I love the Christmas season. I start putting up red and green decorations the second the Thanksgiving table is cleared. Reviewing Christmastime Cowboy allowed me to indulge in the holiday spirit extra-early this year. Although I was jumping into the middle of a series, the standalone setup and familiar feel of small town Christmas romances allowed me to enjoy it without any confusion.

The book utilizes the familiar trope of young love destroyed by disapproving parents. Years earlier, Sabrina Leighton and Liam Donnelly were falling for each other while working at the Leighton family winery. When Sabrina’s father caught wind of their romance, he offered Liam a full ride to college in exchange for breaking up with his daughter. Liam had grown up with a mother who blamed him - or rather, her unplanned pregnancy with him - for sticking her with his unfaithful father and the impoverished life they had together. She tormented Liam, frequently locking him in closets and forcing him to go hungry in order to keep him away from school and any semblance of a normal life. By the time he reached his early twenties, Liam was driven by two thoughts: that he would never be good enough for someone like Sabrina, and that he intended to make a lot of money someday. So, when Jamison Leighton offered that bribe, he took it and got the heck out of Dodge.

Thirteen years later, Liam has returned to Copper Ridge, Oregon, finally as wealthy as he’d hoped to be and ready to help his brothers run the family ranch. Mostly, that means using his business sense to establish them in the marketplace, because his brothers are resistant to him just throwing cash at their operation. This position leads him to the idea of opening a wine and cheese shop in town in partnership with Grassroots Winery. Sabrina still works at the vineyard, and has taken over as manager of the tasting room. Which means Sabrina and Liam are working together again.

While Liam may feel that he did the best thing for everyone involved when he left town all those years ago, Sabrina definitely doesn’t. He was her first love, and after a parting scene where she essentially threw herself at him and was rejected, she’s had some trouble believing in herself and her allure. No man since Liam has fired her up the way he once did - and still does, unfortunately, and she’s a mess of emotions when it comes to this partnership. She’s trying to be strong and just do her job, but she’s hurt and vulnerable after the way Liam treated her. She also can’t help but be excited and hopeful when she focuses on the chemistry between them now.

It’s no surprise to anyone - not the reader, not Sabrina’s friends, not even Sabrina - when she and Liam embark on a fling. They agree on that old cliché of ending things when their work together is done, and while this arrangement is clearly out of the ordinary for Sabrina, it’s also understandable. She’s spent so long comparing men to Liam, that she really does just want to get him out of her system; her dating life is already nonexistent, so she doesn’t have anything to lose. Liam, meanwhile, is just excited to be with Sabrina and doesn’t give much thought to the emotional ramifications.

The way that Liam and Sabrina handle those ‘emotional ramifications’ is really the one flaw I noted in this book. Both characters have let certain family issues lie for years, but their new relationship brings those problems back to the surface, needing to be dealt with. Sabrina finally confronts her father about his meddling in their romance years ago, while Liam finally shares the story of his childhood abuse with his brothers, who never knew about it because they were raised separately. These conversations should mark significant growth for both Liam and Sabrina, but they fall a bit flat. Liam’s talk with his brothers, especially, feels awkward and stilted as his news just bursts out. Childhood abuse and trauma can be extremely difficult to handle, but in order to make it fit the tone of the romance the author has watered down everyone’s reactions a bit. They take in the news and then move on quickly to focus on Liam’s relationship and potential happy-ever-after with Sabrina.

Aside from this, though, I’m happy with Christmastime Cowboy. The moment when Liam realizes he’s come to truly care about Sabrina, and that he’s far from ready for their relationship to be over might have been a bit clichéd but I still found it deeply satisfying. This book was pretty much exactly what I was expecting; a sweet novel filed with charming characters, set in a small town at Christmas. It may not revolutionize the holiday romance industry, but if you’re a fan of Maisey Yates or seasonal love stories, it should be a satisfying read.

Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K

Favorite Quote: “Honey, I only know how to be inappropriate. And I think you like that about me.”

I’ll start every Maisey Yates review by saying she is my go-to comfort read author. The story arcs and the set-up all might be a little similar, but I like it. I know what I’m going to get with a Yates book. Her heroes seem to be always a little gruff – maybe you can classify it as “adorable-assholeish.” The heroines have to figure out how to deal with all their masculinity and grunting. It’s my cuddly/happy read and Christmastime Cowboy fit right in.

Sabrina fell hard for Liam many years ago when she was seventeen. And to be honest, he had fallen for her too – but he was a little older, and Liam was just learning how to live his life away from his abusive, neglectful mother. He was broke, without any options, that he could see, for his future. When Sabrina’s father offers him money to leave town and leave his daughter alone, Liam realizes it’s enough money to go to college and start a new life for himself. He takes it. (he does! Is that heroic??) At the same time, Sabrina had made up her mind that she wanted him, and approaches him in nothing but a robe – which falls to the floor. He decides at that moment, that it wouldn’t be fair to take advantage of her since he was leaving and he knew he wasn’t right for her. When he leaves, she is devastated, and thirteen years later, still fumes about him.

Unfortunately for Sabrina, Liam has moved back home. A successful investor and businessman, Liam moved home when he inherited part of his family’s ranch. He is reunited with his brother, and two half-brothers – all who have come home to Copper Ridge. Sabrina currently works at the winery and Liam has a plan – he wants to open a new store in town that showcases the cheese he has been working on along with Sabrina’s wine. He knows just the spot – but now he has to convince Sabrina to become his partner…and she wants nothing to do with him.

This is like a second chance romance plus enemies to lovers, all in one. Sabrina wants nothing to do with Liam, now that he is back in town. She turns the corner if she sees him on the street. She hides in stores from him. She is still so hurt that she came to him naked and vulnerable, and he left. And he took her father’s money. Brutal. But if you get to know Liam, and his horrible childhood, where his mother would lock him in a closet for days, you start to understand that he wasn’t in a place of security or had any sort of foundation to start a healthy relationship. Should he have communicated this to Sabrina then or anytime in the past thirteen years? Yes! But he doesn’t. He is more of a grunter. Liam has been home reacquainting himself with his brothers and trying to figure out his life moving forward. Sabrina still makes his heart melt, and it’s only a matter of time before he sees her naked again, and this time doesn’t leave. Liam is gruff and a little cocky – especially in bed – and Sabrina wants all of his dirty, growly moves.

“I want to have chemistry with a nice guy,” she said, her tone wistful.

Her took a step towards her, his heart pounding heavily. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this strung out being so close to a woman. Couldn’t remember if he had ever anticipated a kiss quite so keenly. “No you don’t,” he said, brushing his fingertips beneath her chin and tilted her face upward. “You want a bad boy.”

Fans of this series will get a lot of looks into Liam’s three brothers and their significant others. I almost want to say this one is a little harder to read as a stand alone because of all the family connections that may confuse new readers. Yates also writes a note in the book to say she is starting a spin-off series, Gold Valley, a neighboring town to Copper Ridge – and sets up some characters that we will meet again there.

One more note, the book ends at 75%, and then a bonus novella is included, called Cowboy Christmas Blues.

Cute and fun. I’ll take a growly Liam any day

Grade: B

Sabrina was in a vulnerable state when Liam left her in the cold and its been years since then and he has made a reappearance in town. Not only that she is set to work with him, things are made complicated when it seems that the old spark they once had didn't seem to go away. Both have done a lot in their life and went though things that make everything so complicated and starting a relationship doesn't seem to be in the cards for these two but can they manage to look past problems and see what they can be?

