The Last Real Cowboy is the third story in the Cold River Ranch series and brings us Brady’s story at last. I had been looking forward to finally hearing Brady’s side of not only this year-long quest to decide the future of the family ranch, but what his real thoughts and emotions were about two brothers who really don’t support him much and spend more time talking down to him and not listening to his financial knowledge. What I found was a story that has me torn. While I liked most of Brady’s and Amanda’s romance there were attitudes going on here that I could have easily smacked people upside the head and not been the least bit sorry if their hat fell off into the mud… or a cow pattie. Seriously.

The age difference between Brady and Amanda didn’t faze me, love comes where it comes in age, race, gender, so a ten year age gap wasn’t a big deal – but – the way Brady treated Amanda at times was not right by any stretch of my imagination. I expect that crap from protective older brothers, not from the hero who is supposed to love a woman enough to fight for her. I was… disappointed in Brady, and that affected how I viewed his romance and his troubles with Amanda and all the “brothers”.

In all, I’m divided on The Last Read Cowboy. I loved parts of it, rolled my eyes at others, and while Brady did redeem himself somewhat that didn’t take away his earlier actions – for I don’t believe he’s learned the lesson he needed to get into his thick skull. I believe that this is one of those stories where each reader is going to take away their own opinion – so, as always, don’t take a reviewer’s view of a book (after all, I’m just a reader, too) but pick up Brady and Amanda’s story and decide for yourself. I liked it, I was also frustrated by the characters’ actions and that made a difference for me.

*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.*

’m somewhat conflicted about this novel. I wanted to like Brady and Amanda. The whole traditional rancher, family, commitment to land thing was appealing. On the other hand, 22 and 32 was too big an age difference for a casual hook-up, especially given their histories. Brady has some big emotional problems, and could do with some serious therapy. Expecting those problems to be solved by LOVE, seemed like quite a stretch.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Last Real Cowboy was a good read with likeable characters. It was an interesting read about overcoming preconceived notions and being who you are. Brady and Amanda had chemistry and it was interesting when they started sneaking around. Overall, it was a good read.

Amanda Kittridge has grown up in Cold River, not dating or moving out of the house because of her 4, extremely overbearing brothers!!! She has finally had enough and moves out into an apartment above the bar she is bartending at, much to her brothers and, one of their best friends' dismay!!
Brady Everett has finally returned home to the Ranch in Cold Rier with his brothers after his father died last Halloween. Brady was the youngest and, most abused by their abusive alhocolic dad for as long as he can remember. He is sick of his oldest brother always commenting about him leaving for college and, staying away and, his other brother thinking everything he says or does is funny! It's bad enough that his mother finally left after he was born, then his father pushed him away, now, his brothers are still treating him like an outsider. Worst of all, his best friend has decided that Brady now has to follow Amanda around to make sure she's safe! Maybe not a good idea! Brady is feeling some stuff that he shouldn't be feeling for a girl 10 years younger than him, much less his best friends' sister!
Amanda has been in love with Brady for as long as she can remember. She has now decided that Brady will be her first and, only!!!
The heat, emotions, confusion and, self-flagellation these two are constantly dealing with makes for a fascinating back and forth. Brady, who is convinced he's going to end up just like his father and, Amanda, who has finally decided she knows what she wants and will get it, no matter what!

I like the author and the series but this book failed to draw me in. Amanda and Brady are the main characters. They both had family issues and it was a struggle to get over them. They were both treated as kids despite their age. There was a chemistry between them but they both seemed to hold back on what they wanted.
This couple definitely had to work on getting a HFN ending.

Amanda is sick of being told what she can and can’t do by her three older brothers, she decides to seize life and move off the family ranch into a flat that comes with her new job, working as a barmaid in the towns sleaziest bar. She has led a sheltered life, no boy was brave enough to go near her. She secretly likes her brother Riley’s best friend Brady who has returned to the neighbouring ranch, but he still sees her as Riley’s annoying little sister. Things change when he is forced to see her as a woman and finds it very difficult to resist her pleas for an advanced education. Exciting and entertaining. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fantastic story about Brady and his best friends little sister, Amanda. With all the wonderful inclusions one loves from this genre: family history, heartbreak, love, land history, wonderful characters and of course the path to love is never easy.

Easy read which warms the heart.

Loved it!

The Last Real Cowboy is a best friends little sister romance. Amanda Kittredge is trying to be seen as grown and out from under her over protective older brothers. Brady Everett is trying to get out from the horror of his childhood and his brothers idea of who he is. What Brady didn’t expect is seeing his best friends little sister all grown up and looking like a dream. This story is about growing up, letting go of the past and being true to yourself. I really liked Amanda and loved watching her stand up to those who thought they could tell her who she should be.

This was a pretty disappointing read and that's sad since I was really looking forward to this last book redeeming the series for me. Book 2 is still the superior book in the series, by the way. Unfortunately, I really didn't like Brady for most of the book. And Amanda came off pretty immature or at least sheltered (which she was). So I blame the characters for why I disliked the book, not necessarily the plot itself.

Amanda has 4 older over-protective brothers, which is why she's 22 years old and never even been kissed. But she finally gets fed up with everyone seeing her as 'that little Kittredge girl,' so she decides to move out of her parents house on the ranch and move into town over the shadiest bar they have (and work as a bartender there while she's at it). She's determined to start living her life as she sees fits. She's had a thing for Brady for a long time, but he only sees her as his best friend's little sister (he's 10 years older than her). She sets out on trying to change his mind about that and eventually does. She does come off as desperate and sometimes immature while pursuing Brady, but she was only 22 and just now getting the chance to do what she wanted, so I guess I can't be too upset at her character.

