A second chance romance that brings the reader back to Ford Ranch, and the story of Cody and Lexi. I liked how the siblings interacted more in this book, and Lexi's son, Harry, was a cute addition to the book. Overall the book was cute and a quick read, but I felt like something was off near the end. The miscommunications and misunderstandings between Lexi and Cody seemed like they were too big to be resolved within 1-2 pages, and I wish they were drawn out a little more.

A woman trying to support herself, her mother and her child on her own comes face to face with the man who broke her heart. Will she be able to forgive and forget? Will he understand and respect her? So many emotions in this story about hope, love, family and what matters most.

This was not a book I requested, but a Netgalley widget offer, which I readily accepted b/c I'd read Ms Lane's Harlequins and enjoyed very much. OUaCC, however, did not engage me, maybe the move to longer romance hasn't proven as successful? I don't know. What I can say is that the opening felt like I was getting the old tell don't show info-dump and the characters fell flat. I appreciate MBRR being offered titles, but I don't write negative reviews on my site; therefore, I'm expressing why I didn't want to finish reading this romance here.

Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was the cutest read! Cody left home when his mom got sick and never looked back, not even for the girlfriend he left without a good-bye. When he comes home for Christmas, he is forced to face those mistakes when he finds out that Lexi (the ex) is now his father's nurse. Christmas is a time for romance and magic and watching these two former lovebirds find their way to each other again was a lot of fun. Add in the sweetest little boy ever and you have a great holiday read.

This has been my favorite River Ranch book so far because we got to see a lot more interaction with the siblings - which (IMHO) was missing in the first two. Even though the brothers were squabbling, we saw a deep love for one another. We still didn't get enough about Angelina, but I'm assuming she gets her shot at love next.

A perfect second chance, Christmas romance, complete with a blizzard. Lexi and Cody have to earn their second chance, but with help from his dad and her son they make it to their own HEA.

Cody Ford left home years ago because his mother was sick and dying from cancer. He did not want to continue to watch her suffer, is what he has told himself all of these years. Now coming home with the father being ill is bringing back those same feelings. The problem with being home is his younger brother and sister who stayed are looking at him expecting him to leave once again. The person taking care of their father Lexi Murphy has been not only taking care of the father but is also living on the property with her young son. Everything changes for her when she sees Cody, but he does not remember his former girlfriend from high school. The same girlfriend that he said nothing to before he left and she has always wondered what she did.
After he figures out who she is and they begin to heal she comes to find out that he is now the person responsible for her mother and all of the other elderly persons having to move in just four weeks’ time with Christmas being right in the middle. When he begins to understand what he has done. It is what happened right before she found out that he is the one that owns the company that destroys her. His brother does not have to tell him I told you so because it is written all over his face. I liked this story and for much of it, it felt like a regular story with a little Christmas. The characters were all still very good and if you read the other books you won’t be disappointed.

An emotional second chance romance that has all the feels from many aspects of life. Cody and Lexi have a deep and very realistic connection. Loved the family depth that goes with Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas. And even a little holiday magic at the end.

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas was a wonderful novel about second chances. It is the story of Cody, a NYC financial investor who returns to his Texas family ranch for Christmas. He fled Texas as an 18 year old to attend college after his mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness, returning home only to attend her funeral before leaving again. More than a decade later, he returns to the family ranch for Christmas, knowing his father is losing his battle to cancer. Upon his arrival, he meets a beautiful woman who is his father's in-home nurse, only to discover the nurse is his high school sweetheart, Lexi.
Cody has forgotten Lexi and the tumultuous period during his mother's illness and death and has become a financial whiz with no personal ties or relationships. Lexi, on the other hand, has become a single mom who has taken on the financial responsibility of caring for a mother with Alzheimer's. Her anger toward Cody is both surprising and confusing to him. It is not until Lexi confronts Cody about his choices a decade before to leave without saying goodbye that he begins to learn the emotional damage he caused.
This book is well-written with well-defined characters. Each page is filled with the characters' emotional journeys, as Cody and Lexi face their past and cope with the present. The author took no shortcuts with the plot, allowing this reader to follow the characters as they struggled through grief, pain, bitterness, loss, and finally, acceptance. This is an extraordinary novel that touched me deeply.