I liked this book it was a decently long one so if you are busy during the holidays you might have a tough time trying to find the time to read this book but when you can I suggest you check it out. I loved getting to know more and more about the two and why they made certain decisions and how it was affecting them now as adults. I loved seeing that connection between the two and there were plenty heated scenes. If you are the type of person who likes holiday books without it being so overwhelming with the christmas spirit then this book is for you. Overall I thought that this book was pretty good I really enjoyed it.

Christmastime Cowboy is the tenth and apparently last novel in the Copper Ridge series, and I'll be sorry to bid Copper Ridge farewell, since I've stated in previous reviews of the novels in this series that I'd love to move there and interact with all the wonderful characters Maisey Yates has peopled it with. This novel is no exception, and it gets 4.5 stars from this reader.

This is Liam Donnelly and Sabrina Leighton's story, and unlike the other installments featuring the Donnelly Brothers, this one gets off to a surprisingly slow start, although all the elements I love about this series and this author are there, the snarky remarks, the witty dialogue, the wonderful characters we met in the previous nine books, and, of course, the enchanting setting of Copper Ridge at Christmastime, yet I'll have to admit that it took me a while to become invested in Liam and Sabrina, both of whom are so emotionally closed off and at odds with one another, but I did eventually begin to understand what motivated their animosity for one another, or, more accurately, what motivated Sabrina's animosity toward Liam.

Thirteen years earlier, at age 20, Liam accepted a big payoff, in actuality it was a bribe, from Sabrina's cold, controlling and emotionally closed-off father. He agreed to leave town and stay away from Sabrina, and he left Copper Ridge without even saying goodbye, and breaking 17-year-old Sabrina's heart, a heart that has remained broken and frozen in time for the ensuing thirteen years.

In the intervening years, Liam used the money to pay for college, something he'd never have been able to do without that money. He worked hard, and he earned himself a fortune, but he never really formed any kind of relationship with the many women he bedded and immediately forgot. Ms. Yates is slow to reveal just why Liam took the money and left Copper Ridge and Sabrina behind, and when she does, wow! Liam's reasons for leaving truly resonated with me, and if you've ever felt that you simply weren't enough for the person(s) you loved, this second chance at love novel will resonate with you too.

Sabrina too, has remained frozen in time--at age 30, she's never stopped being angry, bitter and hurt by Liam's abrupt departure, and although she's dated occasionally since then, no one has really touched her heart and yes, she's still a virgin.

When Sabrina first spots Liam, who hasn't been back in town at all for the past 13 years, she quickly heads in the opposite direction, but when he approaches Sabrina at the winery with his idea for opening a wine and cheese tasting shop in an empty storefront on Main Street, it's too good an idea to pass up and they are forced to work together to hopefully make it happen in time for the Christmas festivities, a major event in the small coastal town of Copper Ridge.

It's difficult for Sabrina to put her mixed feelings for Liam aside, but she's older and wiser now, although still inexperienced, and she has come to the realization that marriage and family are simply not part of her future. Liam has reached the same conclusion, so they form a truce of sorts--a truce that turns into a no-strings affair, but this is a romance novel after all, so will their emotional detachment hold? Will they finally open up about their feelings for one another? Will these two broken souls manage to heal one another? Will the Christmas season work its magic on these two well-drawn characters? Will the heat these two generate turn into something more than just a short-term affair? You'll just have to read this emotionally-charged novel to find out. Just a warning, keep your tissues handy, because once again, Maisey Yates brought me to tears with this story.

While Christmastime Cowboy can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading this series in the order it was written. Otherwise, as the final novel in the Copper Ridge series, I think you'll have a hard time fully understanding the complex relationships between the many characters who all reappear in this one, or the lead-in to the new series Ms. Yates is writing, which you'll get a taste of at the end of the epilogue of this excellent novel.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

This book was ok for me. My main issue was I never understood the heroines fascination with the hero. She had an unrequited crush and carried it her whole life and I couldn't see why. I did like how they confronted their issues head on and didn't avoid them for half the book.

I absolutely loved this book. Maisey Yates is always aces!

