Spoilers!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Caro

An apology to the author for a very late review.

Carly knows her relationship with Austin is not moving to the next level. Austin keeps saying that next year will be the final one, next year he’ll settle down, but it’s been next year for a while and Carly can’t keep on waiting for him forever. Carly has her grandparents and their family diner to think of. She is the breadwinner and the person who keeps the diner afloat. If she keeps on waiting for Austin, she will never figure out what she really wants to do with her life. So, when she decides to take a weekend off and go to Albuquerque, have drinks and some fun, the unexpected happens. Now, Carly not only has to worry about her own life but a baby’s life too.

Carly struggles knowing she’s pregnant, especially when the baby is not Austin’s and everyone will eventually think it’s his once she starts showing. She calls an old friend for advice and decides to take a vacation working at her friend’s food truck to clear her mind and make much needed decisions. While on the road, she meets Nevada, a young girl on probation with a bad temper and in need of guidance as well.

Meanwhile, Austin realizes he is not getting younger. Riding bulls is becoming more difficult with each event, he’s not able to concentrate and his close friends are settling down. Austin finds out about the baby and feels betrayed. Anger and frustration leads to him losing concentration while riding causing a minor accident which makes Austin take a break from the circuit. Back home, Austin can’t stop thinking about how he still has feelings for Carly, but pregnancy has made Carly change, not making it easy for Austin to get close to her again.

It was frustrating reading about Carly’s love life and baby situation and how her life was micromanaged by everyone in town, they all seemed to have a say on what she did or not. I just wanted to be her friend and help her out. No one believed her actions and how she tried to move on from Austin, somewhat pressuring her into doing some of the things that led her to Albuquerque. In a way, she did need time off and away from Austin, the town, and her workplace to clear her mind and visualize her future.

Austin thought Carly would always be waiting for him with open arms no matter how many times he said next year. It wasn’t until he lost her that he actually realized how bad of a boyfriend he had become. He also thought that Carly would always be the same person all her life. When Austin saw how having a baby had made Carly mature and rethink her life, in a way it helped Austin mature too, make plans for his own future out of the circuit, and fix his relationship with his brother.

Several characters interfere in their relationship, which even made me as the reader feel pressured and suffocated, can’t imagine how someone pregnant would feel. It took a while for Carly to rethink what her future plans would look like with a baby and no father in the picture, but at the end she managed well. She also had the support of her family and closest friends. It took Austin a little more time to come to terms with the idea of caring for a child that wasn’t his.

I still have hope the baby is actually his 🙂

This book was tense! I couldn’t decide with whom to side with. Carly had waited so long for Austin and spent her teens and twenties supporting mostly Austin’s dream not really having one for herself. When she becomes pregnant, the reader realizes how much Austin loves her and wishes that somehow they would have talked it out instead of assuming each other’s thoughts. Communication was not a key element towards the end of their relationship.

At the end, Carly and Austin resolved their lives not only as a romantic couple, but as friends as well. And the town was right! Carly and Austin 4 ever! If you like baby drama, town drama, and some cowboy romance this is the book for you.

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

Well I have to say, I really didn’t enjoy this story much, though the ending when it finally came was pretty decent. I am all for cowboys usually and stories about growing pains, I was even willing to overlook the secret she was hiding, which is one of my least favorite book tropes, but in the end I had to force myself to finish this one. Carly has finally decided that she is going move on from the love of her life, her high school sweetheart, because he hasn’t truly committed to her, and breaks up with her. Apparently this is nothing new though, to the point that it is a running joke with the whole town, and even though she has decided she means it this time, no one but her believes it. To this point, I was just upset that the story was kind of childish and was hoping it would get better, but then Carly just got stupid and I really began to dislike her. Austin on the other hand is just a scared kid that hasn’t yet grown up, pushing his girl off again and again despite loving her deeply and being fully committed to her physically if not emotionally. From there the story when downhill fast, with tons of angst, idiotic decisions and the consequences that inevitably follow, and finally both of them growing-the-fuck up, almost too late. Maybe the problem is just that I am not a fan of YA romances for this very reason, but I can say for sure I was ok with the ending once Carly and Austin owned up to their shit and dealt with it. Carly might have been a good woman, in that she gave of herself to her family and friends, but she was purely selfish in her relationship. When she was forced to deal with the consequences of her actions and the ways that she had to grow up in order to be what she needed for those around her I began to respect her a lot more and even like her a little bit. Austin too had a lot of growing up to do and once her finally did and accepted his own errors and responsibility in ruining his relationship, he became the man he always needed to be for Carly. I learned to like the, both and see that they could be a great couple in the end, but it took way too long to get there and since I already dealt with my own personal growing pains long ago I didn’t really feel up to reading about anyone else’s. If you are into YA romances, then you will probably enjoy this novel a lot more than I did as it was well written and the issues being dealt with are important for young adults and dealt with well, but it just was not my thing. I will probably not continue this series, but it was worth the try.

