DO OR DIE COWBOY by June Faver. This was an enjoyable read. I did like Leah, the heroine. She certainly had some tough luck. And Ty, the Hero, was yummy too. The story had some action and danger and suspense, but I found it a bit slot at times. The writing was fine and the storyline flowed well. I look forward to reading the rest of the series to see what happens with Ty's brothers and if they get their HEAs.

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

Rather than joining his brothers in the family ranch business, Tylers decided to follow his dreams and become a country music star yet his plans get temporarily put on hold when he meets Leah and her daughter. Leah’s on the run and determined to keep her daughter safe, which is why she’s picked up her life and moved in with her grandmother. When a chance encounter brings Tyler into her life, she’s grateful but afraid she’s holding him back from his dream.

Have you ever read a book where it seems like everything is just a tad bit over played and overly dramatic? Well, that’s what I was dealing with here and I really should have saved myself the time and walked away from it.

Leah’s come from a horrible situation that injured her daughter, yet a day and a half after meeting Tyler she’s head over heels for him thinking, ‘No fair! This man is making me fall in love with him. He’s going to break my heart when he leaves.’ A day and a half, lady, it’s only been a day and a half!!! Seriously?!?!? What the heck? This doesn’t seem like the actions a woman would take if she was on the run from a dangerous man. And she seems perfectly fine with leaving her daughter in the care of a man she’s only known for a few days.

Then there’s Tyler—he has daddy issues. He, more or less, thinks his father is a horrible person for trying to persuade him to stick around and help out at the ranch rather than supporting his dreams to be on some country music version of American Idol. While he plays the role of the good guy when he’s with Leah and her family, he’s act like a selfish wanker when he’s in Dallas doing his music stuff.

The relationship was too much insta-love for me to get behind. I didn’t really see any growth or chemistry between the two.

There’s a bit a suspense part with a local trouble making family trying to get Leah’s grandmother to give up her land. It just seemed a bit out over the top and repetitive.

Overall, this one wasn’t for me. It was cheesy, repetitive, and the character’s actions didn’t really mesh with their backstories. I don’t think this author is for me.

This was a sweet read, you will fall in love with the characters. Well written, a good pace. You do wonder if there will be a HEA but thankfully there is.

Tyler wants to be a singer and leaves his family home—against their wishes—to follow his dream. Along the way he meets Leah Benson, a woman on the run with her daughter, moving from Oklahoma to Texas, in part to help Leah's grandmother run the family ranch and in part to escape Leah's past. When a dead body is found on the grandmother's property, Tyler must rethink his plans.

The characters are well developed and the chemistry between the hero and heroine starts slow, but flares quickly.

Thanks to netgalley i received this book to read and review. Everything seemed to happen fast. One thing after another something was happening. Ty was heading out of town to follow his dream of being a country singer. He stopped in a diner and seen Leah and her young daughter Gracie. They was running scared and he helped them get to her gran’s ranch. He helped on the ranch. He fell in love with leah, gracie and her gran. There wasn’t as much internal struggle with him being with her and following his dream as i thought there would be. Pretty good read. I enjoyed it.One of the things i liked about this is that he didnt give uo her or his dream. He found a way to have both. It did seem like somthing was missing but im unsure what.

This was a pretty good read and just perfect for a lazy afternoon. This is the first book in the series and is Tyler and Leah's story these two meet while he is on his way to Dallas to try and fulfill his dream of becoming a singer. Leah and her Gracie were on the run from an abusive ex Caine and they are on their way to her grandparent’s ranch when they meet Tyler he takes one look at them and just knows he wants to help them. I liked this it was a good read and I will be checking out the next book.

I loved this story. It was charming and sweet. A book of finding yourself amid chaos and learning to live with your choices. This is the first book I've read by this author and I'm looking forward to more.

This is book one in the Dark Horse Cowboys series. This is a cute sweet love story set in a small town in Texas. This story doesn’t have hot sex scenes and any description of sex is very limited. I say this, not as a criticism; on the contrary, I very much enjoyed this book. I say this so that the reader won’t be mislead.

I liked the predictability of the book, and the small town feel. It’s nice being submerged into something familiar, and yet, I’m still entertained and surprised by the author’s storytelling.

Ty and Leah were both sweet, hardworking young people who had some rough things happen to them in their young lives. The good thing is, is that they are both young and can recover from past events and can create a future together.

There were several secondary characters that really caught my attention and deserve to be mentioned here in this review. I loved Leah’s Grandma as she had spunk and sass and she could take care of herself. I also liked Leah’s daughter. She was cute without being pretentious and annoying. She was smart and funny as well.

Ty’s father and brothers were overly protective of Ty and at first I didn’t like them, but after a while, they redeemed themselves in my eyes, and I softened a bit at their actions.

If the reader wants to read a cowboy love story that is guarantee melt your heart romance, then I believe this book would be it.

