I enjoyed the sweet romance between Rose and Hud, but Aunt Luna was my favorite character. She was hilarious & I loved her spunk!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley.

Cowboy Courage is the sixth title in the Longhorn Canyon series and an addictive world that keeps me returning for more glimpses of familiar faces as well as new adventures to enjoy with these characters. I’ve been waiting for Hud’s story, and it was well worth the wait.

Rose and Hud make an extremely interesting couple. Each has had life experiences that have taken them far beyond their childhood crush. As Rose returns to tend to her aunt’s B & B they’ll reconnect with surprising results.

Rose is a fascinating character to me. The life she’s led certainly hasn’t been boring yet now she’s faced with decisions to make about her own future right when she’s wondering if that spark from her youth with Hud is simply sweet memories or the start of her future. Hud would probably like to be seen as strong, dependable, a man of his word and he is all of that and more, but he’s also starting to feel the aloneness of the ranch, his life so as Rose returns so does old feelings that just might be more than he remembered. Add some quirky matchmaking residents, tending to a baby, and one completely mischievous cat to the mix of their romance and you’ll have an idea of what Cowboy Courage has in store for readers.

I had such a good time with Hud and Rose back in this world. Their romance is full of laughter, sizzle, and discovering that love really can start long ago and grow into far more than you ever dreamed of. If you love a solid romance, a plot that flows easily, interesting characters and a couple to fall in love with then you’ll want to pick up Cowboy Courage – now.

*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.*

Carolyn Brown write sweet stories of romance, friendship and family. COWBOY COURAGE give us a touching story between two heroes that find a second chance at love.

I received this ARC copy of Cowboy Courage from Forever (Grand Central Publishing). This is my honest and voluntary review.

Cowboy Courage was a beautiful love story full of laughter, romance and love. Hud Baker is a dreamy cowboy who not only tries to win Rose's heart but he captures the reader's heart too. I really liked how they first met in junior high and were reacquainted when Rose helped her aunt out at her gift shop and B & B. The scene in the gift shop was so funny and priceless. I also enjoyed all the references and lines from country songs.

I liked Rose, who is such a strong, opinionated woman with a backbone. It was interesting to see where she grew up and how she turned out. Aunt Luna was a riot no matter where she went and she made the story very interesting.

I liked the small town of Bowie where everyone looked our for each other and help was just a phone call away. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

Cowboy Courage is another wonderful book. Rose comes back to town to run her aunts b-n-b for her. She runs into Hud and they are still attracted to each other. It takes them a while to share their feelings for each other but, it was worth the wait. This is a wonderful story with endearing characters. I especially loved Aunt Luna. I look forward to reading the next book.

I loved this book!! Great story!! 1st book I have read by this author will read more of her books!! Received this book from forever ( grand Central publishing) from netgally!!

ARC for honest review with no compensation received from NetGalley

Cowboy Courage is book 6 in the Longhorn Canyon series by Carolyn Brown while a standalone reading the other books in this series has you filling in the gaps.

“Cactus” Rose O’Malley and Hudson “Hud” Baker met when they were in junior high but one year later she was gone...now years later Rose is on leave from the military and trying to decide what to do with the rest of her life while helping at her aunt’s bed and breakfast and gift shop. When in walks a blast from the past...Hudson who now goes by Hud....

Lots of humor, mishaps, disasters, strong family ties and a second chance at first love...

In admittedly one of my favorite tropes, that of a second chance romance, Rose O'Malley and Hudson Baker get a chance to finally get it right and to find their way to a happy future. This is certainly not the turn in life Rose expected. Instead, she is waiting for a promising promotion at work. Meanwhile, dealing with the fact that she was left her aunt's bed and breakfast has her all twisted up.

For one thing, it needs a lot of work - and time. Does she even have time to get involved in a romance, and with the man who once snagged her heart? Besides, being in Texas is only a temporary thing and it seems that Hud has his roots set nice and firm.

Hud has his own world turned upside down. Of course, being in close proximity with Rose is enough to knock off his cowboy hat. Factor in other troubling scenarios, like a baby that was found. Can Hud redirect his life in such a way to find a joyous bounty at the end?

