sweetest of them all… Perennial good girl Amanda Kittredge knows that her longtime crush on Brady Everett was never really supposed to go anywhere. But when Brady comes home during Amanda’s first attempt at independence, well, who better … Amanda’s first attempt at independence, well, who better to teach her about rebellion than her older brother’s bad-boy best friend?
Brady’s plans did not include being forced to work the family homestead for a year–and yet, here he is. And, to make matters worse, his best friend’s innocent little sister is making a menace of herself in the most grown-up, tempting ways. When Amanda begs Brady to teach her about men, he knows he should refuse. But could Brady’s greatest temptation be his salvation?
“Loaded with charming characters [and] wit….will win the heart of any romance fan.”–Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A True Cowboy Christmas
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And so the series goes as Amanda and Brady find their happy ending. Amanda is the only girl among a group of four older brothers and feels her life slipping by covered by their over protectiveness. Brady is her brothers best friend and the guy she has had a crush on forever. Brady is fighting demons and his family. The one thing he doesn’t want is entanglements. The story goes through some pretty hilarious conversations as Brady gives Amanda the lesson she asks for. In the end it seems that she becomes the one who teaches him how to forgive and move on to living a fuller and richer life.
Highly entertaining, sexy, fun, action packed and emotionally thrilling hometown adventure filled with engaging charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. Was a great read from beginning to end. Really loving Cold River Ranch.
In these three stories, we’ve watched each of the sons of Amos deal with his death and the repercussions of his treatment of his sons. All of the men had scars left by Amos. This is Brady’s story and how Amanda helped him heal. It wasn’t just a romance but also a healing of the bonds of the brothers. I really enjoyed this book. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
Enjoyable romance. Amanda has been very sheltered by older brothers. When she decides to break away she runs into bad boy cowboy Brady. Let the fun begin. the is the last of the brothers to fall.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This can be read as a standalone but it’s book 3 in a family of brothers.
Too lengthy. There was so much added details that add their story just keep going…. going…. going.
95% of this story I didn’t feel Amanda’s or Brady’s connection or sparks, that only happened after the breakup in the barn, they were more like a virgin just given her crush the go ahead Alf deflowering her/ onenighter you just met. I’ve been nursing this books for days and after 4 days I just skimmed through parts that was to long. My attention was never held and I love to read romances that’s the main characters have a past together either old school loves, brother’s/sister’s best friends or just know each other since elementary school, this was only great at the last few chapters.
Amanda is fighting for independence, for herself, and from her family. Her brothers don’t like it and decided their friend Brady is the perfect person to keep an eye on her. Amanda, having had a crush on Brady forever, also has a proposal for him–one he can’t refuse. She wants it to happen fast, but he wants to go slow. Will it happen before he goes back to Denver?
Brady knows her brothers will kill him if they find out what he’s doing with Amanda, but he knows he’d rather be “the one” than just some other guy. He’s not worried about his heart–he doesn’t do love. He’s still trying to prove himself to his own family, so he understands Amanda. What he doesn’t count on is Amanda facing his family head-on. For him. No one has ever stood up for him. Ever.
Two strong heads, fighting for a place in their families, find love, but will their plans for the future get in the way of the love they have for each other?
A fantastic story!
**Received an ARC from Netgalley*
Having read the one before this I thought I would read this one also. This one is about Amanda whom starts out as a good girl. Than there is Brady whom she wants to be the teacher the noise he makes is funny. These two will have you following along to see where this will go or not. But being this is set in a small town things will be tight. Do not forget how families can fight too. This will go in a direction though we will love to follow. This was one that give so much delight.
I’ve read the first two books in this series, and I liked book one but wasn’t thrilled with book two, so I was hoping for a tie-breaker in the positive with this third book. Sadly, that was not to be. For me, this one was just a hot mess all the way around despite the presence of some favorite romance tropes. I tend to be drawn to cowboys, but wow – if Brady is The Last Real Cowboy then cowboys are in a sad state. And it’s not that I even minded him being a jerk, or I wouldn’t have if he’d shown half the heart I would expect in a romance. And maybe that’s a big part of the problem, I never really felt the romance here. This one is also an older man/younger woman romance, which is usually right up my alley, but again, this one didn’t work for me. Honestly, ten years difference isn’t that much when the characters are both adults, but for Amanda and Brady, it felt like much more. The fact that Brady thinks Amanda is still in high school is a big ick factor for me. Then he finally notices her when he gets a glimpse of some cleavage? Here’s where I refer back to Brady being a jerk. Then again, I can’t really say that I liked Amanda any better. If she wants people to treat her like an adult, maybe she should try acting like one. And I’m sorry, but having sex does not make one an adult as has been proven by teenagers for generations. Then we have Amanda’s brothers, who were just caricatures of the protective older brother in my opinion. They’re just too over the top to be believed. And that brings us to the brother’s best friend trope, which really isn’t one of my favorites, but it’s the least of my problems with this book. In the end, this one was just much too long with a lot of page time taken up by everybody disagreeing with everybody else, and the couple did not work for me. It isn’t one I’d recommend.