Do Or Die Cowboy is one of the most suspenseful romance novels I have ever read. June Faver does a fantastic job of setting the hook and reeling in readers with a story that is unpredictable and keeps you guessing as to the outcome. The story is about Leah, a single mother who is on the run from an abusive ex-convict, and Ty, a wealthy cowboy who is pursuing his dream to be a singer. They meet at a small diner and from that point, their lives intersect in a series of serendipitous events. All characters are well-defined, and the author builds suspense with some very unsavory thugs as she leads you to the climactic ending. June Faver is a gifted writer and left no loose ends. She delivers a knockout punch with this romantic suspense and a Very satisfying HEA ending. Overall, a clean read with very little language and no graphic sex scenes. 5+ stars!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Domestic Violence, Stalking, Kidnapping, brawls

Tyler is an up and coming musician. It is his wish to sing for crowds, not just for the horses and livestock that he cares for on his family's ranch. When his mom falls ill, she encourages him further to follow his dreams. When push comes to shove, Tyler decides that he will follow his dreams and the consequences that follow him, he'll just manage.

Leah is running. She knows that she should have left, but she never quite had enough money to move. When she is forced to move, she runs home, back to the happy place of her childhood. When she arrives, there are a slew of issues, but her grandmother is there and it's a place she can call home with her daughter. What she doesn't expect is to find Tyler.

Tyler and Leah have a connection that few find. Despite Leah's trust issues, she can't help but fall for the singing cowboy. Tyler didn't know he was looking for love until he saw Leah. They have a sweet story and Tyler is every bit the romantic.

This was a good start to this series and I hope we get to see all of the other characters soon!

I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I ended up DNF'ing this book. (Hangs head) I'm soooo sorry, but I just couldn't get in to this one.

A young man who's dream is to become a big time Country music star in Dallas, leaves his family ranch after his mother's death to finally follow his dream. The day he leaves his father and brothers behind, he runs across a woman and her child at a diner. But he can tell that this woman is running from something or someone. After the meal, he ends up saving her from a broken down car on the side of the road, taking her to her grandmother's ranch on his way to Dallas.

A young woman is scared and running from an ex with a serious bad temper. One that's put her daughter in a cast. But leaving him and making to the only safe place she can think of is taking it's toll on her physically and financially. So when a cute cowboy offers to buy her and her daughter food at the diner, she's very thankful, but also reserved. That is until her car breaks down on the road and she finds herself getting a ride from him to her grandmother's house.

I know books are works of fiction. I do. I get it. But I just couldn't even get in to this at all. It was just too unbelievable and I found myself feeling as though I was re-reading bits and pieces, like on constant replay instead of learning something new or moving forward. I guess this one just wasn't for me. Sorry.

reviewed by Chris

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

Wow! What a fantastic book. I so thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a first book that I have read from this author and the first in the series. I look forward to more. This book contain the dual POV that I love. It helps me to understand the characters better. Leah and Tyler were wonderful together. I loved Gracie (Leah's daughter and Gram).

This story had a complex plot. It flowed nicely and was hard to put down. Before I knew it, it was over. I was engaged right from the beginning. I swooned over Tyler with his good cowboy politeness with buying Leah and Gracie lunch. What a charmer. I hope to read about him in future stories regarding his family.

If you enjoy cowboys and suspense, you should give this one a try.

Tyler had a dream, one that was encouraged by his mother and dismissed by his father. Soon after his mother’s death a chance to see if that dream could become a reality came along and in spite of the falling out it brought between Ty and his father, he made the choice to follow that dream. Add in a few complications along the way, a scared woman, an adorable yet frightened child, one proud grandmother, some nasty villains and a mystery to be solved and you’ll find an interesting cowboy romance.

Do or Die Cowboy is an intriguing mix of personalities and circumstances that works well and drew me into their world quite easily. June Faver is a new to me author, and one that I’ll be looking for more from in addition to continuing the Dark Horse Cowboys series. Leah and Gracie were on the run from an abusive, vile ex, one who has already proven he isn’t afraid to cause physical harm. The only sanctuary Leah could think of was her grandparent’s ranch and along the way she discovered the kindness of strangers – one in particular. She’d had no idea of the struggle her grandmother was having after her grandfather’s death, and there was a lot of hard work ahead to save their ranch. She wasn’t afraid of hard work but there was more going on and danger, in several forms, soon became apparent. Together, Leah and Tyler made a believable couple, one that would work through some dangerous times to find their eventual happiness. I am definitely looking forward to Hot Target Cowboy, the next story in this series. If you’re in the mood for a cowboy romance with a touch of mystery, then you’d enjoy Do or Die Cowboy.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Dark Horse Cowboys #1 A first for me, June Faver and her brand new series. This book surprised me I wasn't expecting much but it was one of those it's too good to be true but this is fantasy so just enjoy it kind of books and I really enjoyed it, and I liked her writing style. I pretty much read this in one sitting it hooked me. I look forward to more especially since Tyler has two brothers.

