Carolyn Brown's books are so easy to get into. I haven't come across a book by her that doesn't suck me in, this book is no exception. From the start with just the first sentence, I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down. I was not wrong. Carolyn has a way with writing western romance that I just love! I feel the ups and downs of the characters, whom are easy to get attach to. I have never picked up a book by Carolyn that disappointed me. Thank you for another amazing read!

Another Great book by Carolyn Brown! I love how she makes you part of the book by getting me emotionally involved with her characters. Reason why she is one of my favorite authors!

Sexy Fun Cowboy! Cute characters. Great storyline and plot twist. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC !

Oh Carolyn Brown never disappoints. Another cute story of hidden pasts, fears and love. Just one will like to read.

While the writing was very good, I found the set up and the plot very predictable and not very intriguing. I would read a story by this author again, however.

Cowboy Strong is a great romance novel with plenty of heart and heat. It can be triggering for some since it does deal with cancer and illness, but it is worth it to read the story of Pax and Alana. It is part of a series but can easily be read as a standalone (although having read the others, i would definitely go back and read them if I were you). This is definitely a sweet book, a quick read and very enjoyable.

Highly entertaining, sexy, fun and action packed journey filled with interesting and engaging charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists and heartwarming moments. Really enjoyed this emotionally thrilling and passionate adventure. Great reading.

Alana's father just broke the news that he doesn't have much left to live preferring for his condition to take him out like a man then a patient. Knowing there is little time left she breaks the news that shes really actually engaged to a friend of hers Paxton and they planned to be married. Now she just gotta get Paxton to agree to this farce and see if he'll follow along. Theres the whole planning a wedding and figuring out how to break the news to everyone on how it wasn't real. But though it all, things are about to get a whole lot interesting.

This was such a fun read. You can see the love Alana has for her father and she was nuts to come up with this plan but it was with the best intention. Alana knew eachother for a long time and it was interesting seeing their past together while growing up. I loved the sense of community when it came to this book, there was so much people willing to help out and who were supportive. There was very little drama. Then theres the romance which I loved watching between the two. The marriage might be a fake but the feelings were clearly turning into something more then just friendship and I loved getting to see that. Overall pretty good book I really enjoyed it.

Received in exchange for a honest review.

This was a hoot and sweet. Paxton was so perfect and you swoon from the start. He is so easy going but also so amazing. He is supportive, kind and wonderful. I loved how he was right there for Alana no questions asked.

Alana was strong and smart. She was asking alot of Paxton but not really. Paxton loved Alana and just didn’t want her to know. He did not think Alana felt the same way and she did. They both buried their feelings and ignored the pull. The book was a slow burn. YOu watch two really good friends help one out because of a sad situation. A situation that brought them together as more and gave us a love that was beautiful and kind. Her dad was so adorable with all his wedding planning. He had me smile throughout. The adventures that Alana and Paxton had were fun and sweet. I love how they were always open and honest with one another. Well to a point. When their feelings started to arise they ignored them out of fear the other wouldn’t feel the same way.

These two were meant to be together. They were both ranchers, loyal, kind, loving and hardworking. They both were devoted to family and they loved one another. They respected each other as well and their love was built on a solid foundation of mutual respect and friendship. Their story melts your heart and puts a smile to your face as they show us how falling in love can be healing and wonderful. How they are there for each other no matter what and they never feel alone or as if they aren’t listened to or supported. They are amazing together and are just so darned cute together.

‘Cowboy Strong‘ is the seventh title in the ‘Longhorn Canyon‘ series, and it gives us a fake relationship to fall in love with as two people (who really have been attracted to each other forever) end up in a pretending to get married situation that will ease one dad’s heart but possibly break another man’s. I enjoyed Pax and Alana so much. They worked together as friends and as a couple, they fit, now all they have to do is acknowledge that what started out as pretend is as real as love comes.