I loved this book by Carolyn Brown. In fact, I have enjoyed the entire series. Although I am rather addicted to series, this book, as well as the others, does perfectly fine as a standalone. The next book is Cowboy Strong, where Pax gets his story, and that is coming in June, 2020.

My thanks to Forever and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story of Rose and Hud is a second chance trope. The romance is fun and light with Brown's light Southern humor mixed in. Lots of references to Country music and lyrics. There's a slightly loony aunt that you'll feel compassion for before the story ends. The relationship between Rose and Hud is cute, sometimes awkward and hilarious at the same time.
This wasn't one of my favorites by Brown, but fun and enjoyable.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

Rose and Hud had such a fun time trying to stay out of trouble - but it just kept pestering them until they finally fall into their HEA - I love reading Mz Carolyn's books - always a great time for all the characters and you can hear them talking to you, twang, slang and all!

I’ve recently read several of Carolyn Brown’s latest standalone contemporary romances, and I enjoyed each of them. So I was looking forward to reading Cowboy Courage and seeing how she does with the cowboy genre. To be blunt, I found it to be a little on the cheese-a-roni side.

Rose O’Malley and Hudson Baker went to school together for a single year when they were in junior high. They both secretly crushed on each other, but then Rose’s father moved the family away and Rose and Hud didn’t see each other again until over ten years later.

Rose has spent eight years in the military, but now has to make some decisions about her future. While she’s pondering her choices, Rose is helping run the gift shop at her aunt’s B&B while the aunt is traveling in Europe for a month. And one day in walks Hud, the boy she’s never forgotten about, and never forgot about her!

What follows is one minorly calamitous situation after the next. Hud steps in a bucket of water, then Rose ends up tripping and sitting in the bucket, there’s rain storms and tornadoes and good grief what else could be thrown in? Oh yeah, a hilarious older aunt with a wry sense of humor who uses a gun to try and kill a spider and a rat - IN THE HOUSE. (And no one does anything to try and take the gun away from her. WHA???) It’s all slapstick and silly, and I wasn’t amused by any of it, unfortunately.

I liked how Hud was immediately determined to win Rose’s affections by helping with all her needs at the B&B, and wanted to take her out on dates, but everything in the book was so cheesy I couldn’t get past it.

Maybe I would have been more into the book if I’d read more of the series (this is book six), but I doubt it. For whatever reason, this one just didn’t work for me and I found myself surprised since the previous books I’d read from Ms. Brown had plenty of humor and none of it was forced or slapstick.

Oh well. I like some, I dislike some. I’ll keep reading Carolyn Brown, but I’ll be staying away from this series.

* thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

First book that I have read from this author. Book 6 of the series but can be read as a standalone. Didn’t hold my interest as much as I would have liked. I found myself putting this book down and reading a few others before I finished this. It was an ok read with some funny parts but just wasn’t for me.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Cowboy Courage is the sixth book in Carolyn Brown's Longhorn Canyon series, a series I've been following since its inception, and since I'm a fan of second-chance and first-love romances, I expected to absolutely love this novel, but I'm sorry to say that so far, and for a variety of reasons, this is my least favorite novel in the series. It barely gets a 3-star rating from this reader.

"Cactus" Rose was born and raised in a commune, one in which her father was the head honcho (dictator), both dominating and demanding, and Rose's mother, Echo, rarely challenged his authority. As were all the children at the commune, Rose was home schooled, but because the community was so insular, her mom finally got her father to agree to let 14-year-old Rose attend junior high school for one year. It was there she met and crushed on Hudson (Hud) Baker, who was equally taken with Rose as soon as they met, but except for sharing some classes together and riding on the school bus, they didn't date, they didn't kiss, and the following year Rose was gone. Neither teenager ever completely forgot the other, but with the no phone rule at the commune, and no way to communicate, it stayed a first crush for both characters.

Rose went on to serve in the military, and now, 14 years later, she is on leave while trying to decide whether or not to re-enlist, while also helping her aunt, Molly, run her gift shop and bed & breakfast inn while her aunt is off on a 6-week European vacation with the Fab Five, five senior citizens who met in an old age home (and whom we met in previous novels). The Fab Five, as they called themselves, eventually left the home, bought a house together, and are quite the go-getters.

