Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review.

Overall this book was okay. I feel like besides a select few curse words, it would almost be Christian Fiction. The setting was cute, and the characters were bad. The lack of "heat" didn't do much for me.

Filled with emotion and humor. Slow burn love story with quite a few twists and turns. A very enjoyable ride.
I look forward to more stories about this lovable group.

"The Trouble with Cowboys" is a western romance that follows Tyler and Lainey. Tyler left town eight years ago after a blow-out fight with his father following his mother's death and is back in town to help his father after he had a stroke. He spent time on the rodeo circuit and then settled at another ranch where he worked his way up to foreman. He knows now is the time to take over his family's ranch, which has been having financial troubles since he has been away.

Lainey has taken over Tilly's, the diner her grandmother Tilly owned and ran. Lainey was raised by her grandmother after her mother abandoned her in pursuit of love over and over again (for new boyfriends). She never knew her father. Lainey dreams of art school but cannot abandon the diner her grandmother loved and left her. Following her grandmother's death, Lainey became close to Tyler's father, and she was the one who found him after his stroke.

When they meet again after Tyler's return, they find themselves very attracted to the other but they have a long way to go before they are ready for a relationship, much less with each other. Tyler's return to town has not been well-greeted, and everyone is upset over the way he left so isolating him. Lainey is the only one who seems willing to speak with him. She also has some ideas for how to help the ranch- but she is also harboring a secret (that seemed unnecessary).

I enjoyed the story at first, but things got a bit too drawn out for my tastes. I also felt like they each gave up too much in the process of the story, and it seemed unnecessary to me. I am hesitating to say what to avoid spoilers, but there's a difference between compromise and giving up your beliefs/dreams. I felt that Tyler was giving up his beliefs (I think he was looking at it wrong, but it's not a good foundation for a relationship) and Lainey was giving up her dreams by the end (you could argue/make a case that her dreams changed/evolved). If they were real people, I have a feeling checking in a few years after the end would show that things are not going well. I would have liked seeing each growing as individuals more and the relationship complementing them. Instead, it seemed like any relationship-type bit between them was dripping with drama (they weren't really in a relationship during the story and then the expectations were like they had been for a while). The relationship seemed to be dragging them down more than building them up. Thus, I liked both Tyler and Lainey, but I did not like them as a couple.

Another thing that seemed odd to me was the idea of naturopathic medicine being important, which appear throughout as almost an advertisement for it in the extreme (as if this would cure cancer better than an oncologist), which is not how I believe it is typically viewed. It seemed a little unnecessary to the overall story, and I was not sure what the message was intended to be there. I would also add a warning for sexual harassment/assault (mentioned, not described).

Overall, I think it was an interesting story with great characters, but I was not particularly cheering for the primary relationship. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Lainey's Mother abounded her at a young age to chase after her boyfriends/lovers in the pursuit of "love". Thank goodness for her Grandma Tilly, who stepped in and raised Lainey. Grandma Tilly ran the local dinner at Wishing River, Montana and taught Lainey all the in's and out's of running the dinner. Grandma Tilly also had an aversion to Cowboys and drilled into Lainey that she was to stay away from them and never trust them. Grandma Tilly passed away and Lainey took over the running of the dinner, but she also had a secret dream. Lainey had a talent and love for painting and her dream was to go to a school in Italy to learn from the best. Her dream was put on hold after the death of her Grandma and then her lovely/selfish mother came back ill and dying asking Lainey to care for her. Lainey's savings for her dreams kept slipping away.

Tyler left Wishing River eight years ago as an angry and bitter young man. He lost his mother to cancer and learned a secret that nearly broke him. Tyler and his Father had an explosive fight that night and things were said that were very hurtful and painful. Tyler went on to do rodeo for a while and then found work on a ranch as he missed his family ranch and the life it entailed. But Tylers father suffered a stroke and is back in town to help his father. He left behind two of his best friends that night and never let them know why or where he was going. Tyler knew that there would me no welcome mat for him.

Lainey has had a crush on Tyler since she was in high school. She comes to see beyond his gruff exterior and knows there is a more gentle and caring man. Lainey brings meals from the dinner to Tylers father, they both had developed a friendship during Tylers absence. Lainey is the one that found Tylers father when he had his stroke and the connection was cemented from that point on. Each had been there for each other during their pain and loneliness. Tylers first encounter with Lainey was when he arrived in town and stopped at the dinner for coffee before he headed to his father and the ranch. The two see each other often as Lainey visit his father at the ranch. They begin to develop a friendship and Lainey just wants to help Tyler in his relationship with his father and best friends.

This is a sweet love story packed with emotion and layers character building. I appreciated how Lainey and Tylers friendship and attraction progressed in a steady and emotional way. Both has a few secrets they were keeping and were fearful and what it would happen when it came to light. I had more of an issue with Lainey's as I though she should have been more forth coming sooner. The push and pull in the relationship was well balanced and realistic in my humble opinion. The chemistry was there and appreciated the slow progression.

Very good story line and secondary character. I became invested in those secondary characters and hope to see future stories for each of them. I really liked the visual the writer was able to enact in her writing for the town, feel and people. Always a plus for me. Pacing was well done. I did feel at two-thirds of the book it slowed a tad bit. Also the change in Tyler at that point was a little abrupt. I really found the epilogue to be emotional and sweet.

3.5 Lying by Omission Stars
* * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
Oh, all of us at one point or another have held back information to someone which should have been shared...We had the opening to tell it, should have just said it...but didn't knowing, we missed an opportunity to make things right. Now not all withheld information is equal.

In The Trouble with Cowboys by Victoria James takes this idea and runs with it.

Tyler Donnelly has been away from his family ranch for eight years. He left abruptly leaving behind his best friends, his father and the ranch he loved. He left in pain; he had lost his beloved mother to cancer after a fight to the end. His father had become distant during this cancer battle and when they put his mother to rest, words were spoken that could never be taken back.

With nowhere to go, he did time on the rodeo circuit and then spent years at a ranch trying to make a life for himself. But during all of this time, the only place he ever thought of as home was the ranch he had grown up on...

Tyler is called back to the family ranch when his father has a stroke. With guilt and duty guiding him, he is stunned when he sees the shape of the ranch. It is a shadow of what it was...rundown and nothing like it once was. With a vow to bring it back to all its glory, Tyler emotionally digs his heels in and steels himself to go into town and deal with the fallout and bad feelings he knows he will find there.

Lainey Sullivan is someone special. Lainey's grandmother raised her and showed her how to run the diner she owned. The mother Lainey had was always chasing love with new boyfriend after new boyfriend causing the grandmother to step up. Through the rules and ethics drilled into her, Lainey has held out for a love that was real. It also didn't help to have Granny's voice in her head warning her about cowboys and their charming "Love 'em and Leave 'em" ways. After all, she was only surrounded by cowboys!

When Lainey experiences the loss of her grandmother and then her own selfish mother, she had an understanding of the feelings Tyler's father carried. The man started to come to the diner for dinner and slowly both of them became dear friends. Lainey was the one who discovered Tyler's father having the stroke. She was able to get the EMT's there in time to save him. Now she makes time to come to the ranch every night with dinner. She sits and talks with him and gives him a moment to feel like old times.

Tyler and Lainey cross paths at the ranch and the diner. There is an undercurrent between them and before long, a kiss is exchanged. Both want to pursue it but have different beliefs. Tyler knew Lainey wanted it all; white picket fence, 2.5 kids and everything else commitment brings. He didn't think he was worthy and neither did any of his past friends.

This is a story about two people who have lived and had to deal with all sorts of pain. One sacrificed herself for others and then became caught up in withholding important information which would complicate everything. Tyler was still carrying the pain inflicted so many years ago and wanted to receive the love he lost. These two were good for each other and just needed to get out of their own way...and let love happen.

If you like small towns, family conflicts, and sweet love stories, this will work.

A gifted copy was provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC via NetGalley for an honest review.

A prodigal son returns home only to find that life has moved on in his absence and the people of the town don't exactly like him.

This country romance is filled with well written and solid characters and a plot we may have all seen coming but so well executed it makes you want to keep reading.

Falling in love with Ty was as easy as eating a bag of m&m's while writing the name of another book boyfriend to my ever growing list.

A beautifully written novel with enough drama, heat and romance to keep anyone entertained.

**Thank you to Netgalley & Entangled publishing for the chance to read this novel in return for my honest opinion**

There are times I don't think Lainey has a filter, "she frantically came up with an excuse. “No, of course not. I just never noticed what a hairy person you are.” Tyler is learning his girl will go to any lengths to keep him out of trouble, "he finally pulled back and stopped laughing. He hadn’t stopped smiling, though. “Lainey, why of all the things would you tell them I was going to be a priest?” I liked this book, I loved the characters.

The story of Tyler and Lainey.
Tyler is back in town, 8 years after he left following an arguement with his father. No one is happy he is back and the only friend seems to be Lainey.
Lainey is helping to look after Tylers father following his stroke, but she keeps the secret of the money he leant to her.
The more time they spend together the more they are attracted to each other, but Lainey's grandmother always warned her to stay away from cowboys, so will she listen to her grandmother or her heart?

Another winner! Ty is a sexy cowboy with daddy issues who left home abruptly eight years ago. He returns only after learning of his father's stroke, however, because of how he left, he is not welcomed back by anyone except for Lainey, the proprietress of the local diner. She is kind to Ty and they become friends without benefits. With the backstory of all the people angry with Ty and protective of Lainey, this is an engaging tale that kept me hooked - I literally read it in one sitting.

This is a must read for fans of the genre. The author is on my must read authors' list.