3 1/2 Star Review.....

The Trouble with Cowboys is a story that I both loved and hated. My first read by Victoria James, I found myself drawn to her characters and wanting to throttle Tyler for some of his opinionated and unreasonable views. That aside, the story has a good plot, with realistic world building, and a believable storyline. I ended up really enjoying their journey and the final outcome was worth the wait.

An incredibly sweet, romantic book - coming to terms with the relationship with his Father Tyler Donnely comes back to town after his Father and he had a falling out 8 years prior and Ty never looked back. Now that he's here to stay will anyone forgive him for the past?
Lainey gave up her dream of Art School in Italy one two many times no is destined to run this dinner as her Grandmother did. The attraction between her and Ty Donnelly will only complicate things.
Such a book worth reading.

3 Stars
‘The trouble with cowboys’ tells the story of Tyler Donnelly returning to his hometown of Wishing River after finding out his father is gravely ill. But Tyler isn’t welcomed home with open arms by the town, apart from Lainey Sullivan, who owns the local diner and who is helping to care for his ill father.
I found the towns folk to be very judgemental towards Tyler. Even his lifelong childhood friends were so judgemental about his leaving town. If my best friend just up and left town one day without so much as a word, I think I would be concerned. Maybe even use a thing called a telephone to try and contact him to see if he’s ok. But his best friends didn’t do that. Nope, they just decided to hold a grudge for 8 years, be overly critical of his return and side with his father.
And don’t get me started on Tyler’s father. He should have been the one the town disliked for years, not Tyler.
Like most of this authors books, ‘The Trouble with Cowboys’ is a clean romance.
This hasn’t been my favourite book of Victoria James. I didn’t particularly like the Hero or Heroine much. This one fell a little bit flat for me.

When Tyler returns to his hometown after 8 years, no one is welcoming him back, not even his best friends. The only semblance of welcome he gets is from Lainey.
Lainey had a crush on Tyler growing up, and now that he is back she sees a vulnerability to him that is in contrast to his tough exterior. As they spend time together, they grow closer. But Lainey is hiding something and what will happen when Tyler learns of her secret.
I liked the slow build up of Lainey and Tyler’s relationship, and the fact that they first became friends. It is a sweet and emotional read.

**I received a copy of The Trouble with Cowboys from Entangled Publishing and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinions are mine alone and not solicited in any way.**

The Trouble with Cowboys by Victoria James is a pleasant read with the hero coming back home after being away. He meets Lainey at Tilly's the best restaurant in town but it will be his ailing father that will tug on your heart strings.

Tyler Donnelly left Wishing River, Montana angry with his father and grief stricken after his mother passes away. He doesn't return for eight years until he's notified that his father has had a stroke and he needs to come home. But his return isn't well received by the town nor his father but with time he'll realize that things aren't the same and the one highlight is meeting Lainey who now owns Tilly's Diner. There will be angst, hard work to fix up the ranch trying to sooth ruffled feathers of the residents and maybe a new love with Lainey?

Lainey now runs Tilly's Diner and has slowly added to the menu with baked goods but its her talent in painting that she'd really love to pursue. When Tyler comes home and sees how much she means to his dad with visits and food. But when he starts looking into the books will a secret gift ruin their burgeoning love or will he understand how she wishes to wait until marriage or will it destroy their love?

This story is sweet with no hot sexy scenes which is fine but its the bull pigheadedness of Tyler that caused me to give the story 4 stars. Other than that it's a great story of coming home and reuniting of Tyler and his father with a dash of new sweet love tossed in.

Wonderful story of second chances at life with love playing a forgiving role in the return of a son & the second chance at a passion that could be a career. Falling in love was the last thing Tyler & Lainey had imagined happening. Tyler is trying to get his family’s ranch back to its former self while his father recuperates from a stroke & he’s trying to get his life back. Lainey’s passion is painting, she’s put off scholarships in Italy to take care of ailing family members & run the family diner but her time & chances have run out. They both have secrets, they both have fears, they both think they’re not good enough. The chances are slim but the chance is there. Definitely recommend this book.

Ty and Lainey are both strong and independent, but each is covering up hurt and insecurity and family issues. Their 's is a slow burn that keeps building through all the heartbreaking mistakes and hesitations. I found this to be a sweet emotional read that I really enjoyed! This is the first book by Victoria James that I have read, and I hope she continues writing about this town and it's people.

I loved this story! This book was my introduction to Ms. James’ writing and I loved it. Tyler is sexy, troubled and lost and Lainey is sweet, tough and lonely. These two were the perfect couple because Tyler was able to get Lainey to open up an show her that she’s beautiful and important. While Lainey was able to get Tyler to open his eyes and see what he has in front of him. The story was heartbreaking, hopeful, sexy and funny at times. Can’t wait to read the next book!!

Laities had a crush on Tyler when they were in high school, but never really knew him. Tyler moved away from Wishing River after a life-altering argument with his father that followed his mother’s death. Tyler left Wishing River for eight years, only returning after his father suffers a stroke. Lainie is the first person he sees after returning, and they are instantly attracted to each other. Unfortunately, bits are fighting their own personal demons. The story focuses on their growing relationship as they fight the demons that threaten to keep them apart. Both funny and heartbreaking at times, the story never fails to draw the reader in. I always enjoy Ms. James work, as she is a truly gifted writer.

THE TROUBLE WITH COWBOYS - Victoria James
Entangled Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 978-1-64063-541-8 print
ISBN: 978-164063-542-5 e-book
March 2019
Western Contemporary Romance

Wishing River, Montana – The Present

Tyler Donnelly walks into Tilly’s Diner for a cup of coffee after an eight-year absence and draws too much attention. Unfriendly reaction comes from his former best friend, Dean, now Doctor Stanton, who is also in the diner. Dean had contacted him about his patient, Tyler’s father, telling him Martin had suffered a stroke. Friends from the community have taken care of Martin out on his ranch. Even the very attractive young woman running the diner, Tilly’s granddaughter, Lainey, brings Martin dinner every night. Many in the community obviously hold Tyler at fault for leaving without a word to anyone. Tyler knows his father and the ranch are now his responsibility. Even so, his bedridden father continues to ignore him. The argument which led to Tyler’s departure still stands between them and what his father said still haunts him. More surprises await Tyler. Many acres of the ranch have been sold off, and the ranch is in economic peril. Another best friend, Cade, is now the ranch’s foreman. Cade also holds him in contempt. Tyler remains determined to stay and rebuild the ranch as his father once wanted.

Lainey now owns the diner. Her grandmother had raised her after Lainey’s mother abandoned her, and her grandmother’s death still affects her. She has dreams of going to an art school in Italy. She had been accepted, but first Tilly’s death and then other unexpected obligations thwarted her going. At first, she is doubtful about Tyler. Unlike her, he abandoned his obligations, but she is willing to give him a chance at redemption and even helps him. Her attraction at a very physical level to the very handsome cowboy disturbs her.

Despite their intense mutual attraction, the past luggage both Tyler and Lainey bear puts a future together at seemingly insurmountable odds. Yet Lainey continues to help Ty with ideas for the ranch and in changing his friends’ attitudes. THE TROUBLE WITH COWBOYS is full of great characters overcoming conflicts. It has a strong message about acceptance and love, making it a very satisfying read.

Robin Lee

The whole town seems to dwell on the fact that Tyler left home 8 years ago. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal. But in small town USA, where ranching is life, I guess it's practically criminal.
Lainey is the first to get over it. But still it's mentioned so many times that it feels like I might have screamed if they didn't stop. Tyler seems to be a great guy. So I felt bad for him.

This is a contemporary western romance that grabs your attention from the first page to the last one.
When Tyler Donnelly gets a phone call from an old friend that his father has had a stroke, he returns to Wishing RIver The home he left 8 years ago after his mother’s death and an argument with his father.
Lainey Sullivan has lived in town most of her life after her mother abandoned her by dropping her at her grandmother’s house. Now she runs the local cafe she inherited from her grandmother , watching her dreams fading away.
These two have immediate chemistry, but each one has their own baggage, secrets, lost dreams .
The plot is engaging, the characters well develop and likable. The secondary characters show promise for future stories. Hopefully Dean and Holly.
I was entrusted this copy by Netgalley and Entangled Amara. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


This is the story of Tyler “The Prodigal Cowboy” and his return to Wishing River. Tyler has to get over a lot of huddles from his past that caused him to abruptly leave town for 8 years. He has fences to mend on the ranch, with his father and with his best friends Dean and Cade.

