A Cowboy’s Sweetheart is the first book in the Rodeo Academy series. This was an ok read for me. I liked the concept of the storyline but felt something was missing and wasn’t able to fully connect with the characters. As this is only book 1 I will read more as I did like the writing style.

I received A Cowboy's Sweetheart from Netgalley. This has no impact on my thoughts. My thoughts are my own.

When I was little I would read any horse book I could get my hands on. Black Beauty, Thoroughbred series, Heartland, The Saddle Club. I loved pretty much all of them. A Cowboy's Sweetheart by Crista McHugh reminded me of a little bit of all of them even though it still held it's own. Kensi reminded me of Veronica from The Saddle Club, but I ended up really liking her.

Kensi came to Wyoming from New York City because she got in trouble with the last party she had and her parents thought her aunt and uncle would be able to straighten her out more than they could. They were rich and they weren't really there for her a lot of the time so she didn't hear the word no very much, and she also didn't hear praises very often either from her coach. Kensi was into dressage, which is like horse dancing and she spent a lot of the book training for a competition in Germany. Things began changing for her when she switched coaches and when she met Javier.

Javier comes with his own baggage from the past and he spends the majority of the book trying to deal with his situation. What is shocking to everybody is that Kensi thinks about somebody other than herself for once and wants to help him out with his situation.

Both of these characters were likable and I liked how they changed in the book. I really liked the romance part of it too. The horse crazy part of me wished for more horse related moments but the book was still a good read. It's a strong three out of five star read. I'd recommend it to anybody who misses their favorite children's horse books. It's an easy book to read for the summer time. Thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to read it!

This book kept me captive until I finished it. Received today 6/1/2018and finished today. Had me smiling from ear to ear and crying the next minute. I'm so glad I read this book A+++

A Cowboy’s Sweetheart is one big cliché, which was expected after having read the synopsis. The rich, spoiled brat has a change not just in heart but in her whole personality and falls for the poor and cynical love interest.

If I expected exactly this, why did I request the arc? I gotta be honest, cliché stories are a guilty pleasure of mine and I had hoped that even though this novel was certainly not going to be mindblowingly good, it would be a well-written and enjoyable one. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like it was well-written. The characters were very two dimensional, the romance was very sudden and undeveloped. The relations between every other character was very shallow as well, even though they’re supposed to be life changing.

I have to say that this was one of my favorite reads in the last year. When the book started Kensi was a shallow and selfish girl who was rude to everyone especially her uncle and Javier. As the book progresses she starts to realize that she doesn't have to be this selfish shutoff to the world person. You went in not liking her but at the end your cheering for her and Javier so she can get her happily ever after.

I was able to read this book in one sitting. It was cute but lacked something.

Kensi is from NYC and has to move to Wyoming with her aunt and uncle in the middle of nowhere because if a party she had.

Javier is one of the family’s workers who’s working his behind off so that he can get custody of his brothers.

This book was your typical teen romance. I wasn’t really intrigued with there story. I felt there was a big chunk missing, I’m not sure what exactly. I just left like something was missing.

I will have my review for this book up on my blog in a few days.

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory editing for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Quick Cut: A NYC princess is sent packing to her Aunt & Uncle's ranch in Wyoming after trashing her parent's house during a party. She finds that the family she's never been around before may be just the thing she's been looking for her entire life.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Victory Editing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's always interesting to see these fish out of water stories because you never know how someone is going to respond once they are taken out of their natural environment. When it comes to Kensington, known through most of the book as Kensi, this is especially true when her life is ripped out of her hands and sent to the middle of knowhere Wyoming. It's punishment from her parents after a party gone awry that cost a quarter million dollars in damages and nearly caused some legal ramifications.

At first, Kensi hates the whole situation. Doing chores, sharing a bedroom, and with meals that are prepared by the people in the house instead of by first rate chefs. How could this ever be an acceptable way of life? However, the longer that she's out there - the more she realizes that maybe the NYC state of living isn't everything its cracked up to be and that Wyoming has far more to provide than at first sight.

Javier is one of the family on the ranch. Adopted by Kensi's aunt and uncle, he lives in a small trailer by himself - consistently stating how he would rather earn everything he has and do the work himself. In many ways, he's the antihesis of Kensi. However, while the rest of the family is writing her off and saying she's someone to write off as a waste of time - he's the one saying there's more to Kensi and spending time getting to know her. He sees some good in her and wants to bring it out rather than write off that exterior that she so boldly forces everyone to see.

These two are an interesting combination with very different pasts. Kensi's is one of wealth, but with parents who have zero interest or involvement in her life (along with no siblings). Javier is one of very little with a checkered past and a whole pack of brothers that he is desperate to get back. Although everything says that they shouldn't get along or be able to see each other's perspectives, these two have a great way at getting through to one another. Kensi learns that her Aunt, Uncle, and cousin aren't as bad as they seem; life at the ranch is quite enjoyable and filled with love if you just let go of your pre-conceived notions. Javier learns that sometimes its okay to accept a helping hand to get what you need to get what you've earned.

Although its fun to watch these two bounce off each other, the story can get really slow at certain points. While there is a connection between Kensi and Javier, these two are being sold as a romantic couple and they really don't have the chemistry needed to pull it off. Friends is far easier to believe than a romantic future. However, the story is cute and a fun read - worth a read through if you want something light.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

I received this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

A Cowboy's Sweetheart tells the story of a spoiled rich city girl, Kensi, who is forced to spend the summer on her aunt and uncle's ranch after throwing a party. She is in for a culture shock as the ranch in the middle of Wyoming is the exact opposite of her life in New York City. Kensi is determined to spend the least amount of time on the ranch as possible. The last thing she wants is to become a part of the ranch family. However, when she meets Javier he begins to show her how different her life could be.

This was your typical cheesy teen romance. The plot was predictable from the start. Even the characters' backgrounds were your standard teen romance. I wasn't extremely impressed with Kensi or Javier. The author tried to give them depth but it ended up feeling cliche. Even Javier's backstory. It felt a little half-hearted. I think if she had gone even deeper into Javier's history and story it would have made his character much more well-rounded. Instead, he just came across flat. Kensi's character was the same. Her growth as a person didn't even feel real. It wasn't fleshed out enough. Instead, her character changed overnight after doing like one set of dishes.

The writing style of the book was not my favorite either. The author referred to the character's butts as "behind". It wasn't very believable when Javier was commenting on Kensi's "behind" because no eighteen-year-old would really call it that. Then Kensi kept calling things "primitive" and "primal". Those are just a few of the writing choices that stuck out to me as not fitting well with the story.

Overall, I wasn't super impressed with this story. Not even as a good cheesy romance. I do think the author set up a good universe for the rest of her "Rodeo Academy" books. I would be interested in reading a book based on Sierra after the conclusion of her part in the story (I don't want to spoil what happens her at the end of the book).

Super cute cowboy-city girl romance. Quick read and reasonably predictable except a for few parts. If it wasn't a holiday weekend, I would have finished this book in a couple of hours. Kensi is a rich spoiled New York teen who has tons of money yet no family life or love. Javier is a ranch hand who is trying to get custody of his younger brothers while living in a a trailer at Kensi's family's ranch. Kensi is sent there by her parents after she has an out of control party. They meet and develop a friendship which slowly becomes more. It was a nice sweet quick summer read but very predictable.