No one could be more surprised than Rose, when one day Hud, her first crush, shows up at the gift shop to buy a gift for his sister. Their meeting was laced with the kind of humor I've come to expect in a Carolyn Brown novel, and apparently both characters feel as attracted to one another as they did in junior high school. But from that point on, aside from moving from one disaster or complication to the next with regularity, this has to be the slowest moving romance I've read in years. I was at an advantage by having read the previous novels in this series, which, I suppose, could work as a standalone, but there are many interconnected characters and it might be difficult to understand the nuances of their inter-relationships if you're new to this series.

Hud is as much of a Texas cowboy as you could find in this entire genre--he works hard, is a heroic volunteer firefighter, and an all-around nice, kind and polite guy, but even though he's still incredibly attracted to Rose, and although he's sweet, handsome and charming, his titular courage is quite lacking in the romance department, and even when he finally starts to acknowledge his feelings for Rose, he's tentative at best, and Rose, who is at least somewhat flirtatious with him, is also so hesitant to let him know her feelings for him. You'd think these two characters had attained zero maturity in the 14 years they'd spent apart. Since both main characters are 28 years old and adults, who both admit to having had one-night stands and other brief relationships in the past, I found their behavior toward one another rather juvenile, and hard to believe, and when they finally do get together late in the novel, although we're repeatedly told about the sparks these two set off in each other, I certainly wasn't feeling them at all.

The saving grace in this novel is the arrival of Aunt Luna, a zany 80-year-old retired carny, who is a hoot and a half, and her lack of a verbal filter, her in-your-face, risque humor, and her drinking, were, in this reader's opinion, the best part of this novel. Aunt Luna left the man she'd been with for the past 60 years because he was flirting with a grocery store clerk who was at least 30 years his junior. Luna is waiting for him to call, apologize and beg her to return, and while she's waiting, she's in everybody's business, gets drunk, and tries to help out with the cooking at the B&B since Rose never learned to cook. As a reader, I couldn't wait to see what she'd do or say next.

I think the courage mentioned in the title had more to do with Hud's willingness to run into a blazing building to rescue its occupants than it did his courage in finally admitting to his feelings for Rose and his willingness to put those feelings on the line, and admit them to himself and to Rose, and while I knew this novel would have an HEA ending, it seemed to take forever to get there, and even that was somewhat of a letdown for it's lack of depth. I didn't connect with these characters and their reticence at all, but if you're looking for a relatively tame, clean and uncomplicated romance novel, you might enjoy this one more than I did.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Longhorn Canyon #6, Yay! It's Hud finally. A second chance romance. Rose, Hud's middle school crush, shows up in town to help her great aunt run her B&B and gift shop while she's on vacation with the Fab 5. Rose is at a crossroads in her life right now she can either re-up in the Army or do something else with her life as long as it's not going back to her family in the commune. One thing she knows for sure she's not going to make a decision based solely on a guy, not even a guy she's never stopped thinking about since she left without saying goodbye. Hud knows it's her choice whether to stay or not and seeing how there is not a opportunities for a multilingual language specialist he's worried he's going to lose her before they even get the chance.

In a funny Murphy's Law sort of way Rose and Hud are pushed to their limits. Both Rose and Hud have to face some truths before they can finally admit their feelings but when they do nothing will keep them apart not even a tornado in January. I really enjoyed this book. I loved Hud and Rose. I would love to see more of Great Aunt Luna she's my kind gal. Overall, this a a fun read Hud is a real sweetheart and Rose is a bright head strong woman who picks her battles wisely. I am really looking forward to Pax's story next.

Cowboy Courage is a solid release from Carolyn Brown. The writing is on point and even though the story was a bit slow for me in a few places, I still really enjoyed meeting these characters.