This was an enjoyable second chance romance. I enjoyed the story line for the most part and the characters had great chemistry together once they finally admitted it.

Cody Ford is a Wall Street honcho with humble Texas roots. This holiday season, he’d be content to just stay in New York and not face his family—and dodge their questions about when and with whom he plans to settle down. . .and if he will do so back at home. But his father isn’t getting any younger, and Cody doesn’t want to miss any last chances to see him and the rest of the folks back on the ranch. The last person Cody was expecting to see? His one-time girlfriend, Lexi Murphy, who’s been working as his dad’s new live-in nurse. Lexi still holds a grudge against Cody. Back then, the college-bound heartthrob believed he was too good for a small-town girl like Lexi. But now Cody can’t help but see her in a whole new light. Could it be that this beautiful single mother with an unbeatable can-do spirit is the one he’s been waiting for all along? That depends on whether Cody can prove to Lexi that, this time, he means business—and if a sudden snowstorm can lend just the right amount of Christmas magic to help move things along.
This was a pretty good read. I’m not a huge fan of second-chance romances but I decided to try it anyways and it was an enjoyable book. I liked the author’s writing and both main characters. I look forward to reading more from this author. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

A new author for me and I enjoyed Lexi and Cody's story. It's a story of second chances and forgiveness. Cody went away to college when his mother was dying from cancer and left the love of his life behind. He's home for Christmas and to see his ailing father only to discover his caretaker is his first love.

Can they overcome past hurts and disappointment to take a second chance at love! I recommend you read this book to find out!

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

4 stars

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, secrets, and heartbreak.

Before reading this story please read the below books first
Cowboy Stole My Heart (River Ranch, #1)
All Night with the Cowboy (River Ranch, #2)


This is Lexi and Cody’s story. He thought he was to good for a small town girl. Now hes back to see his family but all he wants is Lexi. She is a single mother and his dads nurse.
Can see avoid him? Can he prove that he wants a forever? Or is she going to send him back to the big city with nothing?

I loved these characters and the side characters. I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read.

I recommend this book.

*4 Stars*

ARC kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a sucker for a second chance romance, and for cowboys, so this one had it all in there for me, ready to catch my eye.

I liked both Lexi and Cody, even if I did get frustrated with Cody a lot of the time. His family and also Lexi's son Harry were fabulous secondary characters too.

There's a lot going on in this one, on both main characters sides, but the storyline only covers a few days. It feels like it goes for much longer than that.

I wouldn't say that there's no angst in this, but what is in there isn't drawn out which is really nice. I read this in one day so its a nice and easy read.

Can be read as a standalone, but I would like to read the others in the series that I have missed. Other than this one, I've only read one other.

Would recommend.

This is a second chance story for a cowboy who fled Texas for New York and the girl he left behind. I did not read the previous books in the series, and maybe they provided more insight into why Cody Ford went to NYC after finishing college while his beloved mother was fighting cancer and never looked back, but I did not buy the excuse provided in the book.

The Fords are a wealthy ranching family. Unlike other books about singles who do not believe in love because of poor parental examples, Walter and his wife (I don't recall if her name was ever provided) loved each other and were loving parents to their 4 children. Yet three of their children fled when their mother got sick. The two older children, Cody and Angelina, have closed off their hearts to love (were they both captured by the Snow Queen?), fled the ranch to excel in business, but rarely come home. Tanner took off to the rodeo, but eventually came home, leaving only Mia to stay at home with her parents, watching as her mother declined. However, the younger two are now happily married, Tanner running the ranch with his father and Mia married to a neighboring rancher. But now their father is also battling cancer and the older two come back to the ranch for Christmas.

