Cody left the ranch and never looked back, breaking Lexie’s heart in the process. Now Cody’s father is dying and Lexie has been hired to care for him. Both have been through a lot; will they find their way back to each other? Fast-paced, emotional read with lots of drama and great chemistry. An entertaining read.

Title: Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas

Series : River Ranch

Author :Soraya Lane

Rating :3.4

St.Martin's

Oct 29,2019

Billionaires, cowboys, and romance collide during the holidays in this next book in the River Ranch series!



It’s the most wonderful time of the year at the Ford family ranch. Will one cowboy’s homecoming be the greatest gift of all?



He left town and never looked back.

Cody Ford is a Wall Street honcho with humble Texas roots. This holiday season, he’d be content to just stay in New York and not face his family―and dodge their questions about when and with whom he plans to settle down. . .and if he will do so back at home. But his father isn’t getting any younger, and Cody doesn’t want to miss any last chances to see him and the rest of the folks back on the ranch. The last person Cody was expecting to see? His one-time girlfriend, Lexi Murphy, who’s been working as his dad’s new live-in nurse.



She never forgot him. Can she ever forgive him?

Lexi still holds a grudge against Cody. Back then, the college-bound heartthrob believed he was too good for a small-town girl like Lexi. But now Cody can’t help but see her in a whole new light. Could it be that this beautiful single mother with an unbeatable can-do spirit is the one he’s been waiting for all along? That depends on whether Cody can prove to Lexi that, this time, he means business―and if a sudden snowstorm can lend just the right amount of Christmas magic to help move things along. . .


My thoughts

Would I recommend it ? yes

Will I read more by this author? maybe

It took me a while to get into this story and i think it was the characters , Second chance romance stories are fun to read for the most part. but this time it just didn't pull me into the story like some of the others did that I've read , while it is a charming Christmas tale and its perfect for Christmas ,it just seemed that there was times the story felt a little bit unrealistic maybe it its just me and this author isn't for me , with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it .

This was my first visit to River Ranch and while it started out really strong it sort of fizzled and stalled out.
I loved that the big secret was revealed quickly but then it became a case of simply repeating the same “this is why we can’t be together” lines.
Harry was cute and I loved Walter but everyone felt just a little off in the chemistry department.
I’m not sure if I’ll be catching up on or keeping up with the series but it was mostly a decent Christmas romance.

Will also appear soon at Romance Reviews Today: http://romrevtoday.com/

ONCE UPON A COWBOY CHRISTMAS – Soraya Lane

A River Ranch Novel

St. Martin’s Paperbacks

ISBN: 978-1-250-22428-6

November 2019

Contemporary Romance



River Ranch, Texas – Present Day



Wall Street businessman Cody Ford returns home for Christmas to his family’s Texas ranch. It’s not a trip he’s been looking forward to because the memories of his mother’s illness and death still haunt him. Now his father has cancer, so Cody has to at least spend time with the old man while he can. Arriving at the ranch, Cody discovers the woman caring for his father is none other than his old high school sweetheart, Lexi Murphy. She is now a single mom of a young boy, Harry, and her mother is currently in an Alzheimer’s facility in town. Lexi isn’t interested in rekindling her teenage romance with Cody, mostly because she’s still mad at him for dumping her without an explanation, but also because she has no time. The facility her mom’s in has been served with notice that it’s been sold in order to make room for the construction of houses. Yet, despite Lexi’s avowal that she doesn’t want to get involved with Cody, her resolve is soon broken. Then, she learns who bought the facility her mom is in…



It takes Cody a while in ONCE UPON A COWBOY CHRISTMAS to realize how badly his mother’s death affected him. Since he left home, he’s avoided coming back because he didn’t want to face the memories, but now with his father’s own illness, he makes the time. He didn’t intentionally mean to hurt Lexi when he left by leaving without explanation, but he thought it’d be best there not be a lingering goodbye. Meanwhile, Lexi’s bad luck at men continued when the man she married decided he didn’t want to be a father and left her alone with their son. With Cody back in town temporarily, she wishes she didn’t have to be around him, but she needs the money, though she loves caring for the older man. Can she avoid the temptation Cody brings and not end up in bed with him?



Cody and Lexi are a couple in conflict over how they deal with both the past and present. Will Cody finally come to grips with his mother’s death? How will Lexi deal with the news that someone she thought she could trust is responsible for making her mother lose her home? It won’t be easy to find another facility to care for her, which means Lexi will have to leave the town she grew up in. Her son Harry soon grows attached to Cody, and that means trouble for Lexi in trying to keep the man at arm’s length. Christmas is around the corner. How will Lexi, Cody and the whole Ford family celebrate? Will it be together?



A tale of rekindled love and learning to deal with the past will have readers rooting for Lexi and Cody in ONCE UPON A COWBOY CHRISTMAS. It’s a sizzling romance with a hearty dash of emotion. Don’t miss this sexy Christmas tale.



