Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to read this book, but it was the first time I finished it. It was cute but bossy, know it all cowboys aren’t really my thing. The saving grace of this book were his daughters. While she came around eventually, our main characters literally hatred of kids made her so unlikable and hard to relate to.

I really wanted to love this book; after all, it has some of my favorite romance tropes: small town, single dad, cowboy, opposites attract. But there was just something that didn't fully work for me.

Cowboy Christian Griffith can't decide what he likes least about Cassandra Parker. Is it that she was hired as a publicist for his family's ranch and is sticking her nose in his operations? Is it that she's so distractingly beautiful? No, it's that she has an engagement ring on her finger. Good thing it seems like she can't stand Christian. Cassandra is far from her home in New York City, banished by her boss/fiancé to rehab her image and save her job. Now she's living with Christian, a single dad she can't stand, especially how unfairly attractive he is.

Overall, Dust Storm by Maggie Gates was an enjoyable read. I couldn't really connect with the FMC, Cassandra, and didn't really understand her behavior or motivation most of the time. I get that she's not a fan of babies, kids, teenagers, etc., but that doesn't mean she has to act as mean and rude as she did to Christian's daughters, Bree and Gracie, who were so sweet and admired her (even when they had no reason to). I would've liked more depth to the story, mostly when it comes to the relationship between Cassandra and Christian. I get the banter and how it seems like they'll never get along at first, but it's a hard left turn into them developing romantic feelings for each other, despite both acknowledging an initial attraction to the other. I am intrigued by the sort of cliffhanger regarding another character and am curious about his story!

Thanks Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Cassandra arrives on Christian’s farm with plans to market it better, after being demoted from the firm her fiancé works for. However, the farm is a different way of life than the city she is used to, especially when she realizes the housing she was promised is not habitable. She ends up having to stay with Christian and his daughters. Her circumstances keep deteriorating from the farm and her job. She slowly adjusts to living with his kids and him, and her future is not as known as she previously thought. Living with Christian, she finds out that he is exactly what she needs and vice versa. As someone who has also been dress coded for the same reason, I wish someone stood up for me the way Cassandra did. It was a nice change of pace with how she felt towards kids.

This was my first book by this author and I'm sad to say that I'm disappointed by it. The story is a classic small town/cowboy romance, one we've seen a thousand times before and nothing really stood out for me. It was literally the same as Homebound by Meredith Trapp (lucky me, I read them back to back) With that said, I don't blame the author at all, like I said it's a story i've seen a thousand times before and we will see it a thousand time again. The MMC is the perfect book boyfriend, sweet and always there for everyone. But I really didn’t enjoy Cassandra character, I literally just liked her when she was defending the kids. It's a shame cause on paper, it should’ve been everything I love, Single dad, Small town, like yes please!!! But I didn't really like the writting, it felt repetitive, kind of irritating, and honestly a little cringe and on top of that, too much smut for me, like if you like it you gonna be serve.

This was my first time reading anything written by Maggie Gates and it won’t be my last. Dust Storm is about Cassandra whose fiancé sends her to live on a ranch. Christian is a single dad and boss of the ranch Cassandra is sent to. Christian is forced to have Cassandra come stay with him and his two daughters because the cabins are unlivable.

Dust Storm is everything you want from a cowboy romance. Maggie Gates has written a deliciously sweet (and spicy) novel that encapsulates everything you could want from a western romance. There is the perfect swirl of emotions and loveable characters. When you meet Cassandra, Christian, Gracie, and Bree you won't want to let them go.

Cassandra is such a strong character. You will either love or hate her. I personally adored her, I think it takes guts to write a character that is flawed and arguably unlikeable. however, that just made me love her more. I think the dynamic between her and Christian was executed perfectly. I loved the tension from them. Christian, the star father figure is equally flawed and rough around the edges. They were good complements for each other. I would've loved some more tension between them on the issue of children. I think the found family dynamic was endearing, and the girls added to the story and the love interests connection. I think that there were several positive topics discussed within the book. I think this book was full of strong female characters who don't waver in their identity, even as their ideals of what they want change.

Dust Storm is a darling novel that balances family, love, and personal strength.

I've been really enjoying the single-dad romances lately. I think that coming from a "broken" family makes me love these kinds of stories more. It was a little slow to get going, and Cass was a little insufferable at times. I didn't love the major event that occurred toward the end of the book, but I understand the purpose of having it. Overall, a solid read.

This romance was absolutely adorable! I loved the banter between them and I giggled out loud so many times! These characters feel like coming home! Can’t wait for the next book!!

I read this one when it was an indie read, and was more than thrilled to jump back into the world again. I am typically not a huge fan of single-parent romances, but this one is a good one. I appreciate that it isn't a single mom romance, and that there are different dynamics to explore with that.

Cass is a bit of a hard sell to be honest. She can be frustrating at the worst of times. But Christian more than makes up for it!

All around, such a good read, lighthearted and relaxing.

This author is new to me, but I will be keeping an eye out for anything else they publish. I loved the story and the characters. The pacing of the story was great and the characters were relatable.

Okayyy I’m hooked!! Read this in 2 days, didn’t want to put it down and any character inconsistencies like this grumpy brooding dad just putting his entire guard down for a pretty girl… doesn’t matter. Or this workaholic anti kid woman suddenly loving his kids.

Frankly it didn’t matter because the story was interesting and the chemistry was good.

I loved this book so much! I am a goner for a cowboy romance so I was hooked immediately, but especially loved the dynamic that Cass had with Christian's daughters. The strong female energy that Cass had was so refreshing and I loved that she grew into the maternal figure, giving us a different side of women where we don't always need to have that maternal urge (and that's ok!!!). I also loved that Christian was described as more of a realistic dad bod cowboy! The romance was so fun and steamy and I loved the pacing of the romance through the book. If you want a fun, single dad, cowboy romance then this book is for you.

OOF, this was not the book for me. I love love love the cover art and the cowboy romance seemed like the perfect fit but boy was I wrong. Cass is insufferable and made the story SO hard to get through. I couldn’t connect with the main characters for most of the story and honestly debated DNFing at multiple points. There was ZERO chemistry between the main characters, which is weird for a small town romance. I truly don't mind a prickly main female character that gives off badass energy but that wasn't Cass. There just wasn't enough depth to her character for it to come across in that baddass way, she was just a raging bitch. WHY WAS SHE RUDE TO EVERYONE??

I needed a good cowboy romance!!!!!! I really enjoyed this one. Christian was such a kind and tender male main character, who was so good to his people. And cass!!! She was such a strong woman I loved reading about her! At times I felt a little disconnected from their emotional connection, or thought the pacing was off. And wish we got a little more of the family dynamic depth with the Griffiths but!!! Overall a really enjoyable read<3 3.5 rounding up!!!

This was a nice cowboy read and I really enjoyed it. Cass was super refreshing as a character. She didn’t do that usual big change from city girl to country girl and I actually loved that. It made her feel more real and different from other characters in cowboy romances. The romance itself was sweet and nothing over the top but I really liked the single dad angle. It added a lot of warmth to the story. Overall just a chill and enjoyable read that left me feeling good.

Dust Storm is book one of the Griffith Brothers series by Maggie Gets is getting a new cover! This book is set to be released on October 7, 2025. This book is about a city girl that meets a single dad rancher. The main male character is a widowed father raising two little girls. The more time that Cassandra spends at the ranch with Christian that more that those two start to fall for each other. If you are looking for a book cowboy romance this is the book for you!

LOVE MAGGIE GATES. she was a new author to me this year and i am so happy to add her to my top favorites authors. im a lover of cowboy romances and this did not disappoint. small town was so great to immerse myself in and i inhaled the rest of the books in this series. 10/10 would recommend

I’m a sucker for a smalltown, single dad cowboy! This was rom com vibes and I truly enjoyed every minute of it. The FMC is brash and abrasive and loved every minute of that too.

Dust storms always settle…

I loved this book! Christian is such a sweet MMC! And Cass…albeit she’s a raging bi**h sometimes, I loved how he loved her into a lovable character. I loved the family bond in this book and the single dad rep. I really loved seeing the relationship between Bree and Gracie and Cass grow. The stepmom rep was also nice in this book, especially because it was done in a way that I absolutely loved. When Cass stormed into that school and defended Bree it made my mom heart swoon! I devoured this book and I am so excited to continue this series! This book was filled with so many great quotes from Christian; he really is like a cowboy fortune cookie! And the added epilogue and bonus scenes were so sweet! 4.5 ⭐️🩷

Just finished Dust Storm by Maggie Gates and wow—I really liked it! It’s one of those books that grabs you from the start and keeps you flipping pages, even when you should be doing other things (like making dinner... oops). The story is super emotional and the main character goes through a lot, but you can’t help but cheer her on.

The writing is really good without being too fancy, and the whole thing just felt real and powerful. If you like stories about strong women and overcoming tough stuff, give this one a try.