A wonderful debut to the Cold River Ranch series by new-to-me author Caitlin Crews that captured me from the very beginning with relatable characters who have real emotions, humor, small town charm, dysfunctional family drama, heartwarming romance, and so much more. I loved the undeniable chemistry between stern, smoking hot cowboy Gray Everett and down-to-earth Abby Douglas. I laughed, cried, sighed and loved every minute of it. I really didn't want the book to end when I got to the last page. This is a great holiday read for anyone who enjoys realistic contemporary cowboy romance. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my voluntary and unbiased review.

Abby Douglas has always held a special place in her heart for the neighbor, Gray Everett. He's had a rough go in life and needs help raising his daughter, along with trying to save his ranch, so a marriage of convenience is the most sensible solution. There were times I wanted to shake Abby and tell her she deserves better, but Gray finds a way of worming into the readers heart. This was a heart-warming tale of second chances. A definite must-read, even when it's not the holiday season.

A story that surprised me.
It could have been more of a hot-cowboy book and his neighbor in love with him forever, but it's a lot more than that.

Abby is that simple girl, not pretty and who always heard from her mother just that, that she was worthless. She grew up believing that. And like every girl, she dreamed of her prince charming, who in her mind had a very definite face: Gray Everett, her neighbor.

Gray had a ranch to run, plus a teenage daughter, Becca, and the inner fear that he could become like his father, a bitter, irascible man.
Gray had fallen in love in the past, but he had a bad experience with it.
When he proposes to Abby to marry - a marriage of convenience - to unite their lands, Abby does not think twice. Finally she would be Mrs. Everett.

But as the days went by and they lived together, Abby realized that she had value, despite what she had been led to believe over the years, and she would not be limited to having a husband just to give her a name.

From there we see Abby's doubts turn to actions for a better life, and all this surprises Mr. Knows-Everything-Gray-Everett. And he likes the new woman his wife has become.

A plot with lyricism and a great message of transformation.
5 stars

Immediately after the death of his father, a stubborn and taciturn rancher Gray decides that he needs to make some changes in his life. Namely, he needs to get married again, but to someone eminently practical who won't cause the same complications as his late wife. So he proposes to Abby, the literal girl-next-door. Abby has been in love with Gray since she was a teen, but resolved to pine after him from afar, until he proposes out of the blue. Convinced it's her only chance to get married at all, she accepts, and of course feelings develop anyway.

I was a little iffy on the premise, not because I'm against arranged marriage stories (I'm not, I love them) but because...in this thoroughly modern setting all of Abby's friends and family were like "yeah, great idea, go for it!" Erm. Weird. Abby herself had some great internal waffling on the subject, and I loved her and Gray's discussion around the surprise!proposal, but all the side characters were...hrm. After they got married, I did very much enjoy all of the emotional entanglements going on. There was a lot of subplots about toxic family and about emotional scars that one might not even realize they're carrying around. All of the main characters (Abby, Gray, Gray's 15 y/o daughter Becca) have a terrible parent that leaves issues for them to work through. Except for the weird cheer-leading squad, I found the emotional parts of the story very compelling.

Gina Hott <gina@hottbooks.com>
Oct 27, 2018, 4:00 PM (4 days ago)
to me

If you're looking for a tumultuous Christmas romance A True Cowboy Christmas will satisfy your cravings!

I loved reading A True Cowboy Christmas. This Christmas themed romance is a great romance but more than that I loved how it dealt with new and old family issues. Motherless daughters, teenag girls, and sibling rivalries are all components of this multifaceted novel.

If you want an encompassing read centered on the the season but not gushy with it, don't miss A True Cowboy Christmas.