Carly and Austin have been best friends since they were little kids and been dating and in love since teenagers. They, along with everyone else think they are the perfect couple and will end up married.
Austin is on the rodeo circuit and keeps putting that first instead of Carly. After several years of his promising that he will come home for good and settle down, she gets fed up with the empty promises and calls it off for good.
She is heartbroken and determined to move on. So she goes to another town and gets drunk, and has a one night stand with a stranger. Now she is back home and wanting to turn her life into something she wants to do.
Austin runs into her and notices that something is off and she tells him she has changed. But the love is still there.
Austin has decided at 29 that he needs to go back home for good and settle down but Carly just wants to be friends.
A few things have changed and after confessing to Austin he gets mad and takes awhile for him to come back around to be friends again.
I loved the characters in this story and Carly was raised by her grandparents and they are always there for her no matter what.
I received this from Forever and NetGalley for an honest review.

First, thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Access to review copies is always appreciated.
Unfortunately, I have chosen not to finish and review this title. I was not able to connect with it, and instead of finishing a title I was not connecting with, I have chosen to move on to another title.
Again, I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to the next title.

Let me preface my review by saying, I do enjoy Laura Drake’s writing style. The descriptions in this book were perfection and I loved reading about the characters in a small New Mexico town. But this plot just wasn’t for me. At all. I was expecting a fun second chance romance and what I got was an intense and sometimes hard to read second chance romance.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but I am just going to say that both main characters were extremely immature, and the book had one large plot point that just doesn’t work for me. Showing the pitfalls and messy side of love is interesting, and kept me reading, but it also gave me a stomach ache from all the poor choices. I wasn’t prepared for the plot twist and this level of angst in a supposedly sweet, small town romance novel. I understand why people enjoyed this book, as I mentioned, Laura Drake is a gifted writer, this just wasn’t the story for me. I will absolutely pick up another one of her books in the future.

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

The Last True Cowboy is the first book in the Chestnut Creek series by Laura Drake, and the story is about Carly and Austin. Now in most stories, there are ups and downs, but in this book, it’s more like Mountains and Valleys, and if you like new age romance, then this is a book for you.

Carly Beauchamp and Austin Davis have been together since they were kids, and while Carly is running her grandparents their hometown diner, Austin is working the rodeo, and now at 28 years old, Carly has had enough and wants and marriage. After a lot of back and forth in her own head, Carly breaks up with Austin, Carly heads to the city for a night out, but that one night will that change everything.

The Last True Cowboy is a good read, though I did struggle with Carly’s character, as although she is listed as 28, her immaturity makes her seem more high school-ish, and that didn’t change until the end of the book when she finally showed her age and backbone. And for that reason is why I feel it should be listed as a new age romance. All of the other characters as totally relate-able, which helped me to ignore the things about Carly that I found annoying.

I found this book to be just okay. Unfortunately I felt as if it was written at the speed of a bullet train. It felt too quick and that I needed more to fully enjoy the characters.

DNF at 15 percent. The writing is excellent; I could picture the people and the setting clearly, and the story was paced well. I just didn't like where the story was headed. To test myself, I put the book aside for a couple days to see if my curiosity bloomed for Carly and Austin. It didn't. I may try something else by this author because I liked her voice, just not the story.

I really wanted to like this book and the blurb sounded interesting but it just wasn't for me. I'm not big on drama and I should have seen the red flag before I requested it. When I realized it was going to be a no go for me I skimmed through it and it seemed like it had good characters with solid growth. I also liked how Drake ended it, but unfortunately I just wasn't the right audience.

