How sweet is. Sentiment, sisterhood and second chances make for a hard to put down romance. Joanne Rock tempts the heart with this stroll down memory lane. Larissa and Matt's history consists of regrets. She left him behind to follow her dreams. He lost his heart the minute she walked away. Years later, memories and a promise bring them face. Will a wedding give them the chance to start again? Second Chance Cowboy is a first rate romance.

A thoroughly enjoyable book, one that I couldn't put down. Loved the 2 main characters. Best romance I've read in a long time! looking forward to more books by Joanne Rock.

I'd consider this book a must read if you're a Joanne Rock fan but I'd also totally recommend this book to lovers of the romance genre, I really enjoyed this story, it was very charming and sweet.

Second Chance Cowboy is the story of Larissa and Matt, and as you might guess from the title, this is a second chance romance story, which I should say is one of my favorite tropes. By the way this is book two from the Road to Romance series but it can be read as a standalone.

The premise is simple enough; our heroine Larissa is on her way to a dancing audition in Las Vegas but first she wants to make a stop in her hometown, hoping to make amends with her former boyfriend after she left pursuing her dancing career. Larissa is hoping that by doing this she could free herself from past guilts and demons and have a new start. But this is won't be a simple sorry and goodbye; she ends up caught up in the wake of the wedding of Matt's sister.

Matt for his part isn't also looking to complicate things, specially since he was really hurt by that first time that Larissa left him. But as they start spending time together, they start to realize that their feelings haven't dispensary completely, like they've merely been dormant and now they seem to be stronger than before, more intense. Still they'll both have to really look inside themselves and figure out what they want.
The story is very moving, yes this is a romance but there's also a really good message in the story, about fulfilling your dreams and also ultimately deciding what you want in life.
Joanne Rock's characters are believable and easy to relate to and care for; the story engages you and there's a good pacing to the book, it's a very quick read but also a delightful one.
Again absolutely recommendable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Joanne is an amazing author and yet another title that doesnt disappoint

Second Chance Cowboy by Joanne Rock
Road to Romance #2

Quick easy second chance at love romance that takes place eight years after college sweethearts abruptly separate with Larissa Martine heading off to Broadway to dance after her sophomore year in college while her boyfriend, Matt Briggs, graduates and heads home to live on the ranch he bought next to the family spread.

On her way to Las Vegas for a dance audition Larissa stops to make amends to Matt for the way she departed and tell him why she did so. Matt’s sister, Callie, is getting married in a week and invites Larissa to stay for the wedding and by staying Larissa gives herself another chance to spend time with Matt and his family. During that week the relationship rekindles but without open communication there is little hope of a HEA for the two of them…

I enjoyed the backstory of Matt’s grandmother and the idea that sometimes what we think our dream is – the one we pursue steadfastly – might not be our own but someone else’s dream instead. Being mature enough to realize this and make changes is essential to live a happy life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I enjoy a good second chance romance and enjoyed the first book in this series, so I jumped on the chance to read and review this one. Second Chance Cowboy is a book about making peace with your past, healing, second chances and that following your dreams also means reevaluating those dreams now and then. My favorite part of this book probably was the setting, I loved visualizing the nature in this place and land filled with ranches and animals.

Second Chance Cowboy follows the story of Larissa and Matt. When she was younger Larissa left Matt and her home town behind to chase her dreams of becoming a Broadway star. Now she is back to make amends with the past, but as soon as she's done that she's leaving for Las Vegas. What she doesn't expect is to be reminded about what she loved about this place and stir up feelings again for the cowboy she left behind.

I always enjoy Joanne Rock's romances. I like how she paints her characters, makes the setting come alive and pulls off a believable romance. This book was a lot of fun to read, although at times I missed that feeling of getting completely pulled into the story. Nevertheless I quickly read through this one and the epilogue made for a great ending. And I am curious about the next book in this series.

I liked how we got a feel for Larissa and Mat and saw them connect again. But I also have the same issue I had with the first book, that the story feels a little bit too short at times. Like it would've been even better if it was a bit longer. I especially would've liked a scene or two more to see Larissa fall in love with this place again and maybe see a bit more of the ranching work and the animals.

While I thought their romance was belieavle, I didn't fully feel it at times. I did really like the pieces we learned about their past and how they first fell in love. I just felt a bit sad how they both held back a bit this time and that's probably while I didn't was fully happy about their romance until the end of the book. Larissa doesn't want to put too much pressure on their new awakened romance and holds back a bit, while Matt doesn't want to get fully invested in case she runs away again.

