I would have liked Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas more if Lexi had been written to be more likable. I understood why she was mad but to hold onto that anger for years and years? Not healthy. She also was a shrew the entire book. The things she did (like leaking Cody's name to the press). Plus, she wasn't a very good nurse once Cody turned up. She was too focused on Cody and her anger to pay attention to her patient.

Not that Cody was any better. But at least he realized he was being a jerk and tried to fix things. He got help. He tried to make things right. He faced the memories that kept him away (which made Lexi out to be a bigger witch than ever).

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas is currently available for purchase.

Soraya Lane hits it out of the park and captures the true meaning of Christmas Magic with this wonderful book Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas.
Cody Ford ran from home as soon as he could he didn't want to feel, when he went away to college he left everything behind.
Lexi knew that working for the Fords one day she would run into Cody again and have to relive all the hurt from when he left the first time. She was not prepared for him and all the mixed emotions that came with him coming home.
This book will touch your heart in so many ways.

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas is a great contemporary romance about second chances and spread some of that Christmas spirit.

Cody left his family’s ranch to make in big on Wall Street. He’s only coming home because his father is getting older and he wants to see him on Christmas, but he is not looking forward to his families expectations of him settling down with a family…he has his career, what else does he need. So, isn’t he surprised when his high school sweetheart is now his dad’s live-in nurse?

Lexi’s heart was broken by Cody, when he left their small-town with out a glance back. Will she give Cody a second chance when Cody quickly realizes he might have missed something huge when he walked away from Lexi. They just might need the magic of Christmas to lend a helping hand.

Soraya M. Lane delivers a heartfelt, emotionally charge story that rings in the holiday season with just the right touch of Christmas magic.

I received this ARC copy of Once Upon A Cowboy Christmas from St. Martin's Press. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars of moving and charming ranch romance

This is the third book in the series, and whilst I think you would benefit from some of the back story, you could read this as a standalone and enjoy it. You may choose to then go back and enjoy the previous two as well! I don't think it would spoil anything too badly if you chose to do that.

Ford Senior is very sick and wants his whole family home for Christmas, as it is likely to be his last. Having been a larger than life and very successful businessman, he is now a shadow of his former self, but thanks to his live-in nurse, he has retained his dignity and his style.

Cody left home at 18, when his mother was dying, and has rarely left New York since, but he knows that this is one time his presence is required. He plans to fly in and fly out again, just touching base for the festivities themselves. Little does he realise how his life will change forever when he gets home. Because, somehow the ranch does feel like home, and yet also a place he has hidden away in the deepest vault in his heart and brain. Watching him realise this, and realise what he avoided for so long, is moving without being sentimental.

Lexi, the live-in nurse, and single mum to Harry, was Cody's high school sweetheart, who he left behind without a thought. She has had a lot of time to try and understand why she was lacking, and never quite got an answer. Finally, he is back, and yet he seems to place no blame on himself, or even really remember how close they were. As they both work through this gap in his memory, they get a second chance at being at least close, but the question of whether it can last is an entirely different one.

Be ready with tissues, because there are definitely points where tears are likely to spring, but it is beautifully written, and done for a purpose, rather than to play on your emotions. A very satisfying and engaging story, with plenty happening which adds to the narrative rather than distracting. Harry most certainly deserves high billing, as he is fabulous too.

Highly recommended, especially if you are ready to get into the Christmas spirit with a lovely second-chance romance and family reconciliation story.

Do you like romance?
Do you like Christmas?
How about billionaires?
Or perhaps billionaire cowboys?
I do, and I loved Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas by Soraya Lane!!!

Cody Ford fled Texas when his mother became ill, and he has been living in NYC ever since. He returns home for Christmas to visit his father, as his health declines. Surprise of all surprises, his teenage sweetheart Lexi Murphy is his dad's live-in nurse! This was such a sweet second chance romance with a slow build and plenty of steam! And plenty of Christmas cheer and Christmas Cowboys! I love when a romance has a little bit of conflict and a good backstory.