I’ve loved the ‘Longhorn Canyon‘ series from the beginning. Lots of strong, stubborn, sexy men (and women) who discover that love was right there all along, they just had to really see it. Pax and Alana are similar in many ways yet there is heartbreak here, the kind that every life experiences eventually. So while my heart ached for Alana and her dad, it also warmed as she and Pax came together to ease a father’s worries – and discover a lifetime love at the same time. Not that getting to that ‘forever happily after’ part is going to be relatively easy considering the people involved – but they do get there and the journey to making that wedding a reality was touching, emotional, sexy, and well worth the time.

We’ll run into some familiar faces, I always expect to in a series, yet if you haven’t read the earlier books you won’t feel the least bit lost. I would recommend this entire series if you have the chance or the ability to go back for they are well written, engaging romances that will put a smile on your face. I had fun with Alana and Pax as they worked their way to their happy ending, and I believe if you love a really good love story then you will, too.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Forever – Grand Central Publishing 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's books are one of my guilty pleasure reads. I know I'm always in for some lovely romance and a good time when I sit down and enjoy her books with a cup of tea. When I saw a copy of this book pop up on NetGalley, I was so thrilled and applied for it instantly! And lucky me, it was the same old Carolyn Brown romance that gives me chills and makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!

Alana and Pax are adorable. They are old friends who may or may not have had crushes on each other since they were little. When Alana gets the bad news that her Father, Matt, has cancer and will die soon, she comes up with a pretty, little lie that her and Pax were engaged and going to be marrying ASAP. Only problem? They aren't. She breaks the news to Pax, and suddenly a giant wedding is being planned and gossip is spread throughout the time. Will this not-so-together couple have their happily ever after?

Seriously, these books make me feel so good. They're amazing contemporary romance with a splash of western, and always have that feel good, warm and fuzzy feeling. I absolutely love them! As sad as it is that Matt is dying, the rest of this book makes me feel so darn good! I'm so happy I picked this book up, because it was just what I needed.

Alana is a strong woman who just wants to make her Dad happy. Pax is a strong guy who wants to help Alana, because that's what friends do. Their blossoming romance is also utterly adorable and gives me the jitters. Seriously, Carolyn Brown writes one mean romance. I love it!

Five out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
2.5 stars
M/F Romance

This story had a lot of potential. Alana and Pax had a history and while you don't really know what happened when they were younger, you can see that they have a genuine friendship that could be a lot more.

It was frustrating to watch them fight their attraction for most of the book. Then, when you incorporated the cancer, unknown relative, and unplanned life circumstances, you were just kind of given a miss-mash of things. I really wanted to like this story, because I love a good friends-to-lovers story. Probably if they had not fought their feelings for 80% of the book, it would have been more successful.

Triggers: Terminal illness

I’ve been looking forward to Paxton and Alana’s as I could feel the attraction brewing between them in the previous books. Come to find out they’ve danced around their feelings for each other since they were teenagers. However, now that Alana finds out her father doesn’t have long to live and that his greatest wish is to walk her down the aisle, she goes to Pax to strike up a deal. Pretend they’ve been dating secretly and are coincidently engaged. They’ll move up the wedding date to fulfill her dad’s wishes. Yep, it’s the good ole fake relationship/marriage scenario and you just know what happens next!

My heart broke over the news of Alana’s father since she lost her mother early, too, and they basically only had each other as family since. Pax was the first one she thought of confiding in and the only one she’d trust to go along with her scheme of marrying and then divorcing later on. Alana figures that Pax would be eager to end things after her father passes, not wanting to settle down yet, and Pax figures Alana wouldn’t want a cowboy with little to his name. But as time goes on, they realize their feelings for each other are anything but fake, and they begin to wonder and long for a real future together.

Alana and Pax’s romance was sweet, spicy and fun! I enjoyed their journey toward a HEA. There were some sad bits because of the situation with Matt, but as usual Carolyn Brown manages to weave in humor and keep things uplifting even in the face of loss. I always enjoy her good old country wisdom interspersed throughout the pages, too.

