Cover Image: The Cowboy's Claim

The Cowboy's Claim

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Member Reviews

This is the first book that I have read by Nina and it won’t be the last. The characters of Chloe and Tristan are so genuine that I felt as if I was a character in their story.

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As far as first impressions go, Tristen Tillbridge and Chloe Daniels tanked.
Chloe an up and coming actress arrived Tilbridge for field training for a part. Tristen has his hands full trying to fulfill a family obligation by making sure the stable is running smooth and safe.

They try to avoid each other at every turn, Tilbridge annual function brings them face to face. This time the pull is too strong to be ignored. I liked how Tristen and Chloe's relationship evolved.

If you enjoy a romance where the couple tries to fight the inevitable heat, family secrets, forgiveness, and healing, I recommend this for your reading pleasure.

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The Cowboy’s Claim is a light and easy read that I found quite enjoyable. Chloe Daniels is a struggling actress vying for a part in a film as a stable manager but there is one problem. She’s afraid of horses. She gets off on the wrong foot with the hero and has to figure out a way to get his cooperation. Tristan Tillbridge doesn’t need one more thing on his plate, and having an actress shadow him, takes the cake. He dumps her on someone else to deal with but later notices that she’s been resourceful in finding ways to help others around the stables. Jealous of the attention she’s getting from the other hands, he apologizes and tries to get along with Chloe. They settled into a nice routine and realized there is an attraction growing between them.

The Cowboy’s Claim is your typical hate to love story with the back and forth between the two main characters. It introduced some very likeable characters and whets your curiosity and interest on others situations for future stories. Tristan and Chloe are both relatable characters in which you see yourself cheering for them as well as wanting to give them a slap for being short-sighted. The author’s writing was crisp and flowed seamlessly and ended on a good note. Harlequin stories always leave me with a smile and The Cowboy’s Claim was no exception.

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I did enjoy this light and easy read. I liked the story and the characters. This is one that I just couldn't put down.

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Tristan is less then thrilled when he finds that hes has to take over duties of helping the actress Chloe learn the ropes of what he does at the ranch and help her get used to horses. He's got things to do and he really doesn't need the hassle teaching someone who obviously so different from his world.

If you like a good little contemporary romance you'll like this book. I loved seeing books where people from such different worlds come together and its fun seeing the sparks fly, the bits of drama and slowly but surely change of mind between the couple. Then theres the whole fact that Chloe is an actress and will only be there for a short while and there are things going on in Tristan's life that needs to be works on. Overall it was nice reading this book I really enjoyed it.

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Chloe is an actress who is still waiting to get noticed and she believes that her upcoming audition could be the stepping stone her career needs and the only thing standing in her way is her unfamiliarity with horses. She is looking forward to spending time at Tillbridge Stables to learn everything she needs to know but she hadn’t counted on the uncooperative ranch manager.

Tristan is very disgruntled not only about the fact that Chloe is staying at the ranch but about the family dynamics surrounding the ranch as well. When he is less than helpful towards Chloe, he can’t help but be intrigued by her when she is undeterred by his attitude. When he finally realizes he was mistaken about Chloe the chemistry between them ignites but can two people with very different dreams for the future find their happy ever after?

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Chloe and Tristan evolve from antagonistic to friends to love. They definitely had their misunderstandings along the way but seeing them acknowledge their feelings for each other will certainly bring a smile to your face.

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This was my first book by this author! I also haven't read a cowboy book in a long time, and I really enjoyed it.

Chloe Daniels is an actress looking for her big break. She really wants to nail an audition to be in the next film of the director she idolizes, but she has to be comfortable on a horse. Problem is, she has a pesky fear of horses left over from her childhood. So her agent sets her up with a friend that owns a horse ranch in Maryland, so Chloe can immerse herself in all things horses, and try to get ready for the audition, over a few weeks' time. But when Chloe arrives, the owner has to go out of town unexpectedly and leaves Chloe with the surly ranch manager, the owner's cousin.

Tristan Tillbridge is the ranch manager at his own family's ranch, after he was disinherited by his father. They reconciled shortly before his father's death, but not in enough time to change the will back. So, his father's much younger, gold digging wife got Tristan's share of the ranch, and sold it to Tristan's cousin Zurie, whom he now works for. Zurie is still angry at him for leaving her with all the responsibility of the ranch, after the initial fallout with his dad. But no one knows all the things that actually went on, since Tristan never told anyone the truth. He just hopes that these last 2 years he's worked the ranch will help prove to Zurie that he's really back for good. But, when Zurie dumps an actress in his lap last minute to babysit, he's not happy. He tries to ignore her, and hopes she'll leave him alone. She can find someone else to show her the ropes.

