Must Love Cowboys is the latest installment in Carly Bloom’s Once Upon a Time in Texas series. Big Verde, Texas librarian Alice Martin is at an impasse in life. While she had decided to “self-partner” one must ask if that is because she sees no other options. Alice has never felt that she fit in, but would the events to follow change her viewpoint?

Beau Montgomery, one of the Montgomery twins, had fallen for his babysitter many years ago. While the two orbited in each other’s circles, they were distanced and rarely aligned. Alice Martin, the babysitter from Beau’s youth, has avoided Beau for years. However, when Beau approaches Alice to ask for help with the crippling dyslexia he suffers from it becomes a quid pro quo when Alice is in a position to need an escort to an upcoming wedding she must attend. As such, Alice agrees to help Beau and the story begins.

As Alice works with Beau to overcome his disability, Beau works with Alice to help make her life more fulfilling. They add items to her bucket list and check them off regularly. In fact, Alice is now living her best life. Will this be a turning point for them both?

This is a well written story that will take the reader on a delightful journey with the, perhaps, unusual couple in this story but the story will bring smiles to the readers as they join in with climactic finish. Love these characters! Love this story! I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Alice Martin, Big Verde’s librarian, needs a date for a co-worker’s wedding. While she’s a capable, smart woman, she’s not very experienced in the romance department, so when Beau Montgomery asks for help with his dyslexia Alice barters her help for a date to the wedding. Tutoring sessions quickly become magical dates, and the chemistry between them was off the charts! Carly Bloom writes some hot stuff! But I also loved the friendship and connection Beau and Alice developed as they fell hard for each other.

Alice the smart, but maybe a little socially clueless librarian has a big heart and is funny as hell, even when she doesn’t mean to be! I adored her! Beau was a sweetheart too, dealing with insecurities because of his dyslexia he felt inferior, and I was so happy Alice was there to straighten him out on that account. Alice had her own insecurities, feeling awkward and unattractive at times, and Beau was happy to show her just how desirable she was to him.

I enjoyed catching up with the past couples and characters. Book club never fails to make me laugh! Miss Mills, the old church lady claiming she skips over the dirty parts, as she waves her devotional to cool herself down, priceless! Claire, Maggie, and Bubba made me giggle, too!

I’ve been loving Carly Bloom’s Once Upon a Time in Texas series! Seriously, soooo good! Sizzling romance, laugh-out-loud moments, a romance with real depth and emotion. I’ve especially been looking forward to Alice’s book, and it didn’t disappoint! I really hope the series continues!

Thank you to @readforeverpub for a copy of this book. All my romance loving friends have raved about Big Bad Cowboy (which is book 1 of this series) and I have yet to read it. This book can be read as a stand alone. This book was a fun friends to lovers, fake dating romance. I love how Alice was a bit socially awkward and enjoyed watching her grow with her relationship with Beau and the women in the story. I like how the book addressed Beau’s dyslexia but at the same time, it was resolved way too quickly. I just adore how slow burn between Beau and Alice and the cast of characters in this book. I am pushing Big Bad Cowboy up my TBR list!⁣
⁣

3.5 stars
ARC generously provided by Netgalley

Representation: Hero has dyslexia

This was a great addition to this series. I fell in love with Beau.

Beau is a 28yrs old rancher, and Alice is the 32yrs old librarian who used to babysit Beau and Bryce when they were kids. Beau has ALWAYS had a crush on Alice, and my heart just warmed for him.

Tropes:
- Fake dating (it didn't feel like fake dating because most of the fake scenario was just in the end).
- It was more of you do this for me, and I'll do this for you. There's an actual contract they sign.
- Slightly forbidden

Good parts/Loved
- I loved Beau's banter
- The small-town feel was amazing
- I loved how Beau helped Alice experience things she missed out on
- Every little scene they had where Alice helped Bryce deal with his dyslexia was adorable and had me smiling
- Steam.. Ooooh Boy..This was steamy. I think three steam scenes are done very well.
- I also like how Beau's dyslexia didn't resolve at the end

Issues
- HOLY GUACAMOLE. I couldn't handle those two words that were a constant from Alice
- The last conflict was predictable
- Alice got slightly irritating for me
- Some parts got a little boring

I'm so grateful to Estelle from Forever for highly recommending Must Love Cowboys. This is my first cowboy/western romance, but after loving it and not wanting to put it down, I can't wait to read more.