Lainey is a strong independent woman that has been infatuated with Tyler since high school. She can’t help falling in love with this cowboy despite the warning Grandma Tilley always gave her about Cowboys being nothing but trouble.

Victoria James wrote a wonderful book with just enough heat. I like the fact that she gave Lainey such high morals and brought the topic of church and beliefs into the story without making it too “preachy”.

Victoria James did an incredible job with telling this story. It was such an emotional read for me. This book takes places in a small town where everyone is in everyone's business. It is also a town where they all look out for each other. The Trouble with Cowboys is Tyler and Lainey's story. Tyler left town eight years ago after the death of his mom. His dad and him had a really big fight which was the last straw for Tyler. Many things were said during this augment. Many of those things were things you wish you could take back. Now Tyler is back because his dad had a stroke and he needs help. Lainey has lived in this town her whole life and all she wanted to do as an adult was to go to Italy for school for her art. Every time it was time to leave something always happened to stop her. Tyler and Lainey both feel so alone and so lost in life. From the time they see each other again you can see that they have a connection to each other. Both try to fight it while they navigate though life. There are somethings that you cannot fight because the connection is so strong. This book will pull at your heartstrings. It will make you laugh and in the next moment it will have you crying. I cannot wait to see what happens next in this small town. I am really looking forward to Dean's book. I really hope his book has something to do about Hope. Thanks Net Galley. I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5☆

What I liked:
The writing style
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I had a hard time staying interested in this book.

I was very interested in reading a new book by Victoria James but also because there was something about that blurb that just called to me and this sure was a nice and entertaining story.

We have Tyler returning home to take care of his estranged father ans his ranch, he had swore not to come back after a fight they had but he can't ignore this situation but things aren't easy because since no one know why he left everyone pretty much assumes he's a bad guy having left his father to handle it all. But of course there is a story behind that fight. The one that seems to notice there's something more behind his facade is Lainey.
Lainey once had a crush on Tyler and it seems still kinda does but is not sure how to feel about him, she is close to his father and cares very much for him hence why she's reticent to trust the son who left him. But as they start to spend time together they begin to know onw another and understand each other; I quite liked how their relationship develops because while there is attraction it wasn't inta-love, it takes time and getting to know one another before they fully acklowedge it. I will say though, I would have liked more steaminess on this book, I'd have been happy with at least an allution to it at the epilogue or something, that'd have made the book better for me.

Still this was a sweet and romantic story and I'd absolutely be interested in reading more books if this becomes a series.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review.

Overall this book was okay. I feel like besides a select few curse words, it would almost be Christian Fiction. The setting was cute, and the characters were bad. The lack of "heat" didn't do much for me.

Filled with emotion and humor. Slow burn love story with quite a few twists and turns. A very enjoyable ride.
I look forward to more stories about this lovable group.

"The Trouble with Cowboys" is a western romance that follows Tyler and Lainey. Tyler left town eight years ago after a blow-out fight with his father following his mother's death and is back in town to help his father after he had a stroke. He spent time on the rodeo circuit and then settled at another ranch where he worked his way up to foreman. He knows now is the time to take over his family's ranch, which has been having financial troubles since he has been away.

Lainey has taken over Tilly's, the diner her grandmother Tilly owned and ran. Lainey was raised by her grandmother after her mother abandoned her in pursuit of love over and over again (for new boyfriends). She never knew her father. Lainey dreams of art school but cannot abandon the diner her grandmother loved and left her. Following her grandmother's death, Lainey became close to Tyler's father, and she was the one who found him after his stroke.

