This is the third in the Dry Creek Ranch and Dalton cousin's series, and it is Sawyer Dalton's story.

Sawyer, an investigative journalist and cowboy comes head to head with chef and TV personality Gena DeRose. The two lock horns to start with, but they don't say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach for nothing. Let the fun times begin.

Who doesn't like a tale of a cowboy, doing cowboy things but also pursuing a lovely woman? I most certainly do. And while this hit the high points of all the feels it was as memorable as I would have liked. I can still recommend this as a relaxing read just no big surprises.

This was just okay for me. The writing was okay, but I wasn't a fan of Gina for pretty much the whole book, and there was A LOT going on in this story. Gina was spoiled and rude when she is first introduced. She cuts back on the rudeness, but she still had a lot of issues. She mentions having a $200 an hour therapist, but she obviously doesn't get her money's worth. She has serious issues with her self worth, and even though Sawyer tells her repeatedly how great she is, she still doesn't believe him. I liked Sawyer for the most part, he did come off jerky in the beginning, but he was the one who changed the most in my opinion. All the stuff that goes on with Sawyer's sister felt out of place, and took me out of the story. I know it's setting up for the next book, but it was too much thrown in with everything that was already going on with Gina. This was a first for me from this author, but I would read her again.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

This was another well written story of the Dalton cousins. This time it is Sawyer's turn. (Here is to hoping that his sister Angela gets a story!!!!) My emotions were all over this one. I laughed, cried, sighed with happiness and felt frustrated at times. Gina comes to stay at Dry Creek Ranch as her life implodes. She is a celebrity chef that is named in the break-up of another famous chef couple's marriage! She can't wait to get back to L.A. and her life. Dry Creek Ranch is out in "Timbuktu". She has too much to do and her crisis manager told her to lay low.

Sawyer Dalton is a journalist. He is just getting home from a convention/assignment when he stumbles over someone's luggage in his loft apartment which is located over the barn on his and his cousins' ranch, Dry Creek Ranch. From the look of the designer label, it is no one he knows. He finds a beautiful young woman in his bedroom on her computer. Boy these two just strike jambs right off each other. Sawyer discovers his parents represent her in her time of need. He doesn't want to share his loft so he manages to take her to his cousin's former cabin that she dubs the "Unabomber" cabin.

The witty repertoire just gets better and better as the story goes on! I just loved these two. I also adored the reappearances of the first two couples. It was like catching up with old friends here. Also this story was written in my favorite dual POV. Seeing how they thought in a given scene really made them seem more human. It really helped me to relate to Gina as well. She was hilariously funny when she goes to the diner in town and dealt with Laney the waitress/owner! She was so uppity and came off snobbish (at least to me at first but was someone that I grew to love!)

There was a great deal that was going on in this story. I was glued to my e-reader to try and figure out how the author was going to bring it all together. She managed to do it with great skill.

This was a story that had a few sexy scenes. It was written in a way that was not overly graphic or comadered the story. That being said, I would only recommend this to someone over the age of 18. Also while this is a part of a series, really it can be read as a stand-alone.

A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start. This is a series you want to get behind and it is a standalone read so you can pick up anyone of the three out and start reading. This one about Sawyer and Gina and what they go through. A book that keeps your interest.

I generally prefer when the main characters come from similar backgrounds because they can identify with one another and gives the story a smooth flow. Lets face it a celebrity chef and a cowboy are not 2 people you would envision together, but I gave it a chance and, and it was a very good read.

Cowboy Strong (Dry Creek Ranch #3). By Stacy Finz. 2020. Kensington Books. (ARC eBook).

When celebrity chef Gina DeRose finds herself in hot water her crisis manager Whitney Dalton sends her off to Dry Creek Ranch, which is ran by her investigative journalist son Sawyer and his cousins; Sheriff Jace Dalton and livestock investigator Cash Dalton. Ranch life is a far cry from the glamorous and cut-throat L.A., but Gina soon finds herself falling for the small town charm, Cash and Jace’s friendly wives and the ranch’s hard working cowboys; especially the hot, single Sawyer, who enlists himself in helping her shut down the salacious allegation that threatens her career.