Would highly recommend for those who are looking for those emotional highs & lows and overcoming relationship difficulties.

With the first book in a brand new series from Laura Drake, we are introduced to the town of Unforgiven, New Mexico and settle in to the story of the "it" couple in town. She's running her family cafe just waiting for him to marry her, and he's having too much fun traveling from one rodeo town to another to realize that she's tired of waiting. The fallout from her walking away might be more than this couple can recover from, no matter how much they have always loved each other! The story is comprised of really interesting characters who were quick to grab my attention, and other than a few timeline tidbits that didn't seem to add up it was a solid read. Looking forward to another visit to Unforgiven soon!

Carly Beauchamp never expected to still be waiting on that promised "forever" at almost thirty. She's been in love with one man for her entire life, but she's getting really tired of playing second fiddle to the rodeo. How many times can she hear "just one more year" before she explodes? She never wanted to walk away from him, but she just couldn't handle being pushed to the wayside one more time ... now she's in a place she never wanted or expected. She's dug herself so far into a hole, she's not sure she can manage the climb out.

Rodeo cowboy Austin Davis thought Carly would always be there. He's always planned to settle down with her after the thrill of the rodeo is over and start their own dream business while they grow old raising a family ... but too little, too late is what he offered her. He can't believe this time she really means she's walking away, but as days pass without her in them, he starts to open his eyes ... he really did take her for granted! Now he's got to do everything in his power to win her back ... and hope he's not too late!

This is a great read I have never read Laura Drake before, I will read her in the future. Her characters were strong and the story was fresh. I didn't really like how different people were telling the story. This is a good book you can put down and go back to and remember what was what. It's not your normal cowboy book in that a lot of it is about the female character and her growth.

This was a nice quick read. I enjoyed the book and limed the characters. I didn't like the change in which character was telling their story. A little confusing. If you need a book that you can pick up and put down between chores or appts. then this is your book

I must say that this book just had me, and at times I was not expecting the turns the author took with the characters. I likes them because they felt real even though this was just a book. Carly and Austin live in a very small town in New Mexico, they have been in love with each other since kindergarten and since high school Carly along with everyone else in town is just waiting for Austin to set a date for the wedding. There is just one problem he will not stop being on the rodeo circuit. Now he comes home and she thinks that this it, she’s 29 and they are finally going to settle down ranch, raise stock. No, in the morning he tells her one more year, tells him no more years she is done she is tired of being number two. The rodeo always is number one and for the ten years all she hears is one more year. She’s out good bye! Have a nice life. Later she buys a motorcycle which comes into play after weeks of listening to the town’s people and she goes off and spends a few nights in Albuquerque. Comes back and she still won’t talk to Austin. People this is where I am out, because the story takes off in a whole different space I was not expecting. All good, the characters evolve and you even meet Austin’s brother. For me though Carly and her grandparent’s make this story. I liked all of the characters but I am partial to those. A very good book and a wonderful story.

Love isn't always simple, its messy and imperfect and Laura Drake captured it all with Carly's and Austin's story.

Its always been Carly, Austin and the rodeo, every since they were young, its been the two of them and Austin's love of the rodeo. But Carly is tired of waiting, year after year for Austin to finally commit to marrying her, putting the rodeo first. Austin promises her year after year that this is it but each year he goes back to the rodeo circuit so Carly decides to breaks it off. Austin thinks Carly will get over it but she isn't acting like herself and something is definitely going on that has all his alarm bells going off. Can he win back the woman he loves or is he too late?

I enjoyed Carly and Austin's story. Its a story of self discovery, heart ache, and a messy romance. I did find both Carly's and Austin's actions a bit young and quite selfish but then the character growth was what made this such a great read.

Add in the small town antics and The Last True Cowboy was a fantastic start to what is sure to be an amazing series.

I received this ARC copy of The Last True Cowboy from Forever (Grand Central Publishing). This is my honest and voluntary review. The Last True Cowboy is set for publication Dec. 4, 2018.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Laura Drake
Series: Chestnut Creek
Sequence in Series: Book 1
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: December 4, 2018
ISBN-10: 1538746433
ISBN-13: 978-1538746431
Genre: Contemporary Romance

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I absolutely loved this book. It is so well written and I just couldn't put it down.