A
Adult | Definitely not YA but not more than a few pages of steam
18+

Cold River, Longhorn Valley, Colorado

This book starts off really interesting. Gray just buried his father and he decides it's time to find a Mom for his teenage daughter. He picks Abby who is responsible and has know her most of his life. When he ask her she is completely caught off guard. What Gray doesn't know is Abby has had a crush on him since she was a teenager herself. She is put off by the callous and unemotional proposal. After thinking on it some, she decides to marry him and make the best of it.
This is not a love story much. It also doesn't have much to do with Christmas and I really wanted that.
What this story does have is a man tortured by his past with his Dad and Abby tries to ignore her Mom who was never around anyway. There is a lot of angst and Gray is cold to her except in the bedroom.. It just wasn't the love story I wanted. In the end Gray finds his love for Abby but I found it hard to get there.

A True Cowboy Christmas is not a sweet, sappy, Hallmark holiday romance. It’s a little dark, and has some grit. Gray is dark and broody with a lot of anger and resentment bottled up. Abby is, well, to me, a little mousy and doesn’t have a lot of backbone. She harbors her own resentment toward her mother which makes her very insecure about herself.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author. I didn’t really connect as deeply with the characters as I would have liked, but did enjoy the book. There were times I felt the writing was too much in their heads and would have loved to have seen more dialogue between the characters. I did enjoy seeing the growth and healing in both characters and absolutely loved how their story wrapped up.

**Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of this book**

This is actually 4 1/2 stars for me. I enjoyed the story, but the emotional ending brought it up the 1/2 star more. Abby and Gray have their secrets and their pasts that threaten their relationship. I loved the fact that Abby and Gray are not in their 20's. This gave them more of a past to have to work through. The darkness in Gray was a bit daunting and held me back from liking him at the start. With Abby trying to make him see the truth brought him around, and that's when the tears begin. I recommend this story.

I received an ARC of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

This book has minimal cussing (no f-bombs) but it has on-page sex. If sex will bother you, this is not the book for you.

The story line in this book was really very interesting, but I struggled mightily with the execution. The story was 75% introspection/inner thoughts, 15% sex, and about 10% actual conversation/personal interaction. While I do enjoy knowing what a character is feeling, there was way too much of it in this one and I found myself wishing that they would stop thinking so much and actually use their words.

I also struggled with Abby because I bounced between feeling bad for her, thinking she was strong, and wanting to shake her. Hard. I understood why her inner thoughts were so negative where her mom's feelings about her were concerned, I really did, but her thoughts about what the townspeople thought of her were not only depressing and self-deprecating, but they often careened into the paranoid. The townspeople were always kind to her, but if you'd gone by her inner thoughts you would have thought they were sharpening their pitchforks and dousing the torches to run the ogre out of town. Sadly, I pretty much checked out on her as a character when she repeatedly thought about how Gray's many (many) flaws were totally fine because he was good in bed.

There were some parts of the book that I liked. Becca was really great, even if her father didn't tell her that he loved her she was still sweet and wonderful – even after she found her voice. I also really enjoyed the familial struggles between the Everett men, and the way that they all were dealing with their father's legacy. While it was difficult to read just how far apart the brothers were during the story, I found their drama the most compelling part of this book.

If I could give this book 10 stars if I could! The writing was fantastic, the storytelling was superb! By the end of the book I was crying. It was heart-wrenching at times but also heartwarming. I haven't read a book that I loved as much as this one in a while.
My favorite line in the book was: "She realized she’d wiped down the same table approximately twenty-seven times already and forced herself to stop." I just about died laughing. This has to be a definite read for anyone who loves cowboys and true love.

This book starts off with the "bright" idea of a modern-day marriage of convenience. What we get is insecurity issues, family problems, and a my-way or no-way marriage.

Gray is the cold, iron-fisted ruler of his domain. I suppose he had his moments but they were far and few in between. Abby is the forlorn, good-natured woman caught up in the idea. To be honest, she was apprehensive and I felt she deserved better from the beginning. But all is not lost there is an HEA, for those of you (like myself) that always needs one.

However, that does not save this book. I lost interest with Gray's cold demeanor, the heavy storyline, and slow-pace. It just didn't read......Christmas.