What a great read! I laughed through out this book, the characters, the situations...great humor! Rose has come to help her great aunt out by filling in for her while she's on vacation, how hard could it be to work a gift shop in a B & B? She wasn't expecting to see her childhood crush walk in look like the unbelievably sexy cowboy he'd grown into. Hud was happy to see Rose again, the first scene may not be the impression he wanted to make by being clumsy rather than the swaggering cowboy. Rose is at a crossroads in her life, does she reenlist, go home to Kentucky or find a new life in Texas? Hud's big heart is making her decision all that harder, not that the sexy cowboy wasn't hard enough to resist. Mishaps, good times, eccentric great aunts, life saving hero and so much more make this a greatly entertaining read!

Another romance hit from Carolyn! I’m a big fan of her cowboys! Hud & Rose were adorably cute & a perfect match! The two know each other in junior high but now get a second chance as adults. Rose comes back to help at her aunts B & B while she’s out on vacation. Hud and his twin Tag own a ranch in town. These two have so much that keeps going wrong during their chances with each other from crazy great aunts to busted water pipes to tornados! It was a delight to watch these get to their HEA. Aunt Luna was a great secondary character to this story! I highly recommend this book especially if you’ve read the other 5 in the series. I’m looking forward to Paxton’s story next!

I loved this terrific small-town romance!

Hud and Rose knew each other briefly as young teens, but even then their instant connection left behind a deep longing and the roots of true love. Now that Rose is back in town helping her aunt run the B&B, Hud is determined to make the most of his second chance at love.

Hud is not just a book-boyfriend hero; he's a true hero in every sense of the word. A man of honor, he lives by the code taught to him by his grandfather. This code should be etched in stone and taught to everyone everywhere.

Rose is a wonderfully strong character, a woman who knows her own mind and longs for a place that she can truly call home.

This book has all the feels, terrific humor, heartfelt family connections, and enough small and large disasters to keep the story exciting. Aunt Luna is a truly unique and special character, and she really brings a lot of spice to the story.

I enjoyed every bit of this soulful, small-town romance, and it's a book I can highly recommend. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Rose and Hud met in junior high school, fell hard, and never forgot each other. Now as adults they’re both in the same part of Texas, and it’s as if they never parted, but it’s a temporary situation. Rose is holding down the fort at her Aunt Molly’s B & B while Molly’s off vacationing, but she has no permanent plans yet. Rose has a few weeks to decide if she’ll re-enlist in the military or get a job as a civilian. However, the longer she stays in Texas with Hud, this sweet, caring cowboy, the more she can’t picture leaving.

Hud’s never forgot Rose, and never felt as deeply for any other woman. Can he convince her to stay?

Cowboy Courage was a fun and sexy romance. Hud and Rose had an easy going, low-angst, sweet romance that progressed naturally and I really enjoyed their journey. I can always count on a good time and a few laughs when I pick up one of Ms. Brown’s stories, and she didn’t disappoint. Rose’s feisty Aunt Luna was a hoot! I loved how she handled Rose’s chauvinistic father and a pair of ridiculous cops! Don’t cross her when she’s got “Madam” (her pistol) in tow!

**This review may contain possible spoilers**

The opening scene with Hudson (Hud) maneuvering among all the fragile delicate items on display in the gift shop he has entered to find a suitable birthday gift for his sister while tangling with a container set out to catch water from a leak in the ceiling of the shop is absolute romantic comedy gold!! From that point on I was hooked on this book and just had to keep reading! Cactus Rose (Rose) is managing the gift shop/B&B for her Great-Aunt Molly while Molly is on vacation and Rose is deciding whether to reenlist in the military. Rose and Hud had had a sweet connection one year when they were both in middle school. Rose was allowed to attend the public school system that year when her parents had taken a year away from the commune they previously been living in. Even though Hud and Rose had only known each other during that one school year as children, they subconsciously carried that memory with them and now they are meeting again as adults. The rest is a wonderfully written humorous love story with one disaster happening after another! These were usually at the hands of Great-Aunt Luna, (who had shown up at the B&B after a spat with her common-law husband) and her Madame Derringer that she carried with her everywhere! I thought Aunt Luna was a hoot, especially an episode involving a bottle of wine, Jack Daniels, a late-night, that turned into an overnight, wake (the inspiration of Aunt Luna) at an outside makeshift grave for a B&B guest that had unexpectedly passed away the day before he had been scheduled to arrive!! Kudos to the author for such originality and allowing us to peek into her fabulous imagination!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley.