Grief can be lived in many ways. Cody and Lexi are the main characters of the 3rd novel in the series “A River Ranch novel”. They used to be boyfriend and girlfriend when they were teens. Family events separated them. They reconnect through new family circumstances and discover that they still have feelings for each other. But the fear of loss can be overwhelming. You follow the ups and downs of their relationship. I felt that this story was quite similar to others, but the difference is the importance of grief in all aspects of life. It brought another light to this romance. A nice read !

Sweet story. All the characters were very nice; no back-stabbing, no troublemakers or liars ruining things for everyone. Just a vulnerable man who needed someone to understand he needed help. It took 14 years but, eventually, he got there. I would love this family, too.

While I realize cancer is a huge part of today's life, thank you for not making the whole story about death and dying.

This book was gifted to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

**I received a copy Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas from St. Martin's Press and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinions expressed are mine and not solicited in any way.**

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas by Soraya M. Lane is the second book in her River Ranch series. I've read the first two books and I have to say this one was a bit lukewarm for me but the ending made up for the slow middle. I really loved little Harry and how he snuck out in a snowstorm to make sure his pony wasn't cold.

Lexi Murphy is providing hospice care to the Ford family patriarch, Walter, who has terminal cancer when Cody comes home for Christmas. Lexi holds a grudge for his abrupt leaving 10 years ago so they both wonder if their feelings can be rekindled. Her son Harrison falls for the cowboy life on the ranch but she worries about her mother whose Alzheimer home is closing, how will she find a new one that she can afford? Can Cody and Lexi fall in love again despite their differences?

Cody Ford feels more comfortable in New York but this man be the last Christmas with his father so he decides to come home. When he sees Lexi who's his dad's live in nurse he knows that he's hurt her and wonders if they can rekindle their romance. Add in a father who wants to go for one last ride, a snowstorm and finally Cody admits that he loves Lexi more than New York.

This was my first book by this author and I was not disappointed. I thought it was a cute, emotional story although a little bit too cliched in the storyline at times and that made the reading very predictable. But overall not bad if you just want to curl up with a Hallmark special and get into the holiday spirit. Three chilli peppers of hotness.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.

Cody lives in New York, rarely visits home, it started when his mother got sick and he left for college, he left his girlfriend then too, without goodbye. Now he is back home for Christmas, his father is sick. He meets his father caregiver, she is very beautiful and she hates him.
Lexi is caregiver to Cade's father, she and her son lives on ranch. She is not happy that Cade is back, she'll never forgot that he left her in high school without goodbye, and now he doesn't even recognize her.
With Christmas coming, old feelings wake up. Will they have a future together especially after Lexi learn he wants to destroy something very important to her.
Great storyline, I did enjoy this story a lot.

I just couldn't get into this book. I tried reading it 3 times and gave up. Its well written, it just wasn't for me. Don't let my review stop you from giving this book a try. Thank you St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a second chance book at its finest.....Soraya Lane writing is so compelling, you can feel the emotions her characters are feeling. This book is sweet and will pull at your heart strings.

A New York businessman, Cody, arrives at his family's ranch to visit his ailing father. Surprise, the live-in nurse is his ex-girlfriend, Lexi, the girl he left behind when he ran to college as his mother was dying. Yet now Lexi is trying to juggle a young son and an ill mother of her own. But despite their difficulties and the hurt, it is clear their relationship didn't end with their teenage romance. This was a sweet, romantic read, one that I thoroughly enjoyed...especially as I was reading it, I sit here waiting for Hurricane Dorian to hit Florida. What a perfect time for a Christmas novel!!

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There's nothing better than starting a new series by Josh Lanyon. This author has created some of my most loved stories. Mainly by Moonlight does not disappoint. The main characters, John and Cosmo, are complex, multi layered individuals who capture the readers attention.

There is mystery, intrigue, magic and love to be found in this story. You will be kept on your toes throughout this book. I am eagerly waiting for the next installment. I see trouble ahead for John and Cosmo!

Thank you Net-Galley and St. Martins Press for the copy of this book. I am choosing to review it. The reason this is getting 3 stars is that several parts in the book seemed a bit rushed for me, but it was still a good read.

I enjoyed reading about Lexi and Cody and the rest of the Ford family.

Lexi and Cody were high school sweethearts, but one day Cody left with out saying goodbye and broke Lexi's heart. Lexi is now working as Cody's fathers caregiver and she thought it was all going good until one day Cody shows up to spend time with family with what could be his fathers last Christmas.

Will Lexi and Cody be able to move on from the wrong doings and the heartbreak and co-exist for the little time they will have to be around each other or will everything fall apart and leave Lexi looking for new job.

I need to go back and read the other 2 books in this series as I felt a connection with the other family members.

The one character that I truly loved is Harry, the son of Lexi. He stole my heart from the beginning.

I was given this book for free for an honest review. The book features a broken romance between the two main characters who meet after a ten year separation. Although I enjoyed the story, I felt it was too rushed at time. Also, I did not like the fact that the readers discovered the huge twist early on in the story.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Soraya Lane. I enjoyed the flow of the writing, which made it easy to read. I admired Lexi and I liked the Ford family, especially Walter. I wasn’t so sure about Cody. I understood that it was hard on him to watch his mother suffer, especially as a teenager but I found it hard to get over that he didn’t know his former girlfriend, who he thought that he loved. He did redeem himself later, though. This was a pretty easy read and I look forward to reading more of the Ford family.

This had a very strong Hallmark movie vibe (not in a bad way?). The ending threw me for a bit of a loop with the sudden Serious Emotional Trauma, but if you ignore the odd discussions around PTSD that made me fairly uncomfortable, this was a sweet, grand gesture-filled holiday romance.

TW: aging & dying parents, frequent discussion & description of symptoms of Alzheimer’s and cancer, inaccurate depiction of therapy to diagnosis PTSD

Great Christmas or beach read! Characters are interesting and have a lot to say to each other! The dialogue between brothers is believable and fun. The story is along the lines of a good Hallmark movie except for being quite descriptive with the love making scenes, Sex scenes were more detailed than necessary for me, as I I prefer leaving some things to the imagination. It will not distract from the story of you skip or skim those those pages. You will want to jump in and tell them all a thing or two but the patriarch, Walter, sits back and gets it done for you! A little confusing at the end with re use of character names but different people, but maybe that will change before publish date. The book is a good set up for future books with these characters.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author,publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a first read for me by Soraya. I enjoyed this story. It has a few different tropes so I think it helped with having a mix in this story. Cute read especially by the end.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas was the first book I have read by Soraya M. Lane and I really enjoyed it!

Cody and Lexi were high school sweethearts and over a decade ago, Cody took off the minute he graduated and never looked back. He left a brokenhearted Lexi in their hometown to pick up the pieces of her life and to figure out what had gone so wrong with the boy she thought would be her forever.

When Cody returns home for the holidays to visit his ailing father, after not recognizing her at first, he's shocked to find out that Lexi is now living on his family's ranch and is the nurse who is taking care of his father. Not only is he having to face all of the debilitating memories from when he left in the first place, but he is facing the ire of a woman that he genuinely loved, but who has not forgiven him for leaving her the way he did.

As Cody and Lexi spend more time together, it's clear that they both still harbor feelings, but they both have different reasons for not wanting to open that door again. The question is, can they really dampen what is clearly still a spark between them?

Both Lexi and Cody have a lot of baggage to deal with, but I thought that Ms. Lane handled that well. Each character had been hurt and so those scars came through, but it seemed realistic to me. I really enjoyed this heart-warming Christmas tale. I would definitely recommend it!

I struggled thru the book until about a third of a way thru then decided it wasn’t worth it. There wasn’t much about either the characters or the storyline that appealed.
Cody and Lexi were childhood sweethearts but when his mother passes away he just ups and leaves “because he couldn’t bear that his mother had died”. She ends up bitter and holds a grudge against him for deserting her without saying a word or even goodbye.
FF 9 yrs later, Cody comes back home for one of his infrequent trips home. Corporate big wig and all. His father is terminally ill with cancer but that isn’t enough for him to spend any time with his family. When he meets Lexi who happens to be his father’s nurse, he doesn’t even recognize her.
The irony of Cody not realizing how badly he’d behaved (you’re mad at me?) and Lexi who treats him like he should be groveling for her forgiveness and giving him veiled sarcasm and insults was just too trying.
Not my kind of book.

This is a great story of how youthful mistakes can affect someone for the rest of their life. However you can learn from them and make a better life for yourself. The fact that Soraya combined that particular lesson along with some steamy sex makes for a quick, sexy fun read.

As always, Lane delivers a sweet romance about family, forgiveness and love. This family will pull at your heart and make you want to read more.

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas is a second chance at love romance. There are a lot of ups and downs for Cody and Lexi’s relationship as old hurts take time to heal. Cody has to rediscover his love for Lexi, his family and his home. He’s a nice guy deep down but he’s also clueless, lost, and a bit broken which came across as unfeeling. Lexi is still in love with Cody but has old hurts that need to be acknowledged and moved on from. I didn’t really connect to this couple and they were not my favorites of this series, but I was still rooting for them to find love again. I did enjoy the premise of the story (workaholic businessman who turned his back on everything and everyone and ran away comes back to his roots and realizes where he belongs) the setting, and the Texas ranching family dynamics. Well written and I’m eager to read the 4th siblings’ book.