Category Archives: River Ranch Series

Review: All Night With the Cowboy by Soraya Lane

Title: All Night With the Cowboy by Soraya Lane
River Ranch Series Book Two
Publisher: St Martin’s Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Billionaires, cowboys, and second chance romance collide in All Night with the Cowboy by Soraya Lane.

BACK IN THE SADDLE. STRAIGHT TO THE HEART. . .

At the Ford family ranch, getting thrown from a horse is a part of growing up. But one cowboy is still learning the ropes when it comes to falling in love.

Tanner Ford has been riding bulls and busting broncos his entire life. So when he takes a hard spill—and sustains serious injuries—he refuses to believe his rodeo days are behind him. He’s determined to restore his body and revive his career. There’s just one problem: the finest physical therapist in town just happens to be the only woman he’s ever loved.

Lauren Lewis knows she made a huge mistake when she walked away from Tanner. But she was young, ambitious, and focused on her medical career. Now, after all these years, Tanner’s back—and, in spite of his injuries, looking better than she allows herself to admit. She agrees to work on Tanner’s big bruised muscles until he’s back in bull-riding shape again. But how can Lauren resist the smoldering attraction between her and her old flame. . .and will she be able to live without him?

Review:

All Night With the Cowboy by Soraya Lane is a second chance at love romance between former high school sweethearts. This latest addition to the River Ranch series can easily be read as a standalone.

Billionaire bull rider Tanner Ford is seriously injured in the arena and he is going to need intense physical therapy to help him recover in order to resume his career. He has resisted all efforts from his family to hang up his spurs so he will do just about anything to continue participating in the sport he loves. However, Tanner is not at all happy to discover that his sister has just hired his former high school girlfriend as his physical therapist.

Lauren Lewis gave up the only man she ever loved to ensure she received the best college education her parents could buy. She has worked hard to make sure her reputation as physical therapist for the Texas Rangers is impeccable so she makes it clear to Tanner there will be no hanky-panky between them.  The two soon jet off to Fiji for a working vacation where the romantic island soon has Lauren rethinking her stance on maintaining a professional distance from the only man she ever has ever loved.

Neither Lauren nor Tanner ever really recovered from their broken hearts so their initial encounters are prickly with lots of animosity especially from Tanner. He never quite understood why she broke things off with him and he has never been involved in another serious relationship. Although Lauren knows she made the right choice, she does have a few regrets about how she handled the end of their romance. Like Tanner, she has steered clear of emotional entanglements since their split and she has intention of doing anything to jeopardize her carefully cultivated reputation in sports medicine.

However, Lauren quickly changes her mind about not acting on the still sizzling hot attraction between her and Tanner. Their no strings fling has a short shelf life since their new mantra is “what happens in Fiji stays in Fiji” but will they be able to forget about one another again after they return to their regular lives? Will the memories of their painful breakup continue to serve as a cautionary tale for a real reunion between them?

All Night With the Cowboy by Soraya Lane is a well-written but somewhat insipid romance that has few surprises. Tanner is ridiculously stubborn and his continued resentment towards Lauren becomes tiresome. Lauren’s reasons for their initial break up are a bit weak and once they are on Fiji, she abandons her principles at an astonishing speed.  Their renewed relationship feels superficial and it stretches the bonds of credibility to believe they are still in love given the passage of time and Tanner’s simmering anger towards Lauren for breaking his heart. Readers might feel hard-pressed to feel much sympathy for Lauren’s claim she is heartbroken over their break up since it was her decision to end things with him.  All of their lingering issues are wrapped up fairly quickly and this second installment in the River Ranch series comes to a sweetly romantic conclusion.

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Filed under All Night with the Cowboy, Contemporary, Rated C, Review, River Ranch Series, Romance, Soraya Lane, St Martin's Paperbacks

Review: Cowboy Stole My Heart by Soraya Lane

Title: Cowboy Stole My Heart by Soraya Lane
River Ranch Series Book One
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

It takes true grit to build a billion-dollar dynasty like the Ford family ranch. But when it comes to finding love, all it takes is one handsome cowboy to steal a woman’s heart in Cowboy Stole My Heart by Soraya Lane.

SHE’S RIDING SOLO
As one of the heirs to the River Ranch fortune, Mia Ford is practically Texas royalty. But that doesn’t mean she’s some pampered princess. She can saddle up and ride a horse as well as any man, even a hard-working cowboy like Sam Mendes. For years, she’s harbored a crush on the strong, silent horseman. But how can she make a move when she’s his boss?

HE’S TAKING THE REINS
Sam Mendes is through with love—or so he thought. Still recovering from a breakup, he’s doing everything in his power to resist Mia Ford. It’s bad enough she’s the kind of beauty who drives men wild with desire. It’s even worse she’s got him so worked up, aching to kiss her lips, when he’s supposed to be working her ranch. Is this lovestruck cowboy willing to risk losing his job—and breaking his heart—to win the girl of his dreams?

Review:

Cowboy Stole My Heart is a cute first installment Soraya Lane’s River Ranch series.

Sam Mendes is a well-renowned horseman with an incredible reputation for being able to help even the most troubled horses overcome their problems. He is ready to take a break from the constant touring to promote his unique abilities when wealthy ranch owner Walter Ford wants to hire him to see if he can help his daughter Mia’s out of control and dangerous stallion, Tex. Sam is carrying a lot of emotional baggage from his dysfunctional childhood and an acrimonious break up. He has sworn off relationships and despite his attraction to Mia, his first meeting with his new client gets off to a very rocky beginning.

Mia is used to being under estimated by everyone she meets but she immediately bristles when she senses Sam has the wrong impression of her. She has quietly built a career without relying on anything except her skills and prize money. Fiercely independent with a strong emotional attachment to Tex, Mia is determined to save the horse even if it means dealing with Sam.

The relationship between Sam and Mia begins with misconceptions on both sides. Their first few interactions are tense as they somehow manage to keep antagonizing one another.  Sam is the epitome of the strong silent type and he is most comfortable working with horses. Mia is not used to showing her vulnerabilities so she is less than forthcoming with information about Tex.  When they finally work through their differences,  their sizzling attraction becomes too strong to ignore. Agreeing to a no strings fling, will Sam and Mia keep their casual relationship free from any emotional entanglements?

While Sam and Mia’s relationships with family members and friends are quite enjoyable, the romance between them is a little superficial.  They spend nearly half the novel leaping to erroneous conclusions about one another and there is a serious lack of communication between them which leads to even more misunderstandings between them.  While Mia does reveal some very personal details about herself, Sam is not one to discuss his past. With no real foundation for anything other than a casual fling, there does not seem to be much of a future for them once their relationship hits a rough patch.

Cowboy Stole My Heart is a well-written novel but the storyline is rather predictable. Mia and Sam are great characters individually but they never quite seem to mesh as a couple. Their romance feels contrived with a bit of an insta-love vibe that never feels natural or believable. The secondary characters are absolutely fantastic and these relationships feel much better developed than the romance between Mia and Sam.  The novel’s conclusion is sweet but a little rushed. The next installment in Soraya Lane’s River Ranch series looks promising since it stars Mia’s bull riding brother, Tanner.

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Filed under Contemporary, Cowboy Stole My Heart, Rated C, Review, River Ranch Series, Romance, St Martin's Paperbacks