I have loved the Copper Ridge series from the very start, but I do believe the Donnelly brothers are my favorites from the bunch. There is just something about the sexy, brooding, broken men that had me not only swooning over them but also connecting with them and the strong women they have fallen for.
Liam Donnelly has been the toughest nut to crack of the bunch. There is just something very vulnerable in the standoffish way he meets the world. And when he finally opens up, the hurt, the years of pain, the hunger for acceptance and the need to be enough, to be loved, to be noticed, and not abandoned, not to be left behind, not to be overlooked when the scars of his childhood are revealed, it floored me with the deep, raw emotions pouring out of him.
Liam might come off as a scrooge that stole all the cheer, yet inside there is a man who fiercely protects his own, who sacrifices for his loved ones, who holds his true family, his brothers, dear to his heart. He says he has done one honorable thing in his life, and that was to walk away from the young Sabrina Leighton when temptation was too much.
Sabrina might have gotten over Liam much sooner than the 13 years it has taken from her but when it is a friend who turns their back on you, when it is the one person you trusted, opened up to, counted on to have your back that walks away from you without a word, the sting goes deeper, and the wound never really had the opportunity to heal.
Sabrina is a strong woman, much stronger than she considered herself to be. She knows what she wants and goes after it. She stands what she believes in, and is willing to face her past, her troubles, even if she has to bite her lip through the showdown.
I loved the fragile yet passion filled connection between Sabrina and Liam. It was such a beautiful mix of tenderness, adoration, and raw lust. With all the talk of temporary, it had the makings of something lasting and powerful, something that could make a big impact if they let it roar.
The story touches all the emotions. It has a touch of the magic of Christmas, it has that strong bond between the brothers. It has those delicate teenage feelings of first love, it has the swoon-worthy possibilities of second chance romance, those steamy, sweep you off your feet love scenes. And it has the emotions that seem to touch you all the way into the deepest corners of your soul and makes you want to shout out loud and claim that you indeed are enough.
I smiled, I sighed, I swooned, I was in tears, and I chuckled and laughed. I enjoyed the marvelous storytelling and beautiful, smoothly flowing writing. And the epilogue truly paid a delightful tribute to the Donnelly brothers and their families. I already miss them all...
~ Five Spoons!

“If I die in a snowbank because of you, Liam Donnelly, I swear I will come back as an evil specter and haunt you.”
“You haunted me for thirteen years, Sabrina, so that’s a pretty pale threat.”

I never doubt Maisey Yates. Her Copper Ridge series is one that I go-to often when I want a sexy, gruff cowboy. And Liam Donnelly, well, he’s sexy. And he has gruff down. Or maybe it’s asshole he’s rocking. . .

Both. It’s both.

Christmastime Cowboy is yet another enjoyable installment in this small-town series. It has its share of angst—broken childhoods, broken hearts, broken futures—and there’s a lot of back-and-forth between Liam and Sabrina, as they try to come to terms with it. And I like that—I enjoyed seeing them figure it out, talk it out. It’s mature and it’s smart, but, if I’m completely honest, it’s also a little bit wearying at times.

I would have loved this book had it been a little tighter, a little sooner to resolve. As it stands, I really liked it. And the way it finally came together, the ‘come to Jesus’ moment that had to happen? It worked for me. In fact, it damn near moved me to tears, especially seeing Liam and his younger brother, Alex, talk some things out.

Which makes up part of one of the great charms of this series—the familial connections, the tight relationships, the small-town love that permeates each and every book. Families are brought (back) together, created and saved, and it feels good. Especially once you add in the deliciousness that is reading a sexy, gruff cowboy . . . and at Christmastime to boot.

Side note: the copy of Christmastime Cowboy that I read included a bonus story—a novella that kicks off the new Gold Valley series. Cowboy Christmas Blues was a hot, quick read. It had depth, heartbreak and sexiness, and it made for a great way to round out Christmastime Cowboy, helping to set up, as it did, the new series about Copper Ridge’s neighboring town. Cooper and Annabelle definitely whet my appetite for more Gold Valley!

They were lost. Right then and there, against the door of her house, caught up in a good-night kiss that was really just a beginning.

~ 3.5 Grassroots STARS ~

This is the tenth book in this series by this author. This is a second chance love story with the added festive magic. The characters are fantastic and they have plenty of chemistry between them. With this author you are always guaranteed a fantastic story. The perfect book to sit next to the fire this winter. I can't wait to read from this series and this author in the future.
Highly recommended book and series
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book

A great addition to the Copper Ridge series. A story of second chances. This is Liam and Sabrina's story. A good book to curl up with on a cozy evening.

I feel like I've been waiting for Liam's story forever, but it was definitely worth the wait.

I loved Sabrina. She's loyal and stronger than she thinks and I loved being in her head. Liam has always been stoic and stand off-ish and stubborn and he was those things in this story as well. Together they have a long history, a lot of feelings, and a crap load of chemistry. Their banter and button pushing was fantastic and the best part was reading them work through everything. It all felt realistic.

Plot wise, it was what I expected. The breakup/angsty parts weren't too long and I love seeing the other Donnelly brothers and their families. The ending was perfection and the epilogue was exactly what I wanted to see.

I'm pretty sure this is the end of this series, but I'm excited to see what Olivia does as the beginning of the new one.

**Huge thanks to Harlequin Books for providing the arc free of charge**

Christmastime Cowboy was an absolutely charming second chance at love romance with the perfect amount of holiday magic and I loved it!

Thirteen years ago Liam Donnelly knew he wasn’t good enough for Sabrina Leighton, so when Sabrina’s father offered him money for college if he left town, Liam accepted. Now Liam has returned as a successful, wealthy businessman with plans to expand the Donnelly ranch by partnering with Sabrina’s family winery. When Sabrina is put in charge of getting the new tasting room up and running, she vows to keep her feelings for Liam in the past. However when it becomes clear they are still attracted to one another, Sabrina and Liam engage in a no-strings affair to end at Christmas when the new tasting room opens. But the more time Sabrina and Liam spend together, the harder it becomes to walk away.

All of the Donnelly brothers had difficult childhoods but after learning Liam’s backstory, I definitely think he had it the worst. To say he still has lingering issues after his childhood would be a massive understatement. Liam thinks he isn’t enough and believes the only thing he has of value to offer, is money. He doesn’t understand that there are people in his life that simply want him and not his wealth. He has a hard time talking about anything and as a result is a very quiet person.

Sabrina didn’t react well to her father’s involvement in Liam leaving and as a result, they had a falling out which was made worse after Sabrina took her sister-in-law’s side in her divorce from Sabrina’s cheating brother. She has a lot of trust issues and has a hard time getting close to people which leads to trouble dating as she ultimately compares every man to Liam. After being cut-off, Sabrina learned how to take care of herself and she’s very dedicated to her job at the winery (which her SIL got in the divorce).

Liam and Sabrina have amazing physical chemistry that’s apparent in their first scene together. Plus, their banter is excellent and I loved when they would verbally spar. When things heat up for these two, it’s incredibly hot and I eagerly anticipated all of the scenes where they were alone. Both Liam and Sabrina have lingering issues over how things went down thirteen years ago and they slowly work them out over the course of the book. Thankfully, the inevitable drama and break-up doesn’t last very long and the characters resolve everything pretty quickly. Plus, the drama was on the light side which made it even better.

Christmastime Cowboy does a great job setting up for the author’s next series, Gold Valley, and I’m excited that Olivia, Sabrina’s friend from the winery, is the first romance in that series. I’m hoping we’ll see some characters from the Copper Ridge series in the new books as I’m not quite ready to let go of these characters. The epilogue in this book was very sweet and I’m sad that the Donnelly romances are all finished as this family has been my favorite in the overall series. I think the Copper Ridge: Desire book coming out in April may be the last one and then we’re done with the wonderful town of Copper Ridge.

