Three Cowboys and a Puppy is the second book in Kate Pearce's Three Cowboys series, and having read the first book in the series, which I also gave 3-stars, I was hoping that this second novel would be better than the first, but the scenarios are very similar, and although the novel was well-written, I felt no connection to any of the characters, hence another 3-star rating.

As for the characters, we have an irresponsible father who was so wrapped up in his business that he walked away from his wife and his 3-year-old daughter, Bernie, 20 years ago, the heroine in this novel. Luke is a rancher with PTSD (never fully explained) and on whom Bernie has had a crush since kindergarten, although they each consider the other their best friend, so we already know this is going to be a friends-to-lovers novel, but their relationship is one-sided, especially when Luke asks Bernie to help him woo another friends' sister, Bailey. I found Luke to be utterly clueless about Bernie's feelings for him, and when we get to the lovers part, it's more of a friends-with-benefits story since most of their hookups don't involve a bed, and are usually 5 minutes of hot sex in the barn before they're interrupted.

Most of the novel is about their respective businesses, Luke's ranch is suffering financially from the previous harsh winter and he's trying to find a way to put it in the black. Bernie's issues are wanting to expand her cafe/bakery business into 3 separate businesses, Luke's inability to see that Bernie's in love with him, her reaction to her absentee father, Brian, who now wants to get to know her, her overwhelming involvement in an upcoming puppy auction, adding an on-line ordering and delivery service to her cafe, expanding her business and needing additional staff, and constantly dealing with the people around her who make her feel as though she's not enough. My one question as I was reading this novel was where's the romance in this romance?

Yes, there is a happily ever after in this novel, but it's an awkward ending in this reader's opinion, because so much of the plot centered around the characters' businesses, and not enough time was spent fully fleshing out theses characters, it was a very slow read, and it was very hard to like or empathize with their issues, making this just an okay read for me, but the issues I've mentioned may not be issues for you, and if so, you'll probably enjoy this novel more than I did.

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.

Luke Nilsen has a crush on his best friend's sister. He asked his childhood friend Bernie to help him get her attention. Bernie has been in love with Luke for years. Bernie runs the local coffee shop and animal rescue. The yearly fundraiser is coming up for the animal rescue and Luke is supposed to be helping Bernie with the event.
Bernie has the animal rescue on her family farm and Luke is helping take care of the new litter of puppies that will be ready for the fund raiser.
Bernie finally admits to Luke he is in love with him and he is surprised. Luke is still having problems since he came home for Afghanistan and needs to seek help. Bernie is also a bit of a workaholic and her father is coming to town to visit her.

Three Marines have retired to be cowboys, and we get to read about their lives now. Luke was their leader in wartime, and he is the leader on the ranch. But the pressures of finances, injuries, and insomnia are getting to him. His primary way of dealing with things is to keep it all inside and not let on that anything is wrong -- even though his mother and friends keep asking if he is okay. Meanwhile, Bernie, Luke's best friend, has gotten tired of being in love with Luke while he is oblivious. She decides to make some changes, but her life is chaos right now. That's where the puppies come in: Bernie is leading a big fundraiser and adoption event that Luke is helping with. In the midst of the chaos, Luke finally gets a clue about Bernie, and they have some very romantic scenes. But they have lots of things to work out at the same time.

First...Luke is as clueless as any man I've ever known. He is. Really. Friends with Bernie since Kindergarten he has not a clue that she has loved him forever...or at least since Kindergarten!

Luke tries to get Bernie to help him attract Bailey, Noah's sister, mostly because she is pretty and smells nice (my opinion only...but it makes sense). Does he have a snowballs chance...nope...but he is blind to the loyalty and love Bernie has for him!

This was a very cute story. I've read the previous book in the series and it was good as well. This one was a very nice, quick read. Fun, since I knew some of the back story from the first book. Definitely a 'take you mind off something' kind of book.

Can this book be read as a standalone? Yes, but you'll miss the nuance that surrounds the whole story arc, and heck, the first book was good too! Treat yourself!!

