Love a tough, rugged oh so dreamy cowboy with a heart of gold? What about a beautiful, far too serious, dedicated doctor who captures the heart of that oh so dreamy cowboy? Then this book is for you! This masterfully written romance features vibrant, easy-to-love characters, delightful flirtations, bouts of jealousy and poignant emotions. Two lovers have to decide to choose love and each other or lose the connection that has become soul-deep in a few short weeks.

Both Charlotte and Ben have had experience with a dysfunctional family. Charlotte’s parents are world travelling photographers who constantly uprooted their daughter during her childhood which left her without friends or roots in a community. Her only tether was her Grandmother, Pearl, and the time Charlotte spent at her inn in Meadow Valley. Now a paediatric doctor, Charlotte’s life is in New York, the other side of the country from Meadow Valley, but she recently visited Pearl and had a rather steamy vacation fling with Ben.

Ben and his brother lived through the divorce of their parents, being abandoned by their mother and living through a turbulent life with their father. Their father’s undiagnosed illness ruined their family and cast shadows on both Ben and his brother’s future. Those shadows made Ben more selfish, wild and careless, especially when it came to relationships. Suddenly free of the shadow that had been hovering and menacing his future, Ben vows to become a better man....a better brother, son and friend. When Charlotte arrives back in Meadow Valley to take care of her Grandmother and the inn after Pearl is seriously hurt in an accident, Ben is the first person she encounters. Stress causes her to lash out at the man she hasn’t been able to put out of her mind since she left his arms and bed. When Pearl hints at matchmaking for Charlotte, she ropes Ben into “pretending” to date her. Ben is more than happy to oblige and decides to do his best to convince the beautiful, passionate and rather serious doctor to stay in Meadow Valley with him and her Grandmother....to show her he is a changed man who now values commitment over a fleeting affair.

Out of her depth and comfort zone at the inn. Charlotte finds herself turning to Ben for assistance and shecan’t help noticing that he has changed. Both can’t deny their attraction or desire for the other, but she makes sure to tell him that connection can’t be permanent, that she is going back to New York. The heart wants what the heart wants, irregardless of what logic and planning have determined. They face what lies in their hearts with both joy and trepidation, knowing that he is tied to Meadow Valley while she is tied to New York. Can a happily ever after be in their future? I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Although this is the second story in the series, it can be read as a standalone story. I was disappointed that the bonus story wasn't included with this ARC.

A second chance love story between a doctor and rancher, when she comes home to help her beloved aunt run her Inn after falling off a ladder and landing in a wheelchair. They start out the relationship as a fake to fool her aunt but become friends who value each other's viewpoints and opinions.

They're each afraid to share the depth of their feelings when it's time for Charlotte to return to her pediatric practice. Ben's family helps him to realize he can be a rancher anywhere but Charlotte is tied to NY due to her contract. How they resolve the distance issue is what makes the story good.

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

Dr. Charlotte North has a good life in New York. She's a physician with a good practice and loves the city life. But when her grandmother injures herself, Charlotte is on the first plane back to California to help her recover.

Ben Callahan has been a bit reckless in the past few months. He had a health scare a few months ago and has been living reckless and free. He decides it's time to make a change with his life and that change just happens to coincide right when his ex-fling is back in town - Charlotte North or Doc as he affectionately calls her.

What starts off as Ben and Charlotte becoming friends, turns into a fake relationship with real feelings involved. With the two of them destined to be on opposite sides of the country - how will they make this "fake" relationship work if it ever turned real?

I enjoyed the second chance love story between Ben and Charlotte. I do wish I would have felt more of a connection between these two and maybe I'm missing out on a bit, because I jumped into Make Mine a Cowboy without having read the previous book first.

I always love a fake relationship and loved how Charlotte and Ben just kept on having to make excuses to lock lips with one another ;). The inner monologue for both did get to be a bit repetitive at times and there was no real angst or conflict to get over.

Overall, I enjoyed Make Mine a Cowboy and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book by A.J. Pine. I would give Make Mine a Cowboy 3.5 stars.

I cannot get enough of A.J. Pine's Meadow Valley series!