Beau and Alice have so much history, but don't seem to know much of each other as adults. Beau has a reputation as a bit of a player and Alice is the town's quiet librarian. who's never felt like she fits in. Both Beau and Alice were so vulnerable. Beau came to Alice for help with his dyslexia and Alice needs a date for an upcoming wedding. They pretend to date (which is one of my favorite tropes) to cover up their arrangement

I LOVED the chemistry between these two. Even before there was anything physical between them, their chemistry was off the charts. They shared so much more of themselves.

Must Love Cowboys delivered a lot of steam! I also adored this ending.

Must Love Cowboys is the third book in the series, but I didn't have any trouble following it without reading the first two.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance

Beau Montgomery loves working on the ranch. He also loves working with his twin brother. But when an opportunity presents itself to his twin, Beau has to deal with a lifelong issue... his dyslexia.

Alice loves her small town. She enjoys her book club, loves helping people, and even though she might dream of something larger, she can’t help but not truly want to leave her home.

When Beau and Alice both need something, they’ll find that they can rely on each other. What follows is a very cute, almost young adult romance.

These two will learn about themselves, each other, and how much their hearts can grow. Beau with his strong, steady demeanor and Alice with her knowledge and non-stop nervous chatter. She’s adorable.

I can’t wait to see what happens next with these characters. I really enjoyed reading this quick cowboy story.

The third book in the Once Upon a Time in Texas series Must Love Cowboys, was my first book by Carly Bloom, but it will not be my last! Alice used to babysit Beau when they were both younger. Egos and misunderstandings caused some hard feelings. Now they both need a favor from each other. Them overcoming their past is the key to their HEA.
📚
There is a slow build to the steamy stuff but man... when they get there ... do not read it in public! I was blushing and giggling like a schoolgirl.
📚
I enjoyed every page that Ms. Bloom wrote and I can confidently say that I now stalk her on all social media platforms and have marked all her other books as "want to read" on Goodreads. She is a fantastic writer; the dialogue between characters is wonderfully done. There was so much emotion in her writing and characters I could feel butterfly’s in my chest.
📚
.
.
.
#netgalley #carlybloom #readforeverpub #mustlovecowboys #mustlovecowboyswithbonusnovel #booklife #keepreading
#bookstagram #bookstagramer #romance #romancereadersofintagram #bookish #romancereader #readersofinstagram #bookaddict #booksbooksbooks #bookaholic #bookaholicmoms

Beau and Alice were not the couple I expected them to be when I read the blurb on this book. They turned out to be so much more! While they looked on paper to be complete opposites, their compatibility level is off the charts, as each sees so much more about the other then they see in themselves.
Beau may be thought of as a playboy, but while he flirts and jokes, he never comes off as a jerk. Alice is as prim and proper as can be…that very stereotypical librarian…but she’s more than willing to come out of her shell with a little prodding. There were many scenes, especially during book club, that had me literally laughing out loud.
I love that neither one of them really changed their personality because of their relationship, but simply became a more open person. Their friends, who are new to me, since I hadn't read the first two books in the series, added so much love, support and levity to the story as well. I love books filled with interesting secondary characters!
I loved Allie and Beau!

Beau was the PERFECT book boyfriend!!! I loved this charming, saucy, flirty yet helpful and kind personality. He was easy to love. He is keeping a pretty big secret from most everyone and he has had to struggle so hard his whole life to hide it.

Alice is a stickler for details and rules. She doesn't really know how to have fun and has been hurt by Beau in the past.

However an agreement is formed and the fun begins. Watching Alice loosen up and Beau get the girl was amazing to read.

The banter was fun, the sexy times was hot and being able to watch these two grow together was amazing.

Such a fun Cowboy Romance!

Beau has had a crush on Alice, the town librarian, for a LONG TIME!! So, when he is left with Rancho Canada Verde, that means problems. With his dyslexia, the last thing he wants is to be working with spreadsheets and paperwork all day.

