Alex is returning home to his family ranch—ownership of said ranch is now shared with his stepsister, Becca. Alex and his two friends, Jack and Gabe, want to turn part of the ranch into a place where wounded soldiers can come and work their way back into society again, heal their wounds and their heads—figure out their place in the world now that they’re no longer active duty members.

Becca’s lived a sheltered life—one exacerbated by an over protective mother. But Becca’s dream is to open a therapeutic horse operation. Her dream meshes with Alex’s plans on paper, but can they make it a reality.

I love a good prodigal son returns home story! Add in a military homecoming and I’m all in!! And while I did really enjoy the romance between Alex and Becca, I struggled a bit to get through their story. Cowboy SEAL Homecoming dragged a bit for me. Yes, I understood the need to set up the series with Alex, Jack and Gabe. And to learn about Becca’s childhood. But much of the story was told to us. Alex and Becca lived much of the story in their own heads, and my reading would have been greatly enhanced if more of the story was shown to me through dialogue and character interactions. And while I struggled with Cowboy SEAL Homecoming, I am looking forward to Jack’s book, Cowboy SEAL Redemption this summer. ~3.5 stars

Cowboy SEAL Homecoming by Nicole Helm
Navy SEAL Cowboys #1

Great premise for a new series – looking forward to reading more romances with SEALs in Montana ;)

Alex and two of his team head home after medical discharges from the Navy. Gabe, Jack and Alex all have issues related to their last mission going FUBAR when a grenade attack put paid to their military careers. Alex and his stepsister Becca have decided to use the property they inherited jointly to create a therapeutic ranch with horses and cattle to assist military veterans get back on their feet when they return stateside. The setting is perfect. The characters are well fleshed out and the potential for the series is great with Gabe and Jack and perhaps others who arrive at the ranch to provide fodder for romances of their own. In this book, though, Alex and Becca find that there is chemistry aplenty between them and potential for a future together. Well…if strong silent everything is fine Alex wises up to the fact things are not actually fine and that he might need a bit of help moving forward with his life AND Becca can come into her own and become more assertive in stating what she wants then acting on it.

I enjoyed the camaraderie between Alex, Gabe and Jack. I loved the dynamics between Jack and Becca and the fact that Becca was unwilling to “put up with” what she was unhappy with. I am looking forward to hearing more about Gabe and Jack and finding out which one of them will end up with therapist Monica Finley…and who the other one will end up with, too.

There are a lot of issues covered in this book including childhood illness, overprotective parents, assertiveness, PTSD, communication, role of counseling…and other things. All issues were handled well and the book made me care, smile and wonder what will happen next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Casablanca for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4. 5 Stars

In my review of this author’s book Want You More I said something along the lines of when she’s hot she’s on fire, when she’s not she’s still luke-warm. Well ladies and gentlemen, with this book starting off this new series she is scorching! Alex and Becca have wonderful chemistry. I absolutely love this story and did not want it to end. I’m so glad there will be more to read with these Navy SEALs.

Alex is not necessarily an easy hero to love. The fact that he’s a Navy SEAL and his military buddies rib him about his personality quirks help the reader to be open to him. He’s quite the no-nonsense, by the book, not much humor type of guy at first. Other than when he’s being pushed in certain ways, he’s never a jerk though. He’s just not a big teddy bear. That’s not to say he isn’t sympathetic to others and aware of how his actions and words can feed into other people’s feelings.

Becca is like a mighty little mouse. She has a lot of courage but finds her nerves get the best of her even when she doesn’t want them to. She’s learning to live in a world outside of her mom and step-dad…all she’s really ever known other than the animals on the ranch. (You will fall in love with the animals, and their names, on this ranch.) She’s socially awkward only because she was so sheltered. Once she starts realizing that she can speak her mind when need be and she can contribute to the things Alex and friends are doing on the ranch, she’s like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

Most contemporary romance stories that deal with PTSD tend to have the veteran experience a lot of nightmares and/or flashbacks. While Alex does have nightmares, I appreciated Nicole Helm showing another aspect of PTSD (in my opinion one of the scariest) with Alex losing time and going into a sort of fugue state. It put a bit of a different spin on the issue.