Thanks to Kensington and the author for an ARC of this book. The review is my own.

Three Cowboys and a Puppy by Kate Pearce is mostly a romance between two best friends: Luke and Bernie. In fact they were such good friends that Luke asked her to help him win over Bailey, Noah’s sister, who was visiting. Well, Bernie didn’t take kindly to that. How could Luke be so blind? She’d loved him for years and nearly everyone but him knew that. One day he accidentally kissed her and it changed everything for him. Bailey had let him down gently and he needed to know more about this thing with Bernie, so he suggested they do it again as an experiment. Well, it turned out the heat was there but things were very complicated. Bernie was independent and very busy with her businesses and Luke was suffering from PTSD from his time in Afghanistan and he refused to get help. She didn’t have time to let him decide to share with her so she just forged ahead with her own life.

Bernie ran a cafe and bakery, an internet bakery business, and the Human Society. The latter was really volunteer but she threw her whole self into it. She was a brilliant business person and rarely took time for herself. Luke was busy trying to save his parents’ ranch from the hole it had fallen into and was making progress, until they had a very hard winter. It had affected all the local ranchers, but it was a source of stress. They were both well-written and interesting characters. The plot was that of a typical romance with roadblocks at every turn. These were more interesting than they are very often. Other characters in the book interacted well with the main characters and offered some interesting side plots. It was a good book.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Three Cowboys and a Puppy by Kensington Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #KensingtonBooks #KatePearce #ThreeCowboysAndAPuppy

Another cowboy finds his significant other. She has been in front of him since she was five years old, but he was not aware. Fun to watch the couple get beyond being life-long friends. I did skip over the intimate scenes. I look forward to reading cowboy number three's story. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

What’s not to love? Sexy cowboy, the girl next door and puppies! Luke and Bernie have been BFF forever, the only problem is Bernie has been in love with Luke since she was 5 years old. Of course Luke is so clueless! He asks her for help with his love life, and Bernie is heartbroken with that fact he doesn’t see her in that way. She looses it and confesses her feelings, seems like everyone knew but Luke.
A fun fast paced read, a little steamy and great that the previous characters are all back. Can’t wait to read Max story. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #ThreeCowboysandaPuppy

The title evidently is a series name. Three marines who return from overseas duty to run a cattle ranch. Each of them is getting a romance and this is the second in the series. Bernie Cooper has loved Luke Nilsen since they were partnered together in kindergarten. But he has her firmly in the friend zone. So much so that he asks her help to attract a visiting sister of one of his buddies. Bernie is over stretched running her bakery and coffee shop and running the humane society animal rescue.

I think the book and the story are fine. Luke is portrayed as very clueless in wooing and it is funnily awkward how many places they can hook up without being in a bed. I honestly didn’t have much invested in the characters. Bernie has more of the story action trying to figure out her businesses and making contact with an absentee father. The big blurb focused on her helping Luke ask Bailey out gets resolved very early in the story. I may have rated it higher if I’d read the first in the series or the author before. It has all the things I usually like, open door, childhood friends to more, humor, puppies and kittens but the romance didn’t take me to the extra star levels. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Zebra for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

Three Cowboys and a Puppy is the second story in Kate Pearce’s Three Cowboys Series. Three cowboys that are likable who are working diligently to keep a ranch thriving. This is Luke and Bernie, Norah’s sister story. Their friends-to-more story is sweet, charming, and sensual, story is one marvelous small-town working ranch story. Add in the it’s “time you see me as more than a friend vibe,” from Bernie and one sweet rescue dog, this is a pleasure to read.