Alice needs a fake boyfriend, and FAST!!! She doesn't expect it to be the handsome Beau, but is definitely not opposed to the idea either.

These two come together in such a sweet and sexy way. I adore this series! Please read it if you haven't yet!

4 out of 5 stars!

When the hero is left alone as his twin brother leaves for another job, he struggles with his new reality because he has dyslexia. The heroine needs a date for a friend's wedding and enters a fake relationship with the hero. In a small town, how will the couple cope as new feelings enter that questions their relationship status?

This is a nice addition to the series featuring characters that deserved their own happy endings. I enjoyed the broad characters that appeared in this book, especially the couples introduced in previous books from this series. I enjoyed the growth that the couple made throughout the story as individuals and as a couple. Though I didn't enjoy this book as much as the others in the series in some way, I still feel this book is a nice addition to it. I look forward to reading more Carly Bloom books in the future.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**

Happy pub day to Must Love Cowboys, the 3rd book in Carly Bloom’s Once Upon a Time in Texas series! Thanks so much to Read Forever Pub for this advanced review copy. I absolutely adore this series and this newest installment had so much to love!

- Age gap romance with an older heroine and a hero who’s been hot for her since junior high
- Heroine is a librarian and the Austin Public Library makes a cameo!
- Fake dating!
- Fake dating with a contract that we all know the two of them will dread the expiration of
- Hilarious small town antics
- Virginity is a social construct
- Darlin (IYKYK)
- FaceTime hook ups, skinny dipping, and lap dances, oh my!

Beau Montgomery unexpectedly finds himself managing Rancho Canada Verde all by himself when his identical twin brother takes a new opportunity in Austin. Beau has struggled with dyslexia since childhood, and his brother has been covering for him. Forced to confront his dyslexia or potentially lose his job, Beau turns to Alice Martin, librarian and reading specialist, and also his first and longest running crush.

Alice has spent years working to improve herself and learning how to self partner, which has been great but also has left her without a date or any prospects of one for an upcoming wedding. When Beau comes to her for help and insists on paying her, she takes it as an opportunity to strike up a deal with him. Reading skills lessons in exchange for a date to the wedding.

Beau is embarrassed about his dyslexia and does not want anyone to know about their lessons so of course, Alice’s neighbor sees him the first time he comes over and rumors start to fly. In order to save face, they let everyone think they’re dating and the outcome is hilarious. The morning after their lesson, every woman in town comes into the library to interrogate Alice and it’s one of my favorite scenes in the book. Alice also introduces Beau to audio books and his reaction was so excited and joyful and it had me grinning from ear to ear.

Must Love Cowboys has all of the small town charm and antics that I loved about the first two books. It’s full of A+ flirting, cowboys, scandalous book club meetings, and a sweet, sexy romance that I could not get enough of.

Librarian Alice Martin is shy, socially awkward, and has a hard time reading people. When she feels uncomfortable or out of her depth she tends to babble nervously and spout facts she memorizes which baffles people. Cowboy Beau Montgomery has a reputation as the town’s player. A big gorgeous hunk of a man who loves the ladies and the ladies love him right back. Alice is fretting about finding a date for her co-worker’s wedding when Beau appears on the doorstep of his former babysitter (she’s older than him) with a surprising request. He asks Alice to teach him to overcome dyslexia that he has been hiding all his life and he will be her date to the wedding. Cue fake relationship shenanigans that soon turn into something real.

I fell in love with Carly Bloom’s voice when I read Big Bad Cowboy which is the first book in this series. She writes realistic, charming small-town characters that you root for from the very first page. Her heroes are sexy cinnamon rolls with a few alpha tendencies in the bedroom. Needless to say, I was so excited to read this one and return to Big Verde. So often small towns in books are filled with small-minded, mean people who make life miserable for the main characters. But Big Verde is such a cute little town filled with funny, friendly caring characters and it’s a great backdrop for Bloom’s sweet, steamy, funny stories. If you love a slow burn friends-to-lovers story with a pining hero, an age gap, and nerdy heroine paired with a modern rakish hero, then this book is for you. I enjoyed seeing both these characters grow and evolve together. Alice breaking out of her comfort zone and Beau finally dealing with dyslexia that had shaped most of his life. Most of all I enjoyed Alice coming of her shell and grabbing this cowboy by his chaps and making him hers. This book is a perfect low angst, funny sweet rom-com and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Happy pub day to Must Love Cowboys by Carly Bloom! Thank you to @readforeverpub for my early copy.

