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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I was not at all impressed by Amanda and Brady’s story. I spent a lot of time skipping over the character’s inner monologues. It was a lot of filler information that wasn’t really needed to make the story.
Amanda’s brothers are all idiots. If I were her, I would have severed all ties with those jerks. They treat her like a piece of property. They’re not protective. They’re bullies! But Amanda is a wimp. She pretends to know her own mind but she’s too wishy washy for my taste.
I didn’t like any of the characters and the story was so drawn out, I wasn’t very interested by the end.
I’m usually pretty good at determining if I’ll like a story because I don’t like to give less than 4 stars. Authors put their heart and soul into their books. But I just could not find anything redeeming about this one.
3 stars.
“The Last Real Cowboy” (Cold River Ranch Book 3) by Caitlin Crews is a great read. I enjoyed Brady and Amanda’s story. This is the first book in this series that I’ve read and I just added the first two to my wishlist. This story is packed with hot cowboys, family, small-town life, drama, passion, romance, humor, and more. Highly recommend to all fans of romance, cowboys, family, and series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Last Real Cowboy, by Caitlin Crews, will be available at booksellers on 1-28-20. Last is indeed the last of the Everett brothers part in the Cold River Series. Book 3 closes out with brother Brady, the youngest and possibly my favorite. This family put the dis in dysfunctional, so messed up. Their mother ran off after Brady was born, their father was a mean drunk, and all 3 brothers were warped emotionally.
Brady Everett was the son ignored, now marginalized by his older siblings. He’s his own man when in Denver but back home on the ranch he’s almost mute. Takes everything said and done and bottles it up. When it blows it’s spectacular. He has a long, hard time wrestling with his demons. Dad did a class A job on his mind and self-esteem. He beats himself and feels guilty for most of the book. It’s a relief when he finally loosens up. I like him but geeze, it took a long time to turn him around.
Amanda Kittredge is the youngest and only girl in her family. Her brothers have intimidated every boy who dared to come around, and there weren’t that many. She’s always treated like a child and is tired of it. She’s determined to break out and live like normal young women do. She’s had a thing for Brady for as long as she can remember, & intends to do something about it. She’s not that complicated or hard to understand. As the youngest myself, I can empathize with her dilemma. She drags Brady, kicking & screaming, into the future.
The Kittredge brothers saga will start with the next Cold River Ranch book. I’m looking forward to seeing these guys get knocked on their backsides by love.
#CaitlinCrews #Netgalley #StMartin’sPaperbacks #ColdRiverRanch #TheLastRealCowboy
This is the 3rd book in the Cold River Ranch series and I would absolutely read the previous books before reading this one so that you don’t get confused about some of the relationships between the characters. In this one we get Brady and Amanda’s story. Amanda is finally moving out on her and asserting her independence from her brothers. Her older brother’s want to keep her sheltered but she is ready have a more fulfilling life. Brady is home to help his brother’s with the homestead. This was in no way his plan but he is there doing it. And now his best friend’s little sister is coming at him and tempting him in ways he shouldn’t be tempted.
I can’t say that I loved this one. It was good but it wasn’t my favorite of the series. Amanda may be 22 in this book but she seems extremely immature even for someone who was sheltered the way she was. And Brady got on my nerves with his harping about their age difference. Which I could see if she under 18 but she was old enough to make her own decisions and to know what she wants. On a whole it isn’t a bad read. The writing was good, the story itself was good, there were just little things that annoyed me which is why I dropped it down.
The Last Real Cowboy by Caitlin Crews is the last of three books revolving around the Everett brothers: Gray, Ty, and Brady. I love these books. They are all about complicated, real, people including this latest that is Brady. Brady went to college and got away from the ranch and his father. He became a successful investor/investment advisor but he came home for his father’s funeral, mostly to make sure the old man was really dead. He had spent Brady’s entire life demeaning and ignoring him and even now that he was dead Brady couldn’t escape him. A few weeks later he was there for Gray’s wedding, and then Christmas. At Christmas, things were different. Gray was content; the house was friendly and warm, his niece was relaxed. When Gray challenged both he and his brother to come home and work the ranch for a year before even considering selling it, Brady agreed. Fixing fences all day agreed with him. But his father still haunted him. One night he noticed Amanda Kittredge behind the bar at his favorite dive bar, but it was not the Amanda he knew, the one he had known since the day she was born. She had on tight jeans and she was wearing makeup. He didn’t dare stare because her brothers were there and they would kill him (or any other guy who stared). Amanda like that he was staring. She had had a crush on him for years and he still though she was 16 (she was 22). It was about time he noticed her.