The characters are charming, the dog adorable and the story line believable. You can’t blame Bernie for being ready to move on. As for Luke, he may not be as clueless as he comes across in the beginning. A story where you want this couple to win at love with each other.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Three Cowboys and a Puppy
Kate Pearce
October 24, 2023


We are back at the Nilsen Ranch in California. Luke, Noah, and Max still work the horses, cows and fields. Noahś sister, Bailey is visiting before she goes back to San Diego to finish her studies. Luke is quite taken by her but the odds of her staying in Quincy are slim. She wants to be part of a firm in a large city, plus sheś not quite sure that breaking up with her boyfriend was the best thing to do.
Luke still runs the ranch while his mom, Sally and Noahś partner, Jen work the clinic during the week or whenever calls come in. Her son, Sky, still plays a big role in the household with all of the guys. In Pearce’s latest novel, Bernie is running her breakfast cafe and the local animal sanctuary. Her life is full right now but in the back of her mind she always has Luke, the guy who never caught on to her feelings toward him. This is another delightful tale of family and friends who work together and live on ranches raising animals and raising crops.
Three Cowboys and a Puppy will be published on October 24, 2023 by Kensington Publishing Company. It was a joy to read and review this book via NetGalley. I read the first of the series, Three Cowboys and a Baby. Selecting this one was easy, I have enjoyed the series with the cowboyś times of pleasure, anger and sadness. Hope there will be a part 3 in Kate Pearceś Three Cowboys series. Readers can´t go wrong with this selection, enjoy!

I absolutely love this series! Can't wait for Max's story!! I love Luke and Bernie! Poor Luke is slow realize, he loves his best friend, who has loved him forever. Bernie just wants to hear those 3 words from Luke. It took a little help from his best friend. To help him figure it out!

Bernie is so busy that she makes me tired. Luke is just plain pigheaded. I'm not really sure why the book is called Three Cowboys and a Puppy. Head scratcher defiantly. I had a hard time getting into the book. Maybe because I didn't get it. I wasn't the only clueless one. Luke is pretty much clueless throughout also.

Three Cowboys and a Puppy is the second full length story in Kate Pearce’s inspiring series, Three Cowboys which is packed with emotion, family, and a little drama and some humour too. I liked the flow of the storyline, and the characters were likeable and engaging. A great addition to the series and a worthy addition to Ms Pearce’s extensive library too! An enjoyable and entertaining storyline is sure to keep you captivated throughout this book and definitely have readers itching for more.

This is a book that can appeal to a lot of people: dog lovers, suckers for books featuring rescues (like me), anyone who loves romances featuring cow boys.
That said I had a lot of fun, liked this friends-to-lovers story and rooted for the characters, dog included.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Three Cowboys and a Puppy is the newest book by Kate Pearce. It is the second book in the trilogy called Three Cowboys. The book follows the romance of Bernie and Luke. First you need to know Luke is clueless at times. He is a veteran going through a lot of stuff from his time in the marines and to top it all off, he has found out his bestie forever Bernie has a crush on him and has since she was five. The book is poignant, sexy and hot while leaving you hoping for the best with the couple.

I like Kate Pearce’s books. She always has an element of romance, but also in good old fashion commitment to hard working ranchers in today’s world. Luke is trying to help run and save his family’s ranch, but it is not easy with harsh winters and the threat of wildfires. He is working on trying to help the ranch be more economically sound, dealing with his struggles with the dark and flashbacks.

Bernie is just as busy. She is running three different businesses and working too many hours. She is struggling with keeping up and figuring out how to get a larger kitchen. Between the businesses, she is getting ready to run the annual auction to raise money for the humane society that she runs in one of their barns.

Bernie and Luke are perfect for each other, but both of them seem to be struggling in this new part of their friendship/romance. Three Cowboys and a Puppy by Kate Pearce is a great read.

This latest addition to the series belongs to Luke Nilsen, whom we met in book 1.
Luke is smitten with Bailey Harding, the sister of his best friend. Bailey, a paralegal, is visit from San Diego. She’s all city while Luke is without a doubt, a ranch guy.
But that doesn’t stop Luke from going gaga over Bailey.
Determined to get her to notice him, he asks his best friend, Bernie, owner of the town’s very popular bakery, to help him be the guy Bailey can’t live without. At times , regardless of how busy she is.
As far as Bernie is concerned, Luke is fine the way he is.
In the end , will Luke realize Bernie is the one for him?
This was cute, and at times sweet, though less romantic than this reader expected. Compared to other stories by this author, it was just ok.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Three Cowboys and a Puppy is a fun, easy to read, romance on Luke’s family ranch in Northern California. This is Luke’s and Bernie’s story, from childhood BFFs to adult romance. This is the second book in the Three Cowboys series by Kate Pearce. It can be read as a stand alone but I found it a tad confusing with some of the characters. I have since read the first book which clears up some of the characters and the backstory so my suggestion is to try to read them in order. I look forward to Max’s story in the third book.