Ben and Charlotte shared a short no-strings fling while she was in town on vacation visiting her grandmother, Pearl. When Pearl is injured, Charlotte returns to help. Ben steps up to be her fake boyfriend when Pearl tries to set her up, but as feelings develop it's hard to keep things from becoming real.

Ben was so sweet and he stole my heart! There is a lot more to him than the playboy image we get of him from the first book in the series. I loved seeing both his and Charlotte's relationships with friends and family grow at the same time as they fell for each other.

Family relationships play such a big role in this book for both Ben and Charlotte. I thought those stories and moments were woven into the plot perfectly and were a big part of why I love this book so much.

All of the Crossroads Ranch and Meadow Valley books have been full of heart, heat, and happily ever afters, and I can't wait to read Colt's book next!

Thank you NetGalley, Forever Grand Central Publishing and A.J. Pine for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Make Mine A Cowboy is book number two in A.J. Pine’s Meadow Valley series, but my first novel by her! This is a unique take on the classic “fake relationship but oops we fell in love!” troupe. I’m sure there’s a better name for it but that’s what I’m sticking with. The timeline was different from most romances, starting a few weeks after the meet-cute moment. Readers get flashbacks to Charlotte getting the call in NYC that her grandmother needs help in California. Ben is a handsome cowboy who got a health diagnosis that left him leading a shallow lifestyle. Now Charlotte needs a fake boyfriend to throw off her nosey family and he wants to get serious about settling down.
This was a great read, a solid second chance romance with a HAE. I definitely will read more A.J. Pines!

Having read and enjoyed the first novel in A.J. Pine's Meadow Valley series, My One and Only Cowboy, I was eager to read the next book in the series, and although it got off to a rather slow and unsettling start, by one-quarter of the way in, I was so hooked that I read the rest of the novel straight through until 6:00 a.m. and although there was one minor issue in the novel that bothered me, it was nevertheless a deeply moving, well-written and emotional read and it gets 4 stars from this reader.

As the novel open, brothers Ben and Sam Callahan are in a doctor's office waiting for the results of Sam's test, a test that will determine his future. In the first Meadow Valley novel, which I highly suggest you read first, we learn that their father, Nolan, has early-onset Alzheimer's disease and is living in a nursing home. Ben secretly had his blood tested 6 months earlier, and the result was positive--something he didn't share with his family, not wanting to burden them. Knowing what his future looked like, he developed a rather devil-may-care attitude, couldn't see the point in starting any long-term relationships, and also began slacking off at the family ranch. But this is the day Sam will get his results, and Ben is stunned when the doctor gives them the good news--neither brother carries the genetic marker for early-onset Alzheimer's. Ben is stunned by the news, but after the doctor does some checking, he discovers that Ben was given the results of another Ben Callahan living in the county, and once he knows he has a future to look forward to, he decides to start taking his life and each day in it more seriously--especially after having a no-strings, 2-week fling with Doctor Charlotte North, a New York pediatrician who was taking a couple of weeks off from her busy practice to spend some mandatory vacation time with her grandmother who runs the Meadow Valley Inn.

Charlotte returned to New York after her vacation, but isn't back long when she receives a phone call from her cousin, letting her know that her beloved grandmother has fallen off a ladder, been injured and rushed to the ER, and will need help running the inn for at least the next 6 to 8 weeks. Charlotte packs her bags, takes a 2-month leave of absence, and takes the first flight she can get back to Meadow Valley. As soon as she gets to the ER waiting room, there sits Ben, asleep. He's been waiting there a good part of the day while Grandma Pearl was in surgery, and Charlotte, whom Ben refers to as Doc, drops her suitcase and rushes past him rather rudely. For a good part of the novel, I spent quite a bit of time disliking Charlotte and her tendency to become so self-absorbed by her medical practice in New York, and her attitude of self-importance in the practice. There are sick children everywhere, and who ever heard of an unemployed physician? Quite frankly I didn't quite understand why Ben found her so alluring.