Cowboy Strong may be the seventh book in the Longhorn Canyon series, but each book can be read as a standalone. However, if you start at the beginning you can enjoy the previous couples’ cameo appearances in the later books.

We are back into the Longhorn Canyon series with book #7. I am so enjoying this series and always look forward to a new one.
Alana Carey can out-rope, out-ride, and challenge even the best Texas cowboy. But she does have one soft spot -- and his name is Paxton Callahan. With Pax back in town, Alana's old feelings have returned with a vengeance. But she barely has time to process her attraction for the hunky cowboy before her father falls ill. All he wants is for her to marry and settle down before he passes away, and Alana isn't about to break a dying man's heart.
Paxton Callahan has been in love with Alana since...forever. Now that he's living right next door, the electricity between them is about to set the whole Texas panhandle on fire.
So Alana comes up with a plan to fake being engaged to each other to give her dad peace when he dies. As the day comes nearer Alana doesn't think she can go through with it and thinks they should just come clean.
Cute second chance cowboy romance, what more do you need?
Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC to review.

I loved this fake relationship story. I loved how much Alana and Paxton wanted to make her dad's last few weeks amazing and make him so happy and loved. This was a great story with characters that warmed your heart and even though this is the only book in the series that I have read, it worked as a stand alone, but the hints were enough to make me want to read the previous stories as well. However, I did not enjoy the way the dialogue was written. I know they are in Texas and I know that they are cowboys, but the way that the author made the dialogue try to sound cowboy was a little off putting to me.

Now if your looking for friends to lovers this is your book. I loved this story, but didn't like how they got together under the circumstances. I recommend this book to all those reader that love a little cowboy love story.

3.5 Stars

Fathers love their daughters and sometimes life isn’t long enough to protect them. For Texas cowgirl, Alana Carey, life has always been about the Ranch and her daddy. But when her father’s health is compromised, she’s forced to make some tough decisions to make her daddy’s dream come true.

Tough decisions sometimes come in strong, tall, sexy packages. Enter Paxton Callahan, handsome, rugged and a dangerous kisser. For Alana, growing up has always included Paxton. From a stolen kiss to longing looks, Paxton has always been the sexy Cowboy next door and someone she could always count on. When life is short, you’ve got to make every memory count and for Alana, Paxton will do whatever it takes.

“Not if you live by the Cowboy Code,” Pax said. “I know that code as well as you do,” she asked.

“Then you know should never let anyone take your courage, your strength, or your dignity.”

“I guess it would take a strong cowboy to follow his heart and not let other people say influence his decision to fall in love with a woman because she owns more dirt than he does, Alana said.”

“Had it been anyone other than Pax sitting at her table that evening she might have snarled at the dirt on his shirt. But she saw right past the grime and even his bulging biceps and looked right at the heart of the man. He’d dropped what he was doing to go with her, had taken over the wheel to calm her down, and then hustled up a meal. Now that was a man that any woman should be proud to call her husband.”

Life and the memories we make along the way, the joys and sorrows it brings, make these characters, Cowboy Strong. Set on the ranch lands of Daisy, Texas, this romance will take you through some scorching Texas heat and fiery neighborly attraction. So, get ready to get lost in this shot gun romance! With a plan set in place, a mutual goal to make someone’s dream come true and a chemistry that is off the chart’s tangible, this author will take you along, to discover that sometimes love was always next door.

My thoughts 🤔 💭

It was a bit of a challenge to read through the story. I kept having issues with the dialect, even though I’m from Texas. The story itself is good. I kept rooting for the characters and felt invested in their outcome, meaning l was committed to the end of the book. The main characters and the supportive characters were well written. I felt like everyone was comfortable and I believed that they knew and cared for each other.

