Sam Mendes who was in the Army after a bad childhood. Has now made it home after touring when people found out about his skill as a horse whisper. During this time while on tour he also had a horrible break up and now feels he does not deserve another chance at romance. Same is asked to work with a horse at a ranch and it is owned by the biggest rancher around, but the owner of the horse and the rest of the horses is Mia Ford. Sam is taken away by her beauty and the way she rides and cares for her animals. She is taken by him as well. They agree to work together and the more they work, they more they fall for each other. That is until Sam says he cannot do relationships and she tells him to leave. Miserable he now must decide what to do and deal with his past to future, or continue to run, or ride away. Read this fine story and see what Sam chooses to do.

Sweet and sexy story. A lovely start to a new series.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jerjen

Mia Ford is a cowgirl, through and through. She is an award-winning horse jumper and she is in charge of all the horses at her dad’s ranch, River Ranch. People think she is a pampered princess but that could not be further from the truth. She has had her share of heartache, losing her mother at an early age and also her best friend. She finds herself with Tex, an untrainable horse that she refuses to give up on. Enter Sam Mendes.

Sam is known for having a way with horses. Some people even call him a horse whisperer. He has become so well known that he has written a book and goes on tour, showing off his talents. If anyone can help Mia train her horse, it is Sam.

Sam is great with horses, not so great with women. After getting his heart broken by his fiance, he has sworn off women. But when he meets Mia, he finds that he is intrigued by her and wants to get to know her better. The more time he spends with her, the more he likes her. He realizes he may have to change his thoughts about finding love again. But as in real life, it will not be an easy journey to find his happily-ever-after.

I enjoyed getting to know Mia and Sam. Mia is a spunky spirited woman who is not afraid to go for what she wants. And she has decided she wants Sam. Sam is a hardworking respectful man that is afraid of getting hurt again. The two of them will have a bumpy ride trying to work things out and get together. I enjoyed the bickering and banter between Mia and Sam, right from the day they met. It was funny when they went toe-to-toe with each other.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing. In my mind, I could picture the ranch, the horses, and the rolling hills. It was very relaxing reading the book with the ranch setting in the back of my mind. I really enjoyed reading about Tex and everything that Sam did to try to make him trainable and safe. I thought that added so much to the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted romantic western. It has been a long time since I read a western and after reading this book, I am not sure why that is. I will definitely read the next book in the series, scheduled to be released later this year.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Jacki – ☆☆☆☆
I am pretty sure I read this book in record time. I definitely had no trouble getting through it. I was surprised by how drawn in I was by the horse aspect of it all. Having said that, one of my minor criticisms will be to say that the beginning focused very much on Tex, the horse, and by the end, it had fizzled down to what felt insignificant in comparison. My other is something that I see often that just personally pulls me from a story flowing smoothly, and that is an author writing in an American setting but using manners of speech not commonly used in the United States. Reading muesli and a few other little things had me pausing and instantly gave away the author's foreign roots.

Those aside, I really enjoyed this story. Mia and Sam's warring personalities were highly entertaining. Their rocky romance mixed with sexy chemistry and a trunk full of baggage to get through, made for an interesting read. I also liked the author's quirkiness with the minor characters and the family ties she had developed with them.

Overall, this was a nice and entertaining read for me. I would definitely recommend it to the western romance fan like myself, and will be checking the author for more like this.

I love country western romances. Something about hot cowboys, innocent women, and the wide-open plain appeals to me. It also doesn’t help when the book has a hot guy as a model on the cover. I went into reading Cowboy Stole My Heart with a good vibe. The good vibes continued while I was reading the book. Cowboy Stole My Heart. This book was a bit predictable but I enjoyed reading it.

Sam was a world renown horse trainer. When he gets a phone call from Mia’s father to figure out why her new horse is acting up, he jumps on it. He had worked on the ranch before he rose to fame. He was also intrigued by the offer that her father gave him. Mia was a professional show jumper who had bought a horse that was abused. She is furious when her father hires Sam. But sparks fly after their first meeting, where they clash with each other. Sam is wary of a relationship with Mia. He had been burnt in the past and that affected his relationships after that. Can Sam heal the horse and his own heart?

I liked Sam but man was he a jerk to Mia. He blew hot and cold with her. I would have been driven nuts if someone did that to me. I know that he had been burnt by his ex. But to measure every single relationship against that toxic one seemed a bit much. He was a great horse trainer, though. He found out what Tex’s issue was. Well, besides the abuse that he had been put through. I do wish that more time had been spent on that part of the book. I was very interested in it.

