Big thank you for the ARC. This was an entertaining read though I did find it super drawn out at times. Sarah and Cade’s story was super cute and heartfelt to which I gave it 3.5 stars!

I want to thank you for the arc for this book and I enjoyed it. It was just the story was a little drawn out. Didn't go the way I expected. I gave it a 4 star.

This was just an ok read for me.

There was just something about Sarah that didn't jive with me. I did like Cade though. He has been trying to overcome his hard childhood and I felt for him.

My favourite part of the book was the mix up at the beginning. I wish some of that humour/fun would have continued through the book.

This was such a sweet romance--I loved Sarah and Cade's story!

It starts out on an LOL moment--a mixup with Sarah's online ad that isn't ever fully explained--and just takes off from there. Both of them have issues galore, stemming from pasts that weren't what they deserved and definitely what they should have been able to expect, and watching them both overcome those pasts to be together was all kinds of rewarding.

Frustrating as heck at times--Cade, I'm looking at your obstinate self!--but that ending? Made everything worth it. And now I'm finding myself suddenly craving peach rings...no idea why... ;)

Cowboy for Hire is the second book in the Wishing River series, but it could work fine as a standalone if needed. If you have read the first book ( The Trouble with Cowboys ) though, you'll love seeing all of your Wishing River favorites here again--Lainey comes back!--and will undoubtedly join me in wondering how long Ms James is going to make us wait for Dean and Hope's book...

(Please, don't make us wait too long!)

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

After the death of her brother, Sarah has been living a very sheltered life. Now that her parents have passed shes left to be in charge of the family ranch but has very little experience on how to do that. On top that of that her ranch manager up and split leaving her to figure things out. When a mishap occurs on her search for a replacement she realizes that she needs to play a bigger part in her duty and hire someone who can not only take care of the running of the ranch but teach her how to do that as well. Cade has taken her up on her offer and you'll see how that goes.

I mean the book is predictable but it was still no less a fun and enjoyable read. Sarah really was a sheltered women and it was heart breaking learning about her past and why her parents kept her sheltered like she was and how everything turned her into the women she is. I loved seeing that slow burn romance between the two. I loved getting to know Cade and his upbringing which was pretty sad in itself as well. I loved seeing Cade get her to break out more at least as a support as she tries to venture out and actually do something more then what she was going though. Overall really good book I really enjoyed it.

Ahhhhhhh this was just such a wonderful book and I just thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn’t want to put this book down. I just fell in love with this wonderful story and it’s wonderful characters. I will most definitely be reading more stories from this wonderful author.

I love cowboys and this author sure knows how to write them. This cowboy and his love were great together and I wanted them to stay that way.

This book was okay. I wasn't compelled to read it in one sitting, or even in one day. I never really cared about the characters, or their feelings.

This book is a lovely written story about two people who were hurt by the negligence of those who should have loved them. Wonderful characters and a compelling plot make it an engaging read.

Until her brother, Josh, drowned when he was 12 and she 10, Sarah Turner had an idyllic childhood. But when he died, so did their family. When she did not speak for several months, her parents wrapped her in cotton wool, homeschooled her, so eventually she had no more friends or contacts outside of the ranch. Her father became a gambling drunk and her mother cold, so that only the housekeeper, Mrs. Casey, showed her any love. Her father refused to let her learn how to run the ranch, even though that had been her and Josh's dream, to run the ranch together and raise their families there. At 26, her parents are gone, the foreman has just left and she needs a new foreman to teach her the ropes.

Cade Walker had the opposite upbringing, told that he was a mistake, never shown any love and learned to work hard just to earn himself a place. All he has is his pride, he doesn't trust and doesn't think that a relationship, or a family is in his future. He had been working at a neighboring ranch as foreman, but now that the prodigal son, and his friend has returned, he feels this opportunity would be perfect for him.

They are both immediately attracted to each other, but that can't do, because she is his boss. He keeps her in the friend zone, while she fights him on making that decision for them both. He doesn't believe that he is good enough for her. He makes mistakes and almost loses the girl, until his friends figuratively smack him upside of the head, to get him to realize that he does deserve a HEA.

It is heartbreaking how they both grew up and funny as Cade teaches Sarah how to live again. I was mesmerized by the story and had a hard time putting it down. I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Sarah Turner has led a very sheltered life. So when her parents pass away tragically, suddenly she’s left in charge of the family ranch with little know-how but plenty of will to keep it afloat. Determined not to lose her parents’ legacy or her newfound independence, she needs a hero fast—not to save her, but to show her how to save herself. But she’s unprepared for the ruggedly handsome cowboy who answers her ad. “Cowboy for Hire,” the ad said, and Cade Walker is quick to respond. Betrayed as ranch manager by his former boss, he’s looking for a new place to put down roots—without the pressure to prove himself again. Except when he meets his new boss, it’s clear he’s not only there to run a ranch but to also teach Miss Independent how to run it. But as they struggle to make the ranch flourish, they’ll both need courage if they hope to find a family...together.
This was a sweet story that I read through rather quickly. I liked both main characters and I enjoyed following them through their journey. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

hmmmmmmmm Sometimes, I start a review with that noncommittal phrase because I really can’t commit to one way or the other with a story. The thing about this book is that for every positive there’s an equal on the other hand and it makes it hard to review. I think the best way to put this is that my likes and dislikes about romance fiction don’t fit with this story. Better yet, what I like to read doesn’t fit with this story. Mechanically, the book was on point, except maybe … (SEE, there’s always a counterpoint! UGH)

Look, I’m not taking this book apart for you guys because that would be dumb. If you like your stories more on the sweet side than sexy side, this might work for you. There’s a lot more choices the author made with this story that didn’t quite work for me but like I said, not picking it apart.

