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!

3.5 stars 
Maisey Yates is one of my go-to authors for romance that is witty, authentic, and not over-the-top sappy. I have devoured the Donnelly family books of the Copper Ridge series. So I was greatly anticipating Liam and Sabrina's story. 
The writing was still great. The witty banter was there. I laughed often. The appearances of the characters from the previous books made the story feel like walking around my hometown but I had a hard time settling with Sabrina and Liam. The pacing is felt much slower to me than the previous books in this series. 
Sabrina and Liam  are both very hurt, broken characters, but they are also both very self-aware and spend a lot of page time mulling over what has happened to them and why it is impacting their current lives. That made me want to push them to move through the bitterness faster. 
I would still recommend this book to anyone who has read the series. The slowness is eased by moments of great entertainment and, if you've read the other books, you HAVE to know what happened between them and why. Plus, it's all Christmasy and that put me in a good mood. 
My favorite in this series will probably remain Down Home Cowboy but Christmastime Cowboy is a solid read to finish it out. 
Also, there is a novella at then end which brings in new characters and sets up the intro for new series Gold Valley. That got me ready to start meeting those characters!

Christmas. Cowboys. Maisey Yates. Could it BE any more perfect?! lol 

Christmastime Cowboy was full of great characters that were a bit broken and in need of mending, some growly chemistry that turned oh-so-yummily hot. Family, friends, steamy love scenes and heartwarming moments. Add in the holiday spirit and, yep, Christmastime Cowboy was another winner from Yates.

Okay so Liam and Sabina. Oh my gosh, yall. He done fucked up right good when they were younger. Like took a bribe from her dad to leave town fucked up. Yeah. And thirteen years later he's back in town and they're having to work together on a business venture that has to be off the ground by Christmas. If they can stand being in each others presence that long. And keep from ripping each others clothes off. Eee! 

Woosh. Yeah, I was #TeamSabrina for a good long while because Liam...Liam was a prick. lol They're both rather messed up. She's buttoned up and trust...is not in her wheelhouse. And Liam. Well, he has trust issues, childhood issues, slutty boy issues. But it was hard to stay mad at him for long as you start to get his story because, yeah, it was a bad one that he managed to survive. 

It was fun watching them butt heads then call a truce for the sake of work. Obviously, they get past his shitastic behavior while working together and things go all lusty between them. lol And, whew, when they call a truce things do get oh-so steamy! They were good together, too. Definitely cheer-worthy.

One thing Yates does so well is giving you broken characters that you can feel for and cheer on as they heal from everything in the past. Even if they've make you real mad for a while. 

Overall, another enjoyable read. This one did stop at the 75% mark which was a bit disappointing-- there's a bonus novella I didn't know about-- and I would have liked a little more of a showdown between them and their families but overall...not bad. Not bad at all. Passionate and full of feels. A good time was had.

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.

Did not find this story all that mesmerizing like I had expected. Had romance and familiar interactions that were average. The author presented a great theme but felt it lacked a certain spark.

Yates never disappoints. My go-to author is bringing an end to a great series but starting a new one so don't dispair!

Sabrina and Liam fell in love as young adults but Liam caved from her father's pressure to leave. Thirteen years later he is back in town, with no plans to go away again. Sabrina has been avoiding him when possible and giving him the cold shoulder when necessary. Now they are forced to work together in a joint enterprise between their family businesses. Sparks fly and tempers flare. They might both get burned but the reward is worth the risk.

I really enjoyed this story. The only problem I had with it was that it was a bit repetitive, and that kind of lessened its emotional impact for me. Regardless, I intend to read the rest of the books in the Copper Ridge series, as this was my first. I am dying to read about how all of the other characters fell in love, and I can't wait for Olivia's book, either!

Sabrina...their history made the perfect backdrop for a second chance story. Their banter was priceless, his with his brothers was wicked fun. This a story that stays with you long after the ending. Vulnerable and flawed, but finding each other again to heal and reconcile their pasts, created a heartwarming, sigh worthy story. 

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Sabrina and Liam were childhood friends until 17 year old Sabrina wanted to take it further. Liam was a few years older than her but he knew that was wrong so when her father gave him money to leave town he did. Now he's back and he has to work with Sabrina on a project. She can't forgive his rejection and he can't forget how much he wants her. Sweet holiday romance about second chances.

Christmastime Cowboy, Cowboy Christmas Blues Bonus, Maisey Yates

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance

I've read and enjoyed several of Maisey's stories and this sounded fun. 
It didn't really work for me though, maybe as its part of an ongoing series, which I hadn't realised. 

Perhaps if I'd known more about the characters and the backstory this novel would have worked better for me. I didn't, and though I was intrigued with some of the characters and the issues they had I didn't always understand quite how they fitted in. 
I'm sure if I'd read earlier novels it all would have made much more sense, would have let me enjoy updates on characters I'd met before. I hadn't though - my bad, I should have done more research. 
It is a complete novel and I'm sure other will enjoy this without having read earlier stories but for me it all felt just that bit distant. 

I didn't really feel I understood the issues with Liam and Sabrina, to be honest after so long I felt they were both holding grudges over something so very minor in the context of other issues. 
I didn't feel the romance between them, just lust, no special sensuality, no real Love which I expect in Maisie's novels to accompany that steamy sexuality.
Still, as always others will feel differently and love this story, fortunately we all want different things from our reading. 

Stars: two and a half. a rare Maisey Yates book that didn't really work for me :-( 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers