This was a beautiful book. It is the first I have read by Caitlin Crews and I was enthralled by her way with words. They were witty, artistic and soul searingly poignant. This was an often hard story with difficult issues, but above all a story about love and hope. I highly recommend it.

I like books set in the west with cowboys, romances, and Christmas books so A True Cowboy Christmas ticked a lot of boxes for me. This book made me think about the influence parents and their attitudes have on children. Words can hurt and have a lasting effect on a person. I love the characters, feel like I know them, and want to know what happens next in their lives. I am pleased to see it is the first in a series.

This is the first book that I have read from this author and I enjoyed it so much. I am a sucker when it comes to marriage of convenience books and that was what this book was about. Gray asked Abby to marry him just after the death of his father. At first she thought he was having a breakdown because what sane man asks a woman to marry him for practical reasons instead of love. After a few days Abby decides to say yes because she has been secretly in love with Gray for a very long time and she is afraid if she says no that he will find someone else and she will have lost him for good. This book was full of so much sadness and self doubt. Both Gray, Abby and others both held on to so much grief and hurt from their pasts. This book was so full of drama created within and it kept me hooked. Once I picked this book up I could not put it down. The only bad part about this book was it ended way too soon. I wanted more of Gray and Abby. I really hope Gray's brothers and his daughter get their own books because then we can see more of them in it. This is a really great read that I highly recommend. Thanks Net Galley. I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review.

A totally unconventional marriage, Gray decides his neighbor, Abby, is a good solid woman and would be a trustworthy spouse. Abby is floored because Gray has been her lifelong crush and now he is asking her to marry him as she is as dependable as a dog. The audacity of Gray is something else, but with the way Caitlin Crews writes this story it's something you quickly want - for both of these two.

I love when an author can create a wild idea and yet draw you into to believing or wanting it so strongly that you need it to happen. While the premise seems barbaric- man goes to woman- you be my wife- it's pretty much how things operated in the past.

For Abby to accept the proposal she'll have to reconcile herself that she is entering into a marriage where the man she has always pined doesn't see her that way. Their marriage becomes one of bedtime romps and Abby taking care of the home and cooking. Her feelings deepen and while you sense Gray's are too- he quickly throws on the brakes and puts us all in our place that this is simply and deal and not a true marriage. How can Caitlin Crews write something like that in this day and age and still have us loving Gray and wishing the two together is beyond me, but her words and hints into Gray give us hope that behind that tough exterior is a sweet. loving man waiting to get out- a true cowboy.

This book was okay, I found it too repetitive which made it a little long. It was full of angst all the way through & I kept wondering when Gray was going to smarten up. I didn't like that there was nothing finished between Abby & her mother like there was between Gray & his 2 brothers. This was my first read by this author & even though I wasn't 100% thrilled with it, I will try another book.

Loved it! It was such a cute romance that had the occasional real life fight. I love a fake relationship that develops into a real one.

I loved this story! It was very well written & the author took it in a direction I was definitely not expecting. I was totally engaged throughout this book & could not put it down, until I finished it. This is the first book I have read by this author, but I will definitely be checking out her other books. This book was filled with tension, love & learning to discover the deeper meaning of a relationship. Please note it may be a trigger for some people, as it does include emotional abuse. I love how the author incorporated this in the story, but on the way they overcame their own personal issues to bond as a couple.

Back to back gems from Caitlin Crews! I recently finished Unleashed (out October 1st) and loved it a lot, and I love this one just as much.

[TW: emotional abuse, abusive parents]

So the story opened with our hero Gray's father dying. His father wasn't a nice person (in fact, he was the Absolute Worst), but his death still made Gray rethink a few things about his life as one sometimes does when faced with death, among them being the fact that he was raising his daughter alone. Surely a fifteen-year-old still needed a mother?

Cut to a scene akin to Lifetime movie (no joke, this book played out like a movie in my head and I LOVE it) where Gray came home from the funeral to find Abby, his next-door neighbour fussing about in his house, and suddenly a lightbulb went on in his head and he thought, "heyyyyyy".

I know right?

Men.

*rolls eyes*

Unbeknownst to Gray, his neighbour Abby had been crushing on him for years, though "crush" was a bit juvenile to describe her feelings about Gray. She still thought his marriage proposal was whacked, though.

