Carolyn Brown never disappoints her readers.  What's not to love about a smokin' hot, hard working cowboy!

In a good small town romance, it’s not just the main characters that are memorable. It’s the relationships between families, neighbors, and communities. Quirky townspeople who all seem to know each other, good and bad. And the idea of love blossoming in such a town is delightful. In Carolyn Brown’s Toughest Cowboy In Texas, Happy, Texas is a place you’ll want to stay a while.  

	Lila Harris had grown up in Happy, Texas known as the resident wild child. The girl with the worst reputation in Happy for all her crazy, daredevil antics. She’d had her heart broken there years ago. She’d had a crush on Brody Dawson since kindergarten. Had spent her youth trying to impress him, hoping someday he’d go against his family and the whole town and just ask her out.  When he finally had, he never showed and Lila had cried for weeks. Now, she was a teacher who worked hard to subdue that inner wild child, trying to change who she was so the heartache wouldn’t hurt so bad. She’d moved around a lot in the last 12 years, but was never happy anywhere. She’d left a part of her heart in Happy and found she couldn’t get it back anywhere else. Now at 30, she was returning to Happy to work in her mom’s café for the summer. As soon as she crossed that county line though, she could hear her inner wild child screaming to come out. 
	Brody Dawson had grown up as Happy’s golden boy. His family owned the biggest spread in the whole county. Lila had been his best friend and secret girlfriend, but Brody’s family didn’t approve. They thought Lila was a bad influence. So Brody and Lila had snuck around. He’d gotten the courage to ask her out once before she moved. But the fear of facing her tears and his parents’ wrath led to him standing her up. Now memories and regrets haunted him. He was ashamed he hadn’t stood up for her back then. She’d never left his mind. It wasn’t easy to shake the memories or the yearnings he still felt, so he tried to bury them and focus on his responsibilities to his family and the ranch. That would be suitable punishment for not recognizing the best thing in the world when she was standing right in front of him. 
	It only took one look at each other for Brody and Lila to know the chemistry was still there. So much for time, distance, and a broken heart erasing all the old feelings. Lila’s inner wild child wanted to grab Brody and kiss him but she wasn’t that girl anymore. She was responsible now. This wasn’t high school. She wanted something lasting. Something real. But Brody wasn’t that high school kid anymore either. He means business this time and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He’s doing what he should’ve done years ago. He knows they can’t go back to the way it was before, but they can go forward. 

	What an awesome introduction for me to a new author. Living in a small town myself, I could identify so much with Happy. I even found myself visualizing people I know in some of the characters. Lila and Brody were wonderful characters with great chemistry. Part of me hated that they’d been apart for 12 years but I think they needed the time to grow and mature. Brody had to learn to stand up to his family, and Lila had to learn that she could still be responsible but hold on to the wild child too. They needed the opportunity to grow. 
	The secondary characters were delightful as well. I loved both Brody and Lila’s families. I’m intrigued by the family histories there and hope some of these characters get their own stories. The people of Happy were hysterical. Everybody knows everybody’s business. Rumors were nurtured and fed at the diner, and I found it hilarious that the men were every bit the gossips that the women were. I think my favorite scenes occurred at the church though. I can tell Carolyn Brown has spent some time in small town churches because she portrayed them perfectly. I’m so excited to get in on the start of this new series. It’s the perfect blend of teary eyed moments and chuckles. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Happy, Texas and can’t wait to visit again. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.

I loved this book.  This book has been one of my favorites of the year that I have read.  Lila Harris has a reputation of being a wild child since she was younger.  That reputation did not follow her when she left Happy, Texas, but now that Lila is home she is conflicted with who she really is?  The school teacher?  Or the wild child?  The wild child wants to come out and play especially with Brody Dawson, but the school teacher in her says no.  Which one will win?


I was hooked from page one.  I could not stop reading.  I love books about cowboys!!

☆☆☆☆☆
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Read more from this author? Yes!