While I do not ordinarily read love stories, this one sounded interesting, and I tried it. The story is about so much more than just the gratuitous sex that sometimes occurs with some regularity in love/romance stories..

The main characters in this love story are Luke a former Marine officer, who saw duty in a terrible war with the resultant trauma and Bernie, who was also traumatized over her birth father leaving her and her mom when she was just a baby. These two flawed individuals had been best friends from the 5th grade.

Bernie is working herself to death in her bakery and through her volunteering with the humane group with dogs and cats. Lots of other characters flash into the scene and there are lots of personalities to keep straight--very psychological.

Now that Bernie and Luke were adults a certain sexual tension was happening between them. Bernie had loved Luke for years but seemed afraid to experience his caring in return. For Luke's part, after the way he was suffering from a severe form of PTSD and other than his two best buddies with whom he served he was not good at relationships or opening himself to possible hurts. Bottom line is that he was afraid of more than just the unknown outside his ranch, he was afraid of new situations.

His buddies Max and Noah tried to help but his fears kept coming up. So, with Bernie needing more than he seemed able to give and his friends poking at him, he tries to withdraw.

Will he and Bernie ever get together and form the loving partnership, or will they continue to be :friends with benefits"? The reader will have to complete the book to find out. I actually liked the story and found it an easy read.

Luke Neilson needs help with wooing his friends city-girl sister. That’s where his best friend Bernie Murphy comes in. The only issue is Bernie’s long time secret crush on him. While they both navigate personal struggles and responsibilities, will they realize what they really need has been in front of them all along?

The book was more about their struggles separately than together. Luke never stopped talking about his issues to Bernie but then lashed out when she brought them up. He doesn’t help her with the things she’s having a hard time with and he constantly expects her to drop everything to help him with his stuff. The book was rarely about their relationship and it wasn’t really a healthy one. The writing was good and I liked the insight on their issues but I felt as though it made up too much of the book for this genre

3/5

Charming opposites attract, friends to lovers romance

When Luke separated from the Marines, he brought his two best friends home with him to help run his family ranch in the mountains of Northern California. After a harrowing winter, Luke is still coming to terms with all the trauma he's endured, both in the military and since.

Bernie has always had a crush on her best friend, Luke, and now that he's back she can tell that something's wrong. She knows he has a lot to sort through, but there's only so much she can do to help, especially since she's kept busy with her bakery and online business as well as running the local humane society non-profit out of her barn. When Luke asks her to help him get another woman's attentions, she realizes it's past time for her to turn her own attentions elsewhere.

I didn't love this book as much as the first one, mainly because I was exasperated with Luke most of the time. He comes across as less mature than he did in the earlier book, and his path to redemption was not nearly as complete as it should have been. Still, Bernie is a delightful character, strong and determined in her own way, and I loved how she was able to find balance in her life without having to give up any of her pursuits. I also appreciated how she was not at all shy about calling Luke out on his stuff and not letting his excuses go unchallenged.

I loved the realistic relationship between Luke, Noah, and Max, even with its endless complications. Emotional intimacy is the absolute hardest thing, especially for men, and I really love the way it was addressed here. I adored the friendship between Jen and Bernie, and was happy to see Sally in a larger role.

The HEA was a bit of a let-down because while Luke did address a big issue, it wasn't the one that Bernie kept insisting he address throughout the book, which left me feeling a bit like there's still more work to do before their HEA is solid. But, since there will be at least one more book, I'm hoping we'll see more progress for Luke and Bernie in the future. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.