I’m so excited to say I’m taking part in the “Cowboy Stole My Heart” Blog Tour!! 😀
Thank you so much to St.Martin’s Press (via Net Galley), who provided me an early ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Soraya Lane is kicking off her new series and I have to say – I’m a fan. <3 This is the first series I’ve read from her, so I was cautious about how I would feel, I was wonderfully surprised.

This new series stars the River Ranch family~
“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?”

Although this seems to be a western romance, it really didn’t feel that way? To me it felt much more contemporary/career focused. Don’t get me wrong, it has horses, ranches, and cattle – but it felt so much more casual.

Soraya Lane’s initial character set up is promising, I did like both the introduction for Sam and Mia, as well as their personalities. However, for some reason their first meeting irked me a bit – it seemed forced on how much they did not like each other. Both were being bull headed and I wanted to shake the book in irritation. haha
The second meeting was much better and I feel the author got her footing by day three of character interaction. 🙂

I am a complete softy when it comes to animals in stories – as you learn more about Tex, the horse Sam is hired to assist with, my heart melted more and more. And yes – I think I was more invested in Tex than the actual romantic relationship….because…priorities. hahaha

Mia has a chip on her shoulder, for me it was initially off putting but as the story progressed, she got much better. Sam also had good development in this book and went from infuriating to endearing fairly quickly. Sam is an excellent romantic hero once he gets his footing.

Twists!! There were quite a few surprising elements, in regards to the plot (Tex) and in regards to the character’s pasts in general. Especially Sam. I won’t spoil but I didn’t expect a new reveal about 3/4ths of the way through. Usually things are pretty much revealed as far as characters by then (unless you’re reading a mystery thriller) so I was happy to get thrown a juicy tidbit. haha

Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
Plot: 4 Stars
Character Development: 3 Stars
Dialogue: 3 Stars
Writing: 4 Stars

I greatly enjoyed the ending, the last couple chapters were WONDERFUL to read. The closure was satisfying and the set up for the next book is teased. (Looking at Tanner~~~)
Soraya Lane has a promising start to a new series and I will be reading the next few.
I would recommend this book to someone that enjoys contemporary romance and is looking for a quick read. I DID finish this in one sitting~ (don’t judge haha).

~Ash

This a beautiful story of love, heartbreak and tragedy. Sam is kind, caring and charming, but emotionally closed off. Mia is tough, sweet and determined. They aggravate each other when they meet, but gradually bond over a horse. Their relationship is romantic and fun at the beginning, but the closer Mia gets, the further Sam wants to run. They are both sweet, caring people who are hurt by the pasts, but they bring out the best in each other. It's a captivating storyline that will pull at your heartstrings.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

Selfishness and/or betrayal both hurt those used in a . Mia and Sam have both experienced this pain, to different extremes...
relationshipPleasing start to a new contemporary western series. Liked Sam and and Mia and their interesting careers. Though Sam's story took too long getting to his betrayal. Would like to read the rest of the series. 
Voluntarily read ARC, through Netgalley and publisher, for honest review.

3.75 stars--COWBOY STOLE MY HEART is the first instalment in Soraya Lane’s contemporary, adult RIVER RANCH cowboy, romance series. This is heiress and horse jumper Mia Ford, and horse whisperer/trainer Sam Mendes’ story line. The RIVER RANCH series is a spin off from the author’s TEXAS KINGS series. You do not have to have read the original series to understand or follow the current time line. Some of the characters cross over for cohesion and backstory.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Mia and Sam) COWBOY STOLE MY HEART follows the building relationship between horse trainer Sam Mendes, and show jumper Mia Ford. Mia Ford is an independent young woman whose recent acquisition of a troubled stallion finds our heroine in desperate need of a horse whisperer when her father calls in a favor from one of the most talented trainers on the horse riding circuit. Enter Sam Mendes, rancher and horse trainer, and the man with whom Mia will fall in love. What ensues is the building ‘friends with benefits’ relationship between Sam and Mia, and the fall out when Mia is hoping for something more.