Arriving home after an away assignment, Sawyer finds a beautiful stranger in his house. After Gina takes over his kitchen and his heart, Sawyer is worried that his and Gina’s lives would never mesh. It might be best to let her return to her Italian cooking show and endorsements when the coast is clear.

I totally enjoyed Cowboy Strong. It is an entertaining read with engaging characters and setting, and heaped with a generous dose of sizzle. I’m on my way to books 1 and 2 now, to get more of the Dalton boys, ciao!

Sawyer so did not expect to see sexy cook in his home after coming home from a business trip. Gina is hiding after scandal on Dry Creek Ranch and trying to save her image and everything she worked for. Although the first few encounters are not positive Gina and Swayer together with the gang start to work together as a team. Deeper emotions start to develop but while they act on them? Another great read from the Dry Creek Ranch.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley

I wasn’t sure what kind of a woman Stacy was going to cook up for us where Sawyer was concerned. I shouldn’t have been worried because she brings it with Gina’s character–a fiesty, take no prisoners business woman and an amazing chef with class; what more could we ask for in the lady marked for Sawyer?…

Gina and Sawyer are off the charts hot and a mess all at once. Sawyer is just focused on his family (finding his sister) and the ranch when Gina barrels into his life with her Louis Vuitton luggage and all. He isn’t even sure he’s looking for a woman so his journey is a bit fun to watch as he wrestles with his inner self. He thinks because he is this cowboy and war torn, third-world journalist that he should be a loner or with some quiet dissociated woman but in fact this self-centered know it all is exactly the prescription the doctor ordered.

Gina on the other hand is in crisis mode of which it seems she’s never been out of since her mother died. Always out to please her mother and become bigger and bigger than she needed just to please her. Her journey is about self discovery and laying old ghosts to rest so she can have the life she wants and not the one she deserves. Her journey isn’t as fun to watch as Sawyer’s only because the train wreck just keeps hitting station after station in an endless pile up. She however pulls up her boot straps and presses forward trying to make the most of the worst kind of situation. She may have just bought those boots, but who’s counting. In Dry Creek Ranch she discovers a lot about herself that makes her realize this celebrity life she’s been chasing might not be the only thing she’s good at or wants. The Dalton gang makes her realize what she is missing in her current life and what she really needs–Family and friends that have her back!!

So we watch these two get tangled up in each other’s mysteries and reach out with life lines of help for one another. The lifelines stabilize them both in the storms that are about to blow up their lives. Gina needs Sawyer’s help to navigate this media crisis she is going through, and Sawyer just needs someone to believe his search for his missing sister isn’t a waste of time. Sawyer discovers some very scary truth about his sister with the help of his cousins and the support of Gina. When they wanted him to stop, she offers to help which gives him the strength to keep pursuing. Sawyer, as the investigative journalist, asks the hard unseen questions about Gina’s situation which reveals some winning associates of hers that gives her some much needed perspective on her life. Through all of this they develop a friendship and a passion for one another they have never felt before. Both just need to be willing to take a hold of what’s right in front of them.

I never thought Stacy would be able to close the loop on Sawyer’s sister in this final installment, let alone give us a good mystery in Gina’s life but she did. It never felt rushed and had an awesome resolution. I really loved the way she closed this series and tied up all the loose ends. I would love to see some other characters from the town though. It seems like such a great place to find love. A little rugged, close knit, but civilized. We’ll see what she comes up with in the future. For right now though I’m going to bask in the California sun and enjoy this final journey to true love. So I’m giving this 5 of 5 propellers and I’m giving the series an overall 5 of 5. Here’s the link to my review of Cowboy Up and Cowboy Tough in case you are interested.

Cowboy Strong by Stacy Finz is the third book from the Dry Creek Ranch series. This is Sawyer Dalton’s story. Sawyer is a journalist who spends a lot of his time travelling. When he is not travelling, he lives on the ranch. Gina is a celebrity chef who is hiding out on the ranch due to being set up with false media about an affair that has the possibility of ruining her career. Two totally opposite people, who are thrown together. These two have a lot of issues that they will have to work through to have a happily ever after. This story is well written and has a lot of interesting twists in the plot, as well as humor. I enjoyed the story and recommend it.
I received a ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Cowboy Strong is another great book from Stacy Finz.  I read other books by Stacy Finz and enjoyed them.  Her writing pulls you into the story.  It's the 3rd book in a series and while you don't need to read the other books, reading this one will make you want to know more about the other characters.

The story is  about Sawyer, an investigative reporter and part owner of Dry Creek Ranch, and Gina, a celebrity chef who is running away from a scandal.  There is romance and some mystery.  It was great.  I couldn't put this book down and basically read it in one sitting.

You can find more of my book reviews here: https://www.wherethefksyourcake.com/

I have a love-hate relationship with this book.

I disliked Gina from start to finish and didn’t really care for Sawyer either.

I felt like there was too much going on in regards to the plot. Conflict and angst were flying from left right and center and from characters I wasn’t invested in. For example, there was drama surrounding the sale of a property next door to Sawyer’s family ranch, but the outcome was boring. In my opinion, there was no need to include that particular plot point in the book. It was disappointing and would have been an excellent opportunity to end with a bang and set up the reader for the next book.

Even though it’s the fourth book in the series, I had no problems reading it as a standalone, and I thoroughly enjoyed Stacy Finz’s writing style.

I appreciated the realism when it came to Gina’s career as a famous chef with a tv show. Truth is she hasn’t really cooked in years because her assistants do most of the cooking for her. But certain events force an out of practice Gina to start cooking again, and she rediscovers her passion.

So prepare to spend the whole time fantasizing about food because the way the author describes the dishes that Gina prepares is exquisite. My mouth was watering the entire time.

Thank you, Netgalley, for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Well, first I should say that this book is definitely NOT a stand-alone romance. There is an entire plot-line dedicated to a bizarre story that has nothing to do with the romance in this book, but is clearly a segue to a book to be written later in the series. It really muddled this story and threw the pace off in this book.

Otherwise, this story is okay, but very predictable. There is a scandal that the reader is supposed to discover the perpetrator of and it was so obvious from so early on that it starts to just get annoying to read the unsubtle clues.

Overall, not a great book for my liking, but others who read the entire series might enjoy it.

I received an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This was probably my least favorite of all Stacy’s books. The premise is great, the disgraced cooking tycoon hiding out and encountering the globetrotting journalist/cowboy. You’ve got some opposites attract, forced proximity, heroine learning to believe in herself – all of them fun tropes. I really liked Gina, in all her angst and worry and self-doubt she was a real, down-to-earth character who wasn’t nearly as snobby and out of place as Sawyer wanted her to be.

Sawyer was my problem. I wanted to like him as much as I like his cousins and their wives, but I just could not. He has a terrible opinion of Gina at first, mostly based on hearsay and his own prejudice. He eventually gets over that enough to start a relationship with her, but admits he is unhappy about this. Say what? Finally, he hounds and pushes and eventually congratulates Gina on her hard work of accepting herself and overcoming her mother’s training, which I found a bit patronizing (particularly since he says several times that he has no interest in being her therapist), but himself experiences no real growth of character. He never even examines what it is that has made him so reluctant to embrace a relationship in the first place. I found the resulting imbalance in the relationship to be extremely off-putting.

Of course along the way we get to check in with Jace and Cash, Aubrey and Charlie, and see how the plans to save the ranch are progressing. The ongoing drama of the ranch next door and Sawyer’s missing sister continue as well. I loved getting to know Laney at the diner! Stacy knows how to build and populate a small town like no other, and I generally love her work. I’m not unhappy to have read Cowboy Strong, but it’s not the Stacy Finz book that I’d be likely to reread. I received an advance copy in return for my honest review.

Solid 4.5 star
Ohh how I loved the dynamic between Sawyer and Gina they really did seem to love to hate each other when they first met. You get drawn in as you slowly learn more about them both and see they both have hang ups from when they were younger and see they actually have quiet few things in common and it doesn't hurt that Sawyer gets free delicious food to eat in exchange for letting her use his kitchen, then the twist of Gina's scandal and trying to work out is it real and if not who is behind it and why! There are some great laugh out load moments as well as reflective and finally working out what you want parts that have you needing to see them together but not knowing if how different their lives are will make it impossible!!!