I love Christmas and Christmas stories so I was really looking forward to reading this book. I have to say the Christmas aspect is not overly done, and actually takes a back seat to the story.

Gray decides he didn't want to die alone and bitter (like the father he just buried) so he comes to the comclusion that a marriage of convenience with his next door neighbor is the best and most practical solution. Abby (his neighbor) is stunned but does agree to the marriage (unbeknownst to Gray, Abby has been in love with him for a while).

Can a marriage based on practical reasons last? Will Gray be able to overcome his haunted and abusive past? Will Abby be able to put up with Gray?

Once you get past the angst and the heaviness, I thought this was an ok book. I have to admit to liking Abby more than Gray but he does seem to be trying.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias. 3.75 STARS

Gray was married before and his wife cheated on him. Now with the stress of the ranch and a teenage daughter he just wants a partner. Abby, has always had a crush on Gray but will she accept his proposal? Will this only be a marriage of convenience? Emotional, steamy read with plenty of drama. I really liked Abby and Gray, they both had been through a lot and it made their journey even better. An entertaining read.

You can never go wrong with a single dad story, add in the holidays and a marriage of convenience and you get A True Cowboy Christmas by Caitlin Crews. Gray Everett is working hard to save his family’s cattle ranch and be the best father he can be for his daughter.

Abby Douglas has been in love with her neighbor as long as she can remember. So, when he proposes a marriage of convenience that would be beneficial to both, she cannot refuse. But can she make him see all they can be if he would only open his mind and heart to her?

A True Cowboy Christmas by Caitlin Crews was such a sweet read. Gray was a bit brooding, but he loved his daughter and took his responsibilities seriously. Abby was sweet and caring, but also strong. Though Gray’s idea of this marriage is different than what Abby wants, could she show him love can be real and strong?

A True Cowboy Christmas is far from a light Christmas Romance, so come prepared for a deep, edgy, intense story of two neighbors who enter into a marriage of convenience… that turns out to be anything but convenient. The special joy and magic of Christmas does play a part in healing for these characters, but this opening novel in the Cold River Ranch series is so much more.

There is world building in this story, there has to be with any story that touches on issues that run as deep as those in these families. If it’s possible to actually loathe people in books then there were several prime examples of people I could slam the door on and never see again… people might have been better off without them in heir lives, as cruel as that sounds. Unfortunately, we don’t normally get to choose our parents, and truth be told some people should never be allowed to have children. Gray’s father, Abby’s mother are each a real nasty piece of work. Gray’s father was a bitter, angry man who enjoyed pitting his sons against each other right up until the day of his death. Abby’s mother is as negative and toxic as a person can be, and though she limits her visits home when she shows up there is nothing good coming out of her time with her daughter. Through the love, example and influence of her grandparents Abby turned out to be a loving woman… a woman who has been in love with her older neighbor for as long as she can remember. A marriage of convenience? Yes, she’d take what she could and hope for more over time.

There are very real issues being addressed in A True Cowboy Christmas – ones that need to be faced, dealt with and put away in the past where they belong. Gray is difficult to relate to at times, and often his “my way or else” attitude makes him hard to like let alone love at other times. Abby, along with her influence and caring of his daughter, Becca, will bring about changes in a very gruff, cowboy. Ironically, it’s their clashes over Christmas that may finally bring them together as a united front, true husband and wife… eventually. I adored Abby. Her strength of character, her kindness and her love for Gray come through the pages very clearly. Gray and Abby have a journey toward a happy ending that you should not miss. emotional, bits of humor, issues to be dealt with, and healing to be done all with the magic of Christmas looking on. I was drawn into this story, and now I’m invested in this family and seeing that the rest of the brothers get their happy ending down the road as well.

If you love cowboys, Christmas, and touches of reality, harsh though it may be, then A True Cowboy Christmas is a story that you’ll want to pick up. I was glued to the pages, and I believe you will be, too. Now the wait for the next story in the series, Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy due in the Spring of 2019.