Mia Ford knows loss including the death of her mother, and that of a friend on the horse jumping circuit. With the arrival of Tex, a beautiful but mean-spirited stallion, Mia struggles between her head and her heart knowing the horse may be too far gone for the likes of Sam Mendes. Sam, on the other hand, has never met a horse he couldn’t tame but there is something else about Tex that gives our hero pause. Four weeks to turn Tex’s life around is all that is takes but four weeks may be too long when the heart wants something it cannot allow. Sam doesn’t do relationships; there are personal demons in his past-demons he is unable to let go including a trouble childhood and a relationship that destroyed what was left of his heart.

The relationship between Sam and Mia is one of immediate attraction but Mia is technically Sam’s boss. The sexual energy is palpable between our leading couple but Sam has made it know that their relationship is only physical, with a four week expiry date. Their initial meeting is met with preconceived notions that do not bode well for their working relationship. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and intense with the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Sam’s best friend Nate and his wife Faith, Sam’s sister (Texas Kings #3); Mia’s brother Tanner, and their father Walter Ford, as well as Mia’s best friend and local veterinarian Kat.

COWBOY STOLE MY HEART is a sexy and passionate romantic story line. The premise is inspiring and emotional; the characters are determined, spirited and energetic; the romance is sensual and captivating. COWBOY STOLE MY HEART has a little bit of sexy fun and romance; conflict and angst; family and friendship, and just enough sassy cowboy to get the heart pumping and the blood heating.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

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Cowboy Stole My Heart
River Ranch series book #1
Release Date: January 2, 2018
Review copy provided by the publisher

This is the first book I have read by Soraya Lane. I had high hopes for this book. The blurb really pulled at me and left me excited to start. However, I ended up with just a meh feeling.

The beginning of this book made me feel like I was reading a manual on how to ride or care for horses. And it went on and on and on. My eyes started to glaze over and I found myself skimming. I was anxious to get to the part where the hero, Sam, and the heroine, Mia, finally meet each other.

When the two end up on the same page together it's nothing but misunderstandings, bickering, and two people behaving like petulant toddlers. I like some sarcastic banter between characters but this was ridiculous. Neither would actually listen to what the other person was saying before they jumped to conclusions.

I just didn't feel the chemistry. I felt like the romance aspect was second to horse grooming and riding.

There's back stories to Sam and Mia. They each are dealing with their own sets of baggage, but honestly, I just didn't get invested in their journey.

I wanted to really dive into this book and fall in love with these new characters, but it just fell short for me.

A fun western romance! I love animals and dug in to find out what happened to Tex. I was slightly disappointed that the book didn't include more horse in the story and less drama between the main characters. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending, not entirely what I was expecting.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

3.5 Stars

This is a new to me author and I really enjoyed her writing style and characters, but I did find that the plot dragged a bit and the hero was a just a little bit to angsty for my likes.

Mia and Sam are brought together when Mia’s father hires Sam to help with a stallion that Mia has bought. Tex, the stallion, needs Sam’s horse-whisperer skills since the trauma he has faced has left him dangerous to anyone who tries to get near him. There’s a bit of a back-story on the stallion and why he means so much to Mia, and I loved that she was so committed to doing whatever it took to help him – even if it meant allowing her father to go behind her back and hire Sam. Of course, things don’t start off well for these two and they find themselves at odds, mostly since Sam thinks Mia is just a rich princess with a horse hobby, which couldn’t be further from the truth since she is an accomplished show jumper who has made her horses her life.

I really enjoyed Mia’s character. Even though she is very successful on her own merits she is so often judged by her pedigree, which makes her a bit sensitive at times. I also love when there is a close relationship between siblings, and Mia definitely has this, especially with her brother Tanner, who also took a path different from what their father wanted. And even though she has issues with her father, you can tell that they are close. It was a lot of fun watching Mia call Sam out on his bs, even when sometimes it was a bit awkward.

Sam was definitely a sexy cowboy, but he’s been deeply hurt before and refuses to let himself ever get emotionally involved with anyone, ever again. I respected the fact that he laid out the ground rules to Mia and made sure that there was no misunderstanding about the “no strings” rule. He was just a bit too angsty for me at times though – I get that what happened to him was terrible and his own parents weren’t the role models for a happy relationship, but gah, man up already and deal with your sh!t! And then to pull what you did…got me a bit worked up!

I loved the scenes with the animals. Tex, the stallion, and Blue, Sam’s dog, were great. And I liked Sam’s unique job – made for a nice play on a cowboy character. The ending was a bit rushed for my liking, I think there could have been a bit more groveling and I never felt that he really let Mia know what issues he was working through, but there were parts that definitely made me smile.

Overall, I enjoyed this one (even with the extra helping of angst) and would definitely read more from Soraya Lane. Her writing was easy and her characters were real, so if you like your cowboys sexy and your heroines strong, this is one to grab.

Cowboy Stole My Heart is the start of a new series by Soraya Lane. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be the last. While I didn’t ever quite warm up to the hero, the heroine was fun and someone I’d love to go have drinks with on a Friday night. The surrounding cast of characters, especially the horse, were fun, too. If you are looking for a solid cowboy romance, this is a logical choice.

Certainly not your typical western, cowboy romantic story. Sam, the horse-whisperer, is needed on the Ford ranch to help a stallion in serious distress. Mis, who owns the horse, is not interested in a man who comes across as conceited and stubborn. To Sam, Mia comes across as a trust-fund rich bitch. Unfortunately, it takes almost the entire book for these too to work out their pasts and find their way. Would have liked to see them connect on a deeper, emotional level rather than just connecting on a physical one.

I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this book. At some points I was pulled into the story and didnt want to put it down. The next I was bored out of my brains with the over excess on the horse training talk. There was lack of detail and storyline were it was needed. The story was full of fillers eg (horse talk over ten pages.) Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be picking up the next book in this series.

So the first book of 2018 that I got stuck into was Cowboy Stole My Heart by Soraya Lane, is a contemporary Western romance, and is also the first book in the River Ranch series, and I grabbed it because mainly because of the storyline, but also because I love a good Western.

The story is centered around horse trainer Sam Mendes and ranch owner Mia Ford, but this story is not just about cold feet, and rich families, this book also covers child abuse and survival, and so many other painful things. It's also about trust, admitting when you are wrong, and surprises.

I though the story was okay, but the flow was a little slow at times, and I found the lagging a little frustrating. I wasn't taken with either character, and found them to be annoying at one point or another throughout the story, the plot didn't overwhelm me, but found it likeable nevertheless.

I give Cowboy Who Stole My Heart 3.5 stars

The first thing you need to know about this book, is that there’s lots of talk about horses and horse training. If you’re interested in those things, that is probably a bonus for you! Otherwise, the first part of this story may drag for you. I happen to belong to the otherwise group…

Sam Mendez has made a name for himself taming otherwise untamable horses. When he’s hired to help Mia Ford’s problem horse, he doesn’t initially think very highly of her. He sees a spoiled, rich girl who dabbles with horses for fun. He couldn’t be more mistaken.

Mia isn’t too impressed with Sam, either, when they meet. He acts like a jerk, and she’s tired of dealing with people who don’t take her, or her horse stable, seriously.

But once Sam and Mia get to know each other better, they decide to act on their physical attraction and chemistry and engage in a three week, no-strings-attached relationship. This arrangement is mostly Sam’s requirement (he’s got some baggage from the past), and agreed upon by Mia.

Of course, at the end of the three weeks, Mia’s feelings have grown, and so have Sam’s. Sam just isn’t willing to admit it though, thus breaking Mia’s heart. Once Sam finally pulls his head out of his rear end (a couple months later), he’s left hoping his grand gesture will convince Mia to take him back.

It wasn’t until the second half of Cowboy Stole My Heart that my interest in Sam and Mia picked up. For the first half of the book, I think the horses got more page time than our hero and heroine, which made it hard to get invested in their relationship. And while this was a well written story, the horses detracted from my interest. Once the story did move to paying more attention to Mia and Sam, I had a hard time feeling the connection they were supposed to have developed for each other - outside of just the physical stuff. Throw in a cliched “other woman” misunderstanding, another cliched event (trying to be spoiler-free here!), and a grand gesture that I didn’t really like (and I’m usually a huge fan of the grand gesture), this book just didn’t work for me. It was a decent story, but nothing that caused me to want to read other Soraya Lane books, or to watch for the next books in this series.

Some books are complete hits, others are total misses. This one landed squarely in the middle for me.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I LOVED this book. This was a very quick read, honestly I had a hard time putting it down! This the story of Mia and Sam. The two of them have had bad relationships in th past that left them battered and bruised. Mia is a rich horsewoman who is a show jumper. Sam is a now rich horse whisperer. Sam is hired by Mia’s father to help with a stallion of hers that killed a friend of hers that she now owns. Sparks fly when they meet and they start a sex only relationship. Well....... that’s never works. This is a must read. This is a steamy read and that I greatly enjoyed!

I think this book would be ideal holiday reading as there didn’t seem to be much of a plot. Sam had had a bad experience and Mia just thought men wanted her for her money ( or her dads )so there was no trying to keep up but as I said it is easy to read and it’s a pleasant story.

This was a good read for me. Sam is a “horse whisperer” and Mia is one of the heirs to the River Ranch fortune but has made her way on her own. She buys her friends stallion which no one can get near and hires Sam in hopes of saving it. Mia has always had a bit of a crush on Sam and uses this opportunity to get closer to Sam. Sam has been burned by love before and isn’t interested but will agree to four weeks together, will it be enough? A little slow in places. I liked the characters and the story. Entertaining read.

There are books that start slow and finish strong, and there are those titles that start stronger than they finish. Unfortunately, this title was one of the latter for me.

When you initially meet Mia and Sam, the sparks of dislike fly between them, but it is written well enough that it is clear there is something interesting about each of them and getting to know the characters, while they get to know one another, was a lot of fun.

They had wonderful chemistry, and they had a great respect for one another, which made the growing relationship feel really authentic. I liked the development, the plotting and the pacing of the story a lot.

I also liked most of the ending. To say exactly the part that bothered me is a spoiler, but there was a little thing at the end that I didn't think was authentic to the characters nor was it a way that a person would act in real life. Unfortunately, they were both guilty of different actions that pulled me out of the story...in the same scene.

So, a book that I really enjoyed up to that point became one that I was slightly disappointed with when all was said and done.

I do recommend this title, and I did enjoy it overall.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I am a real lover of cowboys and horses so any romance set on a ranch is a plus for me! The story flowed well and I enjoyed the back and forth between Sam and Mia. It was kind of sad that Sam felt that with all his rules, no one would get hurt but then feelings are not governed by rules!

When Sam was so cruel to Mia, it was hard to not hate Sam. I loved that Mia was not a pushover when Sam was ready for a second chance and when she was ready, she made him work for the engagement! It was not a quick "I am sorry" and she forgave him!

There were so many parts of the book that I loved that it is hard to only mention a few of them! Nate and Faith, and the other married couples were so funny when they tried to get Sam to realize that he should not give up on love, the care that Sam and Mia felt toward the animals - loved it, and Mia's support system of her family was great. I enjoyed the depth of feelings that they shared with other people and each other.

The ending with that gorgeous cowboy holding that little baby girl just melted my heart - what a turnaround from the emotionaly stunted cowboy at the beginning!