Probably my favorite part of this book was the well rounded cast of characters. I fell in love with the Ford family. There was a warmth between them, while at the same time being so real. I am going to have to go back and read the first two books in the River Ranch Series. And I can't wait for book 4 coming out March of 2020.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas was my first book by Soraya Lane and the third in the series. It can easily be read as a stand-alone novel.

Cody is returning to the family ranch in Texas for the holidays. He left at the age of 18 when his mother passed away, leaving his then girlfriend behind. In the subsequent years he’s managed to build a successful empire and comes home only occasionally.

Lexi is responsible for taking care of her patient, regardless if he’s her ex’s father. An ex she’s never forgotten, nor forgiven, for leaving her with not even a goodbye. But that’s ok. She’s busy raising her 6 yr old son for a disastrous relationship and taking care of her mother, who has Alzheimer’s.

There’s is a lot of baggage that these two carry and I don’t really believe that they’re the ones to help each other with it. I honestly felt these two would have been better off separate. Because of that I can’t rate this higher than 2 stars. The writing was decent and I actually like Cody’s family and love Lexi’s son, but I didn’t like either of the two main characters.

I received this arc from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas by Soraya Lane is a magical second chance story. Two young people are brought together again and given another opportunity. These character are charming. I could not help but to love them. They were really easy to like. There was a fiery storm in the form of a single mom and one time love, Lexi.

Lexi has every reason for distrusting and resisting the hot cowboy, Cody. Cody left her and never came back. That takes a toll on any young girl. Now, time has gone by and they’re both stuck together. Another storm is brewing and they might just survive it.

Each character had an inner battle to figure out as well, as what they want to do in the future. Cody wasn’t sure about his. I kind of was not sure if I would like him. He sounded like a coward for running off…but then he grew on me. The more I knew about him, the more I liked him. The same for Lexi.

Soraya Lane has created a beautiful plot. Characters that I can relate to. Ones I will never forget. The plot was juicy and full of both secrets and spice. Overall, this contemporary romance was a must read.

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas by Soraya M. Lane (River Ranch, #3) kept me coming back for more. It was not a long book, but a fun story that I had trouble putting it down once I started. I haven't read the first two books in this series, but had no issue with understanding what was going on and felt the author did a good job of making this a standalone novel or something to read as part of the series. The story flowed nicely and drew me in from the first page with the story of Cody reuniting after many years with his first love, Lexi. I would recommend this romance novel for those looking for a sexy Christmas story.

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas is the third book in Soraya M. Lane's River Ranch series, but it's the first book in the series I've read as well as the first book I've read by this author, and I was somewhat less than thrilled with the experience for a number of reasons, which I'll get to, but because of those issues, I cannot give this novel more than a 2-star rating.

First, although part of a series, this novel worked just fine as a standalone--I had no trouble figuring out the many characters in it, but this story is about Cody Ford and Lexi, in fact, Cody is the first character we meet. He's on his private company jet en route from his busy career in New York to his former home in Texas, and the large family ranch, a place he's been avoiding for more than a decade. It's nearly Christmas and his father is dying from cancer. Cody fled his home a decade earlier, when he was 18 years old, when his mother was dying of cancer, and he also fled from Lexi, his high school girlfriend whom he claimed to love. He's only been back to attend his mom's funeral, and a few short holiday visits in the interim--emotions just aren't his thing.

Once his younger brother, Tanner, picks him up at the airport, the first person he encounters at the ranch is someone who looks strangely familiar, but he can't quite place her. She tells him that she's his father's caregiver, since his father doesn't want to be either in a hospital or in hospice. Even when she tells him her name is Alexandra, he still doesn't recognize this woman as his high school love, Lexi, and to say she's less than thrilled to see him is putting it mildly. Adding insult to injury, not recognizing a woman you said you loved after only 10 years was quite telling. When he fled 10 years earlier, he never even said goodbye or told her he was leaving her, in such a hurry to get gone that he never even considered her or how hurt she'd be that the man she'd planned to marry deserted her without a word. When he finally realizes who she is, he's got more than a little explaining to do, and Lexi isn't going to be satisfied with just an off-hand, "I'm sorry," and all I can say about Cody is that he's a wuss and a gutless coward, although Lexi is still drawn to him physically, heaven knows why.

