So this felt like a very cute summer romance book. Something you pick up because you want a little cuteness in your spare time. I didn't feel they did too much with character development and I was wishing for more. However it was a good book overall.

I have to admit, I’m always drawn to a book with a Cowboy on the cover, and rate it a bonus when the story is easy to follow and fun, along with the expected emotions and difficulties experienced by a couple from very different backgrounds.

Ava and Beau were portrayed wonderfully by the author and made this story totally believable and a delight to read. Nice world building, comfortable ebb and flow, and a good support cast ensures that readers will be looking forward to the next instalment of this series.

She was a risk for anyone to love.

Ava Howell has lost everyone she ever loved. Her most recent loss was her best friend Erin, who was working with her aunt in Texas, turning an old ghost town into a resort. Ava had never been to Texas, on a ranch or seen a ghost town. Everything would be new to her. Blackstone Ranch would soon become a place close to her heart. And, a certain cowboy, Beau Paxton, will be the one to make Ava believe in love again.

This is the beginning of a new series and it is already off to an incredible start. Ava and Beau’s story was so good. The angst between the characters in the beginning was fun to read, but when Ava started giving in to Beau’s requests, the story got even better. I especially loved how the story wrapped up. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series.

Av as best friend since college Erinn ,sisters really , is dieing of cancer.Erin is only 27 Years old but granny Mae and Avastin mom also died of cancer,Erin helped design a project outside small town in Texas .Erin makes A va promise she will finish it . I loved Ava and felt for her. The romance hooked me.

City girl meets cowboy/opposites attract story. Has a good message of fulfilling a promise made. Two totally different people with instant attraction. So-so depth to characters with what I felt some lack of definition to the storyline (mention of special force for him but not much to it, he has a lack of relationship with his cousin who was close to his mother/her aunt; conflict of selling/keeping ghost town isn’t well explained-family is close but how did his mother override everyone else in the family?). Ava was a bit off putting to me, but other times, loved her. He fell hard, she kept him arm’s length then brought him in, then pull away again. Did read as a true cowboy romance/ranch description story which I adored.
Reviewed By Comfy Chair Books/Lisa Reigel (December 6, 2018)

**I received a copy of A Cowboy and A Promise from Tule Publishing and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review** The opinion expressed are mine alone and not solicited .

A Cowboy and A Promise by Pam Crooks is the first book in her Blackstone Ranch series and it was quite a surprisingly refreshing and quick read. Ms. Crooks is a new author to me and even though it lacked some more heat between the H/heroine (I usually read book with a lot more heat), this was very good.

Ava Howell makes a promise to her dying BFF to finish her Ghost Town project for Blackstone Ranch. She leaves her comfortable home and goes to Texas where she encounters a reluctant Beau Paxton who wants to sell the land and save his family ranch not make it into a vacation resort. She will have to convince Beau and not fall in love before returning to New York for her job.

Beau Paxton has returned back to Blackstone Ranch after serving in the Army but he finds that they are in danger of having to sell land to make the ranch profitable again. When he meets Ava and lets her know he doesn't want the Ghost town developed. But little does he know that he'll soon start to fall in love with her but can he convince her to stay instead of leaving? They are also having to deal with a angry neighbor who could possibly change his life forever.

Great little romance novel, I really enjoyed the story line and the main characters. I'm looking forward to many more books with the Paxton Boys.

Feels so good! That’s how you know a book is wonderful—you turn that last page, sigh, and a big smile spreads across your face. A COWBOY AND A PROMISE does that. Of course, before you get there, a lot of humor and friction between an opinionated city girl and a determined swoon worthy cowboy occurs—also perfect! Once Ava meets Beau, her cowboy, you won’t put it down. That’s a “cowboy” and a “promise”!

Warring ideas and desires create an inviting challenge in this delightful tale of progress vs. status quo and love vs. ambition. Ava Howell, at the request of her dying best friend, moves her life temporarily to Texas to fulfill her friend’s promise to create a ghost town development project. Disagreeably standing in objection to the project is Beau Paxton. If he had his way, the project would die in the Texas sun. Working with Beau and proving her worth, Ava learns that there is more to life in Texas than she ever imagined.

I often reach out for easier uplifting reads when I need a break from 'the heavy stuff'. So so pleased I picked this one, can't say no to a bit of cowboy vibe.