Patti Fischer

I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest!
This was a great book !
Lexi + Cody were high school sweethearts.
Lexi stayed
Cody left.
Now, Cody is back, and he still has feelings for Lexi.
Lexi is not nearly as ready to let Cody back in her life.
Why shoudl she ?
Can Cody prove that he mean business this time ?
It has all the ingredients that you need for a great book!
I can't wait for the next book in this series.

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas by Soraya Lane is a second chance romance between a cowboy who now wears a suit happily and a divorced mother who can’t forget what happened in high school. It sounds as if it wouldn’t hold your interest but this author writes it so that you have to keep reading.

One of the best part of this story is a character, a little character by the name of Harry. This little fellow lights up every page he is on. I did like his mother, Lexi Murphy who is now the nurse of her old boyfriend’s father. Cody Ford is cocky, arrogant and not my type of main character. However, he is real, fitting exactly how I think a person like him would think and act. This couple has many problems as they travel the road to happiness. That is realistic too.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was really good. This is the first time and I had read this author and even though this book is #3 in her River Ranch series it really read like a stand alone novel. Yes, I might have gotten some more out of it had I read the first two novels first but this one was so good that I didn't need to. Definitely a must read any time of the year but especially with the holidays looming.

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas by Soraya Lane is not your typical Christmas story, rather it is a story of a man who 'ran' from home as a teenager graduated from high school and now many years later is coming home for the holidays because his father has terminal cancer. Cody Ford is coming home for Thanksgiving to find out how his father's illness is progressing and to check in with the rest of his siblings. What he finds is his father has hired a home care nurse (Alexandria/Lexi) who he doesn't recognize as she was his high school girlfriend whom he left behind when he split. Lexi, married and divorced, has a young son Harry, who is the love of her life, is not happy with the situation as she is still angry how Cody left her. Cody and Lexi's relationship progresses through the story with Cody dealing with a few demons from his past and the glitch that comes about when a land deal Cody is working on involves displacing adults from the area from their care facility, which includes Lexi's mother. There's also Lexi's son, Harry, who is establishing his own relationship with Cody and runs into a bit of trouble on Christmas eve. There is a HEA as Cody begins to deal with his problems and relationships with both his family and Lexi. I enjoyed reading this book. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy..

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

First I just need to say that I was a little disappointed in the editing of this ARC. I am used to typos and misspelled words or incorrect words used in context to the sentence and/or paragraph. It is common unfortunately to prevent piracy. While I do understand it, this book was littered with errors. It took me a lot longer to read than it should have as I was trying to figure out what was going on. I especially loved Lexi's magic bra. She took it off and the very next page, he took it off.

Okay on to the review. The plot was a good one. I felt that it dragged in spots (but it could have been due to the errors). Cody comes home at Christmas time to spend with the family. He lives in New Year dealing in land development. After high school, he couldn't get away fast enough once his mother became ill. He only comes home for Thanksgiving and Christmas with the one exception of his mother's funeral. Not only did he leave his family but he left his girlfriend without even a good-bye. He was running from the pain of losing his mother. A problem that I had with that was he left before she passed away, missing out on her remaining time. This did not endear the character to me. Then he meets his father's care-giver and introduced himself to the gorgeous woman. Another check mark, IT WAS HIS FORMER GIRLFRIEND. It isn't until later that we find out that he is suffering from a form of PTSD. Okay now it all makes a little more sense.

Lexi, has a wonderful son, Harry. He was absolutely wondering in the book. I truly felt for Lexi. She has had several curve balls thrown at her over the years but she keeps up a brave front. That is until Cody returns.

I loved seeing prior characters throughout this story. Also having a dual POV format normally helps me to understand the characters and to identify with them. Unfortunately not here with Cody.

There are a few sexy scenes so I would not recommend this book for anyone under the age of 18. The reason for the 4 stars versus 3, the author did make me feel while reading this book. Not all characters are perfect and likeable but they should make the reader FEEL. The reason it wasn't a 5 star isn't from the editing but I did feel it dragging at times.

Once Upon a Cowboy Christmas by Soraya Lane. This is Cody andLexi’s story.I enjoyed Cody and Lexi's story.  They were likable and fun characters. But they sure had trouble leaving the past behind them which was frustrating at times.  I  voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

What an uplifting and heartwarming story. It had its share of angst that made the story real and interestingly enjoyable. There was scary excitement and a family connection that made the book the greatness that it was. Book gifted to me.