They both made mistakes the first time and they come close to repeating those here. But I liked how they both realized what they were doing eventually and changed. But they have a long road to go before they get there and I have to admit to rolling my eyes a few times when for the reader it was so obvious to see what they weren't saying and how their lack of communication gave the other the wrong idea.

I did like how both characters had their flaws. Matt was too stubborn and prideful at times, while Larissa was to hung up over a promise she made her mother to fully realize what her mother really wanted for her. It did make me a bit sad how they missed out on some years of happiness, but at the same time it's amazing to see them have their second chance now.

I liked the cast of side characters, especially Matt's grandmother. And I liked the role she played in making Larissa realize that she had to rethink some things. I also liked the hint we got of Rachel, one of Larissa's past friends and who will be the main character of the next book.

One of my favorite parts of this book is the setting. How the author described this piece of Wyoming made it sound so beautiful and I had a hard time imagining why larissa would leave that for the busy city. I just wish we would've seen a bit more of the ranching life and the animals.

To summarize: This was a fun second chance romance! I quickly read through it and I had fun reading about these two characters re-connecting again. For some reason I didn't really feel their connection or chemistry until the end. I loved the epilogue though and it was a perfect way to wrap up the story. I would've liked to get to know the characters a bit more, but I do like how we got a feel for them and they felt believable and real with how they had their flaws and made their mistakes. Their lack of communication and holding back their real feelings almost threaten to tear them apart again and it frustrated me at times as it was so easy to see as the reader what they were doing. But I did like how things got wrapped up. I especially liked the side character Matt's grandmother and how she played a role in this story as well. The setting was also great and I enjoyed visualizing this beautiful place. I am looking forward to the next book in this series!

4 1/2 STARS!

Sometimes, you really can go home again! College sweethearts torn apart by one's ambition meet up again in the gentle countryside that was the backdrop of their relationship. One seeks forgiveness and clarification that she did the right thing ... the other seeks answers as to why they weren't enough and possibly a second chance. Great setting, fun supporting characters and a sweet love story that keeps us crossing our fingers for a happy ending!

When Larissa Martine decides to leave her life dancing on Broadway to start over in Las Vegas, she lets her best friends talk her into stopping off in Cheyenne, Wyoming to try to make amends for her one true regret in life. She's enjoyed her career over the years, but she's always regretted the way she left.

Rancher Matt Briggs isn't going to make it easy on her to apologize for leaving him hanging in the wind when she took off New York. He thought they had a future planned out, but evidently he was only fooling himself. Now his life is one big obligation of trying to run his own ranch along with his family ranch after losing his dad. Seeing Rissa again just makes him wish things had ended differently for them. Will she get the forgiveness she came here to get, or will he hang on to the pain she left him with all those years ago?

I love Joanne Rock's writing. More than anything, she creates incredibly realistic characters. I love seeing how they come together. It doesn't feel sappy or hokey, it's just real.

This book was no exception. I was intrigued by Matt and Larissa, who met again for the first time in years after a falling out due to a tragedy. At first, they seem like opposites, he a rancher and she a Broadway dancer, but the more you get to know about them, you see that they have similar values. And they both put a lot of stock in their families, and what their families expect of them.

This was a fun, easy read. I was rooting for the couple from the very beginning.

A fantastic second chance story that I absolutely loved!! Larissa Martine and Matt Briggs were young loves but he was a country boy through and through and Larissa owed it to the memory of her mother to pursue a Broadway dancing career. Taking the cowards way out Larissa told Matt she was leaving through a text message and that was the last time the had been in touch. Now she's back in WY to apologize for the way she handled things. She's not sure what to expect but getting caught up in wedding plans sure wasn't on the list!!

This is a fun, sexy, heartwarming read that I recommend to everyone.

Very enjoyable second chance romance and coming home again, this pair were meant to be but confusion, and emotions drove them apart, thankfully they got a second chance

Second Chance Cowboy is the second book that I've read by Joanne Rock. I was amazed by her talent with her other book that I read before this one. Her characters literally pop off the pages. Bringing the story to readers in live motion. I felt like I was there experiencing it all in both the main characters' shoes. I got the best perspectives from the leading female and male protagonists. Their thoughts, actions, and words could easily be felt and understood.