There was lots of chemistry between the main characters but was a bit disappointed the sex scenes were really toned down; not necessarily a bad thing, but I just wasn’t expecting it and it took me by surprise.

I would recommend this book to a friend with some caution. These characters are religious. Again, not a bad thing, I certainly didn’t mind it, but it might be off-­putting to some. I would caution you, that these characters are cattle ranchers and there is mention of cattle buying and breeding. Texas born and raised, that is just the way of life here for most. I would just caution because there are a lot of people that don’t support that industry.

Overall, I enjoyed it. This story evokes emotion. Reading through it, feeling their love and their loss, I couldn’t help but feel along with them. I absolutely got lost in this story and it was entertaining to read and to see the characters fall in love.

~ Patricia

Alana Carey is one of the strongest western heroines I have had the pleasure of reading. With her father being terminally ill, Alana's ranch responsibilities increase exponentially. There is a distraction, however. A huge one. Cowboy Paxton Callahan is back in town and Alana is all but overwhelmed with feelings for him she thought long buried. While talking to her father, with her love and respect for him shining through, she tell him something that will make him happy and the rest of his time peaceful. She tells him she is engaged to Pax, long-time family friend, and someone Alana knows her father would approve of.

There is one problem, however, the two are not engaged. As a matter of fact, they are not even a couple! Yet, Alana knows her father wants her to be happy and so she tells him this untruth. Here is the rub, Pax has been in love with Alana since they were kids. With their attraction sizzling to a boiling point, he has no problem going along with Alana's lie. He loves her father, and when he finds out that it is his dying wish to see Alana married, what else could Pax do?

The pair have to appear convincingly. Well, with the arc of attraction that flows freely between them, that certainly won't be a problem. So, a fake romance, engagement and soon-to-be wedding is all ahead of the couple.

While I loved watching Alana and Pax dance around their feelings for one another, I was so very moved by the fact that I knew Alana's father Matt would die at some point in this story. For that to happen Ms. Brown had to delicately balance both romance and tragedy. As much as I have enjoyed this series over the past couple of years, that made this book hold so much more for me. How I loved Matt, and of course, Alana and Pax. Along with Alana knowing she would lose her dad, there were other sensitive things about her, really making her a wonderful character.

While I am not certain as if there will be more stories in this Longhorn Canyon series, I will certainly grab as many of Ms. Brown's novels I can as I truly enjoy her writing style as well as the way she portrays her characters.

Many thanks to Forever and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Y’all know I’m a sucker for a cowboy romance - this one was on the sweeter side with lifelong friends posing in a fake engagement. I really appreciated the realistic storyline... fake dating is not my favorite but this one was done so well I really liked reading it! I could have definitely used some more angst/sexual tension and didn’t care for the third person POV. Overall it was a sweet cowboy romance and a quick read!

You can checkout my full review on my blog The Bookish Mom IG

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the eARC to read & give an honest review!

COWBOY STRONG is the seventh book in the LONGHORN CANYON series, and we are transported back to Daisy, Texas with characters we’ve met before. Although this is Pax and Alana’s story, both their families play central roles. Note, though a continuation, this book can also be read as a stand-alone. What an amazing romance!

When Alana gets bad news from her dad, she tries to grant him his biggest wish—having him walk her down the aisle to get married. Does it matter that she’s not dating anyone? Apparently not! Pax jumps right in to the idea of marrying Alana once Alana confesses she lied to her father about their relationship. They manage to keep everyone in the dark about what is going on. Then their fake romance starts to become real.

The many characters and plots all tie together seamlessly, and the strength of the characters steals the show. The story also heavily features a lovely romance that really satisfies. The last chapter takes place eighteen months later and gives perfect closure while also allowing for a few loose ends that can easily take us to the next book in the series.

Ms. Brown is one of my favorite go to authors whether she’s writing women’s fiction or western romances. I can’t wait to pick up another of her books.

I rated the book 4.5 stars but rounded to 5 on this site and others.