As You Were, Cowboy by Heather Long is a good fit for readers who enjoy stories about resilience, healing, and the power of love in overcoming adversity.

Author Heather Long brings the subject of therapy horses to life in her latest release As You Were, Cowboy. A stubborn, medically discharged Marine with a spinal cord injury goes head to head with a horse trainer hired to work at the ranch where he works. This book was engaging and informative, but it was also heart-warming, sensitive, and highly enjoyable.

Proud, stubborn, and so tired of everyone trying to manage him Mateo Lopez is thrown for a loop with Claire Windsor storms into the horse barn and announces she’s been hired by his friend and the ranch owner as a trainer for therapy horses. To say these to get off on the wrong foot is putting it mildly, but I also think it was exactly what Mateo needed because from the minute they meet Claire doesn’t treat him differently despite her realizing he has some sort of injury and she refuses to put up with him attitude.

I loved watching these two work to figure each other out and the way Claire was able to soften Mateo and make him begin to live again. There was no doubt she wanted to help him, but she was able to do so without making him feel helpless or anything other than a man. While there was no doubt Claire was affected by Mateo, the fact that she stirred feelings and more in him was a huge step to him realizing he was hindering his own recovery.

A story of hope, healing, and love, As You Were, Cowboy is a fantastic start to a new series.

Mateo Lopez has been discharged from the Marines because of a spinal cord injury. He is sent to a horse ranch because of a new therapy that has started with horses. He really does not want to be there because he feels he won’t be able to ride them as he did before his injury. Clair Windsor has been hired for this new program and has left England because she believes that horses can help with healing. Between her not wanting to fail and Mateo’s hard headiness it will not come as a shock when they begin to clash. By clashing this also brings them closer together and the more they are together they now must start dealing with emotions without the horse, with people the two of them. A very good story of healing and I thought everything was done tactfully. A very good book.

Mateo Lopez, honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on medical leave, is struggling to rebuild his life. The spinal cord injury that left him feeling like a broken man resulted in his inability to ride the horses he loves and works with on Round Top Ranch. The new horse trainer at the ranch, however, has decided that this isn’t acceptable. Claire Windsor, a spirited, London-born spitfire of a woman, has come to begin a new program to turn the horses into therapy animals. She turns Mateo’s world upside-down, and try as he might to avoid her, she keeps inserting herself into his life. As their plans for the ranch clash, so too do their hearts...making all things fair in love and war.
The book was good. I liked both main characters as they went through the story. Both characters were well written. I enjoyed the plot. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Clare is excited to start training therapy horses at Round Top Ranch. However the reception she receives at the barn is not what she anticipated.
Mateo had finished up what he could and was heading to his place to take his pain meds. Before he reached his truck he ran into the new arrival. As he realizes her purpose he is not pleased.

Tanner sort of soothes things over with Mateo, but essentially tells him to work with her. They need her expertise with training the horses to be therapy horses.
Now while there is some animosity between the two, there is also a truce.

I absolutely loved the prim and proper Claire. She's smart and feisty and more than capable of holding her own against Mateo.

Mateo has much to overcome and he fights almost every step of the way.

The relationship is a slow build-up that I found very satisfying.

The book held some nostalgia for me, and I loved the British insight to being in Texas.

I laughed, yelled and cried too.

This mix of cowboy and former military is a definite win!

I can't wait to see what the next book will hold for us.

I was eager to read this second novel in Ms. Long's Lone Star Leathernecks series, having absolutely loved the first novel in the series, but I'm sad to say that this one simply didn't measure up to the excellence of Semper Fi, Cowboy, and I could only give it a 3-star rating.

This story features Mateo Lopez, who is no longer a Marine due to an ordnance explosion which ended his military service and left him with a medical discharge, a severely damaged spine with shrapnel still embedded and inoperable unless he's willing to risk ending up in a wheelchair, which would end his job as a horse trainer. He's in constant, unending pain, but he's reluctant to take his meds because he doesn't want to end up addicted to them, so he waits until his pain is so unendurable that he's forced to take them. He's also in physical therapy, but it leaves him in more pain afterwards than he was experiencing when we walked in, and so he also often misses appointments. Although he can no longer ride the horses he loves and trains, he still works with them on Round Top Ranch.

He's shocked and angry when suddenly one day, a new horse trainer, Claire Windsor, arrives from London and announces that she's there to begin a new program training horses as therapy animals--a program she's already had a great deal of success with in England. Rather than going to the main house, she stops off at one of the barns on the ranch and first introduces herself to Mateo. To say he's surprised, annoyed, bitter, angry, snarky, rude, and far from welcoming is putting it mildly, but Claire handles his ire far better than she handles the heat of the Texas summer. Mateo feels that she's there to replace him, when, unbeknownst to him, in addition to setting up an equine therapy program for wounded veterans at the behest of Tanner and Jules (who we met in the first novel), her first wounded veteran is Mateo.