Once Charlotte gets to the inn, she is overwhelmed by what she doesn't know about running such an establishment, but Pearl, wheelchair-bound with one arm in a sling is soon ensconced in her room, and there are other employees who show Charlotte the ropes. Grandma Pearl is well aware that outside of her practice, Charlotte doesn't have much of a social life, and almost immediately starts matchmaking, which is the last thing Charlotte wants. Out of desperation and still attracted to Ben, she enlists his help to pretend to be her fake date for the duration of her stay, although she's very clear that they will simply be friends for the duration of her stay, but these two friends started out as a hot fling, and it's clear that both are attracted to one another, although Charlotte, keeps reminding both Ben and herself that as soon as her grandmother is back on her feet, she's returning to her career in New York, ad nauseum, and that is the reason I spent a good deal of this book disliking her. She wants Ben but she doesn't want to want him, not for the long-term, and she gives him plenty of mixed messages. As a romance reader, I'm not a fan of waffling, or of one person in a relationship using the other, and yet despite her on again, off again, flirting, jealousy, and distancing, Ben was simply wonderful to her, attentive, kind, and willing to do anything he possibly could to help her out, please her, and spend time with her, wanting, for the first time in his life, to take a relationship seriously. I did, however, like the role-reversal, and found it refreshing that in this novel, it wasn't the male lead character who was doing the waffling for a change, in this lovers to friends to lovers romance.

Despite the waffling on Charlotte's part, I eventually was drawn into this well-plotted, emotional read and the excellent development and depth of its characters, most especially Ben. All in all, despite my issues with the heroine, I found Make Mine a Cowboy to be a rather satisfying read and I am happy to recommend it.

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

What happens when you think you have it all figured out and then it all changes in a matter of seconds? You take it!
You have a second chance on life and you make the most of it and change your ways. That what happened to Ben Callahan after finding out he got the wrong test results and didn’t inherit the gene for early onset Alzheimer disease. He wanted to become a better person, a better son and brother, and a better man for a certain someone. So, when Dr. Charlotte North asks him to become her fake boyfriend so she can get out of grandmother’s machinations of matchmaking, he plans to up his game and show her that she belongs with him and also in Meadow Valley.

I love it when a Fake Boyfriend trope goes awry and the couple fall in love for real. The author really did a fine job writing witty dialogue as well as poignant and insightful scenes for this couple. The story had me laughing, shocked with bad news, and definitely pleased with the happy ending. The story revolves around family and friends, and what you would do for your them to see them well and happy. But being a fake boyfriend had a deadline and there was no way that this was going to work out unless things got creative. And the author did just that to make this an awesome read for me. Meadow Valley is becoming one of my favorite places to read about and I can’t wait for their friend Colt’s story.

4.5 stars.

I love this town. I love Ben and Charlotte and I 100% need to go back and read Sam and Delaney's story. I just fell in love with Meadow Valley and all it's characters.

Ben and Charlotte have a fun, at times frustrating, relationship. They had a prior "sex while she's in town arrangement", so when she finds herself in town again, they kind of pick it up again. Except this time, they're faking a real relationship, which might not be so fake after all. I loved them through all the messiness of their relationship. I love watching them figure out themselves as well as what they truly want from each other.

I do feel like the end happened a little quickly. We spend all this time getting to know them and getting them to be their best selves and once they're finally together, it's over. I mean, that's how things go right? But, I just really love them and I selfishly want more.

When does a fake boyfriend become real?

Dr. Charlotte North had dated rancher Ben Callahan for a week while she was visiting her grandmother in Meadow Valley but returned to her pediatric practice New York City when her vacation was over. She returned to help her grandmother but when her grandmother tried to set her up on dates trying to get her to stay permanently, she asked Ben to fake being her boyfriend.

If you like second chance romances, this is the book for you about a doctor and a rancher that need to figure out who and what they want in life and relationships.

Make Mine a Cowboy is the second book in the Meadow Valley Series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed My One and Only Cowboy (first in series) but I think Make Mine a Cowboy is even better. Ben is such a good guy and an endearing character. He is "the cowboy version of Joey Tribbiani" but meets a girl and gets some news that changes his outlook on life. This new outlook prompts him to make some changes for the better and leads Charlotte along a similar path. Their fake relationship turns hot quickly and just made the story so much better. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

This book could be read as a stand alone, but I highly suggest reading them in order. The first two are about brothers and there is some history there that adds depth to this book.