<<But unlike every one of her fantasies and all of her favorite racy books, now that the proposal she'd always wanted was happening somewhere other than inside her head, Abby didn't want to fling herself into Gray's lean, hard arms, she...kind of wanted to kill him.>>

I love everything that rolled out after the proposal scene. Abby was torn between wanting to make her longtime fantasy a reality, and running far away from what would be a marriage of convenience to basically the only man she's ever loved, albeit from afar. There were multiple discussions with her friends and grandmother on whether fantasy was better than reality and whether it was truly better to have a little than nothing at all. I love her thought process on whether or not to accept Gray's proposal. It wasn't a small decision to make. She would be spending the rest of her life with him, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to get to know the real Gray.

What if he was better in her head?

Legit fears.

I also love that Gray decided to woo her. He was described as a stoic, no-nonsense guy, but he was pretty hard to resist when he made an effort, and he surely made an effort with Abby. He wanted a practical wife who understood the hard ranch life and who had roots to the land and town, yes, but he also decided that he wanted Abby, the woman.

There were also a lot of other issues Gray and Abby needed to deal with in the story. They both had hangups that they brought into the marriage, and it was fun* seeing them adjusting to each other and navigating married life.

*it was angsty af, friend, and I love it.

The development of Gray and Abby's relationship after they married is probably my favourite thing about this book. They fit together in bed and out of it. Gray could be a little my way or no way demanding but every time Abby stood her ground, I cheered. I love how Abby integrated herself seamlessly in Gray's family and life. Abby's relationship with Gray's daughter, Becca, was one of my favourite things in this book too. She was so good with Becca, who was also a bit messed up because of her mother's history, poor girl.

In hindsight, I just realized that this book wasn't as Christmas-y as the other Christmas books I've read but who cares? Need Ty's and Brady's books now! And also Rae's; I wonder if her story will be second chance romance with her ex-husband hmm.

Awesome love story! My heart is full.
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I think I was just a few chapters into this book and I realized it was going to be a winner. I fell in love with Gray’s character and I was all in at that point.

Then as the author wove this beautiful story and we got to know Abby as well, I loved this book even more. What a perfect match up these two were for each other.

The further we get into the story the more you realize the intensity Abby feels for Gray and you also realize that Gray may not have the capacity of deep emotion. There’s humor and tenderness, but not the in-depth feelings you usually get as you build a life together.

At first my heart was breaking but then I began to realize hopefully will get a beautiful ending. And the author did not disappoint. That ending! It is definitely a tearjerker.

This book is so sweet and emotional, but it’s a beautiful read too. Perfect for the upcoming holidays and one that you simply must read. I absolutely love it.

This is my first book by Caitlin Crews, A True Cowboy Christmas. The setting for Everett and Abby’s story is the beautiful Colorado mountains in the fictional town of Cold River.I like the concept of the story, a cowboy looking for a wife with no strings attached and a mother to his teenage daughter, Becca. The opening scene finds Gray and his brothers burying his father in the family plot. Amos Everett, was an emotionally abusive and bitter old man. Amos successfully alienated his own sons from himself and them. What Amos taught them all was distrust and how not to love. Abby Douglas has been in love with Gray her entire life. Unfortunately, Abby grew up and still deals with a mother who is emotionally abusive because she is jealous of the life that Abby has carved out with her Grandmother, Martha. Abby does not believe that she is beautiful or worthy of affection and love from anyone.

I like how Gray notices Abby truly for the first time at his father’s wake and realizes she is the woman to be his new wife. Abby very reluctantly agrees to Gray’s unconventional reasoning for the proposal. Gray slowly begins having feelings for Abby but does not truly understand what he is experiencing. Abby slowly but surely shows Gray how to love. As time passes they settle into a routine that they both enjoy until the moment that Abby confesses her true feelings, she loves him. As Christmas approaches Gray lets it be known that he does not do Christmas. Gray has been comparing Abby to his late wife who cheated on him. On Christmas Eve Abby and Gray engage in a very big argument. The final chapter reminds me of the Charles Dickens classic. As in true Christmas miracle fashion all of Abby’s dreams come true.

I feel this story would have been better told with more direct dialog between characters and not so much from within their own heads. I feel that the characters could have been so much more in depth and Gray especially, a deeper character. Overall, I liked Gray and Abby but believe their to be so much more to their story. I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review of 3 stars.