Tanner has assured Mateo that Claire isn't there to replace him, but Mateo is not quite sure he believes him, and so Claire and Mateo get off to a rocky start, although the two are clearly physically attracted to one another, and Mateo is slowly impressed by Claire's love and knowledge of horses and her skill at getting "his" horses to respond to her somewhat unusual training methods, but beyond that is where I felt this novel went a bit astray, when insta-lust turned into insta-love and the story headed in an improbable direction.

After knowing each other for less than a week, Mateo is meeting Claire for tea at her cabin every morning before they start work--something I cannot imagine any tough, native born Texan doing. When we later learn that since his spinal injury, Mateo has been impotent, the fact that these two are suddenly having rather energetic sex certainly stretched my willing suspension of disbelief, and while I was happy that Mateo was able to function in that regard, it was too much, too soon for this reader.

As the relationship between Mateo and Claire builds faster than gangbusters, I kept expecting to see Claire in action working with other wounded veterans, and getting her therapy program underway, but when this rather short novel abruptly comes to an HEA ending, the only wounded veteran in sight is Mateo, and while I was pleased that these two formed a strong relationship, I was left feeling that there were so many missed opportunities here. There should have been more vets added to this story, and perhaps a chance for even some drama and angst if any of them became interested in the lovely Englishwoman. Finally, the back surgery that Mateo needs but has been avoiding for years, choosing pain over the possibility of losing his ability to walk, is all handled in a fast-forward in the final chapter, when it could have brought more drama to the story, more time to watch Claire get her therapy program off the ground, and more time to strengthen her relationship with Mateo. As a reader, one who liked these two characters, I found myself rather disappointed with the ending

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

As You Were, Cowboy tells the tale of Mateo Lopez a medically discharged Marine living with chronic pain and the author makes you feel it. You have to wonder how she is going to give this guy his HEA because how can you be happy when you are in various stages of agony every minute of the day. You’ll have to read to find out but I will give you a hint. You have to find happiness when and where you can.
I felt so much for Mateo and watched with anticipation as he got closer to Claire. This book will tear your heart out and then leave you with a smile.

Title and author: As You Were, Cowboy by Heather Long
Series: Lone Star Leathernecks - Book 2
Publisher: Pocket Star
Releases: December 11, 2017
Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/y6uxqje8
Genre: Contemporary
Author website: http://heatherlong.net/
Rating: 4.5 Stars

The second book in the Lone Star Leathernecks series is often movingly emotional yet also very uplifting at times. The hero is a former soldier who does not regret doing his duty, but sadly he is now paying a big price most days with little expectation of the future ever becoming brighter. When a spirited woman enters his life, he at first feels betrayed and a little angry. But as the couple interacts on a daily basis, both lives take a turn which neither saw coming. I smiled when a situation went well, and then felt empathy for a character if an event did not go as desired. Heather Long has created an exceedingly realistic story filled with romance, hope, and profound emotions. AS YOU WERE, COWBOY is heartwarmingly dramatic time and again.

When Claire Windsor traveled from England to Texas, she had plans to her wishes become a reality. Love for horses led to her choosing a career training them, and a personal matter had her working to use the perceptive animals to help people with various problems. Yet when Claire arrives at Round Top Ranch, she is confronted by the current trainer for its horses, and his greeting is not at all hospitable.

After Mateo Lopez suffered a severe injury to his spine while serving as a Marine, he was discharged for medical reasons and had to return home. He keeps hoping that one day his mobility might improve enough to let him once again work more efficiently with the horses, so there is no reason for Claire to be hired. But since the ranch owners have the final word, Mateo must work with Claire and implement her new program to assist those in some type of pain.

AS YOU WERE, COWBOY is an insightful look at people who need assistance plus those willing to give it. Claire wants to share her knowledge of horses with others, letting them come to also know these creatures and perhaps change their lives for the better along the way. Training an animal to improve the quality of life for someone that has either physical and/or emotional problems is an admirable career, and the Brit is extremely dedicated to aiding anyone who could benefit. She is definitely surprised to learn a ranch employee could use her help, and she can immediately tell there are going to be some uphill battles fought before Mateo will work with her in a friendly manner. But as they start to share ideas, mutual respect begins to grow. A love of horses may have brought them together, but their candidly honest behavior has them growing closer. I was truly touched by many of the scenes where Mateo opens up to Claire about several private topics, and her responses had me liking her even more. Heather Long takes a realistic approach in how horses can give a person confidence, and I felt as though any arising situations could actually be true on so many occasions. Details about such therapy are given in a way which is informative yet does not overload. AS YOU WERE, COWBOY is a cleverly imaginative story that left me with a positive feeling.