Christmastime Cowboy was everything I look for in a romance and I highly recommend it for fans of holiday romances. If you’re looking for some great small town romance, definitely check out the Copper Ridge series . If you don’t want to commit to a ten book series right away, I’d say start with the Donnelly books as I think they’re the best in the series (the first is Slow Burn Cowboy which is book seven of the overall series).

Sabrina and Liam have a past. One that ended badly and scarred both of them for years. It even spiraled to the point where Sabrina is estranged with her father. She now works in the family's vineyard... which no longer belongs to the family since her brother cheated on his wife. Sabrina sided with her (not the reason for the estrangement but it certainly isn't helping since her brother is the family's golden child.)

Liam's family is trying to branch out their dairy program and think that partnering with the vineyard will be a perfect way to do so. Unaware of her past with Liam, Sabrina's boss assigns her to work with him.

Watching these two get back together was interesting. Liam didn't exactly sleep with Sabrina and then discard her but he was still an asshat, even thirteen years later. I didn't love the end of Sabrina's storyline with her father but it was overall a sweet book that regular Yates readers will enjoy.



Three and a half stars

This book comes out October 24

I was so excited to get to read Liam's story and I was not disappointed. Liam and Sabrina's story was emotional and a second chance at love. After 13 years of being apart, they find themselves working together and trying to get along. The heat between these two was hot and I loved the banter between them. I have loved all the books in this series. I look forward to reading more of Maisey's work.

I love Yates. She's gone into my must-read list. This one, though, is not quite as interesting as the other books set in Copper Ridge. I found myself impatient with the characters. It's still good and it's got the whole Christmas spirit going so will be a great book to read on the plane to visit the family.

Will post at Romance Reviews Today soon. http://romrevtoday.com/

CHRISTMASTIME COWBOY -- Maisey Yates
Copper Ridge: The Donnelly’s, Book 4
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-01331-6
October 2017
Contemporary Romance

Copper Ridge, Oregon – Present Day

Thirteen years ago, a seventeen-year-old Sabrina Leighton was in love with Liam Donnelly and offered her innocence to him, but he turned her down. Instead, he took her father’s money to walk away from her and leave town. Naturally, this angered Sabrina, and when Liam returns to town years later, she tries to ignore him while being rude to him. But he’s hard to ignore in a small town like Copper Ridge, especially since his family’s ranch is planning a joint venture with the winery where she works. Forced to work together, Sabrina and Liam have to face their past.

Liam was raised in an unloving home environment and he used the money from Sabrina’s father to get away from Copper Ridge and build a new life. He did so successfully, but now has returned to help run the ranch left to Liam and his three brothers by their grandfather. He treads lightly around Sabrina, but it hasn’t stopped him from still being attracted to her after all these years. She’s prickly as a cactus around him, but soon it all changes and they’re locked in a heated kiss. Unable to resist the passion between them, Sabrina agrees to an affair, but only until the grand opening of the wine and cheese shop they’re working on. But will a fling work when there are deeper feelings between them?

Liam is the final brother to find his mate in the Copper Ridge: The Donnelly’s series by Maisey Yates. He became a self-made millionaire after he left town, but he returned to join his brothers at the ranch. But does he want to stay? Is the fact that Sabrina is still there keeping him in town? She hasn’t exactly been friendly towards him, but that doesn’t stop him from being around her, which means their interaction is exacerbated by being forced to work together to open the new shop. Old feelings bubble to the surface, and they can’t deny the sexual attraction is still there. But this time, Liam doesn’t resist the passion Sabrina brings out in him.