The Last Real Cowboy is the third installment featuring the Everett brothers, this time featuring youngest brother Brady and perineal “little” neighbor Amanda.
This was a solid read and a good conclusion to this part of the series. I found myself liking both Brady and Amanda and appreciating the emotional growth they both went through. Seeing Brady struggle with being attracted to the much younger Amanda added an element of humor that I wouldn’t have expected.
Not only did I enjoy seeing the Brady/Amanda story unfold, but I also liked seeing the story between Brady and his brothers. Their evolving interactions shed even more light into baggage Brady was packing.
Overall, a good cowboy story that brings one part of the Cold River stories to a conclusion. I am hoping there will be stories with Amanda’s brothers soon!
The author got Amanda Kittredge’s brothers right. No one is good enough for their baby sister. Amanda is tired of no one listening to her. So she does the unexpected. She moves out to an apartment over a bar. Not only does she move out, she gets a job there. Brady Everett is home for the next year in order to inherit part of the ranch their father left them when he died. There has been an ongoing battle between him and his brothers. All 3 of them seems to think they’ve inherited their father’s bad temper. Now Amanda’s brothers want Brady to keep an eye out for her. What they don’t know is that they want the fox to guard the hen house. He is willing to go up against her brothers because she brings out the best in him. All hell breaks loose with both families. Amanda’s temper reigns supreme and Brady comes a courting. Love the third book in this series.
There was some sweet moments between Amanda and Brady, and they do have a steamy connection. I just would’ve liked it if he noticed her before he saw her in a skimpy tank top; it seemed too superficial. I liked the whole brother’s best friend scenario and keeping a secret for a bit, it adds a bit of heat to the romance. Amanda is tired of her older brothers; well, really everyone treating her like a child. She’s 22, but her brothers are still trying to rule her life and scare off dates. She moves above a seedy bar and gets a job bartending there; to the chagrin of her brothers, in hopes of being more independent.
Brady sees her there and starts finally noticing her, but doesn’t want to get on his friend/her brother’s bad side, so he tries to resist. Amanda isn’t having it and propositions him. I’m not a fan of this whole thing; no strings type things just make me think the characters are morons and it’s used so often in books, so I’m just tired of this scenario. I still enjoyed the story though. It does move a bit slow at times; too much side stuff and family drama, but the book is written well. Brady and Amanda both aren’t really seen by their families, so there’s tons of family issues to be sorted.
I loved that Amanda calls Brady out when he’s acting like a moron. She’s a likable, fun character. Brady is okay, but I wanted more grand gestures from him. Still a sweet couple though.
I haven’t read any of the previous books or any other books by this author. I’ll probably check out the previous books because the characters are in this book and their stories sound like they could be interesting.
The Last Real Cowboy was a good read with likeable characters. It was an interesting read about overcoming preconceived notions and being who you are. Brady and Amanda had chemistry and it was interesting when they started sneaking around. Overall, it was a good read.
The Last Real Cowboy is Book 3 of Caitlin Crews’ Cold River Ranch series. Even though past characters also play a role in this story, it’s not a deal-breaker if you haven’t had a chance to read them yet in order to follow along.
Amanda was a very strong, spunky heroine who was tired of being treated like a child by her older brothers. Brady is overcoming some personal struggles of not feeling worthy and trying to get past his father’s horrible treatment and indifference to him growing up.
As much as I enjoyed Ty and Gray in the prior stories, I really wasn’t impressed with their attitudes and treatment of Brady. It was refreshing when it all came out into the open and things started to become more clear to them how their behavior was affecting Brady.
Overall this was a very nice addition to the series and I look forward to hopefully revisiting more of these characters down the road.
It was so nice to return to Cold River, Colorado in this third book in the Cold River Ranch series. I really enjoyed Brady’s story and watching him finally be free of his dead father, Amos.
The Everett brothers and Kittredge brothers are all very sexy cowboys with strong women who believe in them even when they do not believe in themselves. This was also true with Amanda Kittredge and Brady Everett.
This was a fun, sexy, romantic story that I did not want to put down and I was sad when I had finished reading it but I also had a huge smile on my face at how the story ended. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
The major plotline for The Last Real Cowboy centered around Brady and Amanda’s romance. The author chose to have that plotline go at a medium pace, which was more than OK with me. There was some lag towards the end of the book. I wasn’t thrilled with it, but the author was able to get the book back on track, so I dealt with it.
I am going to put up a quick trigger warning. Brady suffered intense emotional and verbal abuse by his father. The author didn’t hold back any punches when it came to writing what Angus did to him. Those were some of the most intense scenes of the book, and I will admit, I sobbed through them all. So, read with care if that type of abuse triggers you.
Brady was an enigma in Grey and Ty’s books. He was portrayed as someone who could care less about the ranch. I will admit, I was curious about how he would come across in the book. I was surprised when his character turned out to be the exact opposite of the previous two books. I felt terrible because he did have some legitimate business opportunities, and he got bullied/laughed at by his brothers. That was hard to read because they were continuing what Angus was doing to him.