Amanda and Brady’s relationship was complicated, mostly because of Brady. He had lots of reasons why it was a bad idea, but deep down he was worried about being like his father who had been a drunken abuser. Amanda kept after it, though, and things started to turn around. She encouraged him to share his ideas for the ranch with Gray and Ty. She listened to him. She excited him. He wanted her. He tried to let her down easy but he got caught, and he brother Riley hit him. Still she didn’t stop. She was a force. Romances are all about the journey and about the people. These characters will pull you right into their stories, making you feel their trauma, making you hope their hopes, dream their dreams. Crews does a fabulous job with building characters. That alone makes this book a gem. I recommend it.
I received a free ARC of The Last Real Cowboy from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thelastrealcowboy
I liked the story over all it was cute but I felt like both Amanda and Brady whined a lot yet both wanted to be seen as adults. Eventually Amanda grew some balls and was a total spit fire no one wanted to mess with. Brady’s family could describe every dysfunctional family out there perfectly. They all are healing and looking to find where they fit after their dad died and there was no love loss there. I think both Amanda and Brady’s brothers could be one in the same all protective and a pain in the read end. The sexual tension though out was not lacking at all, there is sex in this book so may not be suitable for all readers. Cute story over all but does also seem to drag here and there. I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to post a review and have given my honest opinion
I’m not having an easy time with writing this review, as I keep going back and forth with my feelings toward it. Having not read the first 2 book in this series I feel has left me at a disadvantage.
Amanda has been ultra aware of Brady for many years, unfortunately he doesn’t notice her more than just his friends’ little sister. When she decides it time to move off the ranch and be on her own, she doesn’t think her family will accept it but she finds support in a surprising place.
Brady agrees to keep an eye on Amanda for her brothers, but finds himself having thoughts about her instead. Not committed to staying around much longer, he doesn’t know why his thoughts are choosing now to run amok.
Amanda and Brady, along with their interesting families, have a long history with more bumps and turns that a new relationship encounters. Can they make it work?
As I said already, I feel like not reading the other books first had me at a disadvantage for character development and history between the families. It just didn’t flow well for me as a reader and I did take an extra long time finishing this book. I really didn’t connect with Amanda or Brady so that didn’t help the pleasure either.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy without expectations, all opinions expressed are my own.
4.5 stars
Another winner from Caitlin Crews. This was a bit of a slow starter for me, but by 25% in it picked up steam and I didn’t want to put it down. And, to be fair, the set up in the beginning was needed and more likely than not very intentional by the author.
Amanda has a problem that many people have, whether they are from a small town or not. She was looked at as one thing, and one thing only. In her case it was a little girl. But you know the drill…the smart one, the impetuous one, the serious one, the young one. Her burden was being looked at as a girl instead of a woman. Not just by her family, but also by the whole community.
While it doesn’t seem to be as much of a cut and dry label, Brady is somewhat looked as the one who leaves. The college boy, city slicker…neither said as a good thing by the people who say as much. Instead of getting to know Brady for who he is, his brothers assume they know all there is to know about him. Most of which is information from when he was 18 and younger, before he left for college. Or, information they got from their no-good father.
Once the connection is finally made between Amanda and Brady, I love how their relationship progresses. Mostly for Brady because, although he’s the older of the two, his emotional IQ isn’t quite the same as his age. It’s almost like he’s a sullen teenager finding his first love, and it’s really cute. But, since he’s an experienced man, it’s also extremely sexy.
This was a lot of fun with enough emotion to keep my heart fluttering. On top of the great story, Amanda’s family (the Kittredges) is introduced a bit more fully in this book so I believe the author plans to expand and continue this series. Which makes me a very happy reader.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
A wonderful romance between two individuals that have been in the shadow of their siblings all their lives. Their attraction for each other is explosive. Well-developed characters with real issues. This is the first story I have read by this author and I really loved it. I will be reading more.
The Last Real Cowboy is the third book in the contemporary western romance series Cold River Ranch by Caitlin Crews. Why have I not read any books by this author until now?! What is wrong with me?! I absolutely looooooooved this book! If you haven’t read the first two, this one stands alone. And apparently we’ve missed out on some freaking great books by starting with book three.