Happy Reading!
Melissa

Toughest Cowboy in Texas is my first read by this author and it certainly won't be my last. This book was a super sweet second chance romance that stayed true to the cowboy ways. Told from dual points of view, Toughest Cowboy in Texas follows the story of Lila and Brody. The last place anyone expected to find Lila was at her mother's cafe in Happy, Texas. Many, many years ago she was known as the town wild child. She's returned home for the summer, but is not the same Lila that everyone remembers. However, you know how it is in small towns, no one forgets anything and people judge without thinking....Ever since Brody took over the family ranch, he hasn't had much time for anything. He has so much responsibility that he forgets to live his own life at times. However, when Lila blows back into town, his world is about to be turned upside down. Fate is offering him a second chance and he's got a lot of wrongs to make right. Will Brody and Lila get a second chance at a love they were always meant to have? There is only one way to find out.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and very easy to read. I thought the characters were likable and easy to connect with.  I loved the setting and story-line of the story. I enjoyed all the cowboy aspects and all the pressures that came along the way. I really liked Lila. Despite having a wild spirit, I felt like she was misjudged a lot. She had a wonderful personality and had so much love to give. And Brody, he wasn't perfect. He let his pride and responsibility cloud his judgement. However, when he set his mind on something, he didn't stop until he got it right.  Both characters were perfectly imperfect, but thrown them together and they were the perfect match. They balanced each other out and had wonderful interactions. The chemistry between the two of them was too strong to be denied and I seriously enjoyed watching the two of them fall. 

Toughest Cowboy in Texas was an incredibly sweet read. Yes, there was some judgement from the town folks, but you can of expect that when you're reading a small town or southern romance. I thought this story had a nice plot. It was a clean romance with just the right amount of overall romance and steam. And for the most part, was pretty light on the drama. If you're looking for a sweet read to spend the afternoon getting swept away in, look no further. I look forward to checking out more from this author in the future.

A lovely read by a great author who's characters are always well developed.  It is easy to fall into this story.  You want to know what happens and see the relationships work out.  A nice relaxing read.

This was a great book to read.   The  couple  led us on quite a journey .   Definitely recommend to read if one enjoys cowboy ranch life  with romance.   

Thanks to Publisher via NetGalley for this opportunity to read and review this book.   Look forward to the next book in the series. by Carolyn Brown.

enjoyable read

As a teen in Happy, Texas Lila Harris was the wild child and Brody Dawson the golden boy she was in love with and dating in secret. But when he broke her heart instead of bringing their relationship into the public, she left Happy and never looked back. But now she's back to sell her mom's diner and her attraction to Brody is still there. Despite having grown up and moved on, the town and Brody's family still sees her as the wild child who doesn't deserve him. Can they both get past their history and open up to loving each other again?
This is the first book I've read by this author and for the most part I really enjoyed this book. I liked Brody (who doesn't love a sexy cowboy) and Lila was strong and independent. My one sort of issue was the conflict that separated them--it's more that I was expecting something really dramatic (like there was some emergency and he couldn't pick her up for a date and didn't call so she thought he was standing her up again) and what actually happened was just anticlimactic in comparison to my expectations. I definitely intend to follow up with the rest of this series, however.

The Spark of an Old Flame
Last time Lila Harris was in Happy, Texas, she was actively earning her reputation as the resident wild child. Now, a little older and wiser, she's back to run her mother's café for the summer. Except something about this town has her itching to get a little reckless and rowdy, especially when she sees her old partner-in-crime, Brody Dawson. Their chemistry is just as hot as ever. But he's still the town's golden boy-and she's still the wrong kind of girl. 

Brody hasn't had much time lately for anything other than ranching. Running the biggest spread in the county and taking care of his family more than keeps him busy. All that responsibility has him longing for the carefree days of high school and Lila. She may have grown up, but he still sees that spark of mischief in her eyes. Now he's dreaming about late-night skinny dipping and wondering how he can possibly resist the one woman he can never forget...

