The author hit it out of the park with Must Love Cowboys. I truly loved everything about the book. The characters were well developed and interesting as was the storyline.
Beau was a misunderstood cowboy. He used his flirtatious personality and humour to hide his learning disability. He was a caring, loving brother, friend and always had a sweet spot for his babysitter.
I wasn't sure about Alice in the beginning. She had walls up and wasn't going to let the sweet talking cowboy in.
Despite them being opposites they worked so well together. I loved the growing bucket list and the endless chatter. They had explosive chemistry and Beau proved he has some moves!
If you're a cowboy fan you don't want to miss this.

No shame in admitting when I opened an e-mail from Estelle over at @readforeverpub with early access to Carly Bloom's upcoming third book in her Once Upon a Time in Texas series, I gasped & did a happy dance in my seat!

While I love, love, love the first two, Must Love Cowboys is quite possibly my favorite yet...I just have such a hard time choosing!

Each of the series' books is a bit of a fairytale retell, with MLC aiming at booklovers' hearts with a spin on Beauty & the Beast • Alice Martin is the town librarian - detail-oriented, a bit socially awkward, self-partnered, & technically a virgin, though she'll tell you virginity is a social construct • Beau Montgomery is a smooth talking cowboy living his best life, but he's been hiding two secrets:

1. He's had a crush on book-loving Alice since he was in junior high & she was the high schooler babysitting him & his twin brother

2. With the help of his twin brother Bryce since their school days, nobody knows Beau is dyslexic

When Bryce is offered a job in another town, Beau knows he needs to improve his reading skills to succeed as sole foreman of Rancho Canada Verde • He seeks out Alice & she agrees to tutor him in exchange for being her plus-one at an upcoming wedding • Of course, the tight knit residents of Big Verde can't help but get involved, so Alice & Beau find themselves fake dating to keep tongues from wagging too much

Bloom's writing is always so witty, I guarantee you'll laugh while reading her books • Her characters are easy to fall in love with & you'll wish you could be one of the Big Verde gang with all their shenanigans • There's a scene towards the start of the book which was like a reunion & I was just grinning from ear to ear the whole time meeting up with everyone again! • And oh lordy, the steam is off the charts!!

As Alice would say, "Holy guacamole!" Must Love Cowboys is a must read for anyone looking for a romance!

This is the latest in the Once Upon a Time in Texas series by Carly Bloom and I really enjoyed a visit back to Big Verde. I was happy to see that this book deals with Alice, the town's librarian. Alice is a quiet sort, but she's also a lot of fun and friendly; just on the shy side. Beau is one of the twins that grew up on the biggest ranch in town. He has recently taken over as the ranch co-foreman (along with his twin, Bryce), but he is afraid his unpublicized dyslexia will cost him his job. He can't seem to get things right after doing paperwork and even reading text messages leaves him confused. Who to the rescue but the smartest girl in town, Alice. She is also his former babysitter (she's four years older) and she is the woman Beau has been in love with since he was 10 or so.

When he asks Alice to help him get over his dyslexia (and it was really hard for him to ask), he offers to pay her. She doesn't want his. money, but she does need something in return - to be her "plus one" for an upcoming wedding. They can pretend to date for a month or so while she helps him battle his reading disability and she won't have to be set up with the bride's gross uncle for the date. As they start to spend more and more time together, they each realize that maybe just being with the other one is exactly where they are supposed to be at the end of each day.

This was a good book that I really enjoyed - I can't wait to read the next one - I'm hoping it will be about Carmen and Bryce!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC to read and review.

This was my first book by Carly Bloom. Immediately, I enjoyed the interactions of the characters. It just felt like I sat down in the middle of a group of friends and connected with them all. There is an undercurrent humor guiding the story. We have a self proclaimed spinsterish librarian who finds herself needing a date to her employee's wedding. She turns to a cowboy who she once babysitted to help her out and in exchange she helps him navigate his dyslexia.

Enjoyed this one. Am now going to find the other books in the series.

Holy mother of a cowboy!

This was a steamy pile of hunk a junk! I officially plan to read more about cowboys in the future because that was so entertaining! I mean come on, Beau is just a big yes in my books. Who doesn't want a cowboy of their own after this?!