Tyler Garrett is at a crossroads in his life. His mother always told him he could be a famous country singer but his father wanted Tyler's feet firmly planted on the ground particularly the ground at the ranch. The family legacy of the Garrett Ranch, the Circle G, is expected to be just that and Tyler's father keeps pressuring him to forget his dreams and just focus on the ranch. Tyler gets the opportunity of a lifetime an old friend has a recording studio and set it up for Tyler to record a demo and audition for what's basically a country version of reality singing competition show. Tyler just has to make it to Dallas in time to do it. Along the way just outside of town, however, he runs into a beautiful complication.

Leah Benson and her daughter, Gracie, have been on their own for as long as Gracie's been alive and now they are moving down to Texas to help Leah's grandmother, Fern Davis, out with her spread since her grandfather has passed away no one has been helping her. Leah also has another reason they left Oklahoma and this reason has both Leah and Gracie scared to death. Once Tyler sees the horrible state the ranch is he decides Dallas can wait a few days while he helps out. It doesn't help that some local boys and their father have their sights set on Fran's land and have been sabotaging stuff like cutting fence and setting fire to the barn. Fran doesn't scare easily and now that Tyler 's helping out it's even better. But when one of those trouble makers ends up dead on the property all finger point to Leah and Tyler is willing to jeopardize his chance at stardom to protect her at all costs.

Tyler and Leah's connection isn't quite instantaneous but as soon as Leah realizes Tyler isn't expecting anything in return and she opens up to him the attraction flares quickly from lust to love. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the romance was a nice added bonus. It was exciting and the romance was sweet, they are sweet together. They fit well together I mean, Tyler is so sweet he's a perfect cowboy he's smart he knows ranching and ag he's not afraid to get dirty with a hard days work but he doesn't want that he wants fame, he wants to sing and Leah is just looking for a safe place to call home. Leah helps Tyler realize a few things about his life and it helps Tyler's relationship with his father too. Overall, I really did enjoy this with it's complicated emotions and the small bit of murder mystery.

I thought this was a pretty good read. I did feel it was rushed at times but it was still very entertaining. With Leah's background I'm not sure the insta-love aspect was believable but considering what she's been through you wanted her to have that happy. Tyler was a great character. So kind and giving, he was just the kind of man that Leah needed in her life to help her heal. Overall the writing was good, the characters developed nicely, and the story was fun with a nice easy pace. I would definitely recommend this one.

I did enjoy this book but there were times where it got slow and repetitive. They way they fall for each other is a little fast also. But in the end, it was a good story with a lot of twist and turns.

Do or Die Cowboy by June Faver
Dark Horse Cowboy #1

Tyler “Ty” Garrett has a dream and nothing will stand between him and finding out whether or not he can make it as a country singer. He has his sights on being the next Country Idol winner and is on his way to Dallas to see a buddy to make that happen. Withy Lucky his dog in the truck cab beside him and Prince his stallion in the trailer behind him he has left the family ranch behind even though it has alienated his father. Pulling in for a meal he sees a woman and her daughter that seem to be running scared and then he sees them again and does the good Samaritan thing only to find that he is drawn to Leah and her daughter Gracie in a way that makes getting to Dallas sooner rather than later a whole lot more difficult.

Leah is on the run and has a truly evil man close behind her. When she gets to what she believes will be a safe haven she realizes that there is more than the one evil man to contend with. Leah has had a rough life but makes the best of situations she finds herself in and with a fierce mama love she will do just about anything to keep her daughter Gracie safe.

So…will Ty give up his dreams or head to Dallas? If he goes in pursuit of his dreams then who will keep Leah safe?

I enjoyed this story and since it is fiction and a way to escape kind of overlooked the believability factor. If you are looking for an escape with a handsome country singer being alpha for the woman he falls for rather quickly then this book might be for you.

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

3-4 Stars

A beautiful, damaged woman on the run from heartache and abuse, her child’s safety her top priority. A handsome cowboy heading to make his fame and fortune as a singer, composer, DO OR DIE COWBOY by June Faver should be that romance that sends my heart into overdrive, because who doesn’t love the strength of a cowboy hero?

Leah Benson and Tyler Garrett DO seem to fill that emptiness each has in their hearts, but after what Leah had been through, the insta-love was too abrupt, too off for me. I did love her grandma, although she was a bit of a throwback to days of yore, wielding that gun around!

A fabulous premise that was a little too rushed with no solid back up for many events that happened and a little over-repetition on others. Perhaps as a novella that wouldn't be so stand out for me? That said, it had some very entertaining and intriguing moments and would make for a quick fix for anything "cowboy."

I received a complimentary copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca!

Series: Dark Horse Cowboys - Book 1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 28, 2018)
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Western Romance
Print Length: 352 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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This was an enjoyable read. I really enjoyed the characters and plot for this book. I did find it a little wordy and too descriptive in places for my liking, but all in all an enjoyable book.