The Last True Cowboy

Chestnut Creek #1, This is a new author for me and I am so glad I picked this one up. It amazed me how real this book seemed to me, how emotionally this book pulled me in and the citizens of Unforgiven are right Carly and Austin are better than T.V. I also loved that this book took place in New Mexico, as much as I love my home state of Texas it’s nice to see NM get some attention.

Carly and Austin have been together since Kindergarten and shared the same dreams through it all until Carly didn’t any more. At twenty-nine Carly figured she’d be married already with babies already but Austin first love is the rodeo and his “one more year” got to be one year too many. Unfortunately for Carly no one believes that she’s serious that she had it with Austin, so in a fit of rebelliousness she buys a motorcycle, and then she goes of to Albuquerque to let off some steam. Austin has a hard time reconciling the fact that Carly means business and after he realizes it he’s left at a loss and this time there is no more “one more year” he leaves the rodeo and now he left floundering, wondering if he can achieve his dream without Carly.

Overall, this is probably one of the best second chance books I’ve read in awhile. The old adage, If you love something let it go, fits in nicely with this story. I love that Carly and Austin had to grow up apart from each other to find out who they really were as adults and not just love sick kidds. This is a sweet and sexy story that plays with your heartstrings. First person that switches between Carly and Austin mostly Carly at the beginning but as the book goes on you see more and more of Austin’s POV. Carly’s past of self discovery is quite amusing and I love Nevada, I’m glad she’s getting her own book.

When I read the synopsis of The Last True Cowboy, I thought I was going to get a sweet cowboy second chance romance. Things did not turn out quite how I expected. Yes, it was a second chance romance in a small town with cowboy/rodeo goodness, but it ended up being a bit less sweet and lighthearted than I anticipated. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it did surprise me the way the story unfolded.

Carly and Austin are childhood sweethearts and have been together since they were teens. Normally, this is my absolute kryptonite, but as much as I liked them, I didn’t love them. I understand that growing up and maturing was a huge part of both of their character arcs, but they acted so immaturely and selfishly for so long that I ended up not feeling as invested in them. They did not behave like 29 year olds to me. Mistakes are definitely made on both sides, but the major plot twist/surprise started off so shady that I really thought there was foul play involved. I understand that Carly was hurting and wanted to prove that she was her own person and cut loose, but her reaction the next morning had warning bells going off in my mind. Yes, those situations occur, and it’s probably just me, but perhaps if the author hadn’t written it the way that she did, I wouldn’t have felt so uneasy. As the story progresses, it’s made clear that it really was a lapse in judgement/common sense by Carly, and that might make this plot twist a big turn off for some readers.

I thought the author did a great job showing the evolution of Carly and Austin. I appreciated that they both recognized that they needed to grow up, figure out what they wanted, and that it was possible that their adult selves wouldn’t actually work romantically. The overall message of loving all the pieces of someone (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and that love should be an equal partnership (not a lead and a sidekick) was simple, but very powerful.

I enjoyed the colorful and quirky residents of Unforgiven, NM, Nana, Papaw, and of course feisty Nevada Sweet. Her T-shirts were the best and added some humor to the heavier moments. I did find the book overly detailed at times and the pacing felt a little too slow. I didn’t understand half the sayings and terms, so I guess I’m more like city girl Nevada in this case. The epilogue brought everything full circle though and left me with a smile on my face.

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*

Austin Davis has two loves in his life, his longtime girlfriend Carly Beauchamp, and his rodeo career. From the moment they met in kindergarten Carly and Austin knew they’d always be in one another’s lives, they connected instantly, and from that point on they were two peas in a pod. Then one day their friendship blossomed into love, the two of them were insuperable, that is until Austin joined the rodeo circuit.

His second love soon became his first love, and it kept him away for months at a time, Carly often feeling like she no longer mattered to him. They had dreams of marriage, children, and a happy future together, and all of a sudden Carly felt like she was the only one who cared about those dreams. But she did what she thought was right at the time, and waited for him, held out hope that his career would lose it’s appeal and he’d return home to marry her. But after almost ten years spent waiting for her cowboy and being told “one more year,” Carly has decided it is time to put herself first for once and put her dreams ahead of his. Leaving him was the hardest thing she has ever had to do, but it was necessary for her own happiness. But it also lead her to make a careless mistake, one that could change everything…and cement a permanent end to their relationship.

The Last True Cowboy takes you to the town of Unforgiven and welcomes you into the lives of it’s very lively and quirky residents, and shines a bright light on the couple that is the current talk of the town. Austin and Carly are no strangers to town gossip, they were once the couple everyone envied and boasted about, their achievements making them town royalty of sorts. But now they are drawing attention and spawning rumors because of their mistakes and the unraveling of their relationship. But as with all small towns, they come with a good support system, and in this particular situation one that is determined to help these two find their way back to on another. Following these two on their journey was good for my heart, many times they had me rooting them on, and holding out hope that love would prevail. I really enjoyed this first offering in the Chestnut Creek series, it came with wonderful characters that felt like family, and a heartwarming story with loads of feels to squeeze the heart in all the right places! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.