I am a huge fan of this series and the town of Big Verde. Must Love Cowboys follows Alice and Beau. Alice is the super smart, quiet, town librarian in Big Verde. Beau and his twin brother Bryce are foremen at Racho Canada Verde. A change in the business on the ranch means that Beau is going to be running things on his own. What should be an exciting advancement in his career has actually left Beau filled with worry and doubt. Beau is dyslexic and most of his life, he has kept that a secret from everyone but his twin. Desperate to succeed, he decides to enlist the help of his childhood babysitter, friend (and crush!) Alice to help him become a better reader.

While she is hesitant to help the towns playboy, Alice is also in need of a favor. In exchange for helping Beau, he agrees to be her date for an upcoming wedding. Knowing what the gossip mill is like in a small town, the two strike a deal. Fake dating with an expiration date of midnight the night of the wedding. They even draw up a contract 😂 As I’m sure you can guess, the closer these two get, the more they realize how much they like each other. Beau is incredibly sweet and has never actually gotten over his childhood crush. I really loved reading as their relationship developed. I would highly recommend this entire series. They can be read as stand-alones but are much better together.

#mustlovecowboys #readforeverpub #foreverromance #cowboys

I seriously love this author and this series so much!!! I was so happy to get Beau & Alice’s story!! These two are so perfect for one another! Beau is our sexy cowboy hero who is a twin. He’s had a crush on Alice since she babysat him and his brother, Brody. Alice is our fact knowing virgin librarian. She doesn’t think a cowboy is for her. She loves working at the library and has a hairless cat. These two have a fun start in the book when Alice goes to confront a noisy couple above her at the hotel...she finds Beau, shirtless! I love the chemistry these two have! They are seriously HOT together but they are also sweet and encouraging to one another! I love that Beau made Alice feel sexy & Alice made Beau feel smart! Even though they may be opposites, they’re absolutely meant to be!! I can’t say enough good things about this book! I’m highly looking forward to the next one in this series!

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

When I was a teen I did the slowest side fall off the most docile horse who’s ever existed & yet I am hugely drawn to Carly Bloom’s Once Upon a Time in Texas series...where cowboys & cowgirls find love & actually manage to ride horses successfully.

This series has it all: steam, humor, small town charm, & fantastic chemistry & Must Love Cowboys, the latest installment out today, is no exception.

Librarian Alice Ann Martin has never felt entirely at home in Big Verde so when a coworker insists she bring a date to her wedding she feels SOL.

But then she finds a solution in hunky, vaguely frustrating Beau Montgomery, a ranch foreman & the man whom she used to babysit (she’s 4 years older). He needs help learning to combat the dyslexia that he’s tried to ignore for years, & when he makes Alice demand some kind of payment, she asks him to be her date in exchange.

Of course everyone in Big Verde assumes they’re dating for real, which is even more interesting because of Beau’s player rep & Alice’s repeated desire to self-partner.

If you love super sweet, stud cowboys who have had strong feelings for the heroine for YEARS w/out fully realizing it, Beau is your man. The moments where he reveals his vulnerabilities about his dyslexia are emotionally stunning & when he ponders whether he’s near tears the first time they sleep together I .

& Alice is adorable & original & seeing both of them break out of their comfort zones—her by having fun & seeing how people care for her & vice versa—feels like a romantic movie montage. Also I’d like to applaud her thoughts on romance novels & virginity & many other things she says in the novel & applaud her again for taking her happiness & for giving Beau a sizzling anatomy lesson.

Must Love Cowboys is a fun, sweet romance that doesn’t skimp on emotions & doesn’t have a big crisis that drags on (a win in my book). I can’t wait to return to Big Verde!

4.5 ⭐️

I am loving this series from Carly bloom and Must Love Cowboys was a wonderful addition. It was so fun and sweet and made for an incredibly entertaining read. I enjoyed the playful dialogue and witty banter and couldn’t wait for Beau and Alice to get their HEA.