Seeing Becca learn to not only stand up to her mom, who means well, but also stand up to Alex was heartening. Their relationship had so much joy while there was still so much pain. There was a point that I noted these words “my heart just cracked in half”. The story was truly breaking my heart.

I did have one issue with this story that I must address. I read a lot of contemporary romance with the military sub-genre and, if you follow my reviews, you may know this is a huge pet peeve of mine. Something I’ve addressed with other authors in the past. A SEAL is not a soldier. I have yet to meet anyone in the Navy who will call themselves a soldier. Because of other stories (again, by different authors) having this issue I’ve asked around and looked online. I cannot anything to contradict what I know…Navy = Sailor, no matter if it’s a SEAL or not. I can only hope this gets corrected in the next installment of this series. It is a very great testament to this author and the story she told that this book is getting a high rating from me as this is an issue that often will distract me from a story thereby annoying me to no end. This book was so engaging and spectacular that I am able to overlook the issue.

If you love contemporary romance, western romance, and/or military romance you will be blown away by this story. I am kind of bummed to realize the next installment won’t be out until the summer. I am anxious to see what happens with Gabe and Jack.

This is an excellent book and the start to what should be a great new series. Navy SEAL's turned cowboy - oh heck yeah! The writing is great and I just fell in love with these characters. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

Becca Denton has no idea what she's gotten herself in to when she agrees to help Alex Maguire and his two SEAL buddies turn the ranch into a a place where veterans can come to heal and ease back into civilian life. Alex may be gorgeous but he's also a bossy control freak who just needs to lighten up a bit. He may have been a leader in his SEAL days but that won't fly here on the ranch. Will these two find a way to work and maybe play together??

Definitely a recommended read.

Mix some wounded Navy SEALs with a woman who is finally trying to gain some independence, and have them build a sanctuary for veterans and you have Cowboy SEAL Homecoming. Alex left Montana after high school and joined the military. He came home VERY rarely and as a result, hardly knows his step sister at all. His father passes away and Alex is injured and discharged from the Navy precipitating his return to the ranch in Montana...that his father willed to both Alex and his step sister, Becca. Becca suffered from life threatening illness as a child and has a very sheltered, challenging upbringing. She loves the ranch and wants to provide a haven for people suffering. However, living with her step brother and his 2 SEAL buddies is a bit out of her comfort zone.

This story kind of throws all the tropes in there and it oddly works! Step siblings? Yep. Military men? Got those too! Cowboys? Sure! Becca is endearingly awkward. She is so uncomfortable with Alex and his SEAL friends, but she knows building this dream is something all of them need. Alex is struggling with his absence from his family home for so long. He is grieving his father's death, struggling with Becca's place in his father's life, and with his father's marriage to Becca's mom after his own mom passed away. Add to that his recent separation from the Navy and his injuries and you have a man desperate to control his life. He plans everything down to the minute in order to avoid surprises. Conversely, Becca never plans. She wasn't sure she would live, so long term plans were not part of her life. Cowboy SEAL Homecoming is emotional in a realistic way. Even if you haven't experienced the same life events these characters have, you will see feel their struggle. I am interested in getting Gabe and Jake's stories in the future.

The heavy emotions all the characters deal with is broken up with hilarious animal hijinks! A rooster named Rasputin and a goat named Ron Swanson will keep you giggling even when emotions are high! Cowboy SEAL Homecoming was a delightful read that gave me more than I ever expected!
(Link live on 12/29/17)

Cowboy SEAL Homecoming is the first of a brand new series by Nicole Helm and has tons of promise. The concept isn’t new, but the storyline was good and the overall world building satisfying. Unfortunately, I found some of the characters hard to like, and Becca was at the top of the list.

I’m hoping that in future books, that Ms Helm strengthens her female characters as Becca was just too needy. That said, I will definitely be reading the next in the series as I have big hopes for both Jack and Gabe.