In the intervening decade, Lexi was married briefly, divorced the husband who bankrupted her, and had an adorable, now 6-year-old son, Harry, the light of her life. Lexi's ex is a deadbeat dad, and Lexi was thrilled to find a job that paid well at River Ranch, caring for Cody's dying father. She desperately needs the money because her mother has Alzheimer's and needs round the clock care at a nearby nursing home, which costs a whole lot of money that Lexi doesn't have--the job at River Ranch was a godsend, because she's now living there free of charge, but still trying to figure out what to do about her mother, since she's received notice that the land the nursing home sits on was just bought, the residents given just 4 weeks to vacate the premises so that the facility can be demolished to make room for developers to put up a pricey condo complex, and guess who that developer is? Yup, it's Cody, yet none of his cowardice, or his cold-hearted businessman brain stops her from having sex with the man.

I found Cody to be totally gutless, totally self-absorbed, totally closed-off emotionally, and what Lexi saw in him aside from his bedroom skills totally escaped me. But Lexi does have a backbone, and does organize and stage a protest, first posting it on Facebook, and then gathering outside the nursing home with like-minded people including the nursing home staff--even drawing TV coverage. Yet, Cody is still planning to go ahead with his plans, because for him it's all about the bottom line--profit over people. After one more night in bed with Lexi, he again sneaks out of the ranch in the wee hours of the morning, and flies back to New York and his business, but at least this time, Cody let Lexi know it would be their last night together. What a jerk!

Since this is a romance novel, I expected an HEA ending, but Cody's redemption and apologies were far too little, far too lame, and far too late to redeem him in this reader's mind, and his plans for the future, commuting to and from Texas and New York also made little sense, because it would leave Lexi and Harry alone a good part of the time. In this age of easy global communications, why couldn't Cody move his business and operate out of an office in Texas?

In short, this romance novel was way too short on romance, although there was plenty of sex, but I kept asking myself why Lexi couldn't resist Cody, who I found to be an absolutely thoughtless and unfeeling dolt. The only things that kept this from being a one-star review were precious little Harry, Cody's dad and his kind treatment of Lexi, as well as Cody's kindhearted siblings and their spouses and their treatment of Lexi and her son. I recommend taking a pass on this novel.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

This was a good second chance romance. (Note: It does have some sex scenes - they weren't super graphic, but they are present.)
Cole comes home for Christmas - he doesn't return home very often, supposedly because of business, but he is also just avoiding the past. But his father is sick, and he feels the need to make an appearance. To his surprise, Cole's old high school girlfriend is the father's caregiver. Cole is immediately attracted to her, but she has some big (and totally understandable) objections about his leaving previously.

I liked many of the characters a lot - especially the sick father and the children. And I always like stories set at Christmas.

This book had the makings of being really good, but just didn’t get there. The two main characters seemed really shallow to me. Cody was a self-absorbed self-made millionaire, who was all about “the deal”. Lexi was so stuck in the past and her history with Cody, she couldn’t see the forest for the trees. For as much time as was supposed to have passed since they last saw each other, the animosity didn’t feel realistic. Lexi’s son, Harry was a delight, as was Cody’s father. Fundamentally a good storyline (second chance romance), just not as well executed as I would have liked. I received a complimentary copy of this book. This is my freely given, honest review.