I thought that Amanda was immature and impulsive for most of the book. But, once I got to thinking about it, I would have been the same way if I had four older brothers breathing down my neck. While she did mature throughout the book, her impulsiveness stayed. That impulsiveness was crucial towards the end of the book.
I did think that Brady and Amanda were a good couple, right from the beginning. They complimented each other. I loved that Amanda wasn’t afraid to go to bat for her man when the going got tough. I wouldn’t want to piss her off, that’s for certain. That scene was the best in the entire book.
The sexual attraction between Brady and Amanda was immediate and red hot. Of course, Brady did try to reign it in (because of her brothers), but Amanda kept chipping away at his defenses. That sexual attraction morphed into some intense sexual chemistry. The author was smart and built that chemistry up. So when they did have sex, it was explosive.
The plotline about Brady and the ranch was sad. As I mentioned above, his father abused him. He ensured that Brady would continue to be outcast by his brothers after his death. His college education was used against him time and time again. There was a point in the book where I did wonder why Brady was staying.
While The Last Real Cowboy is the last book in a series, it can be read as a standalone. But I would strongly suggest reading the first two books. It explains more about Angus and the brothers’ relationships.
I do wonder if Amanda’s brothers will be getting their books. If they do, I want to read it. They were a massive presence in The Last Real Cowboy!!
I wasn’t thrilled with the ending of The Last Real Cowboy. While everything happened the way I thought it did, I was left with a feeling that it was rushed.
Set in the Picturesque Colorado Rockies the story of Brady Everett and Amanda Kittridge will keep those pages turning and pluck at your heart strings..
Both restless souls who grew up around one another find their way to one another in the oddest of ways you will enjoy the characters and the dialogue so much yayy Caitlin for such an incredible book for Brady
WOW!!! I LOVED reading Brady and Amanda’s love story in The Last Real Cowboy by Caitlin Crew, book three in her Cold River Ranch series. Brady is the youngest Everett son, the one who left the ranch to attend college and maybe prove himself to their abusive father. After graduation he stayed in Denver and worked on perfecting a bad-boy image. Returning to the ranch after the death of their father, his plans did not include being forced to work the family ranch for a year, yet there he was, agreeing to stay for the year. Amanda Kittredge, known good girl and over protected by her four older brothers, was ready for a taste of independence and rebellion. She has had a longtime crush on her brother’s best friend, bad-boy Brady Everett, so there really wasn’t anyone better than him to teach her about life and sex. When his best friend’s innocent little sister makes a pest of herself, begging him to teach her about men, Brady knows he should refuse. Amanda convinces Brady, leading to these two to off the charts chemistry and amazing lessons that just might make Brady come to love Amanda; that is if he can survive the consequences.
Ms. Crew wrote a wonderfully emotional and sexy story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with sexual chemistry, amusing banter, and endearing characters, despite their misgivings and the breaking of the bro-code, giving Brady and Amanda a chance at happiness, love and a future together. I highly recommend The Last Real Cowboy to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
It had quite an unusual start to the story. Not exactly what I was expecting. It definitely was awkward and almost painful to “watch”. But it did paint quite the clear picture of how overprotective her four huge brothers were. Her whole family and maybe most of the town still thought of her as twelve year old “little Amanda Kittredge”. She’s been feeling VERY invisible and things come to a head and she’s had enough. And I did enjoy because of those times that her fiery Kittredge temper began to catch fire and came out to play. She started to push back and go toe to toe with some people and I liked that.
One thing that Amanda and Brady had in common was that feeling of the real “them” being invisible. Not really seen clearly and rarely heard or taken seriously.
The tension between all three brothers was well done. The emotions as they continued to battle their “demons of the past” quite clear. They still carried some of the emotional scars when it came to their hideous but deceased father Amos.
Emotions are riding pretty high with Amanda as well. She has the opposite kind of family, a very loving but most times a smothering one; at least over her. I did feel like her mother and father were kind of odd though. Not that the story got to deep on the why of that though.
While I liked the story it was with some reservations as well. There were more times than one when the story felt SO slow that it felt stalled. As well as re-hashing several things over and over without any real resolution until the end at least. There is a H.E.A. so that does help.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Cold River Ranch
Standalone
HEA
The 10 year age difference, 22 and 32, just didn’t work for me.
I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from NetGalley.
Becca has enough of her family protectiveness, she is an adult and want to be treated like one. She is moving out from family home, renting apartment above bar and getting part time job at the same bar. This is not well taken by her older brothers. They ask Brady to keep eye on her. Becca will do everything, so Brady sees her as a woman and not a kid.
He doesn’t want to be home but he has to stay for a year.
His friend needs his help, of course, he’ll help, there is only one small problem, his friend’s sister is not a small kid anymore and keeping eye on her and his hands away from her is going to be a big problem.
Loved this story.