The Last Real Cowboy by Caitlin Crews is the third book in the Cold River Ranch series. I was super excited to read this book because I read the first two and immensely enjoyed them both. Also, one of my favorite things about series is how the previous main characters are now background characters and their story plays on, it is like catching up with old friends. In this book, we get to know Brady's and Amanda's story, these are two that we have already met, so it was interesting to see how they would interact together and if they would end up falling in love and staying together. Brady is the bad boy of his family (although, I would say each brother was during the time of their story) and Amanda is the good girl full of innocence in the entire (small) town of Cold River, Colorado. Amanda has three older brothers, one being Brady's best friend, so these two had to overcome quite a lot in the search for love. Even though this is the third in the series, it is written in such a way that it can be read as a standalone story, although I would highly recommend reading them all in order. I just saw there is a fourth book coming later this year, I am really looking forward to it and wonder who the 'couple' will be. This book has a couple of sensual scenes, just want to put that out there for friends that would like a heads up.

Fyi, Caitlin Crews wrote some excellent chick lit (Frenemies, Everyone Else's Girl as Megan Crane) back in the day and although series romance isn't usually my thing, she made it worth my while!

This is the third book in the series, but could easily be read as a stand alone, since the author provides plenty of back story. This is an enjoyable read about two people who grew up in this small town, one never wanting to leave and the other, who couldn't wait to escape.

The Kittredges, Everetts and Douglases founded Cold River Colorado, but the families seem to have become dysfunctional. Brady Everett and Amanda Kittredge are the youngest of their families. But while Amanda's four older brothers have babied and smothered her, frightening away any potential boyfriends, Brady's brothers did not protect him from the hate that his father spewed on his sons, but especially Brady, who was made to feel useless and invisible. When his mother left, he was very young, and she left him with the feeling that he was unloveable. He does not see love or a family in his future and fears becoming his father, hearing his father's voice in his head, especially now that his older brothers have found happiness and contentment with their wives. He was the only one who went to college, made a new and successful life for himself in Denver, but after his father died, his oldest brother, Grey, asked him to come back to the ranch for a year, to help out. He had been waiting his entire life for his family to ask him for help so he could be useful, but his brothers have never supported him.

Amanda has had a crush on her brother, Riley's best friend as long as she can remember, but being 10 years older than her, having even changed her diapers, he does not see her, (or does anyone else in town) as the twenty-two year old adult she is now. Fed up, she takes an apartment in town, above a bar, and a part time job there. Her brothers are outraged, and Riley asks Brady to keep and eye on her, but she has other ideas and propositions him to be her first. He tries to fight his attraction to her and the "bro code", but afraid of who she will turn to next, gives in. She finds herself in love with him, but is prepared for a broken heart, expecting him to leave after the year is over. He finds that he can't keep her out of his mind and does something stupid.

This is a strong story, with wonderful characters, about dysfunctional families, fear, ranching, and second chances. I received a free ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

The Last Real Cowboy, Amanda and Brady have known each other their whole life. She's his best friends little sister, a big no no. Amanda is tired of being the little sister. Everyone treats her like a little kid.
A change of clothes hair and makeup and suddenly, Brady sees something different.
A lot of family drama, romance, tested friendships 3.85

The Last Real Cowboy

Cold River Ranch #3

Caitlin Crews

St. Martin’s, Jan 28, 2020

320 pages

Western hometown romance

Provided by Rep via NG

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The cover is both attractive and appropriate for the book. Whose eye isn’t going to be caught by this great looking cowboy? And he’s half the story.

The other half of the story tries very hard to convince both her family and him that she’s an adult, which she is, and that he’s the man for her, which he is.

Two ranches. One, the Everett ranch with a hellion, drunk of an old man with three sons. The old man is now gone and it’s the three sons left. Brady, the youngest has come home for one year to help save the ranch. He has more modern ideas than his brothers of how to go about it, but they don’t want to listen, just like his old man. He sees the ranch as a dead end, a lost cause. But he made a promise.