Mia, I was kind of “meh” about in the beginning of the book. I didn’t understand why she wanted to keep Tex so bad. She was also very prickly with Sam. I get it that her dad went over her head and hired him to help with Tex but still. She acted like a witch with a b towards him. Until she decided she was attracted to him, then she stopped being a witch with a b and started making kissy eyes at him. I also thought that she jumped to conclusions way too easily. The scene where she went to his house, saw his sister and left assuming he was married, irked me. All she had to do was ask. Instead, she assumed he was married with a kid. If I had rolled my eyes any harder, they would have been stuck permanently in the back of my head.

As much as Sam and Mia annoyed me, it didn’t take away from their sex scenes. Those were smoking hot. They had sex everywhere. Outdoor and public sex seemed to be their thing. I mean, they had sex in the barn, with the door open, while her father and brother were home. There was also sex in the pool, but that was behind a privacy fence. To sum it up, they were like bunnies.

The romance part of the book I didn’t get into. Sam had too many issues for me to think that he would be a good boyfriend in the beginning/middle/almost end of the book. Like I mentioned above, he never got over his ex cheating on him while he was overseas. I didn’t think that he would ever get over his trust issues. He did but it was almost too late.

The storyline was very typical of a romance novel. There were a couple of twists in the plot. One I saw coming from a mile away and one that I kind of saw coming but was still surprised. All the storylines were brought together at the end in a way that satisfied me as a reader.

I would give Cowboy Stole My Heart an Adult rating. There is some mild language, mild violence, and graphic sex scenes. This is not a book for anyone under the age of 21.

I gave Cowboy Stole My Heart a 3.5 rating. It was a good romance that would be perfect for the beach. Predictable but good. I would reread this book. I would also recommend to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review A Cowboy Stole My Heart.

All opinions stated in this review of a Cowboy Stole My Heart are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Mia Ford is one of the River Ranch fortune heir. But she
has proven herself as a champion horse jumper. Mia
has just returned to the ranch in Texas but needs help
with a stallion. The stallion is just untamable.
Sam Mendes is a cowboy who has become famous as
“the horse whisperer”. He travels the country giving
demonstrations but he would rather deal with horses
than with the traveling and dealing with all the people.
He is offered the job of taming the stallion.
Mia and Ford clash as both are head strong and
opinionated with pre-conceived views of each other.
Will they both be able to tame their natures while the
Sam works with the stallion?
The characters are well described and have great
dimension.
The book weaves together the past and present to
make the story easy for the reader to follow.
This is an exciting, heartwarming read!!!
I volunteered to read Cowboy Stole My Heart. Thanks
to St Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the opportunity.
My opinion is my own.

This is the first in the new River Ranch series. I appreciated that Ms. Lane spent minimal time setting up the series, and I hope successive stories will follow the same pattern. I started the book with high hopes, as the back stories of the hero and heroine intrigued me. I thought the character growth just wasnt strong enough. The hero is a Horse Whisperer with a lot of personal baggage. The heroine is a professional horeswoman with her own baggage. They connected over concern for animals and I liked those sections of the story. The rest of the story was a bit predictable, and the ending was a bit abrupt, but I did think it overall an enjoyable read. Just a not too, that the author is from New Zealand, and every once in awhile phrases and words creep in that might not fit the dialogue. The supporting characters are interesting and well drawn, so I think the series will be good, and I look forward to the next book.

The tension between them was palpable and it was steamy when they finally got together. I little cliche with the ending, but overall a book I enjoyed reading.

I really loved and enjoyed this game. really a great story. great characters that left me wanting more.

This is the first book I have read by Soraya Lane. I had high hopes for this book after reading the blurb , it really pulled at me and I was excited to start. However, I ended up with just a meh feeling. The story progesses slowly, almost painfully so at a snail pace in the first half, picks up in the middle and rushes to the end.

This is the first book in the River Ranch series and is a cowboy/western romance. This is the story of Mia Ford and Sam Mendes. This is a story of two people who clash upon first meeting but obviously have an instant connection, an instant chemistry to one another all the while working on a ranch trying to save a horse from being put down. Sam is a top notch horse trainer who has been called in by Mia to see if he can tame a horse that she is determined to save at all costs . What follows is an angsty love story and an Hero that has to battle his own past to have a chance and happily ever after with his heroine. Cowboy was a very good read with great characters, likeable plot and a great journey to the ending. There is more than romance in this story. It is a tale of following your heart and daring to dream, a journey of finding out who you truly are with love and redemption as the final journey’s end. I look forward to reading more in this series .

My Rating: 4.2 stars *****
“I received an advanced copy of this book from the author at no cost to me."

COWBOY STOLE MY HEART is well written, full of humor, with believable characters and an amazing amount of ranch life information that will lead you to feel like you are leaning against a fence watching it all happen. There are quite a few misconceptions on both Mia and Sam's parts that, of course, lead to a number of problems. He thinks she's a spoiled rich man's daughter who gets everything she wants, and she thinks he's an arrogant know-it-all. They even try to have a no-strings affair, but it is obvious that at least Mia's heart is very much involved. There is the inevitable break up, that will have you flipping the pages reading quickly to see how it's fixed. The way Sam tries to get her back, though it doesn't go quite the way he planned, was a sweet gesture.

~Annetta Sweetko, reviewer for Fresh Fiction

Complete review may be found at: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=64534

If you’ve visited my blog over the years you probably have seen and read that I love cowboy stories, and I love horses. So when I saw ‘Cowboy Stole My Heart’ by Soraya Lane on Netgalley I just had to request it. And I couldn’t be more excited when I got accepted to read this book. Let me tell you, this book made my reading year start our pretty damn good.

‘Cowboy Stole My Heart’ is the first book in the River Ranch series. In this book we meet the rich Mia Ford. Mia is one of the heirs of the River Ranch fortune and everyone thinks she is just this rich girl living of her fathers money. But what they don’t know, Mia is working hard for everything she has. Mia own’s horses and does all the work herself, including the cleaning. But when Mia needs her fathers money to buy a horse she’s been searching for years, everyone thinks she is kind of crazy. This horse has issues and doesn’t let anyone get near him. After an accident with one of the crew members, Mia’s dad ask the help of ‘horse whisperer’ Sam Mendes. He is the horses only hope. But when Mia and Sam meet they bump heads immediately.

Well, I loved this book. I really did from the moment I started reading, until the very last page. I love stories involving horses, and this book was just a perfect combination of horses and romance. Mia and Sam meet and they are both definitely not looking for a relationship. But from the moment they met, there is major chemistry between them. And not to forget Mia has been interested in Sam’s work for years. Reading this book, and reading about how Mia and Sam got closer and closer.. I really thought this was a great romance read.

Mia was a character I really enjoyed. Although she grew up having everything, she never wanted anything without working for it. She has this huge passion for horses, and all she wants is for people to see her for who she really is. I loved her.
Sam really is a great guy. But he is hurt many times in the past, and he doesn’t trust anyone. Especially not with his heart. But Mia is one woman he can’t seem to forget.

The only part I didn’t really like about this book was Mia’s and Sam’s first kiss. I just didn’t feel the chemistry at that one and it happened kind of unexpected. I was really disappointed about it really. But fortunately this book got better and better after that moment, and soon I forget about that whole first kiss.

I for one can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

" Cowboy Stole My Heart ", the first story in the River Ranch series introduces us to Sam Mendes, cowboy , former military and a natural horse whisperer extrodanaire ; Sam has a gift for working with unstable horses and turning them around . Sam has become a bit of a celebrity , touring and doing exhibitions of his skill, along with a book and you tube videos; but their is nothing he wants to do more than return home to his own ranch, except an offer from the Ford ranch to work with a troubled horse peaks his intrest.
Intresting enough what awaits him at the Ford ranch is two challenges, the traumatized stallion Tex; whose temperament has already hospitalized one ranch hand and his equally stubborn and beautiful owner Mia Ford.
What he can not figure out is why a spoiled rich girl like Mia would purchase such a damaged horse for and given the fact that he has only thirty days to turn this stallion around and save it's life he does not have time to play games.
Mia Ford however is not the spoiled rich girl he believes her to be she is a hard working professional jumper, and the stables on the ford ranch are her domain , she work the horses and takes care of them on her own, travels world wide working the horse jumping circuit and Tex the stallion , he may be damaged but he is a promise to her best Freind made long ago to care for one another's horses like they were their own . Mia's father may be paying for Sam to work with Tex but she pays for everything else and Mia went from crushing on Sam to thinking he is full of himself, little does she know that to spite his first impression of her, he is extremely attracted to her, but one should never get involved with your employer and Mia is most a women who would requir a relationship . Sam does not do relationships he has had his heartbroken in the past.
Sam and Mia fight this attraction they have for each other but they eventually fail , Mia agrees to a no string relationship for the month that Sam will be working with Tex.
However , good her intentions and Sam's they both fail at no strings attached the question is will there be a happy ending for them and Tex .
I enjoyed this story both main characters were strong and multilayered, with a intresting supporting cast I hope to read more about in future stories.
Arc copy supplied via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review .

I really enjoyed the story's premise and the way the story unfolded. Sam Mendes was a "horse whisperer". He had a gift of working with horses that were mistreated or damaged and bringing them back to normalcy.

