Author: Soraya M. Lane

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Page Count: 304

ISBN: 1250224284

Goodreads Rating: 3.81

Billionaires, cowboys, and romance collide during the holidays in this next book in the River Ranch series! It’s the most wonderful time of the year at the Ford family ranch. Will one cowboy’s homecoming be the greatest gift of all? He left town and never looked back. Cody Ford is a Wall Street honcho with humble Texas roots. This holiday season, he’d be content to just stay in New York and not face his family―and dodge their questions about when and with whom he plans to settle down. . .and if he will do so back at home. But his father isn’t getting any younger, and Cody doesn’t want to miss any last chances to see him and the rest of the folks back on the ranch. The last person Cody was expecting to see? His one-time girlfriend, Lexi Murphy, who’s been working as his dad’s new live-in nurse. She never forgot him. Can she ever forgive him? Lexi still holds a grudge against Cody. Back then, the college-bound heartthrob believed he was too good for a small-town girl like Lexi. But now Cody can’t help but see her in a whole new light. Could it be that this beautiful single mother with an unbeatable can-do spirit is the one he’s been waiting for all along? That depends on whether Cody can prove to Lexi that, this time, he means business―and if a sudden snowstorm can lend just the right amount of Christmas magic to help move things along. . .

I just love Christmas and I love cowboy stories. So when I got the opportunity to read the third book in the River Ranch series, after also reading the first two books, I just couldn’t resist. I mean who doesn’t love romantic Christmas story about a cowboy?

In ‘Once Upon A Cowboy’ Cody Ford returns home for Christmas after rarely coming home for over a decade. Cody has made a success for himself and just doesn’t really want to think about the past and everything he left behind all those years ago. But when Cody sees his father after months, and realizes he is a lot sicker than he let on, he knows he has to stay a little longer. After seeing the woman who takes care of his sick father, and who happens to be his ex-girlfriend Lexi, Cody is torn about what to do. He really wants to run on the one hand, but he also really wants to get to know Lexi again.

After reading the first two books in this series, I really couldn’t wait to read this book too. And I was happy to find myself enjoying this book just as much as the previous two. The two main characters Cody and Lexi are really fun to read about. Cody, this successful guy who has been hiding from his feelings for a very long time and happens to find the one girl he loved in his old home. And Lexi, the single mom who has to work like crazy to get every bill paid. I loved Lexi. She was so tough and such a great mom.

The chemistry between Cody and Lexi is there from the start. And it was fun to read how there relationship developed. I also really enjoyed reading little bits about the characters from the previous two books.

The Christmas charm in this book was a little hard to find if you ask me. It wasn’t bad, but I could easily forgot that it was almost Christmas. There was snow, and it was cold.. but there wasn’t a lot of Christmas feelings in this book. I didn’t miss it, but seeing the title of this book I just expected there to be more.

Overall I really enjoyed Cody and Lexi’s story. And I can’t wait to read the book about the fourth Ford sibling. If you looking for a fun, romantic cowboy story.. This is definitely the series for you!

Buy on Amazon Buy on Barnes & Noble

Check out my reviews of the two previous books in this series:

As a child, Soraya dreamed of becoming an author. Fast forward more than a few years, and Soraya is now living her dream! Soraya describes being an author as “the best career in the world”, and she hopes to be writing romance for many years to come. Soraya loves spending her days thinking up characters for books, and her home is a constant source of inspiration. She lives with her own real life hero and two sons on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals and with an office overlooking a field where their horses graze. For more information about Soraya Lane please visit her website. Or visit her on Facebook and Twitter.

Maureen Bakker

Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always!  Facebook | Instagram