Cowboy for Hire is a lot deeper and emotional than I was expecting from a sweet romance. Both of the main characters have had major horrible life experiences and it could be triggering for some relating to childhood death and parental neglect. The love story was believable and adorable and I definitely want to go back and read about the rest of their friends.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Romance

This story starts out fairly funny. Sarah's ad accidentally gets mixed up with an escort ad and she gets a lot of "cowboys" coming to her aid. But Sarah is really in need of a ranch manager who can show her how to run her ranch. She was never truly given a chance to learn. Her dad was a true believer that girls shouldn't run a ranch. But when tragedy strikes her family, Sarah knows that she has to break free of the preconceived notions that she grew up with.

Cade is a ranch manager who grew up thinking that he just wasn't good enough. Even though he found a place at a ranch, he has this underlying feeling of insecurity that follows him around. When he answers Sarah's ad, he wants to try and find his own path.

These two find themselves trying to work together while fighting their attraction. This story had a lot of potential, but it just felt a little one dimensional. Even though the characters had some baggage, they let it consume them. Also, the romance was very stilted. Overall, this needed more development.

Sweet, romantic and touching story. Cade and Sarah were a cute couple. good book

This is book 2 in the series and it features Cade and Sarah. Sarah is probably the most sheltered normal person I’ve ever read about. Her brother drowned when they were kids and her parents never recovered except to make sure she was NEVER doing anything that could be considered dangerous. For Sarah that meant never leaving the ranch again. Years later and Sarah is in charge and trying to learn how to run her own ranch. Cade, her new ranch foreman, is the perfect one to teach her. Can these two work side-by-side, every day, and not feel the attraction that’s growing between them? Can she break down the walls Cade had built around himself?

Fantastic story line! It was great getting to see the characters from book one often in this story. Character growth was tremendous for everyone in this book. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series!

Cowboy For Hire is the second book in this series but you do not have to read the first to enjoy this story, it completely stands alone.

I loved this story and the way that it was presented by Ms. James. The humor that was interspersed with the serious and heart-wrenching moments were perfectly balanced. I loved how capable Sarah was, and the fact that Cade embraced her abilities rather than seeing her as helpless. Although she had her limitations (don't we all?) I loved that Cade helped Sarah integrate back into the town and helped her become more than just Joshua's sister.

If you like a really well-written book about two deeply flawed but incredibly great characters, I highly recommend this story or any story by Victoria James. And to be fair, you cannot go wrong with any of her books, just be prepared to experience ALL of the feels when you read.

Cowboy for hire is an sweet, heartfelt and delightful read. It's a wonderful written. I has enjoyable storyline. I truly enjoyed reading about these two characters. Its a page turner and kept my interest throughout the story.
I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are of my own. Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for letting me read this story.

I liked everything but Sarah. I liked Cade and the side characters and I'm look forward to Dean and Hope's story but there was just something about Sarah that I found annoying. Otherwise I liked the story well enough.

Cowboy for Hire is a sweet, awkward romance involving a couple of sweet, awkward characters. There’re a lot of issues between these two, but I think that they work well here. Cade is caring and supporting, exactly what Sarah needs in her life. She’s spent a lot of years being repressed and she’s ready to stand on her own two feet. She’s a little like a newborn colt, all gangly legs and clumsiness, but she’s determined to stand on her own and finally do what makes her happy.

Cade has spent all of his life trying to show that he’s useful, as his childhood taught him that if he wasn’t then he wouldn’t be kept around. It’s hard for him to believe that someone, anyone, would want him around just for himself and not what he can do for them. He’s made a lot of progress in the last few years, finally finding friends that treat him like family, but he’s still not quite there.

This definitely causes moments of conflict between the two – his need to solve problems and her need to be involved. But together, with a little help from those who love them, they might figure out how to make things work.

While there are a lot of awesome moments with these two, Cade’s struggling with his feelings and Sarah sometimes being bold then other times uncertain does create a very push/pull type of relationship that readers have to be OK with. It’s handled realistically, between two characters who are trying their best to handle their hangups and a growing attraction, but some may be looking for something a little more straightforward.

I really enjoyed getting to know Cade and Sarah. They are good people and, while life hasn’t always treated them well, they’ve managed to come out of it stronger (with a little baggage). It’s sweet, complicated, and heartwarming, perfect for readers looking for a book with a little slower of a pace and not very much heat.

(Note: James starts the story with a humorous little mix-up that totally set a tone that didn’t play out throughout, which I think throws readers off a little. It’s something that she could have played throughout the book but unfortunately it’s kind of a throw away after the first handful of pages. And while the book technically can stand on its own, there’s a lot of references to things I didn’t understand and I wonder if I would have had an idea about Cade’s character, and an affection for him, coming into this story.)

Victoria James’ latest installment, Cowboy for Hire, set in the Wishing River, Montana is layered with emotion, heart, and a ton of warmth. The characters are relatable, and draw you in with minimal effort. The story is perfectly paced to keep you engaged and turning the pages. There is just enough conflict and strive to keep things interesting and counterbalance the emotional aspects of the story. Having followed Tyler and Lainey’s story, Cade and Sarah are another couple who you’ll loose your heart to.

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