The “River Ranch” series start off quite well. Do not expect something overly explosive in this first book, it is a normal development of a relationship, with a little something on the sides. And that is why I liked it. Nothing bad to say about it, but here are my thoughts.

As the blurb says, both our main characters come from different environments and have worked a lot to become independent. And that is just one of the thinks that links them. Mia is training to be the best jumper, working every day with her horse. Sam has built a career from his passion, tending horses, and now has more success than he could ever dreamed of. A beautiful stallion brings them together when Mia’s father hires Sam to help out with Tax.

All need healing. Sam wants to mend his broken heart. Mia wants to make peace with her friend’s passing. Tax, well, he is as arrogant and as stubborn as our characters. Oh, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, Tax is the stallion in discussion.

The relationship starts with changing those bad first impressions and then continues with physical attraction. Nothing more can happen. She doesn’t have time, he doesn’t have the heart to be involved in something serious. One way or another, they will have to overcome the preconceptions and errors in judgment.

My favorite item in this book was definitely Tax. The author has created a mirrored image of our characters and, to a point, their relationship goes in line with Tax’s own healing and taming process. I think this is a fine detail to include in a story that would otherwise be a simple romance.

All in all, if it hadn’t been for the abrupt ending and my own pickiness, I would have gone with 5 stars. But because I am me, I’ll go with 4 and looking forward for the other books in the series.

4.5 stars

I think I’m in love with Sam Mendes but he is emotionally unavailable still reeling from his cheating ex-fiancé. He is the Horse-whisperer and doesn’t need anyone or anything, well except for his faithful dog. Sam is content when he gets off tour from showing his skills with the horses to just come home to his ranch and take care of his own horses. That is until he gets an offer he just can’t refuse from Mr. Ford to take a look at his problem stallion. You can’t refuse to work with Mr. Ford and his billion dollar dynasty.

Mia Ford doesn’t want the path that her father has set out for her, she wants to forge her own path. Everyone has the misconception that she is a pampered princess that only spends her daddy’s money and not a real horse woman. That is Sam’s first impression of the Texas heiress. But she proves him wrong. When things start to heat up between them Sam puts a wall between them because he doesn’t feel like he could trust another woman. That’s good for Mia because she is technically Sam’s boss but their feelings overcome them and Sam has to put some ground-rules on their relationship. Mia hastily agrees but she is having second thoughts.

They have much more in common than is on the surface. They both love horses and are both used to being in charge. What do you get when you put two headstrong people in the same vicinity as each other- fireworks. Will Sam compromise his job on the Ford Ranch when Mia falls for him? Can an emotionally unavailable cowboy finally get over his issues and return to the land of the living?

Mia is working hard with a horse that doesn't seem to want to work with her. So her father hires Sam Mendez known for working with horses, to see if he can work a miracle with Mia's difficult horse. Sam is still mending his heart after having it broken leaving him a bit guarded but Mia and him have an undeniable attraction and willing to make a deal for something casual with no string attracted for a short while.

If I'm honest this book had everything I love in a good western contemporary romance. It was decently long enough to give the readers time to enjoy and learn more about the characters. I enjoyed seeing the connection between the two and I loved seeing them together. I loved that the reason behind Shawn being there didn't just fall away. What I mean I still got hear about what he was doing for the horse and how he was helping it to improve, Sometimes I see books where the guy is hired and for some reason the reason why they were there just disappears and its nothing but romance. Not sure if what I mean to say is coming out clear, the story remains consistent to what is going around. That once there is a romance going on everything disappears which is unrealistic. Ok enough of that. Back to what I like about this book is how upfront the characters were. I loved that even will all the money shes able to access she isn't one to laze around and depend on her daddy's money, Mia is a strong independent women who goes out and does things and makes her own money. She doesn't rely on anyone. Overall this was a pretty well-written book that never had a dull moment and I just loved the romance, it was a pretty enjoyable book.