Sabrina was a teenager in love and wanted to take her relationship with Liam to the next level by offering him her virginity. He turned her down and left town, and to say it hurt her is an understatement. Sabrina became a little wild and said some things to her parents (in front of others) that has led to an estrangement from them. But she has built a life that revolves around working at the winery and isn’t planning on marriage anytime soon. The return of Liam has her scared…because she’s finding herself attracted to him all over again. Will he leave her heart broken once again?

A sizzling and emotional tale, CHRISTMASTIME COWBOY is that book you want to curl up in a chair by a roaring fire and read to the very end. Liam and Sabrina have a lot of angst to work out before they can turn their sights on a future together, but getting there is a lot of fun for readers and one that I highly recommend. Make CHRISTMASTIME COWBOY a part of your next reading adventure.

Patti Fischer

Available n the UK from the 1st November and in paperback form in the US from October 24 2017, Christmastime Cowboy is part of the Copper Ridge series (book 10) and is published by Harlequin. Thirteen years ago Liam Donnelley had been bribed to stay away from Sabrina Leighton, the boss's daughter. Liam has now returned to Copper Ridge, very rich, The pair have to work together to set up her family's winery new tasting by Christmas (naturally) so what could go wrong?

Christmastime Cowboy is full of characters that need fixing. What better than time than Christmas for this to happen.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

Christmastime Cowboy is book ten in the Copper Ridge series by Maisey Yates. This is my first book by Maisey. I was unsure about jumping in to this series on book ten. There was obviously some missed history on the other characters but it wasn’t difficult at all. Enough information was provided to help me to piece together everything.

Liam Donnelly left Copper Ridge when he was twenty years old. He had been living on the Grassroots Winery property working for the Leightons. He and Sabrina Leighton had gotten close over that last summer. She had gotten closer to him than anyone else ever had. He knew she had a big crush on him. But he was broken. He could never be what she needed or deserved. So when her father offered him money to leave, he took it, and bought himself a college education.

Over the thirteen years he had been gone, he became a successful business man and made millions. But he still always felt empty inside. And he never forgot Sabrina. Now he’s back, living on the ranch that was left to him and his three brothers. He has seen Sabrina around town a couple of times but she avoids him like the plague. But now he is going into business with the winery she still works at. His farm will provide the cheese and they are opening a wine tasting shop in Copper Ridge. The goal was to have it open by Christmas when all the festivities begin. So Liam will be spending a lot of time with Sabrina over the next few weeks.

Sabrina Leighton was thirty years old and was working at the winery which is now owned by her sister-in-law. She knew she was going to be spending a lot of time with a man she had convinced herself she hates over the next few weeks. But she is a professional. She can do it. Thirteen years ago, her innocent, naïve, seventeen year old self had fallen in love with Liam. She offered herself to him only to be turned down. Then she discovered what her father did. Now thirteen years later, she still aches from that awful day. She hates Liam for humiliating her. And she never forgave her father for what he did. But one look at Liam and she knows that she still hasn’t gotten over him, even after all these years.

“Apparently it was only Liam that could make her feel like this. She had kissed other men. Had gone on dates. Had tried. She had tried to want someone else. She didn’t. She never had. Another way that she felt irrevocably scarred by Liam Donnelly.”

As Sabrina and Liam spend time together, at first things are pretty strained. But eventually, secrets are revealed. And we begin to understand Liam a lot better for his actions. The same goes for Sabrina.

“There had been other kisses. Other women since then. But until now he hadn’t realized that there had been a whole part of himself left untouched. A part of himself that only Sabrina had ever come close to.”

Liam and Sabrina finally decide to let each other in. They enjoy each other’s company so they agree to a fling just until the opening of their store. But Liam has to wonder if that will be enough. If he will ever have enough.

“Sabrina deserved it. He wanted to give her things. And he didn’t even know what exactly he wanted her to have. Just more. Sometimes he felt like he wanted to give her everything.”