What a lovely, realistic and entertaining read.
I fell in love with these two. Both, of course had issues, whether it was from long ago or recently, when life deals the cards you bluff your way through or fold. Neither one liked the second option and both winged it really well as was necessary, now if they could figure out what's faked, what's real, and what's really faked too well.
There were so many facets to this, giving an understated depth to a somewhat supposedly lighter read. Smalltowns are so unique; close knit, aggravating, compassionate, and always in the business of knowing it all.
Ben and Charlotte were adorable. The intelligence written into their characters was awesome.
I got all the feels out of this journey, with some heat and more than a few LoLs which I always love.
HEAs are always the best and this does not disappoint.
I requested an early copy through Netgalley and was so excited to read this. Leaving my own thoughts and opinions because I want to

I loved this return trip to Meadow Valley!

After being back home in NYC for just a week, Charlotte has to return to Meadow Valley to take care of her injured grandmother. Rekindling her no-strings fling with a local cowboy wasn't on her to-do list, but he makes a handy stand-in when her gran starts trying to fix her up with one of the local boys. Playing pretend isn't enough for Ben, though, especially since he's reevaluating his life's choices and is ready to think a little more into the future.

I really enjoyed the way the author brought the small town to life. The family interactions, community connections, the holiday celebrations all work together to make the fictional setting feel real. The multi-layered story goes well beyond a typical romance, adding depth and substance that elevated the entire book.

I really loved Charlotte's character, her strength, and her determination to stand on her own. I especially appreciated that the author didn't settle for the predictable resolution for the HEA, instead giving due respect for her choices.

I wasn't as thrilled with Ben at first, since the book starts with him having just been with another woman less than a week after Charlotte left, but as the story unfolds and we get an inside look at the demons he's faced, it's easier to cut him a little slack.

There's quite a bit of this story that centers on Ben's family, and while the romance is a complete standalone, the Callahan family drama does carry over from the first book so those who have read Sam and Delaney's story will have a fuller understanding of what the family is going through in this one.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Ben and Charlotte’s story is an emotional and moving tale in Make Mine a Cowboy by A.J. Pine, book two in her Meadow Valley series. When Dr. Charlotte North’s grandmother has a bad fall, she returns to Meadow Valley to help out. Since she is only planning on being town a few months she doesn’t have time for a player, no matter how tempting Ben Callahan might be. Besides, she plans to return to New York and the career she loves. When her gram decides to meddle in her personal life Charlotte knows the perfect guy to help her out. Ben is the perfect no-string boyfriend, at least until Charlotte finds that underneath that tough, charming exterior is a sweet and bighearted cowboy. Ben has no problem pretending to be Charlotte’s boyfriend; it gives him a chance to prove that he’s changed from being an immature playboy. Despite pretending to be in a relationship Ben is finding himself falling for Charlotte. Two months will definitely not be enough. Ben has a huge task in front of him, trying to convince Charlotte how much he’s truly cares for her and she should stay in Meadow Valley. Now Charlotte has to decide if there is enough in Meadow Valley to make her stay; friends, family, a job, and love.

Ms. Pine wrote a wonderful, emotional, and enjoyable story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with sizzling chemistry, amusing banter, lots of laughs, and charming secondary characters giving Nick and Charlotte a push for that chance at love. I highly recommend Make Mine a Cowboy to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Set in the beautiful Ranch land of Northern California, A.J. Pine continues this series with Ben Callahan's story.
Charlotte North had an incredible time in Meadow Valley visiting her Gran and her Vacay cowboy Ben, now she's coming back to help her Gran after she was injured in a fall.
Ben Callahan is trying to reform himself from his carefree selfish ways and helping Pearl at the Inn after her injury seems right even if helping "Doc" is what he'll have to do.

I have been a huge fan of Pine for years and she does not disappoint with this one! He cowboy stories seem to just get better and better every time! The concept is one of my favorites and kept me fully engaged the whole time. There was wit and passion. There was heartfelt moments and swoony ones too! With Charlotte and Ben, you just get fully wrapped up into their world and never want to leave. I felt the flow was amazing, the storyline fluid and the character build on point! Highly recommend this one!