I can't read Laura Drake's next book.

I do highly recommend

The Last True Cowboy, by Laura Drake, is a curious blend of women’s fiction and cowboy romance. There is obviously an HEA at the end, but the journey is really about both Carly and Austin learning to stand on their own and figuring out who they are. The first person narration will throw off some readers, but it is definitely worth sticking with. The story is by turns funny and heart-warming and definitely one that landed on my keeper shelf. I am also very excited that Nevada is getting her own book next year.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

*4.5 stars*

Emotional, soul-searching romance…

Carly and Austin’s story, for me, was a surprise. Not that the writing wasn’t really good or the story wasn’t full up on cowboys. It was spot on for both. I went into it hoping for a light-hearted cowboy romance while instead
I, thankfully, got an emotional, angsty, true to oneself, story of love….

Carly and Austin were at a crossroads. Carly knew she couldn’t take any more of the waiting game that Austin seemed to have played with her heart. ‘Next year’ was something she heard regularly and she’d had enough of it. Did she love him? Absolutely. Did he love her? There was no doubt. That didn’t mean, though, that there was going to be a happy ending and these two were going to go through every emotion on the spectrum before they figured out what they knew all along…

Oh how I loved this book! It had a small town feel with big-hearted, quirky characters that provided a fun, unexpectedly sweet backdrop to the drama that Carly and Austin found themselves in. Reactions were surprising and never more so than the two leading characters. Emotions are messy and unpredictable and that was so true as they both struggled to be true to their own hearts while being careful of other’s.

The ending was quiet but that was in keeping with the understated emotional punch this story left me with. A wonderful start to a new series I can’t wait for more of!

What a fabulous start to a great new series!
The Last True Cowboy has a bit of everything, friends-to-lovers, second chance, and at times enemies-to lovers. It is full of heartbreaking angst and heartwarming sweetness. While at times it did move a bit slow for me, I couldn't put in down.
Carly and Austin are meant to be together. Everyone know this, but Austin constantly putting Carly second to his career has Carly calling it quits on their relationship. Prompting Carly to make a mistake of epic proportions. But a lifetime of friendship and love is hard to ignore. I loved watching their relationship evolve. While at times I was incredibly frustrated with them both, I still couldn't help but hope they found their happy.
I didn't just love Austin and Carly the secondary characters in this one grabbed hold of my heart as well. Nana and Papaw were both amazingly sweet and incredible voices of truth no matter the situation. But Nevada was my absolute favorite. Her wit, spunk and fiestiness had me laughing and hoping she would find some happy of her own. I so hope we get to read her book soon! Hint Hint

Loved this sweetly thrilling second chance romantic journey filled with love, laughter and growing pains that are very true to life..... could not get enough of this emotionally engaging and heartwarming small town adventure that has me loving Chestnut Creek and looking forward to revisiting this series and its awesome charters.

There are times when a story touches my heart so deeply that I do not want to share much in a review. Mainly because I’m afraid my reaction to the story will spill over into spoilers as I talk about the people I’ve just spent some very enjoyable hours with. This is the case with Carly and Austin in The Last True Cowboy. Laura Drake always weaves magic with her characters, but she’s gone above and beyond with this small town full of unique people, a close knit community, friends for life and a love that nothing, not even themselves, could destroy.

Austin always knew that Carly was his future. What he forgot was to grow anything you have to nurture the roots, and as his rodeo career took off that left him away from the woman who owned his heart and she began to feel taken for granted. When Carly tires of being left behind she makes decisions that will alter lives forever… she just didn’t realize how much at the time.

The Last True Cowboy will remain in my mind for a long time as an example of what true love really looks like. It’s not the big gestures, the grand celebrations – it’s the small things, the real things, the wonder of how deep a love truly is things. There is no doubt in my mind that Carly and Austin love each other… just how deeply is a journey that we get to take alongside of them in this story.

If you’ve ever read a story that has left you breathless and speechless… then this is another one to add to that small list. I loved Austin and Carly’s story and would highly recommend The Last True Cowboy to any Romance reader no matter the genre – for this is what love looks like. I’m definitely looking forward to Home at Chestnut Creek, Nevada’s story, due out in 2019.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*