I said in the last review I did of Carolyn Brown's that I loved all of her books and that's the truth!!  I loved Brody and Lila.  I thought Lila had spunk and was just smart as a whip.  I fell so in love with Brody but he made a heck of a mistake when he was a kid but what do you expect?  He was a kid and kid's make mistakes.  

Lila comes back to Happy...yep that's the name of the town lol!  She comes back to Happy, Texas to put her mother's diner on the market and then get the heck out of dodge.  Who does she run into but good ole Brody, looking better than he ever did.  A lot has changed for Brody - all the plans he had before Lila took off changed all in the same summer.  His dad and his grandfather both died that same summer.  You find that out pretty early on in the story and it's not a secret or spoiler.  So, instead of him going away for college - he stayed home and took care of the ranch and sends his brother to college instead.  He never left Happy and he never fell out of love with Lila.  She's his one regret.  Everyone in this book feels as if Brody treated Lila like he was better than her.  I feel like he even feels like he treated her that way but I didn't see any of those parts.  He snuck out of the house after they made love but who wants to get caught by your girlfriend's mother?  It says that he had her as his "secret girlfriend" but he always hung out with her and Jace.  No one else.  That to me shouts girlfriend unless he's dating his brother and that's frowned upon except in hill country.  So, he took another girl to prom?  It never stated whether or not she wanted to go.  I had a hard time with that and kind of felt that Brody got the blame stick a lot.  Lila wasn't all "poor me."  She needed to buck up buttercup.  

Brody does everything in this book to show her he loves her but is it enough?  He asks her to the family reunion, he asks her to the Fourth of July party they're having.  That's definitely being seen in public together.  Lila is one of those characters who's been hurt.  Even though she grew up with Brody and his brother Jace, they were from one side of the tracks and she was from the other.  That didn't make a difference though because they were all best friends.  To Brody's grandmother and mother, Lila is the "wild child" and not good enough for Brody and to Lila's mother, Brody is only going to hurt her again.  So, she's going to head him off at the pass and not give him a chance to hurt her again.  

The characters I really loved in this book were Brody's sister, Kasey and her 3 kids.  They totally stole the whole book.  I'm praying and hoping they have their own and I'm pretty sure they will.  That's what this setup was for. Jace will get his own book and so will Kasey.  Her story though was just heartbreaking and so real to life.  Her children were a hoot and when they told Brody he stunk but they wanted to grow up to stink just like him and be a cowboy...OMG, I about rolled out of the recliner!!  It was classic kids!  I enjoy the way Carolyn writes children and animals because you know that she has them and has been around them.  She knows the way they behave and interacts with others.  I love her and I'm going to stalk her page for her next book - no lie.

What I didn't like about this book - Valerie.  I didn't like Brody's mom.  I wasn't going to like her.  She wasn't going to be redeemed in my eyes even after a little page of redemption. It wasn't going to happen.  I still don't like her.  As a matter of fact, if I saw her right now - I'd force feed her pie until she'd puke because us Southern gals don't do things that will make us look bad.  We say "bless their hearts" instead of "you wanker" because it's unseemly.  I had to also work really hard to like Grandma Hope but after hearing her story, I understood her.  Daisy, Lila's mother...that woman makes my teeth rattle.  Her and Valerie together were like 2 children fighting over the same toy...so you fought over the same man 40 years ago!! Get over it!  Said man has been dead for 10 years - get over it.  She's not going to dig him up Valerie and put him on her mantle.  I've said my piece, I'm good.

Overall, I really had a good time in Happy Texas.  I escape away when I'm reading books and for a little while, I'm actually there.  If you want to read the rest of the books that interweave into this one, pick up The Lucky Penny Ranch Series.  You'll find that the characters in those, are in these as well.  The language in these books are minimal, the sex isn't too much, the plot is awesome.  At some points, I did find that Lila kept saying the same thing over and over but we do that in real life.  We rehash what already has been said because we can't let go of the past so that was real to life to me.  Pick this up on a weekend, so that you don't have to put it down during the week!!