Amanda Kittredge is the 22-year-old sister of four older and very protective brothers. She’s always been the good girl, the “little sister”, and she’s tired of it. When her secret crush Brady Everett, her brother Riley’s best friend, thinks she’s still just a kid, it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. She moves out of the family home, gets her own place and a part-time job at the seediest bar in town. Riley asks Brady to look out for Amanda. When Brady sees her working in the bar wearing a tank top and tight jeans, it hits him like a ton of bricks…she is all woman. Wanting to really experience life, she begs Brady to teach her all about sex. He knows this can’t possibly be a good idea, but he can’t resist…
The romance here is very intense, hot, sweet and life altering. It’s the family dynamics, however, that truly drew me in. Brady has two older brothers and all were raised by an abusive father. Their mother stuck around until she had Brady, then disappeared from his life. Brady won a full scholarship to go to college in Denver. His father’s reaction? Derision and laughter. He lived and worked in Denver, but came back home after his father died. He agreed to work at the family ranch for a year, then the brothers would decide the fate of the ranch. He couldn’t seem to earn the respect of his brothers for his innovative ideas for the ranch. Then there was Amanda’s family. Her brothers just couldn’t wrap their minds around the idea that she was a grown, independent woman. When things seem to be falling apart for Amanda and Brady, it’s Amanda who takes on both families to set them straight about their treatment of Brady. Though I loved both main characters, it’s Amanda who really brought the story to life. I laughed, snickered and cried over their relationship. I will definitely be reading more from this talented author.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Brother’s Best Friend + Coming Home Again = Satisfying Ending for the Everett Men
Brady, the baby of the Everett men, wants his brothers to take him seriously and see that he’s always valued home and land. Amanda, the baby of the Kittridge family and the only girl, wants to be seen as an adult capable of making her own life choices….and maybe finally get her older brother’s best friend to notice her.
I love a good older sibling’s bestie story and a good age gap story, so Brady and Amanda worked well for me; there was even a touch of grump meets sunshine in there too! I especially loved the last third of the book when both of them came into their own and stood up for themselves and each other. The final chapter was a nice wrap-up but with a enough vagueness to allow for more stories in the Cold River world, like maybe Riley and Rae’s second chance or Kat’s HEA
I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.
I liked this book. I thought it had a good amount cute and sweet moments scattered throughout it. I liked Amanda and Brady and the whole brother’s best friend angle. The story was engaging and offered a good blend of emotional turmoil, drama, humor, heat and heart. My one negative with this book was that I sometimes felt that there were inconsistencies between what was said and the actual actions taken by the characters. It basically left me wondering if the author was scared to make a full commitment to the direction she wanted to go and just tried to balance things out in the middle and that really didn’t work for me.
The Last Real Cowboy is a best friends little sister romance. Amanda Kittredge is trying to be seen as grown and out from under her over protective older brothers. Brady Everett is trying to get out from the horror of his childhood and his brothers idea of who he is. What Brady didn’t expect is seeing his best friends little sister all grown up and looking like a dream. This story is about growing up, letting go of the past and being true to yourself. I really liked Amanda and loved watching her stand up to those who thought they could tell her who she should be.
I’ve been following this trilogy since its inception, and have been patiently waiting for Brady’s story. I’m happy to say it was worth the wait, it’s my favorite among the three novels in the Cold River Ranch series, and it gets 5 stars from this reader.
The series follows the three Everett brothers, whose father was a mean, abusive drunk. When he died almost a year before the start of this novel, he left his ranch to his three sons, Gray, Ty and Brady. Gray, with ranching in his blood, was the only one who didn’t leave as soon as he was able. Ty got out and spent years on the rodeo circuit, avoiding the ranch, and Brady, the youngest, graduated from high school, earned a scholarship and went to college, drawing no small amount of ire, animosity, and taunts from his father. After college, he went to Denver and became a successful financial wunderkind, and would have been happy to never return to the ranch, but Gray couldn’t work the ranch alone. Ty was badly injured at the rodeo, lost much of his memory, and had to return to the ranch to recuperate, but Brady didn’t want to be there at all. The ranch held no warm memories for him. He’d suggested diversifying, Gray had always refused, and his alternative suggestion was to sell the ranch, split the proceeds, and go their separate ways, but Gray asked him to set aside his business and return to the ranch for one year, and Brady finally agreed, putting his life on hold, but that didn’t mean that he was happy about it, or that his brothers appreciated the sacrifice he was making.