I have been wanting to read a Maisey Yates book for a long time now. I have to admit, though, that I struggled a bit the first half of this. The only way I can think of to describe it was that it was a bit wordy. But as the relationship became deeper between these two I found myself more invested. There were a lot of sweet moments and not just between Liam and Sabrina. There was one particular scene between Liam and his younger brother that made my eyes get misty.

“He was so beautiful. Would he ever not be beautiful to her? Would he ever not be the one and only person who made her feel like this?”

Sabrina and Liam had both suffered, had both placed blame for previous events and locked down their emotions. They were both broken, in different ways. But somehow, together, they fit. They filled in the broken places. They made each other want more. But first they had to trust in each other. They had to forgive each other. They had to be willing to risk getting hurt again.

All in all, I did enjoy this. As I said, I just felt it dragged a bit, especially the first half. But if you know me, you know I love cowboys and even more I love Christmas. Put them together and I’m a happy girl.

If you want a sweet and sensually HAWT Christmas second chance.....THIS IS IT!!!!
Liam Donnelly became a millionaire...but only after walking away from Sabrina Leighton after being paid off by her father.
He was afraid of the emotions she brought in him and she was head over heels for him but insecure.
Craftily told your feelings for Liam change as the reasons for his actions are revealed and the real villain is revealed.
I requested and received an ARC from Netgalley as soon as I saw the author's name.
LOVED IT!

I know so many romance readers that adore stories that take place during the holiday season, but I have to admit I have never been one of them.  I haven't ever been able to pinpoint why these books don't resonate for me like they seem to for so many other people, I just accept that I am odd and generally skip over them.  So when I saw that the latest installment in Maisey Yates's Copper Ridge series was titled Christmastime Cowboy, I was a little bummed.  I had been waiting on Liam and Sabrina's story since we saw Sabrina take off out of the bar after seeing Liam in Slow Born Cowboy so there was no way I was going to skip this installment but the fact it was a Christmas themed story meant I probably wasn't going to enjoy it as much as I normally would have.

Since the Donnelly brothers landed on the scene it has been clear that Sabrina and Liam shared a history and I have been dying to know what it was.  I assumed it would be something big like him taking her virginity and then taking off out-of-town or maybe if they had been in a relationship cheating on her given that even after 13 years even the sight of Liam seemed to send Sabrina into a tailspin.  So when the situation was revealed in Christmastime Cowboy, I'll admit it felt a little flat.  It just didn't feel momentous enough that at 30 years old Sabrina would still be so affected by the situation.  Don't get me wrong, I understand that she would have been hurting at 17 years old and that seeing Liam would still sting a bit, but to be so affected that she couldn't ever tolerate being in the same room as him seemed a bit extreme.

Seeing the glimpses into Liam's past helps you understand who Liam is today and why he took the bribe that Jamison Leighton offered him at 20 to leave town.  My heart broke for him when I realized that even after everything he had accomplished he was still that little boy who didn't feel like he was enough.  Even after everything he had accomplished and the time he had spent reuniting with his brothers he was still keeping everyone around him out believing he didn't have anything to offer.

If I could have reached into the book to strangle Sabrina's parents for all of the unnecessary hurt they had caused her for their own mistakes, I would have done it.  They were so immature and so busy focusing on their situation that they had no compassion for a mistake that a 17-year-old girl made when they were making much bigger mistakes as adults.  When Sabrina met with her father to finally put the past to bed, I wasn't quite ready to let my grudge against him go even having a better understanding of his motivations where she was concerned.

The scene between Liam and Sabrina when she gave him her goodbye speech made my chest ache.  Knowing Liam loved her but didn't believe that he had anything to offer anyone unless is was money or something else outside of himself when all she wanted was him broke my heart.

Sabrina's wit made for some very entertaining interactions between her and Liam.  My favorites were when she told Liam he was protecting her from his "big bad penis" and when she said she only stuck her tongue in his mouth because it seemed polite.

I am happy to report that the holiday setting didn't detract from the storyline at all in this instance.  As a matter of fact, it seemed to be the perfect backdrop.