The other ranch is owned by the Kittredges, Brady’s best friends are the sons. There’s also a daughter, Amanda. Little Amanda Kittredge. Good little Amanda Kittredge. Everyone from her family to the town folks thinks of her and even calls her that. In spite of the fact that she’s no longer 10 years old, she’s 21 and wants to be treated like an adult, a woman. She’s always had a crush on Brady, but she figures that’s going nowhere.

This being a romance, you know what that means. Brady’s committed to a year on the ranch and Amanda’s all grown up and trying to prove it. She takes a job and an apartment in the riskiest bar in town as a bartender. She wears stilettos and tight jeans and tank tops. Her big brothers have Brady “guarding” her to keep guys from hitting on her, but they don’t count on what watching their little sister will do to Brady’s libido. She teases and he gets hot…

Need I go on? This is a romance that’s off the charts! And a great way to end the Cold River series. Highly recommended.

The storyline was well written and the characters were detailed enough to keep me totally engaged throughout the entire book!

Cold River Ranch #3, The third book, the third Everett brother and hopefully not the last book of the series especially not after introducing Amanda's brothers. This was an enjoyable book and much like the first it starts with unrequited love. Amanda has been in love with her oldest brothers best friend as long as she can remember, but half the time it's like he doesn't see her and the other times he treats her like she's still in school. Brady has done his best to try and ignore Amanda, she's always been hands off. The Kittredge family has been more a family to him than his own, and lusting after his best friends little sister is a big no no; until it's not.

Brady has a lot issues he was the book smart brother who left as soon as he was able because while loved the ranch he hated his father. His father made him feel like the red-headed step child and pushed to the point his brothers alienate him too. His promised year working on the ranch has been spent trying to convince his brothers that his college degree doesn't make him ranch dumb.

Amanda is the youngest the only girl with four older brothers, four very overstepping, overbearing, over protective brothers. So much so that at the age of 22 she's only been on three dates no one is brave enough to stand up to the Kittredge boys and to the Kittredge boys no one is good enough for their baby sister. Fed up of being treated like a child to everyone around her she makes the decision to start living her life no matter what her brothers do or say. She moves out of her parents house and gets second job at the low class bar on the skirts of town and rents one of the rooms above it. Her parents are supportive her brother's on the other hand. Brady was just supposed to watch out for her make sure no one tries anything but then Amanda asks him to teach her all about sex.

Overall it's a great read. I feel like it can be read as a stand alone, I missed reading the second one and didn't feel lost at all. I loved the bonding between the brothers and truths finally coming to light. I mentally applauded Amanda for standing up for herself and her relationship with Brady.

While there were a few wording choices that made my inner editor cringe, overall, I really enjoyed this story. Though true to the genre, it did not make me feel like it was a story I had heard before. The characters were engaging and the pacing good.

This was such a fun (if sometimes exasperating with the way the MC's were treated by their families) story. Amanda and Brady were such interesting and engaging characters. I enjoyed them (and this book) very much.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest!
This was a great book !
Amanda is ready to pull up her big girl pants.
Brady is caught in the cross fire, but I don't think that he minds too much.
Loved the characters + the storytelling !
It has all the ingredients that you need for a great book!
I can't wait for the next book in this series.

When Brady Everett, rugged bad boy, finds himself attracted to Amanda Kittredge, rebellious good girl, be prepared for a wild ride. Cold River, Colorado hasn't seen the likes of this couple. Brady is there to help his brothers take care of the family ranch as stipulated in his father's will. It's a daily battle for Brady. He can't escape the cruelty that he endured growing up here. Meanwhile Amanda is angry and frustrated by her protective brothers. They won't let any man get near her. She takes a stand and moves out of the family home and starts working in a dive bar. After all she's 22 years old and all grown up. The Coyote is where Brady hangs out. This is where the action is. The result is their forbidden romance. What a wild ride! Brady and Amanda are an amazing couple. They're full of spirit and won't back down from a challenge. They love each other. Can they accept that? Both their families are more than ready to butt in. I understood that they cared but they complicated matters. I was hooked. I wanted to see what would happen. Caitlin Crews kept me reading. I loved her sassy characters with their emotional challenges. This author has a flair for drama. Her dialogue made me both happy and sad. I wanted romance and this author delivered. Her ending left me feeling good. I couldn't ask for more.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.