Joanne Rock made me cry happy tears while reading this contemporary romance novel. I also laughed a lot. Cowboy rancher, Matt, just has affect on women. Especially, Larissa, aka Rissa. Sexy as hell, Mattcan make any woman swoon on spot. But the one woman he wanted left him eight years ago. Now, he finds her back in their ranching world. This time, he's not ready to let her go...

Larissa is having a crappy life. Her dancing career did hit it off until her injury. Her hips still give her pain. But she still wants to audition in Las Vegas. However, on her way there, she stops home to seek forgiveness and a fresh start. Little does Larissa know that fate has more in stored for her than she planned. Like resurfering sparks between her and Matt. Matt...looked even better than she remembered. She wants him again. Feeling a bit jealous of the girl hitting on him, Larissa skates her feelings. Then, Matt's sister ends up forcing them together for her wedding. Close proximity with each other will set off memories they never forgot...

Second Chance Cowboy is the latest novel by Joanne Rock. I love how she created so many raw emotions within me. The journey was epic. Addictive, hot, and charming. Every page was well-written. The entire story went by faster than I thought. The actions of the protagonists sped up my reading. I was so eager to find out what happened between them that I soon found the last page. And it was so good. Better than good. Superb. I have fallen in love for the second time with Joanne Rock's writing. She delivers only the best for her readers every time. Overall, I recommend this sexy cowboy romance to all.

In Joanne Rock’s Road to Romance series, four friends listen to a self-help guru and resolve to make peace with their past. In the second installment, Second Chance Cowboy, Larissa Martine goes home to Montana to apologize to the “one that got away.” As things are never as easy as they seem from a distance, Larissa is dragged into the Briggs family and realizes that there is more to life than following her mother’s dreams. This is a quick, second chance read. It is trademark Rock humor and storytelling. I look forward to the next installments in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

This is a second chance at happiness and love. When reading this book you want to make sure you say what you mean now and not wait to late. A tender feel good love story!

Have you ever wished you could go back in time and right a wrong?
Larissa Martine, the heroine in Joanne Rock’s “Second Chance Cowboy”, does just that when she returns to Wyoming to see Matt Briggs – the guy she broke up with eight years before.
Matt had convinced himself he was over Larissa and the hurt she caused. Well, until he saw her. Now, with his sister about to get married, asking Larissa to stay for the wedding was the perfect opportunity for Matt to work through the memories so when Larissa leaves again it won’t hurt like last time.

Even with eight years apart the chemistry is still there between them. As feelings grow stronger Larissa has to decide if leaving to continue her dance career is her dream or if she’s following through on a promise she made to her mother.
Matt also has career decisions to make. Does he follow his father’s legacy with the handling of Briggs Ranch or does he try something new that could potentially save not only his father’s ranch, but his own?

“Second Chance Cowboy” is just like the title suggests – a second chance at love. The chance to have a do-over, put who they once were in the past, and move into the future with a hopeful and love-filled heart.

Though “Second Chance Cowboy” is book 2 of Ms. Rock’s Road to Romance series, you can absolutely read – and enjoy! – this book without having read the first one, “Last Chance Christmas”.
However, you’ll probably find yourself wanting to!

So a New York dancer walks into a Wyoming cowboy bar on her way to Vegas? Sound like the set up of a joke? It's not. That's where Joanne Rock begins "Second Chance Cowboy," as Larissa returns to the town where she graduated and the man she left behind in her hasty flat flight to New York.

Larissa needs to revisit the past in order to truly let go of the past and move on. Matt is everything she remembers and so much more. Just being near him has every nerve snapping to attention.

She reminds herself she's there to apologize for breaking up with him via text message and fleeing. She tries but t he won't hear it.

When his now grown up baby sister stumbles across them at her bachelorette party, she insists Larissa stay for her wedding. She plans to hunt Matt down the next day and head to Vegas for a tryout to hopefully revive her dancing career.

But she has to explain why she lit out of town those years ago. And it's a doozie.

Then his grandmother, the feisty retired rodeo star, insists she has to come see her before she leaves , and Callie insists she has to stay for her wedding.

She gives in to the once sweet young girl who hero worshipped her. She can't say no to her anymore than she cam refuse Matt's offer of a short no-strings affair to last only until Larissa leaves -—just to exorcise the chemistry tingling between them. Staying in the old foreman's house where she and Matt once met for some pretty passionate nights is no picnic. But the new memories....