When they meet again after Tyler's return, they find themselves very attracted to the other but they have a long way to go before they are ready for a relationship, much less with each other. Tyler's return to town has not been well-greeted, and everyone is upset over the way he left so isolating him. Lainey is the only one who seems willing to speak with him. She also has some ideas for how to help the ranch- but she is also harboring a secret (that seemed unnecessary).

I enjoyed the story at first, but things got a bit too drawn out for my tastes. I also felt like they each gave up too much in the process of the story, and it seemed unnecessary to me. I am hesitating to say what to avoid spoilers, but there's a difference between compromise and giving up your beliefs/dreams. I felt that Tyler was giving up his beliefs (I think he was looking at it wrong, but it's not a good foundation for a relationship) and Lainey was giving up her dreams by the end (you could argue/make a case that her dreams changed/evolved). If they were real people, I have a feeling checking in a few years after the end would show that things are not going well. I would have liked seeing each growing as individuals more and the relationship complementing them. Instead, it seemed like any relationship-type bit between them was dripping with drama (they weren't really in a relationship during the story and then the expectations were like they had been for a while). The relationship seemed to be dragging them down more than building them up. Thus, I liked both Tyler and Lainey, but I did not like them as a couple.

Another thing that seemed odd to me was the idea of naturopathic medicine being important, which appear throughout as almost an advertisement for it in the extreme (as if this would cure cancer better than an oncologist), which is not how I believe it is typically viewed. It seemed a little unnecessary to the overall story, and I was not sure what the message was intended to be there. I would also add a warning for sexual harassment/assault (mentioned, not described).

Overall, I think it was an interesting story with great characters, but I was not particularly cheering for the primary relationship. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Lainey's Mother abounded her at a young age to chase after her boyfriends/lovers in the pursuit of "love". Thank goodness for her Grandma Tilly, who stepped in and raised Lainey. Grandma Tilly ran the local dinner at Wishing River, Montana and taught Lainey all the in's and out's of running the dinner. Grandma Tilly also had an aversion to Cowboys and drilled into Lainey that she was to stay away from them and never trust them. Grandma Tilly passed away and Lainey took over the running of the dinner, but she also had a secret dream. Lainey had a talent and love for painting and her dream was to go to a school in Italy to learn from the best. Her dream was put on hold after the death of her Grandma and then her lovely/selfish mother came back ill and dying asking Lainey to care for her. Lainey's savings for her dreams kept slipping away.

Tyler left Wishing River eight years ago as an angry and bitter young man. He lost his mother to cancer and learned a secret that nearly broke him. Tyler and his Father had an explosive fight that night and things were said that were very hurtful and painful. Tyler went on to do rodeo for a while and then found work on a ranch as he missed his family ranch and the life it entailed. But Tylers father suffered a stroke and is back in town to help his father. He left behind two of his best friends that night and never let them know why or where he was going. Tyler knew that there would me no welcome mat for him.

Lainey has had a crush on Tyler since she was in high school. She comes to see beyond his gruff exterior and knows there is a more gentle and caring man. Lainey brings meals from the dinner to Tylers father, they both had developed a friendship during Tylers absence. Lainey is the one that found Tylers father when he had his stroke and the connection was cemented from that point on. Each had been there for each other during their pain and loneliness. Tylers first encounter with Lainey was when he arrived in town and stopped at the dinner for coffee before he headed to his father and the ranch. The two see each other often as Lainey visit his father at the ranch. They begin to develop a friendship and Lainey just wants to help Tyler in his relationship with his father and best friends.

This is a sweet love story packed with emotion and layers character building. I appreciated how Lainey and Tylers friendship and attraction progressed in a steady and emotional way. Both has a few secrets they were keeping and were fearful and what it would happen when it came to light. I had more of an issue with Lainey's as I though she should have been more forth coming sooner. The push and pull in the relationship was well balanced and realistic in my humble opinion. The chemistry was there and appreciated the slow progression.

Very good story line and secondary character. I became invested in those secondary characters and hope to see future stories for each of them. I really liked the visual the writer was able to enact in her writing for the town, feel and people. Always a plus for me. Pacing was well done. I did feel at two-thirds of the book it slowed a tad bit. Also the change in Tyler at that point was a little abrupt. I really found the epilogue to be emotional and sweet.