Adored this book and probably one of the best Cowboy romances I've read this year!

Ava and Beau, so adorable and so made for each other but with two totally different interests. Working against each other while attraction pulls them closer.

Very engaging and well written, I'll be checking more books out by Pam Crooks now, she knows what she is doing!

A Cowboy and A Promise by Pam Crooks. A new to me author that I look forward to checking out more books by. This book took me awhile to get into but once I did it was a enjoyable read. Great plot and characters.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet cowboy romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

It took me a while to get into this book, but once it stopped being about Ava doing everything for Erin and instead living herself, it was a lot more engaging.

This book definitely fit into the cowboy meets city girl category and their evolution as characters kept the story developing. Unlike a lot of books in that category this is not however a raunchy romance.

Some of the concepts were a little hard to believe - friends potentially giving up their job to fufil a promise being case and point. But it was how the author choose to get the characters where she wanted them.

All in all, a pleasant book to sit and read while relaxing in the sun.

This was a sweet opposites attract story but throughout the facts just felt contrived to me. How is it that Beau's mother can steamroll everyone to create the resort. It did not seem like the ranch was hers alone. The Paxton men all oppose it and think it will be a financial disaster while the town is excited for an economic boost. Have the Paxton brothers and father not looked over the business plan? I felt like a lot of the story was spent raising but never resolving these conflicts or explaining them well. I liked the characters but felt like we never got to know them deeply - for example, we don't get to hear much about Erin's relationship with her aunt and how close they were though Beau seemed to barely know her; more on Erin and Ava's friendship; and more on Beau's time as a Special Forces soldier. I will definitely continue to follow the series but would love more depth to make the stories resonate more.

I received an arc from Netgalley. This book was a nice easy read. Beau and Ava have a beautiful love story which snares you right from the beginning.

Ava is fulfilling a promise made to a dying friend by finishing a ghost town project in Texas. Ava, the New Yorker, doesn’t expect a purse snatching in the small town she enters nor the long tall Texan who rescues her purse and captures the thief.

From then forward their relationship turns from tension, to friendship, to love. Four stars.

Ava meets Beau when she arrives in a Texas to head a construction project that involves rebuilding a ghost town on property owned by Beau’s family. Beau is against the project and fights it every step of the way. Despite his objections to the project, he is fascinated by Ava. They get to know each other and fall in love. However, Ava has strong ties to New York, and doesn’t believe that she deserves to be loved. However, beau follows her to New York, and by the time he arrives, Ava is ready to return to him in Texas.

In general, I really enjoyed reading this story about Ava and Beau, the city girl and the cowboy who find love and happiness together.
A promise she made to her dying friend brought Ava right to the middle of nowhere in Texas where she is supposed to finish her friend*s project. While she is trying to find her way around the farm, building a very special resort, she gets to know her hosts' three sons. Even though Beau and Ava lock horns over her work right from the beginning, they start to care for each other. Their chemistry is off the charts and I really enjoyed every moment with them - up to the point where it started to feel rushed. You knew that they were in love but they were still getting there. At least that's what I thought and then - came the first declaration. Sure, they didn't have much time left due to Ava's impending departure but it felt too early anyway.
Some action, lots of romance and very likable characters - I really liked this book and will definitely read other books by the author as well.

With a chemistry that leaves you breathless, Beau and Ava’s story is as captivating as it is heartwarming. The imagery is vivid, creating the perfect backdrop in my mind’s eye for the surroundings of what can only be beautiful Texas land. The story’s plot is fresh and original, the dialog flowing smoothly, capturing your emotions and imagination early and keeping hold throughout. This was one story that was hard to put down until I finished reading this couple’s journey to their HEA.

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

Amazing read!
Ava made a promise to her friend Erin. She would finish the Ghost town in memory of Erin. Ava puts her life on hold in New York and temporarily relocated to Texas. What she didn’t plan on is falling in love with Beau (Erin’s cousin). Can Ava overcome her fear of loving someone? Read on and find out.

This was a lovely story, set on a ranch in Texas, were Ava finds herself fulfilling a promise she made to her dying friend. I loved the story but felt as if the romance was a bit rushed, and sometimes Ava could be quite cold, overall I enjoyed it and I hope the author has other books set here as I would love to see if Beaus brothers find love and if her friend Luce fulfills her promise