Ms. Finz has become one of my favorite authors, and I always look forward to her upcoming releases. She is an amazing storyteller and Cowboy Strong continues in that tradition. Although this is the third book from the Dry Creek series, it can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Gina DeRose is a celebrity chef. In addition to hosting a very popular cooking show, she is the spokesperson for a major appliance manufacturer, and markets her own brand flawlessly. Gina's business acumen is on par with her culinary expertise. Then one day the life she has worked so hard for crumbles, and as a result, she goes into hiding while it all gets sorted out. Gina's temporary home is on the Dry Creek Ranch.

Sawyer Dalton is a journalist, and he travels all over the world for his work. The topics that he writes about are meaningful, and in high demand by many prestigious publications. In addition, he and his two cousins own the Dry Creek Ranch. Their grandfather left it to them when he passed away. Needless to say, Sawyer has a lot on his plate. He loves ranch life as much as he loves his day job. He and Gina share an instant chemistry, which slowly evolves into much more.

Cowboy Strong is a quick-paced story with well-defined and exciting characters. Gina and Sawyer are easy to get to know, and there was never a moment that I did not want them to be together. The secondary characters and subplots are interesting and add a lot of intricacy to the story. If you are looking for a contemporary romance with a bit of suspense, an engaging plot, and a happily ever after that will leave a smile on your face, read this book.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

This is my favorite book in this series.  It was such fun to be back at Dry Creek Ranch to read about Sawyer's story.  I liked how Sawyer met Gina and how they each riled the other one.  Clearly opposites attract because their sparring turned into sparks they both wanted to ignore.  I also liked that there were several story lines within the book

It was interesting  learning more about Sawyer's sister, Angie who disappeared five years ago and has not been heard from since.  I also liked the intricate story of Gina and her tabloid fiasco.  It was fascinating.  Gina's character seemed so real, struggling to believe in herself due to her mother's dreams and how Gina  never felt good enough.  Gina seemed tough on the outside but fragile on the inside.  I  enjoyed watching her acclimate herself to the ranch which she hated, and how she usually got lost driving. It made the story funny at times.

I was so glad characters from the other books in the series were in this one too.  I really liked the closeness this family had and how family and the ranch were important to all of them for generations to come.  I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an  honest review.

Cowboy Strong by Stacy Finz
Dry Creek Ranch #3

What an interesting story! Definitely NOT the usual boy meets girl, few ups and downs and then a happily ever after. Nope…this time when two people meet they make split second assumptions that place the other person in a box they clap the lid on tightly thinking that their assumption will NEVER change…well… you know what they say happens when you do that!

What I liked:
* Sawyer: a man who loves his home, job, and family. He is not easily taken in. He is slow to movme but once moved cares deeply. He is also on the hunt for his missing sister.
* Gina DeRose: smart, savvy, rich, and dealing with negative publicity that she would really like to bury. She might be on the cusp of some major changes in her life
* Dry Creek Ranch: a place where cousins have come to keep the family cowboy-ranching legacy alive.
* The Dalton cousins: good men who know right from wrong and when they find their woman…stick tight
* The community: there for one another and a place I would like to live
* That both male and female lead “changed” in positive ways through the book
* The mystery of who leaked the naughty photos and how it all was resolved in the end
* The smiles that I wore from time to time – this story did make me smile :)
* Wondering if perhaps there will be more books in the series…even though the three cousins are settled…there might be a way to have another story or two :)

What I didn’t like:
* Being reminded of how cutthroat some people can be
* Realizing, again, that some people should not be parents

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series/by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley And Kensington Lyrica Shine for the ARC – This is m honest review.

5 Stars

Terrific romance plus a bit of mystery. Strong characters with lots of entertaining banter. Several heartwarming (tear inducing) moments. So great to be back at Dry Creek Ranch. I look forward to reading more of their adventures.

They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Gina is an excellent celebrity chef and needs a kitchen to blow off some stress. Sawyer can't stand her, but he likes to eat. Interesting characters and an entertaining storyline. Cowboy Strong is the third book in the Dry Creek Ranch series and the first book by Stacy Finz that I've read. It worked fine as a stand-alone although I do plan to go back and read the first two books in this series.