*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.*

This was my first book by Caitlin Crews, so I had no idea what to expect. However, it had cowboys and Christmas, so we were off to a good start. I loved the character development in the story. Gray was cast as a brooding alpha male. He was totally in charge. He'd lived with a less than perfect life. He was really dealt some tough issues to deal with between his father and his first wife. Abby was living with her grandmother and dreading the times that her mother actually showed up to deal out all the negatives that she possibly could to make everyone miserable.
When Gray decided that he needed another wife and looks to his neighbor, they were both stunned. Even more so when she agreed. The only thing they REALLY know about each other is that they tend to combust whenever close together. One thing they learn quickly is that Gray wants nothing to do with Christmas--no tree, no lights, no presents and no cookies to exchange with neighbors. This alpha male will discover that his new bride is just as determined to have as much of Christmas as she can get by him. Will Christmas possibly bring them together or will it drive a wedge between them?
I was given a copy of this book through Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

A True Cowboy Christmas by Caitlin Crews is a truly lovely book. Upon several rereads it has revealed itself to be realistic, gritty, loving, and representative of an actual relationship with ups and downs; lovers finding their way. Gray's father has just died and been buried, miserable cuss that he was. As Gray is returning home he sees his neighbor Abby Douglas opening his back door to him and wonders why he's never noticed her in the past. Before you know it, Gray is sitting in Abby's grandmother's parlor asking her to marry him. Abby thinks he's lost his mind: they don't even know one another, have never been on a date, but before the meeting is over, he kisses her, and she is considering his proposal. She has been in love with him for twenty years, after all. The next day he has entered the coffee shop where she works for the first time...ever, stunning her and most of Cold Creek, the town in which she lives. He appears to be serious.

Readers know how romances end: that is why we read them. Crew has drawn some interesting characters with some twists and turns that the read doesn't really contemplate until we're in the middle. So much about their marriage is so good, but here are problems, too. She loves him; her has never even contemplated loving her. Both come from dysfunctional parents. Gray has a teenaged daughter and two brothers who can't decide if they want to be on his ranch or not. Abby has a mother that comes and goes and doesn't seem to particularly care for her daughter, and is not closed-mouthed about it and her disapproval of all things Abby. Abby has a grandmother and two good friends who love her, but this relationship is something she needs to deal with on her own.

This is a fabulous read. Pulls on the reader's heart while reiterating the evils of game playing and holding on to old hurts. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a heart-warming story of true love.

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. #netgalley #atruecowboychristmas

Heartwarming holiday, sweetly sexy and emotionally thrilling romance filled with family, beautiful country and slow burning passion..... Loved it!

Gray Everett is the oldest of three brothers that just lost their father and he is looking to save the family ranch from greedy developers... Solution the next door neighbor Abby Douglas, raised on the land they agree to a marriage of convenience based on a mutual love of the land. (what could go wrong) except Abby has loved Gray for as long as she can remember... Highly entertaining page turner of a holiday romance.

It was serendipitous that I would be craving a good cowboy romance right around the time Christmas is starting to creep into my periphery. Enter A True Cowboy Christmas. It was exactly what I wanted to read. To be honest, this isnt my usual niche in the genre, and I had low expectations going in. Luckily, they were exceeded. I really enjoyed the characters that Crews created. I wasn’t super engaged in the actual plot, but the strong characters made up for it. Despite the plot not being my favorite, it did clip along and rarely dragged on which made it very easy to digest and get to what these cool characters were up to next. It was nice that it was set at Christmas, but it is not overly inundated with Christmas – it is a perfect mix. The one thing I wasn’t super thrilled with was the resolution, but I don’t want to give too much away there. Even with all of that, I am glad I read this book. It was perfect for what I wanted it to be. If you are looking for a book with a hint of Christmas and a ton of cowboy – this is for you.

This is a heart warming small town Christmas romance that kept me turning the pages.

I received a copy from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my own honest opinion