First I've read in the series, and supposedly this is the 4th, but I wasn't lost. This is the story of Gray, who in the beginning is at his father's funeral along with his two brothers and his teenage daughter. When neighbor Abby comes outside to ask him if he is hungry he suddenly realizes how pretty she is. Sadly, Abby has had a crush on Gray for years, but he has never noticed her until now. A week later he comes over to ask her to marry him, and she is thrown since they hardly know each other except in passing. A marriage of convenience, but also what both of them need. Enjoyed this story, although at times I felt a little frustrated by his stubbornness and her lack of self confidence. Still, one I highly recommend.

A new to me author, I grabbed it for the cover.
The beginning was like diving into the deep end and slowly swimming to the top as the story progressed. I questioned why and what for as the author slowly revealed facets of their lives.
I found the writing style probably not for me, overly descriptive and repetitive in many places. I enjoyed the story though, wanted to kick his butt and hoped she'd get her HEA.

I'm not sure who I felt more sorry for, Gray or Abby. They both pull at your heart for different reasons from baggage from their past. Abby has an unrequited crush on Gray, and it’s been going on for decades, literally. So much so, it’s interfered with her own love life, or lack there of. Gray has his own issues with is father and deceased wife. They get together for various reasons, but love isn’t one of them. The story takes a few twists and turns, and is in no shortage of drama, coming from all directions. With the help of family and friends, they muddle their way through to see each other in a new light. Some parts will make you laugh, other parts will make you cry. My review is in exchange for receiving an ARC.

I thought this book was great! I wasn't fond of Abby's friends but loved her so much. I hope there will be future books about Gray's brothers.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Book was too choppy and hero and heroine hardly ever together except to have sex. Was very disappointed.

A True Cowboy Christmas is not your typical romance. It is almost more about finding and loving yourself than romantic love for someone else

The story of Gray and Abby was so well done that I read it in one day. They are characters you feel for when they hurt and want to see them succeed and grow past their difficult upbringings.

Cold River Ranch and the nearby town are characters, too. The author did a wonderful job setting the scene and it is easy to imagine both locations and how isolating they might be at times.

I am looking forward to seeing which secondary characters will be featured in the next book.

A wonderful Western cowboy romance that deals with more than one family issue. While yes, it has a happy ending, it is not so over the top that it is total fairy tale. Recommend to romance readers who want at least one foot on the ground when reading to the happy ending.

A marriage of convenience is great for some people, but one of the couple is already in love with the other it could become trouble. It doesn't help that Gray is as Pig Headed as they come either. The family needs a Christmas miracle. The question is, is Abby up to the task?

I pretty much loved this book. A marriage of convenience story where one of the characters has loved the other from afar for years, Crews does a great job setting up the premise in a believable way and making you understand their reasons for entering into their arrangement. Both characters have some deep seated issues after their upbringings which makes it really hard for them to trust their new relationship. I adored Abby and my heart hurt for her,. I love a taciturn hero and Gray certainly fit the bill. I wanted to throttle him sometimes but he still made me swoon. There were some things I did not like as much, Gray's interactions with his brothers for one, but overall this book hit me in the feels and I loved it.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an unconventional romance but still a wonderful story. And I recommend you read this book anytime if the year, not just Christmas. The holiday theme is integral to the storyline but not overbearing nor written throughout the whole book.

Gray is a rough and tough stereotypical cowboy who just buried his father. His upbringing certainly wasn't the best but he is a man of the land and wants his family legacy to continue as well as flourish. The only problem is he is a widower with a teenaged daughter and two annoying brothers. He knows he needs changes in his life. After the funeral, he walks back up to his home to find a neighbor, Abby, at the back door telling him she prepared a meal for the family. How had he never really seen her before? Can this man who was never been shown love nor taught compassion get this perfect woman?

Abby is a strong woman who has great friends and a very caring grandmother but a mother who always tries to tear Abby down. She has dealt with the abuse but unfortunately some of that has been internalized. While Abby is independent and successful in her life, she lacks a bit of self confidence.

These two embark on a life many in the modern world would drown upon. They both have issues which hold them back while also being very strong people. Can they pull this off or will it all come crashing down?

Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this book. It is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. I am eager to learn about Gray's brothers and Abby's friends so I hope their stories will be coming. This novel has a well developed story line, nice flow, and relatable characters. It was a great start to a new series.