Nicole Helm’s story of an inexperienced woman at the troubled SEAL who steals her heart was incredible. Becca was a great character, I would say the perfect romance heroine because she is bright-eyed and naïve but she’s perfectly aware of it and unafraid to start going after what she wants. And what Becca wants is Alex.
Alex spent his adult life as a Navy SEAL and now that his life of service has ended, he’s at loose ends and suffering from PTSD. He insists he’s fine but Becca is tenacious and quickly falling for him, which means she wants her man whole. This is the part of the story I really enjoyed, watching Becca realize just how strong she was, which allowed us to see that Alex was the one truly suffering and in need of help.
Jack and Gabe perfectly rounded out Cowboy SEAL Homecoming, adding both comic relief, back story and a glimpse of the strong bond forged against the backdrop of war. I loved the guys and the way they razzed each other, and quickly opened their arms and hearts to Becca.
Nicole helm penned a perfect small town romance with a hero and heroine that make it easy to root for their happy ending.

Book Info
Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
Expected publication: January 2nd 2018 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Original Title Cowboy SEAL Homecoming
ISBN 1492621307 (ISBN13: 9781492621300)
Edition Language English
Series Navy SEAL Cowboys #1
Other Editions (1)
Source:Netgalley EARC

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BOOK BLURB


Three former Navy SEALs
Injured in the line of duty
Desperate for a new beginning...
Searching for a place to call their own.

Alex Maguire never thought he'd go home again. The perfect soldier, the perfect leader, he's spent his whole life running away from Blue Valley, Montana―but when a tragic accident bounces him and two of his men out of the SEALs, there's nowhere left to turn but the ranch he used to call his own...and the confusing, innocently beguiling woman who now lives there.

Becca Denton's like nothing he could have imagined. She's far too tempting for her own good, but when she offers to help turn the ranch into a haven for injured veterans, he can't exactly say no. He'll just need to keep his distance. But something in her big green eyes makes Alex want to set aside the mantle of the perfect soldier and discover the man he could have been...safe and whole within the shelter of her arms.

The Prodigal SEAL has come home.

My Thoughts


For former Navy Seal Alex Maguire and his friends, also forcibly retired due to their injuries from further service with the Navy Seals, Gabe and Jack the small town of Blue Valley Montana and Alex’s former childhood home is a chance to regain their equilibrium in returning to civilian life as well as a place to physically heal completely.

Of course none of these men are prepared for the force that Becca Denton becomes in their lives. For Alex she represents a chance to have love and some day create a family of his own. For Gabe and Jack she becomes a little sister figure and someone who maybe can convince them that mental healing is just as important for these three men as their physically well being.

Becca herself gets a chance to not only spread her wings for the first time but she finds an inner strength she never expected and the man of her dreams she never thought would become a reality.

For me this was one of those intense contemporary romance reads that actually felt too realistic because of the heavier content focusing on the mental issues not only Alex, Gabe and Jack had but those that Becca had to work through as well.

While that was so still have to admit it was a genuine pleasure to enjoy not only the development of Alex and Becca's relationship but the ones she forged with Gabe and Jack. The burgeoning friendship that was forming with Monica and her son Colin also pulled me in as well.

Between the serious and the silly there is a good balance which will appeal to many romance readers and the fact that this book very obviously is leading to the next story to come was not a cliffhanger but rather an ending that builds anticipation, at least for me it did.

[EArc from Netgalley]


On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

A new to me author for 2017, I really wasn't sure what I was going to get into with this one. this book is about a Soldier coming back after he was injured. He and a couple of soldier friends were all hurt and they are returning together. Alex and his Step sister inherited half of the ranch his father owned...

Becca and Alex are very sweet together, explosive but can they heal together?

I am really looking forward to the rest of this series, I enjoyed the writing and the characters.

3.85-4 stars

After reading Nicole Helm’s Cowboy SEAL Homecoming’s blurb I had certain expectations and impressions of what it would be like. I expected a romance in a country setting. Maybe some awkward interactions between characters, and maybe a few ‘fish out of water’ scenes. Overall I thought it would be a light romantic read, perhaps even bordering on a bit of enjoyable fluff.