I really liked Beau and Alice and learning their long history. She was endearingly quirky and caring, very literal, and at times a bit shy. I loved watching her try new things and come out of her shell. Beau was one heck of a sexy cowboy, he was flirty and sweet. I loved him working to better himself and overcoming his reading issues. I love the challenges they were facing and how they helped one another. I liked their chemistry and the growing heat between them and how they pushed each other out of their comfort zones. There were a lot of really great scenes with awesome dialogue between these two that had me smiling.

I love all the characters in the series and was thrilled to see them in this story as well. I loved those different personalities and friendships. I loved the bond that Beau has with his brother Bryce and their twin connection, I almost wished it would have been a bigger part of the story. I really liked Carmen and the hints about her and Bryce, I would love for them to get their own book. I also loved the small-town vibe and all the gossip, that's a charming element.

This was a really great story and I enjoyed it immensely. It was light and fast-paced and I loved the conflict and growing attraction. There were good details but it wasn’t overly in-depth. It was light and fun and moved along at a good pace. I liked the dual POVs and all the engaging interactions. This was super entertaining and sweet with a bit of heat that made for an awesome read.

Okay so I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but I never in a million years thought I would read a cowboy romance novel, but I am in love with this series.

This was a modern take on Beauty and The Beast. I loved the heroine Alice in the previous books in the series so I was so excited that she got her own story.

Alice is so quirky and hilarious and a forward thinker and she doesn’t feel like she fits into small town life.

Beau is a shameless flirt who’s had a thing for Alice since they were kids and she was his babysitter.

I love that Alice is a feminist and doesn’t subscribe to certain social norms and beau never judges her for any of her opinions.

The side characters are great as we know most of them from the previous books. I was glad that Carmen was a bigger part of this book so we got to know her a bit better. I’m crossing my fingers that her story is next.

There is a trope in here that I know a lot of people have strong opinions about but I won’t spoil what it is. I will just say that it was handled really well by both of the main characters. However I did not like the way it was handled by the side characters.

Also super important: Consent!! We love to see it!! 👏 👏

This series is so addicting and if you pick up a copy of Must Love Cowboys when it publishes tomorrow, it also includes a copy of the first book in the series, Big Bad Cowboy.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley as well as a finished copy of Must Love Cowboys was gifted to me by Forever.

Must Love Cowboys comes out on April 27th.

This is Alice the librarian and Beau's story - he is a twin and has dyslexia - and when his twin gets the chance to move to another ranch and take the foreman's job - Beau is so lost as his reading skills are horrible and he is afraid of the new computer software that his brother has installed for the ranch books - it is a great fun read and she is shy and nerdy and not ready for his fly by the seat of his pants right into skinny dipping and everything else they get into together! I read a net galley version and freely give my review

4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Pub for my digital arc of this title.

One sentence review: I loved everything about this romance starring a swoon worthy hero who learns how to overcome his dyslexia with the help of his long time crush, the town librarian.

Must Love Cowboys by Carly Bloom is book 3 in the Once Upon a Time in Texas series but could easily stand alone.

I am a huge fan of this series. Carly Bloom has a real talent for putting together interesting characters and fun storylines with just the right amount of steam to keep everything interesting. And she does all of this with just the right amount of humor.

This story centers around Beau Montgomery, who has battled dyslexia his whole life, and largely relied on his twin brother to skate by without anyone really noticing he can't read. As he suddenly finds himself in charge of Rancho Canada Verde, this is suddenly a problem he can no longer hide. So he seeks help from Alice Martin, the town librarian (and his former babysitter and longtime crush). And so the fun begins.

I really loved the characters in this one. Beau is a genuinely nice guy struggling with dyslexia. The story does a great job of outlining his difficulties and the emotions he has surrounding his dyslexia. I also really liked Alice with her independence and quirky personality. The other thing that really makes this book stand out f is just the downright sexiness of it. Nothing over the top, just some scenes that were really perfectly executed as far as raising the steam factor in fun ways.

If you like small town romance that brings humor and steam - I cannot recommend Carly Bloom more highly. She does such a great job bringing all these elements together in a way that will keep you coming back for more.