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

Four stars: A terrific second chance story that proves sometimes you can go back home.

Lila Harris hasn't been back to Happy, Texas since she was seventeen years old. She left right after graduating from high school with a broken heart when Brody Dawson stood her up. In Happy, Lila was known as the Wild Child, but now she is thirty years old, a responsible school teacher and far removed from the Wild Child. So she thinks. As soon as Lila returns, it's as if no time has passed and she has gone back in time to her seventeen year old self. Then when Brody Dawson turns up, her heart betrays her and reminds her that she has never gotten over that cowboy. Will Lila get a second chance at love?
What I Liked:
*I adore a second chance romance, and I have to admit, I loved the idea of going back home where you are always the same age as when you left. That rung true for me, and I couldn't help placing myself back in Lila's shoes. If you love second chance romances, small town settings, delightful characters plus sweet and cozy, this is the book for you. I loved it.
*I liked both Lila and Brody. It was interesting to flash back to the past and see them in their youth, and then fast forward a dozen years and see them all grown up. They may be adults, but deep inside, the kids they were are still present. What would you do if you could go back home encounter the one who stole your heart when you were young? This is exactly what happened to Lila.
*The romance is perfect. I loved seeing Brody and Lila come together and work through the past as well as the obstacles in the present. There are plenty of sparks and lots of heat. I love a second chance romance, and this one was lovely. 
*Happy, Texas was a delightful setting. I can never resist a small town, and I giggle at how fast news travels. If you have ever lived in or visited a small town, you can relate. I loved the camaraderie in the town, even if everyone is in everyone's business. I also appreciated catching up briefly with some of the other Dawson clan. 
*I enjoyed the secondary characters. Jace and Kasey, Brody's brother and sister, were so sweet and supportive. My heart broke for Kasey and her adorable children as they recently lost their husband and dad. I can't wait to get Kasey's story. I also loved Kasey's in laws, and Hope, Brody's grandma. I especially liked how Valerie, Brody's mom, and Hope came around at the end. Molly, the old gal who runs the cafe was a hoot, too. Carolyn Brown always writes the best characters. 
I liked the animals. There are some cute cats and an ornery bull with a sense of humor so it seems. 
*The ending was sweet and perfect. It ends in just the right spot, even though I wanted more. I can't wait for the next book in this series. 
And The Not So Much:
*I wished that there was a bit more depth and detail into Lila's past. She had earned this reputation as being the "Wild Child" but there wasn't much information on what exactly she did to get the folks in Happy all in a stir. I wanted to know all that she did to earn such a nickname. 
* After all the tension and build up, I felt like the ending was a tiny bit abrupt. I wish there was an Epilogue. I guess I didn't want the book to end. 

Toughest Cowboy in Texas is a sweet, easy reading second chance romance that proves that sometimes you can go back home. I loved the characters, the setting and the romance. This is the perfect book for a summery day or anytime you need a light, fun read. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review. 
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

As with all this author's stories, this one is an enjoyable read on many levels. Not only are the characters multi dimensional, but filled with lifelike personality. With an engaging, and oftentimes emotional dialog, the story had heart, and definitely pulled at the heartstrings many times throughout...a HEA romance with the perfect western essence...Brody's drawl was quite clear in my head, making him the perfect cowboy. 

There was a certain tenderness that surrounded Brody and Lila...as well as vulnerability. I enjoyed that between them there was no game playing or subterfuge, they both said exactly what was on their minds, they didn't keep anything hidden. The author did a remarkable job of creating two characters who drew you in to where there was an emotional attachment formed from the beginning. That Brody was man enough to admit to Lila his hurt and pain at their parting when teenagers, really touched me deeply. 

All in all, I enjoyed all facets of the story and its wonderful characters. I'm always looking forward to the author's next story. 
This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

When it comes to Lila, the man is real serious about her, “I asked you to my family events. I’ll make my mother face the fact that there is an us— as in Lila and Brody. Maybe you should do the same with yours,” he said." I found Brody to be very sexy, I liked this book.