I loved the story, a cowboy falling for a librarian is wonderful juxtaposition, and I'm a sucker for those! Alice is such a sweet character, and a very smart one too which I always love to see! There's something about a character that just spews out facts that's entertaining.

Can we talk about Beau's dyslexia? Because I love that Carly Bloom added that to Beau's character. It's something that everyone knows about by name but not necessarily what difficulties are derived with it and I think she shed some good light on the subject in a way that showed the readers how people with dyslexia are able to live with it and how they also are able to overcome it.

Pardon me while I go request more titles with shirtless cowboys on the cover!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the earc in return for an honest review.

I binged all three books (we have so far) in Carly Bloom's cowboy romance trilogy and exceedingly pleased with them. I think the first one is my favorite, but the third stands close behind it.

In this story, librarian Allie helps tutor Beau, to help him manage his dyslexia and become foreman of the ranch. In exchange, Beau will serve as her plus one at an upcoming wedding. Complicating matter's is Beau's longstanding crush on Allie from when she used to babysit him as a kid, both of them being afraid of commitment, and Allie feeling like she doesn't fit in in town and wondering if she should move on to bigger things.

I truly love seeing Beau's growth with regards to his dyslexia, and Allie's own journey towards fitting in. MINOR SPOILER, but Allie begins the story as a virgin, which is normally a trope I can't stand, but I thought it was done well here. Neither of them treated it like a big deal, and Allie shoved "nothing more than a social construct" down everyone's throats at every chance she got--and she's right. It's one of the reasons I normally hate the trope. But I loved that we got to see someone who, for no particular reason, just hadn't had sex yet, and when she did, it wasn't a big deal. I don't love how Allie's friends handled it, but Beau handled it perfectly.

Also the bachelorette party scene is my absolute favorite...

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

5 stars - 8/10

Must Love Cowboys is the third book in the Once Upon a Time series in Big Verde. I read it as a stand-alone and enjoyed it!

Must Love Cowboys follows Alice, a small-town librarian, and Beau, a cowboy. Beau is four years younger than Alice and she used to babysit him.

I enjoyed watching Beau and Alice get closer as Alice helped him with his dyslexia. I loved that both Beau and Alice gained more confidence and that Beau had a lifelong crush on Alice. It was adorable. As were the friendships, it makes me want to go back and read the first books in this series.

I do think that some scenes ended somewhat abruptly and I do wish that we had seen more scenes of Beau and Alice together. However, I enjoyed watching the two of them grow together.

Check this book out if you love young crushes, audiobook love, and fake dating.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f friends to lovers
-older heroine younger hero
-elements of a forbidden romance
-fake dating
-a bit of forbidden romance
-a bucket list

I really enjoyed the representation in this one. Alice was the perfect person to help Beau with his dyslexia. His work in improving and seeing himself clearly was wonderful. Alice too felt as if she never fit in with the town. Through their relationship, they begin to see themselves more clearly. I also love a piney hero and Beau has had an almost lifelong crush on Alice which was adorable. I love the strong friendships and seeing the group as a whole together. The book club is solid gold and I hope Ms. Mills is secretly living a life filled with all the book scenes she adores.

I struggled with the chapter breaks in this one, just as they would seem to be connecting the chapter would end and then they would separate. The two MCs spent most of the book apart which made me really struggle to see their connection, I felt like I was being told about their connection and the time they were spending together rather than seeing it. Alice's voice also just felt off in parts.

Overall a solid story I just wished for more romance and connection.

Rating: 3.5
Steam: 3

This was such a fun read! Alice and Beau were great characters, and I loved watching them develop and grow as the story unfolded. The premise of how they got together was very unique, and I liked the emphasis on dyslexia and taking away the stigma of learning disabilities. This was just the happy escape I needed from how tough life is right now. I’ll definitely be looking into reading more Carly Bloom books! I received an ARC from netgalley, and this is my honest review.

Yes yes yes!!! Bloom has done cowboys some justice here. Add in some steam. Throw us a little feminism and dyslexia. Take yourself to the bed of a pick up truck and watch the sky because this book made me feel out of this world with all the feels.

This has been my favorite of the series yet. I am hoping for more. Hint hint.

Thank you @foreverpub and @netgalley for the ARC of this one. I adored it. All thoughts are my own, and I have many of them!