What I read instead was so much better. Cowboy SEAL Homecoming describes the effects of PTSD on three SEAL veterans who have come to the ranch to fully recover from their injuries. This first book in the series concentrates on Alex McGuire the former leader of the trio and it is his family’s farm to which they return.

PTSD has become quite a common theme of late with many books looking at the mental condition and how it affects behaviour and thought processes. Cowboy SEAL Homecoming takes it one step further where the reader is shown the physical side effects. In this book we have violent flashbacks and nightmares. Aggressive interactions where one of the characters is chanced upon whilst in the middle of a flashback. It is a raw portrayal of PTSD and how, left untreated, can come to rule a person’s entire life with the ramifications not just felt by the sufferer but everyone around them.

Cowboy SEAL Homecoming was sympathetically written, the characterisations were amazing. You couldn’t help feel for Alex and the boys. The portrayal of Becca was particularly well done. The author was able to capture the effects of life long social isolation and watching Becca’s personal growth and her evolution into a confident young woman was beautiful to read.

I loved this author’s writing style. It captured me from almost the first page and never let go. I read this book within a day, I just couldn’t put it down and kept wanting to return to it when called away for other things.

This is book not what I expected. Instead of a light, dare I say it, flufy romance I read a gritty depiction of the full range of symptoms associated with PTSD. This was a romance, yes definitely, but it was also a story of survival and hope, themes that were applicable to both Becca and Alex.

I’d highly recommend this book and I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

This is the first book of Ms Helm’s new series titled, Navy SEAL Cowboys. It’s about three Navy SEALs who have been wounded after a mission that affected them not only physically, but also psychologically and emotionally .Their leader Alex Maguire, has brought then to the ranch he grew up in and where now he is half owner. The other half of the ranch belongs to his step-sister, Becca Denton. She is shy, inexperienced in life, and uncertain about them. But now they all end up living and working together with the goal of converting the ranch into a place where wounded veterans find a purpose and feel safe.
Though the theme has been repeated frequently , I still appreciate the fact that the author reminds us that the returning troops need to be supported. We, as a society, need to help these brave men and women with their physical and emotional wounds. As well as helping them integrate back to civil life.
I also see potential stories for Jack and Gabe.
All that said, I found the first fourth of the book moving slowly and later it was a bumpy road. Becca was an ok character. The romance with Alex was kind of flat.
I will come back to this series for the guys, and hoping that the partners for the others are stronger and more complex.
I was gifted this copy by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

This is the first book that I have read from this author and the begining of a new series. The series will center on 3 ex-Navy SEALS, who were the lone survivors of an attack in Afghanistan, injured when a grenade was thrown into their vehicle. While the three of them were in a rehab center, their leader, Alex Maguire, received news that his father, Burt, had suddenly died from a stroke. All three men, no longer able to go back to the SEALS because of their injuries, must now find a new purpose to their lives. Alex's new purpose is to help his men and others like them.
Alex's mother had been killed by a drunk driver when he was only 8, but he had been in the back seat and survived. His father had remarried, which left him very uncomfortable at home, so he had enlisted after high school and had avoided coming home over the years. His father had left the family ranch, in Montana to both him and his step sister, Becca Denton, who had wanted to start a therapeutic horsemanship as an adjunct to the ranch before Burt died. Now she offers Alex a way to combine their two dreams.
But Becca has her own issues. She was raised by a single mother, until she married Burt and had been very ill as a child. Her mother sheltered her too much, so she was home schooled, and never had any friends except the animals on the ranch. She is very shy and unsure around other people and now has these three Seals sharing the ranch house, until they can make habitable the bunkhouse.
Both of these two people have issues from their past. Becca believes in living one day at a time, while Alex needs control, to keep everyone safe and plan out everything. The chemistry between these two, is explosive, but can they trust each other enough to open up? How do the other two men, Gabe and Jack add to the dynamics? None of them are open to therapy, but all are suffering from PTSD and they all need it. Alex, Gabe and Jack believe the men they want to help only need work and a purpose, but Becca knows that to be healed they will need therapy too.
I read an advanced copy from netgalley.com. I thought this was a beautifully written story, with engaging characters, an authentic scenario and conflict and the resolution real. I recommend this book.