Mia Ford was from a wealthy family in Texas. She loved her horses and she had one big stallion, Tex, was a monster. He had killed her best friend and he had never been the same after the accident. Her father hired Sam Mendes to see what he could do with the horse. This would be the last chance for Tex. If he couldn't be changed, they would have to put him down so he wouldn't harm anyone else. Mia was determined to not let that happen and she would stop at nothing to help Tex. While helping Tex and spending time with Sam, she saw a softer side of Sam that was very attractive to her. Before long, Mia and Sam were spending more and more time outside the stables together. Sam was convinced that he could never let love into his life. The last time had destroyed him and he couldn't go through that again. But, could Mia be different and help him to see that he could have everything he had ever wanted?

My only criticism of this book was the foul language and graphic sex scenes. Because of that reason I wouldn't recommend the book to my friends even though I enjoyed the story.

I was gifted an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a renown horse whisperer trainer, Sam Mendes is called in to rehab a horse on the Ford Ranch. The money and the bragging rights alone make this an opportunity not to be passed up except for Mia Ford. After being burned in the past by a woman, Sam keeps things simple by focusing all his time and attention on his book tour, his ranch and side jobs. Women don't factor in for the long haul and that's just the way he likes it.

Mia is grateful to have someone like Sam, who really cares for the animals placed under his care but she's just as attracted to his brooding eyes and his built bod. He's the cliche'd tall dark and grouchy.

What follows is an angsty love story and an H that has to battle his own past to have a chance and happily ever after with his h.


What I liked:
The setting of this story is deep in ranch life and the love of horses. It charmed me and gave this kind of a comfy relaxed feel to whole story. I found myself really enjoying the (word) scenery the author provided.

Mia was also a likable h, she was determined, caring and just plain nice. (Maybe too nice? At least when it came to Sam, she was!)

As for Sam --> He was definitely had a glass half full mentality when it came to women and love. His past was always lurking in the background and he was kind of just compliant to it. Sort of resigned to live alone and never trust another woman again. He has some epic moments of jack-ass-ery so his grovelling was a must.

Cowboy Stole My Heart is a sweet and fun book with sassy characters. I fell in love with Mia – on the outside she seems to be the pampered princess that has had everything handed to her on a silver spoon. The truth is she works hard for everything she has achieved and everything she owns. She doesn’t want handouts from her Father and goes out of her way to ensure she wont have to. She is self-sufficient, confident and independent. Until she needs the help of Sam in order to save the life of a horse that she would go to the end of the world for.

Sam is a tough on the outside kind of guy, who fair enough had been through a pretty brutal break up. He is also gifted with horses. His job was to work on the ranch, trying to tame Mia’s horse that she had purchased. You can feel his love and respect for horses pour off the page not to mention the desire that Mia awakes in him again.

This novel is full of vulnerability both in Mia and Sam. They need to trust and rely on each other, something that does not come easy to either of them! They are both holding back and harbouring pain in their heart that they will need to deal with in order to move forward in life. Sometimes the best things in life happen when we take a chance! It is taking this chance that may seem scary and both characters have to decide whether it is worth it to take this chance.

This novel was fun, sweet and full of ups and downs. A great romantic winter time read!

Mia loves competition jumping and working with horses on her father’s ranch even though her father wanted her to go into a career in corporate America. When her father buys a stallion, though the horse seems mad at the world and refuses to let anyone near him, they call on Sam Mendes, a known horse whisperer, to work with the horse, trying to get through to him, before putting him down. From the get-go, Sam and Mia are attracted to each other, but nothing seems to go right or fall into place. Sam, having gone through a difficult childhood, leaving emotional scars, has many internal hurdles to overcome. As time passes, however, even though Sam’s time at the ranch is viewed as strictly professional, Mia is totally drawn to Sam, despite the many misunderstandings, mixed messages, missed conceptions and assumptions that occur between the two. The big question is whether there is enough there to build a relationship that will grow.

This book is an easy read. However, I found the characters difficult to take a lot of the time. Sam’s wishy-washy reactions also became a turn off for me. The drama almost overpowered the story line. Finally, there was a lot in the book on horse training, and not enough, in my opinion, on the relationship. Also, the book dragged a lot in the beginning and early middle sections, but sped up considerably as the ending arrived. I have not read anything else by this author and realize this is the start of a new series. I did enjoy the book’s story, and am going to wait until I read the next book in the series or something else by the author to pass judgement. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Cowboy Stole My Heart is the first book in A River Ranch series. Mia and Sam seem to clash from the get go, but Mia needs Sam's skills to break a stubborn stallion. The book has a good pace but suddenly slows way down. It does end with an HEA but almost abruptly. The series seems to have good meat to it so I am looking forward to seeing what she puts out next.