Two weeks tourist with benefits I mean what could go wrong it’s not like they will ever see each other again right. This story was super cute that back and forth between Charlotte and Ben was fun to read about. Ben seems to have life some what figured out then starts to question it which make he feel relatable he just seems like no matter how messed up his life is his heart won’t let him not be there for those he loves. Charlotte was a perfectionist and has her fiver year planned out she annoyed me a little but but overall she was fun free loving person to read about too. I did enjoy catching up with Delaney and Sam and seeing what adventures they have been up too and I can’t wait to read Colts story (hope that’s coming soon). The author did mention some of his story in this book but it leaves you wanting more for sure. Maybe it’s me but it seems like Sam, Ben and Colt are more brothers then friends. There is adult situations and language in this book so it may not be suitable for all. Very fun read and so worth it.

Ben has no idea how his life is about to turn upside down due to an unfortunate accident with an older friend and how a week of bliss can now seem improbable to keep up the romance and move on with his future plans with Doc!

I'm on the fence about this book. The first half of the book was a 2, the last half was better and I'd give it a 3. I honestly struggled with the first half. I normally could read a book like this in my free time in 2-3 days. This book took me 8 DAYS to finish! I'd read a chapter each night before growing bored and would come back to it the next day hoping it would be better. The first half was just incredibly slow-moving.

I think my biggest initial complaint was the fact that Ben & Charlotte had been together 2 weeks before this book began. So we missed out on their initial meeting and 2 week 'romance' - if you could call it that since it was essentially just them hooking up as often as possible. This book jumps back in weeks after Charlotte left Meadow Valley to return to NYC. She gets called back to California when her grandma falls and needs help running the inn. Only this time she doesn't want to hook up with Ben. She wants to just be friends with NO benefits.

Ben was the 'I don't care' cowboy going into this book, until he learns he's not carrying the gene that can lead to early onset Alzheimer's like his father has. Then he does an about face and begins taking things serious, wanting to settle down and make something of his life and also be there for his family. I really liked Ben. I can't remember much about him from Book 1, but in this book he was the perfect hero. He was kind, caring, thoughtful and willing to help when needed. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he was also charming and incredibly sexy.

Charlotte was a pediatrician in NYC and was uber-focused on her career. In fact, that's pretty much all we hear this entire book. Ugh, I was so over it after the first few mentions of her contract and her career goals, blah blah blah. She honestly came off pretty heartless and clinical, unless it had to do with her grandmother. Even towards the end Ben has to tell her to stop with the statistics and medical journal knowledge when she was using that instead of just acting like an emotionless doctor instead of a caring human being. She wasn't a terrible person, she just thought with her head and not her heart way more often than not. Because of her attitude, I really didn't like her much until the very end.

There's one heartbreaking scene in this book that had me in tears. I can say I wasn't expecting it and really wish it hadn't happened.

For once, it was the hero who had his heart broken. He was also the one who sacrificed something in his life to be with her, much to my dismay. I appreciated the author changing it up since it made things interesting.

Make Mine a Cowboy by AJ Pine was very entertaining. This romantic tale was Charlotte and Ben’s story. Charlotte is a doctor in New York visiting her grandma, and Ben is rancher in California. These two seem like they would be an odd couple, but it works out well for them. It was a well written and an easy read that I know all would enjoy.

I received this advanced copy from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Missed the beginning:
This was book 2 in the series and it felt like I was playing catch up as Ben and Charlotte had apparently spent a week together prior to the start of this book. I don't know how much of that was portrayed previously but it felt like I was missing chunks of their backstory and the typical things that help you get to know and connect with the characters, such as their physical characteristics. Consequently it took me a while to feel in sync with the book and connect with the characters.
Charlotte has returned to Meadow Valley to care for her injured grandmother and help run her inn, however she is determined to return to her career in New York afterwards. In the meantime she reconnects with Ben and what starts out as friendship soon morphs into something more like a real relationship, however they both fight it and try to deny their true feelings. I liked that the characters struggled and fought to overcome their personal shortfalls and how they were able to help each other become better versions of themselves.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.