I voluntarily reviewed the book from the publisher via NetGalley, and all comments are my honest opinion

First, I loved this book – it will touch your heart and smack you in the gut, all at the same time. Yes, it is a book 2 of a series however it is a standalone. The author did an amazing job of connecting the dots, where needed, so you do not have to read the first book but I would ask: WHY wouldn’t you read it? Seriously, it is an amazing series. I couldn’t wait for AYWC and I was not disappointed.

I’m not going to recap the story – you can read the blurb and buy the book – but I wanted to try to convey how much I believe the author put into this story. It is about Mateo Lopez and Claire Windsor who, IMHO, make the best couple ever. He is suitably alpha and stubborn; she is strong, smart and doesn’t put up with any guff from him. Perfect! Where the story will grab you, again in my opinion, is how Ms. Long writes Mateo’s struggles. He is a returning veteran, with a medical discharge, and lingering effects from a spinal cord injury. He feels…less. Less of a Marine, less of an employee, less of a man because of his injury. What was so amazing to me was when I read Mateo, his struggles to live each day were so real to me. Ms. Long made you forget you were reading a story and I could actually feel the depths of his pain. I am having a hard time putting that into words but suffice to say it is such a beautiful story. And Claire is the perfect foil to Mateo’s downward spiral and I just loved her character as well.

You will not be disappointed with As You Were, Cowboy or with the Lone Star Leathernecks series. Seriously, I cannot recommend this story enough. You will actually feel the story; it has stayed with me long after I finished reading the book.

As You Were, Cowboy is book 2 in the Lone Star Leathernecks series and it was great!!!
This emotional, engaging story hooked me early. Mateo and Claire were well developed characters and the interaction was compelling. I look forward to more and will recommend this to readers

4 stars and what a surprise- I loved this book. Our guy is in so much pain... an injury that seems like there is no real cure. A British Horsewoman comes to the states and has had success with working with military men using horses.
This had substance and romance- Loved it

Quite a touching story. Loved the hero...gotta love a cowboy
The storyline is what I loved the most. These two characters throughout the whole book we're just great. Great chemistry and excellent dialogue.

As You Were, Cowboy is truly wonderful love story about two people whose souls are connected by their respect and affection for horses. I adored Claire and Matteo, their chemistry all that, but it was the detail around therapy horse training that got my attention. I am not a horse person per se, but I am fascinated by animal therapies - they are truly a thing of beauty. It’s one thing to see a dog or cat in this role, but for horse is it a very delicate process and Heather Long does a brilliant job of bringing it all home.

Add this book to your TBR and don’t forget to save a place in your heart!!

Happy reading!

A unique take on a contemporary western romance as this is more about a Vet, Mateo, suffering from severe wounds and extreme pain from being hit by an IED. This story encompasses his path from dealing, albeit poorly, with the pain while alienating those around him. Into his life comes Claire, a brilliant woman come to Texas to train horses in order to provide therapy for Veterans. Wish there was more interaction between his parents and Mateo and Claire.

Mateo is his own worst enemy. After sustaining a series spinal injury, he isn't cooperating with his PT or his doctors orders. So when he realises that his boss and friend has hired a new equine therapist to help out on a new project to aid injured veterans, he flips his lid and is not a very welcoming first impression!

Claire Windsor has flown from England to undertake the new project at the ranch. Her welcome wagon wasn't exactly friendly but she is made of stern stuff and doesn't cave to the onslaught from Mateo and stands her ground.

They eventually come to a compromise and surprisingly actually work very well together. But as they spend more time together Mateo realises that he sees Claire as more than a colleague. but will she want this broken shell of a man?

This was an amazingly well researched story and I hugely enjoyed it. As a Scot I struggled a wee bit with Claire's accent as it comes over as very upper crust in m head! But as she has been around horses all her life I'm going on the assumption that she does come from money so the accent would fit but it just jars in my brain for some reason. Slow build up between them was enticing and really amped up the chemistry!

Mateo Lopez is working as a horse trainer after receiving a medical discharge from the US Marine Corps for a spinal cord injury. Some days he is barely able to make it through the day without horrible pain that make it hard to even move. Claire Windsor comes to the ranch from England as a new trainer to begin training horses for therapy use. Mateo is not sold on the idea but he works with her as the two become friends and more. I absolutely LOVED this story! I've read many contemporary romance books but this is one of the sweetest, most heartwarming story in a long time! Beautifully written and lovingly told, this book stands out as a giant in its genre.

As You Were, Cowboy by Heather Long will be available December 11, 2017 by Pocket Star, an imprint of Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I received an ARC of this book. Claire and Mateos story was very heartwarming and I enjoyed it very much. Set in the Texas heat the story of two horse trainers with lots to overcome find love and healing in each other. Very touching story.