The neighboring Kittridge ranch had been at odds with the Everetts for years, a several generations old feud keeping them separate and apart. Amanda Kittridge is the youngest and only daughter, over-protected by her four overhearing big brothers–Jensen, Zack, Connor and Riley. She’s never been kissed, has been on only 2 dates and has had a crush on Brady Everett for years, and at age 22, she is still viewed as a child by her brothers and she’s sick to death of it. So she decides to make her move, getting a job working a the Coyote Bar, the worst and roughest dive bar in town, and with the job comes the apartment upstairs. No matter how her brothers try to rein her in, she’s not moving back home, not changing jobs, and is no longer being their obedient little sister. Her brothers start showing up the bar to keep an eye on her and to discourage anyone who tries to flirt with her, and one night, Riley is there with his best friend, Brady Everett, who is 10 years older that Amanda, used to babysit her and even at one time changed her diaper. Yet, when he spots Amanda behind the bar in a tank top and tight jeans, he suddenly realizes she’s not a child anymore but an attractive, sexy, young woman, although the last thing he wants to do is let on to her brothers that he’s interested.
When Amanda finally tells her brothers to get out and leave her alone, Riley asks Brady to keep an eye on her–a double-edged sword because Riley doesn’t really want to guard her, he’d rather bed her, but he’s not looking for a serious, committed relationship, he’s looking for a one-night stand, and he knows that if he pursues Amanda, 10 years his junior, her brothers will kill him, so when he makes no overt moves towards Amanda, she’s gutsy enough to tell him she wants him to be the one to deflower her and teach her about sex. They agree on this conditional arrangement, but as romance readers know, things are about to change in a major way–and do they ever.
The chemistry between Brady and Amanda is scorching, and Ms. Crews has written what is perhaps the sexiest deflowering scene it’s been my pleasure to read in years. The fact that these two have to hide their relationship from everyone in this small town, and especially from Amanda’s brothers doesn’t help matters any, nor does Brady’s belief that there’s too much of his father in him to ever willingly commit to a long-term, serious relationship. When Amanda confesses to Brady that she’s in love with him, he’s ready to end it all, but Amanda is no longer content to let that happen, and when Riley discovers the two of them having a not very platonic kiss, he punches Brady in the eye, Amanda and Brady’s secret is no longer a secret, Amanda won’t accept that Brady wants to end their relationship, and what follows is one huge, emotional upheaval not only for Amanda and Brady, but for all the Everetts and Kittridges too.
With Brady’s plan to leave the ranch after fulfilling his one-year commitment to Gray to live and work there, his best friend Riley and his 3 brothers wanting to kill him for his dalliance with their baby sister, prepare for some fireworks, some serious confrontations with Gray after years of putting up with his disdain for his younger brother, and some serious attempts to mend fences, free themselves from the damage they all suffered under Amos Everett’s cruelty, and some deep soul-searching for all concerned.
The Last Real Cowboy is as good as it gets in a contemporary western romance. It’s filled with three-dimensional characters that have real issues and real depth, and it’s written with a deep understanding of family dynamics, and how the sins and flaws of one generation can strongly affect the next generation. This is an excellent series, and this is my favorite novel in it. I suggest and recommend that you read this series in the order it was written to better understand the history, the characters, the ill-will, and misunderstandings that influence and impact on these well-drawn, well-developed and interesting characters.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
Yet another great amazing read from the series. Amanda and Brady find their HEA in this book. Amanda is a very long time not little anymore and for that to change, she makes a drastic decision, moves out and starts a secret relationship with Brady. Brady is too very unsatisfied with his life, the brothers don’t take him seriously, he has still much baggage from the past and the only good thing that happens to him in a long time is Amanda. And he ruins that too. A very good story with yet another great couple. I loved both of them, especially Amanda and I loved how she stood up for Brody. Their story develops very well and I loved how it ends.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley
The third in a series but can be read as a standalone. The youngest Everett has to make his peace with the past (and his best friend) in order to find love and happiness. Loved how Amanda shook up her life, stood up to her brothers and went after what she wanted. A recommended read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
For those cowboy lovers, brother’s best friend, childhood crush lovers out there this book is for you. Amanda and Brady are simply lovely. I love the feistiness of Amanda and the way she finally says enough to her family. You get why she finally wants to be seen as more then a kid. You feel for her and her over protective brothers. Brady is just trying to do his own thing while pleasing his brother. The battle between the Everett brothers will just pull at your heart for what they faced as kids and now. You get why Brady is trying to prove his way. I love the banter between Amanda and Brady. This book was a fabulous read.