I enjoyed this contemporary western holiday read that kept me entertained and intrigued from beginning to end with engaging characters and a well-written story. I really liked the chemistry and second-chance romance between Cody Ford, a Wall Street honcho who returns home for Christmas and Lexi Murphy, his former girlfriend and now single mother as well as his father's caregiver. I look forward to reading more about River Ranch and the Fords by talented author, Soraya Lane. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

A very heartwarming tale of two reunited loves, struggling with their emotional lives, but finding love again with each other. This story pulls at your heartstrings for Lexi and all she is going through. Between her bills, her mom's health, trying to raise a son on her own, and finding a new place for her mom, as well as taking care of her patient, her emotions were all over the place. It is very hard to not to wish her the best or sympathize with her. Then throw in a long lost love who still makes your heart beat fast and keep you on edge, it is no wonder she doesn't have a breakdown. But to see Cody and Lexi reunite and feel stronger feelings is very sweet. He did not realize how he was really feeling and what he needed to do in order to be fulfilled in life. I loved their journey and their happy ending. By the end of the book, I truly wanted more of their story as well as the rest of his family. Cody's dad stole my heart too. Such a great man!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

Christmas and a Cowboy, what more could a girl want, this is a wonderful story and also from a new to author, i would definitely pick up another book from her.

I received a copy from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my own honest opinion

Cody Ford ran away from home leaving behind not only his family, but his first love. His mom was dying and the live he felt for Lexi scared him to death.
Cody is back for the holidays and is surprised by several changes at home. One of them being, Lexi, his high school sweetie. Cody is having to readjust to ranch life. A lot of family pain and redemption. I was wanting to smack a couple of the characters and wanted to high five a few. Can't wait to read more books on the series.

Loved this book. Great characters, easy read, uplifting, funny, romantic and charming. A really nice story that is the perfect escapist read.

This is my first book by this author; Soraya Lane. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had I had more free time I most likely would have finished this in one sitting. I could identify with the main characters and the author created a very good story. It was just a little predictable; but, in a good way. Of course everyone that reads a romance novel wants a HEA ending. Cody and Lexi are two likable characters and their situation/families/story are realistic. This story also touches briefly on the real-world problem of finding decent/affordable/local care facilities for our aging parents; especially those with special needs like dementia/Alzheimer's. The characters are well developed and the story flowed well.

ONCE UPON A COWBOY CHRISTMAS is the third story in the River Ranch series. While there were many parts of Cody and Lexi’s story that I enjoyed (thanks to secondary characters) this is a story that I was rather torn on – not feeling connected to the main characters at times, or simply wishing they’d get over themselves and live in this moment, not in the past. Actions often have far-reaching consequences, this is something that Cody is about to learn firsthand.

Secondary characters can make or break a story for me, and that was very much what happened in ONCE UPON A COWBOY CHRISTMAS. In the end, I finished this one not for Cody and Lexi but because of Cody’s family, and Lexi’s fight for her mother’s health and safety, and her devotion to her son, Harry. Sometimes a story simply doesn’t work for me yet there are portions of the story that keep me reading and liking parts of the overall story – and that is exactly what happened here. I could load this review with spoilers to justify my feelings but that’s not fair to readers who haven’t experienced this book for themselves yet.

So I’m going to leave saying that I liked this one, but didn’t love it while still looking forward to the next story in the River Ranch series. It’s a good book, it simply didn’t connect for me and that’s life, not every book is for every reader. Give this one a try and make up your own mind, this couple’s families make it worth reading and that’s what got the 4 stars.

*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.*

The title of this one led me to expect both a cowboy and a Christmas romance, a second chance romance at that. Other than the story taking place at Christmastime, I never really got the holiday vibe with this one. And Cody does not feel like a cowboy. He's around the horses while he's home, and his childhood home is a ranch, but Cody is a businessman through and through. Regardless of the picture on the cover, I just never pictured him with the Stetson or any of the things I'd expect of a cowboy. The romance is a second chance for Cody and Lexi, but we're told more than we're shown so it's not easy to get behind these two as a couple. There are several secondary characters, and the author does a solid job of giving each of them a distinctive voice, so there's no confusion about who is who. The shining stars in this one were Cody's dad and Lexi's son. I absolutely loved Walter and Harry, and they are what kept me reading until the last. They both stand out in every scene they're a part of, and you can't help but love them. I really would've liked a bit more development of our couple and the romance, especially since that should've been the focus of the story, but it is what it is. In the end, this one was just okay for me.

When tragedy struck his family, Cody was unable to handle the emotional trauma so instead he left his family, his girlfriend and his hometown and only returns home for infrequent visits. He has forged a successful career in business but now that his father is ill, he has agreed to spend the holiday season with his family never expecting that would mean spending the season with the girl whose heart he broke as well.

Lexi has her hands full between caring for her mother, being a caregiver for Cody’s father and a single mother to her son. She hasn’t forgotten the devastation she felt when Cody left her behind and isn’t about to just forgive and forget. As they spend time together, they become close once again but there is one thing he hasn’t told her that could ruin the fragile relationship they have been building.

This is a heartwarming story about love, family and forgiveness with all the feels.