Really enjoyed this one. No fancy setting or intrigue, just plenty of sizzle as this pair learns to move past the past. Love that it focused on the couple, and didn't let their story and growth get lost. Back to basics, a beautiful story of two people trying to make peace with the past so they can truly live in the present and plan for the future.

Second Chance Cowboy is book 2 of Ms Rock’s series, Road to Romance. Rest assure it’s a stand alone.
Ms. Rock gives us a very touching story about second chances in love, when one least expect them.
Larissa, left her hometown and her boyfriend not only because she promised her mother in her deathbed that she would follow her passion, which meant going to NYC to become a Broadway dancer, but also because she was scared. She broke up with her boyfriend via text.
Now, after an injury and deciding to pursue a career as a Vegas dancer, she stops in her hometown to ask for forgiveness from her ex-boyfriend, Matt.
He is now a man, but still remembers how her departure and her breakup methods nearly destroyed him. However, Matt’s family still cares for her and Larissa gets invited to Matt’s sister’s wedding . They have a week to make amends before she leaves again.
It’s a lovely story that is heartbreaking, but also heartwarming. A story about parent’s expectations, and about family loyalties. About the love between two individuals than even after eight years, might become their second chance. And this time around, it will be stronger and forever.
I was gifted this copy by Netgalley and Tule Publishing. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was a beautiful story of a second chance at love. The story unfolded in a perfect pace, nothing about it was rushed. The writing was fantastic. A story that pulls you in and you won't be able to put the book down until you are finished. That is a sign of a talented writer to keep you that engrossed in the story. I loved it!
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review by Net Galley and Rule Publishing.

A sweet, touching romantic story that I was so not expecting. It made me laugh at times and cry at others. Not only did the author effectively develop the two characters as they grow through trials and errors. In spite of what came before, they bravely traverse the road to see what the future holds.

An easy read for the summer, as this one was easy to pick up and put down. To be honest, the character of Larissa and the romance with Matt didn't hold much appeal to me. Not exactly sure what the problem was, but I had a hard time feeling strongly about either one of them. Would still recommend, as it kept my interest through to the end, and again, it is an easy read for the beach.

RATING 4.5 STARS

Second Chance Cowboy is book two in the Road to Romance series by Joanne Rock. I’ve read several of Joanne’s books but didn’t know about this series. But the cover caught my attention. It kept calling me back until I decided I needed to read the book and now I’m so glad I did.

Larissa Martine left college and the only man she had ever really loved, Matt Briggs, eight long years ago. She broke things off with a text message, something she has always regretted. She needed to honor her mother’s wishes and pursue dancing so she was off to New York and Broadway. She had lost her mother many years before to cancer. Her father held on to their sheep ranch for as long as he could but he just couldn’t make it work without the love of his life.

“Cheyenne might have been home once, but it was a long way from the future she still craved.”

Things hadn’t been going well as of late so she needed to make a change, well, several changes actually. So she was off to Las Vegas for some auditions. But first, she needed to visit Cheyenne and see Matt. Even though it had been eight years, she needed to apologize for how she left him. She needed closure. Maybe then she could start over in Vegas with a clean slate.

“She needed to do something to change her life’s downward spiral.”

Matt can’t imagine he could spread himself any thinner. Since his father died a year ago, he has been stepping in to help his mother with their ranch. And he is also running his own ranch next door. On top of all that, his little sister, Callie, is getting married. Matt will be the one walking her down the aisle.

Callie won’t take no for an answer and Larissa finds herself roped in to staying a while longer for Callie’s wedding. As soon as she and Matt see each other, it’s evident that the old attraction is still there. The longer Larissa is in Wyoming, she starts to realize that she really did miss it. That perhaps she should stop chasing something and take a good look at what she has right here.

Matt can’t believe she’s back. Is this another chance? Or just the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with Larissa before she leaves again. A move he knows will break his heart all over again. The sparks are flying between these two but I loved watching Larissa get reacquainted with the beauty of Wyoming. With a life she loved and perhaps left for all the wrong reasons.

These two were so perfect. Neither of them are good with their words so their road to reconciliation is a rocky one because no one says how they are feeling. I missed the first book in the series, Last Chance Christmas but definitely want to go back and read it. And I definitely want to read the third book in the series as well, A Chance Encounter at Christmas. I’m so glad I decided to read this and I look forward to what Joanne has in store for us next.