I know there is a shirtless cowboy on the cover, but this is so much more! Thanks to Estelle at Forever for saying we'd love this book and to give it a chance. I might have binged on all 3 of the Once Upon a Time in Texas series in a weekend and now I'm a Carly Bloom fan.

First, this book is hilarious. I laughed so much, I love the town's book club and the things these cowboys and friends do for their community. I already love the Texas Hill Country and want to move there but if there was a real Big Verde, I'd be moving there.

These are fun, slightly steamy and I loved seeing Alice, the librarian finally get her man. I love the fake dating and even the older woman angle here with a childhood crush. I liked seeing Beau figure out how to solve his problems and opening up with his struggles in reading.

I'm just hoping we get a Bryce book next!

Must Love Cowboys is the third book in the Once Upon a Time in Texas series by Carly Bloom. I read this one as a standalone and enjoyed it so much! It will release on April 27th through Forever Publishing. Not only is this a small town cowboy romance, it is also a very well written, modern Beauty and the Beast retelling with sexy, hilarious, and swoon-worthy moments in abundance.

Alice "Allie" Martin is the librarian at the Big Verde, Texas public library. At 31 years old, Allie is perfectly okay to spend time at the library and at home reading books. If it weren't for her friend Carmen encouraging her not to be a hermit, Allie would not have much of a social life. Carmen is Allie's exact opposite; a celebrity chef her blue hair and tight clothing, she turns heads wherever she goes in Big Verde. Carmen is the chef at the local, very popular brunch spot, Chateau Bleu.

Beau Montgomery and his twin Bryce are the handsome, hunky cowboy foreman at Rancho Canada Verde, one of Big Verde's oldest, family run cattle ranches. Since Beau was 13, he has had a crush on their bookish babysitter, Allie Cat Martin, and now at the age of 28, it hasn't diminished. Allie is all grown up, with multiple degrees, and a successful career which anyone in town can tell she loves very much. Unfortunately for Beau, his troublesome and embarrassing dyslexia is beginning to cause him some problems in his job at Rancho Canada Verde. His twin Bryce has always helped him in the past, but now Bryce is moving on to a new place and a new career, leaving Beau in a bit of a pickle. Enter the sexy librarian to his rescue. it turns out that Allie needs a bit of help herself, in the form of a plus one to attend her employee Brittany's wedding in a few weeks. So, Beau and Allie make an agreement - Allie will help Beau with his dyslexia and Beau will escort her to Brittany's wedding. As it happens in a small town, however, soon they are spotted alone and the rumor mill is chugging away, and the well meaning citizens of Big Verde are assuming Beau and Allie are an item.

But the more time the handsome, charming cowboy and the sexy, brilliant librarian spend together checking things off of her bucket list and reading books, it seems they are only fooling themselves with the "fake relationship" charade. Not to mention what the sound of Beau referring to her as "darlin" does to such a previously inexperienced in the romance department Allie.

If you haven't noticed by now, I loved this story. So. Much. There are some pretty steamy scenes, but there's also a lot of hilarious banter between cowboys and neighbors in a small town. I can assure you that chivalry isn't dead in Big Verde, Texas, thanks to the Montgomery brothers and their charming cowboy manners. And, let's be honest here...you had me at librarian main character. Throw in Cowboy Story Time, Stetsons and chaps...sold! This was my first cowboy romance and the story was quick paced and compulsively enjoyable. I couldn't put it down. Within the first few pages alone, I was already laughing out loud, gasping, cringing (in a good way), and swooning. I can't wait to read more stories from Big Verde, Texas and Carly Bloom.

Thank you to Estelle at Forever Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is pure fun. Another romp in Big Verde and this time it’s Alice‘s turn to fall in love.
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Beau is ready to take over the ranch, except there’s one little problem, being in charge means reading lists, orders and manuals and he’s been hiding his dyslexia all his life. He turns to the town librarian and his crush from his grade school days for tutoring. Alice decided tutoring payment will be Beau being her plus one at a wedding.
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In a small town where gossip is always front and center their fake romance takes center stage. It doesn’t take long before this couple realizes there might just be something to this fake relationship.
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I love all of the characters in this town! It is so much fun revisiting them in each book!
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Thank you so much to @forever and #netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review
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Carly Bloom has a forever fan in me!