Tristan and Chloe had strong chemistry from the start, but his stubborn surliness caused a rift between them from the first moment too. So neither of them wanted to be attracted to the other, but they couldn't help it. Chloe really dug in and made a place for herself with the staff. She pitched in where they needed help, and tried making friends, in the hopes that they would teach her about the horses, since Tristan apparently had no interest in helping her. Meanwhile, with Zurie gone, Tristan really is bogged down with work and barely has time to sleep and eat properly, much less teach Chloe. But, as time goes on, the more he realizes he was wrong about her being a spoiled princess, and he likes that she isn't afraid of hard work, or getting dirty. Chloe likes how much he cares about the horses, and his employees, and how he's not above getting into the trenches with them when they need help. I liked watching them slowly realize how much they'd misjudged each other.

The staff of Tillbridge Stables was awesome, and I loved Tristan's cousin Rina, and his best friend Mace too. I'm very much looking forward to Rina's story next! All the side characters gave the story, and the ranch itself, an awesome small town feel, where everyone really cares for each other, but they're also in each other's business constantly! They really did all want the best for each other though, and that was great.

Tristan was the epitome of the strong and silent type, and sometimes I just wanted to yell at him to use his words! Not just with Chloe but with Zurie, Rina, and Mace too. Chloe had her own issues expressing her thoughts and feelings, and that didn't help much either. They were both characters with obstacles of some kind to overcome, and they helped each other do it, which I loved. I really enjoyed this story and I look forward to more of this author's work! I have a couple more books of hers lined up on my Kindle now for a rainy day!

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Who is Tristan Tillbridge? What does he do for a living? Who is Mace Calderone? What are he and Tristan discussing this day at the beginning of the book? Who are Zurie, Chloe, and Lena? I was miffed for a while at how Tristan was behaving, but that started to change a little after the dart game. I started seeing the real Tristan come out and it was nice. Watching the budding romance that happened in this story was that perfect combination of the slow burn and steaminess you could equate with a romance that will keep you reading without losing interest or feeling like it was too much or too little. At least that is how it was for me. This was the first story I read by this author and I cannot wait to go back and read more!

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If you enjoyed Rebekah Weatherspoon's A Cowboy to Remember, I think you'll really enjoy The Cowboy's Claim as well. Not only do we get a full cast of people of color, we get a different type of cowboy (as in one that is not Southern or Western), an interesting family dynamic, and a touch of Hollywood flair. I didn't really like Tristan in the beginning (his reaction to Chloe when they meet is not the best), but he grew on me as we get to know more about him and his history. I liked Chloe immediately; she's driven, intelligent, and hard working. A bit of the plot was predictable, but the story is well told and I look forward to the next book in the series and to reading more from Nina Crespo. 3 out of 5 wine glasses.

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The Cowboy's Claim was an interesting take on the usual cowboy romance. Slow to start, you wonder if the romance will ever get there, but once it does, you can't help but root for the hero and heroine to be together. When the book opens, you meet Chloe, a down and out California actress who is vying for an important role in a film. Now, she's at Tillbridge stables out east for six weeks to prepare for her audition. This felt like a serious stretch to me just for an audition but I digress. She immediately clashes with the hero and the mood is set for that love to hate kind of relationship.

Chloe, put off by Tristan, isn't one to sit around and do nothing, so she jumps in to help around the stables at the restaurant and in housekeeping, rather than the stables where she's been sent to learn. Finally, she manages to make her own way in learning what she needs, without the help of Tristan.

Tristan, watching all of this from the sidelines while he's trying to run the stable that his cousin dropped into his lap when she took off, is impressed by Chloe's tenacity. He's also finding himself jealous of the other stable hands who are helping her learn the ropes.

Their relationship starts to change when they meet in a social situation and Tristan lets his guard down. He apologizes to Chloe and their friendship grows. To complicate the mix you have Tristan's ex-step-mother causing problems with his ability to get back in as a partner in the stable business and the fact that Chloe is leaving to go back to California in five weeks. Desperate to get as much out of their time together as possible, they refuse to define their relationship more than spending time together making love and riding horses.

The Cowboy's Claim was your typical push-pull type of romance novel with likable characters and a HEA that left plenty open for the rest of the series. If you love a series about tight-knit families, family-run businesses with lots of drama, and an opposites attract type of romance, you'll love this new series by Nina Crespo!

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Tristan. I just love Tristan so much, even though I wanted to smack him here and there. Chloe needed to find herself, and she did that at the Stables. She is such a great character, and I loved these two together. I cannot wait to read more in this series!

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