Yay! After Gray's and Ty's stories, I was very happy to read about Brady's story. After all the brothers came home for the funeral of their father, they have been fighting over the land. They all agreed to live on the land for one year, to see what to do with the land and with each other. But while Gray found his Abby and Ty appeared to be married, Brady is still single and living on his own. As the younger brother, his ideas have always been discarded by his brothers. Therefore, he is more relaxed with the Kittredge brothers than with his own siblings. But now the Kittredge brothers are all in disarray, since their younger sister Amanda has decided to move out of the house. And at 22, she is nowhere safe, according to her brothers. And to make matters worse: she picked out a job in the most obscure bar in town.
So they ask Brady to watch over her. But Brady doesn't see little Amanda any longer: he sees the wonderful woman she has become. And although there is a brothercode: the little sister is off limits, he promises her to help her discover the dating life. Because he doesn't want any shady guy picking her up.
Amanda always had a crush on Brady. But he always kept his distance. Up until now. Can she convince him that she is no longer a little girl? And what will her brothers say? Find out for yourself in this third installment of the Everett cowboys. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

It starts out a bit frustrating with how blind all the men around Amanda seem to be when it comes to her, and her wants and needs. I got quite annoyed at Brady when he kept treating her like a child who didn’t know any better or her own mind, but from the point at the barn that he tries to use as a goodbye gift to the end of the story, it becomes a sweet country, small-town romance that was enjoyable and sweet. The passion was good, not overly descriptive, but still enough to keep the pages steamy. Amanda was the best fit for Brady and when she stood up to his brothers for him, that was the best scene in the whole series, I think. Both of his brothers needed to be dressed down for how they treated him. I liked it. I think Hannah and Ty’s story might be my favorite out of all of them, but this one was enjoyable and entertaining.

I plunged into the middle of an ongoing series and while at times I did feel a little lost it wasn't significant enough to dim my enjoyment of this story.
Amanda is 22 with four older brothers the youngest of whom is still 10 years older than her. While I can imagine why they might still treat her as a child considering they've all changed her diapers but still to relegate her to the kids table with the children and teenagers is a bit extreme. No wonder Amanda has to take steps to become independent. Jeez! thanks to her brothers she's never been kissed and likely never will in the town where they live.
Enter Brady! her brother Riley's best friend who by the way has also been accused of changing her diaper. She's always had a thing for him but seeing her serving at the Coyote bar in revealing clothes and suddenly Brady really sees her. The attraction between them is scorching hot and she finally gets to see some action.
Brady is back in town putting in one year on the family ranch after his father's death. He is tortured by alcoholic abusive father's legacy. The author gives us a lot of depth with her strong three dimensional characters but also the dynamics of family, friendship and how love can actually conquer it all if you want it badly enough.
A great story that I'm glad I got to read.

My first read by Caitlin Crews and I really enjoyed it. I would recommend and read more from this author.

I've read the previous Cold River Ranch books, and it was nice to be able to finish the trilogy and learn what happens to youngest brother Brady. This time our main character (besides Brady) is Amanda. She is tired of being considered and treated as a child, especially by her protective older brothers (but really by the whole small town.) She's had a crush on Brady, who is 10 years older than her, most of her life. I was worried during the first part of this book that I wouldn't like it, because I felt like Amanda was jumping into the same situation she had left - being restricted and categorized. However, I didn't give her enough credit, and as I read on I saw that she really was pursuing what she wanted.

I feel like this book could be enjoyed just fine as a stand alone, but I'm glad I read the first two books first, because there were payoffs, as I could see the characters from those books continue to learn and grow.

Thanks to netgalley and the author/publisher for letting me read this!

ARC for honest review with no compensation received from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press 4.5 stars

The Last Real Cowboy is book 3 in the Cold River Ranch series by Caitlyn Crews. Loved the Everett brothers!

Amanda Kittredge has a crush on Brady Everett, even though he never looks her way as he is best friends with her older brother Riley and she’s ten years younger. She’s been sheltered her whole life so she decides to move out to show her family she is an adult not a child anymore. She moves to an apartment above the bar where she gets a second job there.

Brady has always thought of Amanda as a little sister to him, but when he sees her working at the bar...little sister is not anywhere close to what is sizzling in his blood. What’s a man to do when he wants more?

Sizzling attraction, lots of heat, going toe to toe, will keep you reading and wondering what’s around the bend on the next page!

This book has a little bit of everything, prodigal son returning, best friends little sister, screwed up childhood, overprotective brothers and small town gossip. Throw in trying to make changes on the ranch and you've got your perfect cowboy story.
Amanda is done with her family. She loves them but they treat her like a child. At her final straw point she decides to move out and live her life. Her four older brothers I have a big problem with this. The solution have the best friend keep watch. Come on ladies we know how this one's going to end.
Brady was always the smart one, the little brother who couldn't wait to get away from the small town. He took his chance with a full scholarship and never look back at least that's what it seemed. With a father whose mean on his best days returning for his funeral and making promises to stay for a year is a big step in healing. Now dealing with his brothers and forcing them to see him and make changes to the ranch is like beating your head against the wall. Add the promise to his best friend to watch out for Amanda and his world just got a lot more complicated.

This is the final book about the Everett Brothers, this is Brady Everett's story if you read either of the previous books this is the brother they call Denver. This book can be read as a standalone as can the other books in the series but I would suggest you read them in order that way you have a better understanding of the family dynamics and how each of the brothers eventually found their own HEAs.

I have to say that the abuse each of the brothers lived through was terrible, dealing with the fact that your mother just up and leaves you is a hard pill to swallow but to know that she left you defenseless against your alcoholic father is downright devastating, and Amos was a mean drunk and these boys felt the brunt of that meanness on a daily basis.

Amanda Kittredge has had a crush on Brady Everett, her brothers best friend, for years but he just like everyone else in town still sees her as a twelve year old kid not as the twenty-two year old woman she is. Well, that all changes when she decides to move out and make some changes in her life.

I loved Amanda and her go get them attitude that finally broke out. She needed to make some changes in her life and she did just that. She was tired of being treated like a little kid and who could blame her, she graduated high school four years earlier and she was still being asked how school was!

If you enjoy cowboy/western romances, romances that have an age gap (there is ten years between Brady and Amanda), or the siblings best friend trope then I would recommend this book to you.

Happy Reading!!!

**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books**

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer jerjen

Amanda has a problem. Namely her older brothers. They try to control every aspect of her life and they treat her like she is still a child. She cannot have a social life, they think they know what is best for her. Forget having a boyfriend, no one would be stupid enough to have to face her brothers. She has had enough of it and she decides to make her own life. She starts by moving out of the family ranch into a room above a wild bar. And she gets a job bartending at that said bar. That goes over well with her brothers!

Brady has his own problems with his brothers. Brady left the ranch and got an education. More importantly, he got away from their father. When he returns, everything is strained and he just does not feel like he fits in. He does not know if he should stay or just leave again and do his own thing.

Amanda has always had a crush on Brady, and wants very much for him to notice her. But to Brady, she is still a little girl. And to make matters worse, he is really good friends with one of her brothers. Brady has noticed Amanda, but he cannot break the friend code: Amanda is off limits. But sometimes, things do not go as well as we plan, and life takes some twists and turns that we cannot control. And sometimes that is a good thing and things workout better than we hoped for.

I enjoyed Amanda, Brady and all of their families. I thought Amanda was a little immature and did not act her age at times. That made the age difference between her and Brady stand out even more. I was not one hundred percent sold on the chemistry between the two. But having said that, I did enjoy getting to spend time with them and reading about their story. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted western romance.

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