Cute romance with a ranching family as the backdrop. Soraya Lane writes terrific sister and brother dialogue and interaction. I especially liked the sensitive and realistic depictions of their terminally ill dad. Loved that all the spouses supported each other - and the sisters in law stuck together when things got a little rough. That picture of family illustrates exactly what Christmas is about. So yeah there’s a romance in here (and pages and pages of steamy stuff), but there’s also children running around, Christmas trees, hot chocolate, and pony rides - real heart.

An enjoyable holiday read. High school sweethearts get a second chance. Can they or should they let go of baggage and make it work? Or is it too late? Not sure I liked the characters enough to want them to get together. Still an emotional and entertaining read.

So I really struggled with this book & here's why. I just couldn't like Cody Ford. I like the idea of the story & how he & Lexi had been together when they were young & meet up again because she is his father's caretaker. I just struggled with finding anything redeeming in Cody until pretty close to the end. Lexi & her son were fantastic characters as well as the Ford family. I would still recommend this book but fair warning on Cody.

Adored this heartwarming, second chance holiday romance.... was filled with sweetly thrilling twists, sexy fun charters, witty dialog and undeniable passion. An excellent read from beginning to end full of small-town goodness!

Did not finish - at 30% the hero was so unforgivable I could not continue reading. First he totally forgot about someone he supposedly love because of the painfulneess of his mother's illness and death. Just runs off. Then he finally recognizes her and feels somewhat bad, but not really because he tries to go about seducing her with no intention of hanging around. She's a single mom with a mom in a nursing home going under. What dude do you think you are doing besides messing with her life. Then to find out he bought out the nursing home and is kicking the people out to make a investment. Yeah, I had enough. I don't really want to know how the author redeems him because he would have to change a lot for me to even look at him again.

It felt good to be back at River Ranch. Not so for Cody Ford. He fled from River Ranch at eighteen years old and he only returned once in a while for a family visit. But now he has returned home for the holidays from his New York apartment, because his father is seriously ill.
He is baffled when he finds out his father has a seriously good looking nurse taking care of him. And even more surprised when he discovers that this nurse Alexis is non other than his high school sweetheart Lexie. Lexie doesn't know if she should be disappointed or not because her high school crush Cody didn't even recognize her at first. Maybe her six year old son got him off guard or maybe she changed a lot since then.
What she does know is that her crush still isn't over yet. But she needs this job desperately to keep her afloat, especially since she has to take care of the medical bills of her mother too. So, she will not make the same mistake of letting her heart be crushed by Cody.
Cody had his reasons to flee from River Ranch. But being home makes him realize what he left behind. Off course his brother Tanner (from All Night With the Cowboy) and his sisters Mia and Angelina will help him remind what he left behind. And while the family tragedy still haunts them, Cody discovers he still has feelings for Lexie. But she doesn't let him in, both to protect herself and her son.
Can Cody make amends with his past? Can he convince Lexie that he will not let her down again? Find out for yourself whether it will be a merry Christmas after all. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

3.5 stars

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas by Soraya M. Lane is an engaging book that draws the reader in from the very beginning.
I enjoyed watching the interactions between the main characters Cody and Lexi while also bringing in side characters into the storyline.

Overall, Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas is a heartwarming second chance romance and I highly recommend it.

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy*.

Wonderful modern western romance. Cody is a big time executive in New York. He's come back home to see his I'll father, brother and sister. As a teen he ran as far and fast from the ranch leaving everyone behind. Lexi is the nurse caregiver to Cody's dad. The blurb gives a great description of what happened. Cody left Lexi behind a decade earlier. Now Lexi has a young son and is struggling. The story is a lovely with interesting characters and a family where each is dealing with loss in unique ways. I received a complementary copy of this book via Net Galley and chose to write a review. I look forward to reading future books by Ms. Lane.

The third book in the River Ranch, Once Upon a Christmas Cowboy brings us to the relationship between Cody Ford and Lexi a single mother and nurse. Grief, heartbreak and second chances this story is engaging and believable. Well written and delivered I will definitely be recommending and looking to read more.