I couldn't get into this story. I didn't feel like there was a real connection between Becca and Alex. It was as if one day they found the other attractive, but I didn't see the mental connection happening in a realistic way. Without the sense of love, the book wasn't engaging to me.

Also, I'm kind of over the female lead character being a virgin, even though it fit with her sheltered background.

Loved this story of love, loss, and redemption! Alex and his two best friends have returned from the war injured and looking for a project. He inherited half a ranch from his Dad and his stepsister Becca inherited the other half. Not raised together Alex still thinks it's wrong to lust after Becca but she doesn't have a problem with it. Together they are working on building something together that will help other injured vets. Loved it!

I was grateful to receive a free copy of Cowboy SEAL Homecoming in exchange for an honest review. I am always hesitate to write a less then steller review, because I know how much time and effort goes into writing a story. However, to be fair to potential readers, I wanted to give an honest review.

This book was well written, but the story just didn't do it for me. I like the concept of three SEALS returning from combat and dealing with their issues. I also like the story of Alex and Becca being associated as step siblings. However, that is where my interest in the story ended.

I had a really difficult time liking Becca. In fact, out of all of the characters she seemed to be the most dysfunctional, and most in need of "therapy" which seemed to be the main focus of this book. Becca just annoyed me, which is why I wouldn't recommend this book to friends or family.

Real and touching. I really liked this book, and I can't wait to see if Nicole Helm does books for Jack and Gabe!

When the job he has put years of life into suddenly turns it's back on him and his two buddies, Alex is left a little dumbfounded, and completely lost, he goes from having a job that he loves to nothing, and it's heartbreaking to say the least. So he does the only thing he can think of, and decides to go home, and face the place that he never thought he would return to, in hopes of finding some stability and answers. The whole experience is a little overwhelming for him, for so long he has been a soldier, he hasn't got the slightest idea how to be a civilian, how to find his place in the world again... but he is determined to try. Once he arrives back at the family ranch, he gets a little surprise when he finds that he now shares ownership of it with Becca, a daughter of one of his father's wives, and he isn't quite sure how to handle her either. But little by little him and Becca begin to find common ground, both have pasts that need dealt with and both of them think the ranch could be best used to help others in similar situations. They want to make it a place for soldiers to come to and relearn how to be a member of society, to help them find their place in the world again, while also helping them deal with all of their lingering demons. It all sounds good on paper, now the real work comes when trying to make it a reality...

In Cowboy SEAL Homecoming you will meet some really amazing characters with hearts of gold, and be treated to one heck of a heartwarming story line.... I loved this one!! This touching read will reach into the recesses of your heart and leave it permanently touch, and give you a glimpse into the lives of people who are fighting hard to find their way back to a normal healthy life. I have to say it was an eye-opening read, sometimes you take the simplest things for granted and witnessing all that these soldiers had to endure returning home made me a little more appreciative of all that we have, because of their bravery. I am excited to see what Ms. Helms has in store for these amazing characters next, and I cannot wait to get a up close and personal view of Gabe and Jack! Highly recommend this one, but be sure to have your tissues ready, cause it bound to give you the feels and have you shedding a few tears!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

First book I've read by this author. It wont be the last. Loved every minute of it x

This was hard for me to read. The premise, a rehab ranch for veteran was intriguing. The way Helm delved into Alex's issues with PTSD was real. His mental thoughts, the refrain of, I can fix me, was hard to read but very well done.
I liked how, in the beginning, Alex was strong and in control, and Becca needed his support. In the end it was Becca giving Alex support. The romance just wasn't satisfying enough for me, I guess.

I'll be reading the next one though because Gabe and Jack need there HEA's as well.
Thanks for Netgalley and thge publisher for the advanced copy for an honest review.