Cody is a hot shot, wealth finance guy who has appeared in FORBES magazine, but his entire life is about building his financial empire, all business and no personal life. When he comes home, he finds that his father had hired is ex girl friend as his live in nurse. She hates him, because he just left and never even said goodbye. Apparently he sent her a letter, but her mother, who now has Alzheimer's never gave her the letter. On the rebound, she had married a dead beat, but has a cute seven year old son, Harrison, who is one of the few endearing things about this book. During the visit they reconnect, he is wonderful with her son and they both admit that the feelings are still there, but Cody is too much of a coward to risk losing someone else that he loves.

Using PTSD as an excuse for his behavior, to me, just trializes the condition. Sadly, people watch loved ones fight and lose the battle against cancer everyday and while they are emotionally shattered, they do not behave like Cody did.

I read a ARC provided by NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

This was my first book by Soraya Lane and it won't be my last.

Some of Cody's actions though left me a bit wanting to strangle him. Firstly how he could not recognise his high school sweetheart is a bit hard to fathom?! But all the characters we meet are lovely to read and also can bring a lump to your throat. There's a great sense of family within the pages and a family's bond and how it can mend broken people.

All in all this is a well told story, not very cowboy-ey but nevertheless an enjoyable second chance romance. A 3 to 4 star read.

I love a good second chance at romance book and this is the perfect time to start reading this book with the holidays going on (Especially if you are looking for a escape from holiday stress) Also just want to point out that I didn't realize until writing the review that its apart of a series but is considered a standalone and if you have any doubts about missing anything just know that it really is fine to just pick up on its own. If anything it has made me more curious to check out the previous ones because of how much I enjoyed this. I loved getting to know the characters and seeing how everything played out. I enjoyed seeing that connection between the two. Then there was the whole business thing that Cody was doing that could make problems for Lexi and her mother and I was curious as the story went on how things would turn out and get resolved. Overall this was a pretty good contemporary romance and I really enjoyed it.

This was a simple novel whose plot and characters offered no surprises making it a relaxing escape.
I received an advance readers' copy through NetGalley.

This book has three of my favorite things. Christmas, cowboys, and 2nd chances. You get all of that in a book and you most definitely will have a winner! Thank you for such a great book Soraya!

This story took my Forever!! Not because it was awful, but because November was a busy month for me. Geez.! Why can't I just read books day in and day out? Why do I have to be an adult?!! Okay, enough about my problems, let's jump into this review. I got back to my favorite type of hero with this story and you probably guessed it, right? Cowboys!! Not only is he a cowboy, but he is one with deep pockets and he gets a second chance at love, which is also my fav.!!

At the first chance of leaving his small town in Texas, Cody could not leave fast enough. Trying to escape the slow wither of his dying mother, Cody leaves for college and doesn't look back. In the crossfire is Lexi and she is hell bent on holding a grudge against the boy who skipped town and crushed her heart. Ten years later, Cody is home for the holidays and Lexi is his dad's nurse. Cody's dad has cancer and he is basically bed ridden and Lexi is his home nurse. Their past tests their present and Cody has to decide whether to face his past head on or to run away from it like the first time. I liked Cody and Lexi together and I adored Lexi's son. The family dynamic was sweet and Cody wasn't the rugged cowboy, but he was business savvy and knew how to get his hands dirty. The death of Cody's mother was a hart hit for him and he has been running away ever since. Lexi is a single mother and is given a helping hand by the Ford family and she is a strong character with a huge heart being that her mother is sick as well. I loved them together and I was so happy about how things unfolded.

The family dynamic narrative carried this story and I really adored Walter, Cody's father. The tender love that Lexi had for her son really touched me and I really felt for her. I was so excited when Cody finally faced his past and came to his senses. Thank the Heavens for that because he already screwed up once, Big time.


I really don’t have much negative things to says besides the ending feeling unfinished, which is a minor thing and not much to lose hair over. Another thing is the switching of the POVs. It switches from Lexi and Cody's simultaneously and it kinda bothered me, but it didn't pull me from the story too much. This is a sweet Christmas story about a second chance at love and a cowboy coming home. Grab some tea or hot cocoa because I definitely recommend it.!!

This was the first book I've read by Soraya Lane. I enjoyed her writing, the descriptions, and the storyline. It took me a while to connect with her characters, but by the end of the book I enjoyed them.

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