What an amazing, fantastic love story!
On the surface this looks like a typical brother’s-best-friend romance, but that’s just the frame that wraps around a delightful, emotionally-charged story about families and history and growing up in a small town. The writing throughout this story is simply exquisite, perfectly capturing the essence of country life as well as the intricacies of falling in love with someone you’ve known your whole life.
“But this was a small town. Every interaction was packed full of all the things everybody knew, but didn’t say. All that history and rumor crammed into a perfectly polite hi.”
The story starts when Brady finally (finally!) notices that Amanda, the one girl who is absolutely, unequivocally, emphatically off-limits, has grown up into quite an attractive and compelling young woman. But, he’s ten years older, is best friends with the scariest of her four older and very watchful brothers, and is smart enough to fear for his very life just by admiring her in her revealing tank top. He tries to keep his distance, but when Amanda makes her own scandalous intentions clear, Brady simply doesn’t stand a chance of walking away physically or emotionally intact.
There are layers upon layers of angst in this story. Brady is still dealing with the changing family dynamics after his father’s recent death, while Amanda is struggling to find her place in the sun while being overshadowed by her protective family.
“If you let other people dictate your life,” Kat asked softly, “how can you ever be sure you’re the one living it?”
Though it’s a standalone romance for Brady and Amanda, a lot of the emotional impact involves his relationship with his two older brothers, Gray and Ty, whose relationships were detailed in the previous books.
“Brady thought change was the future. Gray thought it was the enemy. And as long as Gray kept thinking it was the enemy, he was bound and determined to think Brady was too.”
As the last Everett family story, we finally get the closure and reconciliation that’s been slowing building among the three brothers. The climax was both brutally cathartic and quietly triumphant; a moment in time that won’t soon be forgotten.
It’s rare to find a book so well-written, with so much sigh-worthy insight as well as laugh-out-loud humor. Brady is such a well-developed character, a man so torn up by his perceptions that even when he breaks Amanda’s heart, the reader feels the depth of his pain and knows that Amanda does, too. Their HEA was romantic and very satisfying. This is one of my top-ten reads ever, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
The men and brothers of Cold River Ranch are very compelling. The specter of an abusive father impacted each of the brothers differently. Brady was the most confusing to me so I was excited to find out what was really going on in his head. I was shocked at how misunderstood he truly was to his family but Amos played a vital role in building this perception. He agreed to stay at the ranch for a year to ensure that it stayed in the family but he also wanted to expand or diversify what they are doing to ensure its longevity. Gray believes in the tried and true methods from the past generations. Knowing this, Brady may never stay if he can’t get Gray to realize that he does have something to contribute. As he struggles with live on the ranch, his best friend’s sister, Amanda, has him twisted in knots. Amanda is the only daughter and the youngest in her family. Now in her 20’s, even everyone in town still sees her as a little girl so she makes a bold move by getting a bartending job at the not so respectable bar in town. Not only that, but she lives above the bar. Her brother Riley asks Brady to watch out for her since none of the brothers can as they try to give her the space she has requested. Now, Amanda has been in love with Brady for years so this new development gives her an opportunity since she really wants to no longer be a virgin. What will Brady do when Amanda tells him she wants to find a guy to have sex? Can the brothers bridge their divide? I loved both Brady and Amanda’s journey’s in this story. They each needed to break free from who everyone seemed to think they were to show who they truly want to be. The road wasn’t easy but it created a great bond between them along the way. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
I won a copy of this book from Goodreads giveaways and I was not required to give a favorable review. This was a great story of family, finding independence in a small town and coming to relization that sometimes you need to do things just a little different. Brady went and was making something of himself outside of his hometown and is brought back because of family and he is not happy that he is going to have to stay for a while. Amanda is the only girl in the family of brothers an also the youngest so having any kind of life in this small town is funny at best. But when she moves out and gets a job as a bartender at the only bar in town it makes for a great story. But she has a thing for Brady but he doesn’t want to stay in town.