Thank you to Forever Pub and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

As soon as I saw this on NetGalley, I ditched my current read to return to Big Verde. I think this series gets better and better. The fake to real dating as well as childhood crush tropes are two of my favorites. I don't remember Alice being so quirky in the previous books and I love it! Together with Beau's easy going personality, their conversations are just delightful. Bloom does a great job balancing the lightheartedness of a small town romance filled with funny characters as well as serious topics such as dyslexia, sex positivity, and self doubt.

This series is one of my favorites and I am excited to read about Bryce and Carmen's story!

Well, it's safe to say that I love Big Verde and I love Carly Bloom!! This series is so damn good. I loved reading about Beau and Alice. This book is incredibly fun but also quite vulnerable and I loved that juxtaposition. Beau pulls Alice out of her shell and Alice teaches Beau how to overcome his fears. This book was an absolute gem!

🚨🗣MUST READ ROMANCE ALERT🚨🗣

🤠Y’all listen up because if you’ve been sleeping on Carly Bloom’s Big Verde series it’s time to wake the hell up. Don’t look at this one and dismiss it because it has a shirtless cowboy on the cover. Instead, take a good long look at that cowboy, appreciate the view and then understand he’s a twin so there’s two of these guys 😍 In all seriousness though, this series is SO 👏🏻 DAMN 👏🏻 GOOD and if you even kinda enjoy romance it’s a must.

This is book three in the series and it’s totally fine to read alone but settle in while I convince you to read all of them. Each book takes a traditional fairytale and puts a unique spin on it, Big Bad Cowboy is Little Red Riding Hood, Cowboy Come Home is Cinderella and this one is Beauty and the Beast. Alice is the town librarian and may be one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. I have a serious girl crush on her and I feel like any book lover will too. Beau is super swoony and also vulnerable many times throughout the book, if I wasn’t won over by his cowboy charm I sure was by how gentle and sweet he was too. This one has it all, it’s sexy, sweet, hilarious and smart. If Big Verde was a real town me and my girl @reallyintothis would be living there by now, these books seriously make you want to move and experience this community for yourself. I seriously cannot say enough good things about this one, as long as this series continues I’ll be a huge fangirl ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh Carly Bloom, you and Big Verde have my heart. I have been impatiently waiting for Must Love Cowboys for months and it was everything I wanted it to be. This series is such a great mix of real topics and light hearted fun. I enjoyed Alice's story of wanting to belong and Beau's struggles so much. Their not-so-fake relationship was the best kind of tension and emotions. I love seeing how the characters from the first books have changed and their lives have developed. I love the hints at what could come next. I laughed. I was heartsore. I want to hug my kindle because this book made me so happy. Thank you for letting me read and review.

Carly's book, Big Bad Cowboy changed my life. I'm not even kidding! I picked it up on a whim because it had a Halloween storyline. Had I seen the mass market cover with a shirtless cowboy, I wouldn't have picked it up. It's true. I'm a judgemental bitch.

Thankfully I've seen the light & changed my ways. This is all due to Carly's fantastic writing. Since then, I've been a HUGE Carly Bloom fangirl & I've fallen in love with the town of Big Verde. Carly certainly does the state of Texas proud with her descriptions of dances at the VFW hall, starched shirts, King George, BBQ & a cafe with dishes named after townspeople. Carly created this county of Big Verde nestled in the Texas Hill Country. Once you travel there through her writing, you'll be hooked!

So, let's dive into Alice (the librarian) & Beau's (a cowboy twin with dyslexia) story. While I've loved both Big Verde novels & the novella, this truly may be my favorite yet. Fake dating, childhood crushes & two people who are truly destined for each other; it just doesn't get better than this folks!

There is communication in this book, open door sex scenes & true vulnerability from each character. See when you're in a town like Big Verde you have enough room to be yourself as you're surrounded by people who will love you unconditionally. I also love that Beau's dyslexia is at the forefront of the story & is something that he works through.

Carly just writes these characters you fall head over heels for - both the heroine & the hero. She also writes these scenes that live rent-free in my head. And I welcome them!! Like there are plenty of scenes from MUST LOVE COWBOYS that I will be thinking of and swooning over for a long time to come!

I am so grateful to be an early reader of Must Love Cowboys. The storyline is touching sweet, sultry & memorable. All I can say is that I'm greedy & want more!