This is where I begin to dislike the Brady. He hooks up with Amanda A LOT (luckily, the author just notes that they do), but eventually he becomes the idiot guy who starts to withdraw and become a Grade A jerk. I hated that he ignored Amanda. I hate that he hurt her feelings like that. He does get his act together in the end and I guess it's admirable how he went about it, although I was certainly frustrated after reading Amanda's POV and seeing how much he was hurting her. But it was hard to make up for his detachment from Amanda.

It was nice seeing how the brothers came together, began to appreciate one another's opinions, got rid of past demons and lived their new lives with their women. The whole plan Brady came up with was kind of far-fetched and out there compared to the diversification ideas originally thrown out there but what do I know? I also liked that Amanda stood up for herself to her brothers and she even put Brady's family in their place. It was kind of funny when it was happening, but I had a lot of respect for her standing up for her man.

I made note of this in previous books, but the chapters are incredibly long for this series. They are not easily digestible at all, so 'just one more chapter' turns into 20 more minutes of reading to reach the end of the chapter.

I've been following this trilogy since its inception, and have been patiently waiting for Brady's story. I'm happy to say it was worth the wait, it's my favorite among the three novels in the Cold River Ranch series, and it gets 5 stars from this reader.

The series follows the three Everett brothers, whose father was a mean, abusive drunk. When he died almost a year before the start of this novel, he left his ranch to his three sons, Gray, Ty and Brady. Gray, with ranching in his blood, was the only one who didn't leave as soon as he was able. Ty got out and spent years on the rodeo circuit, avoiding the ranch, and Brady, the youngest, graduated from high school, earned a scholarship and went to college, drawing no small amount of ire, animosity, and taunts from his father. After college, he went to Denver and became a successful financial wunderkind, and would have been happy to never return to the ranch, but Gray couldn't work the ranch alone. Ty was badly injured at the rodeo, lost much of his memory, and had to return to the ranch to recuperate, but Brady didn't want to be there at all. The ranch held no warm memories for him. He'd suggested diversifying, Gray had always refused, and his alternative suggestion was to sell the ranch, split the proceeds, and go their separate ways, but Gray asked him to set aside his business and return to the ranch for one year, and Brady finally agreed, putting his life on hold, but that didn't mean that he was happy about it, or that his brothers appreciated the sacrifice he was making.

The neighboring Kittridge ranch had been at odds with the Everetts for years, a several generations old feud keeping them separate and apart. Amanda Kittridge is the youngest and only daughter, over-protected by her four overhearing big brothers--Jensen, Zack, Connor and Riley. She's never been kissed, has been on only 2 dates and has had a crush on Brady Everett for years, and at age 22, she is still viewed as a child by her brothers and she's sick to death of it. So she decides to make her move, getting a job working a the Coyote Bar, the worst and roughest dive bar in town, and with the job comes the apartment upstairs. No matter how her brothers try to rein her in, she's not moving back home, not changing jobs, and is no longer being their obedient little sister. Her brothers start showing up the bar to keep an eye on her and to discourage anyone who tries to flirt with her, and one night, Riley is there with his best friend, Brady Everett, who is 10 years older that Amanda, used to babysit her and even at one time changed her diaper. Yet, when he spots Amanda behind the bar in a tank top and tight jeans, he suddenly realizes she's not a child anymore but an attractive, sexy, young woman, although the last thing he wants to do is let on to her brothers that he's interested.

When Amanda finally tells her brothers to get out and leave her alone, Riley asks Brady to keep an eye on her--a double-edged sword because Riley doesn't really want to guard her, he'd rather bed her, but he's not looking for a serious, committed relationship, he's looking for a one-night stand, and he knows that if he pursues Amanda, 10 years his junior, her brothers will kill him, so when he makes no overt moves towards Amanda, she's gutsy enough to tell him she wants him to be the one to deflower her and teach her about sex. They agree on this conditional arrangement, but as romance readers know, things are about to change in a major way--and do they ever.

The chemistry between Brady and Amanda is scorching, and Ms. Crews has written what is perhaps the sexiest deflowering scene it's been my pleasure to read in years. The fact that these two have to hide their relationship from everyone in this small town, and especially from Amanda's brothers doesn't help matters any, nor does Brady's belief that there's too much of his father in him to ever willingly commit to a long-term, serious relationship. When Amanda confesses to Brady that she's in love with him, he's ready to end it all, but Amanda is no longer content to let that happen, and when Riley discovers the two of them having a not very platonic kiss, he punches Brady in the eye, Amanda and Brady's secret is no longer a secret, Amanda won't accept that Brady wants to end their relationship, and what follows is one huge, emotional upheaval not only for Amanda and Brady, but for all the Everetts and Kittridges too.

With Brady's plan to leave the ranch after fulfilling his one-year commitment to Gray to live and work there, his best friend Riley and his 3 brothers wanting to kill him for his dalliance with their baby sister, prepare for some fireworks, some serious confrontations with Gray after years of putting up with his disdain for his younger brother, and some serious attempts to mend fences, free themselves from the damage they all suffered under Amos Everett's cruelty, and some deep soul-searching for all concerned.

The Last Real Cowboy is as good as it gets in a contemporary western romance. It's filled with three-dimensional characters that have real issues and real depth, and it's written with a deep understanding of family dynamics, and how the sins and flaws of one generation can strongly affect the next generation. This is an excellent series, and this is my favorite novel in it. I suggest and recommend that you read this series in the order it was written to better understand the history, the characters, the ill-will, and misunderstandings that influence and impact on these well-drawn, well-developed and interesting characters.

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

3.5 stars

The major plotline for The Last Real Cowboy centered around Brady and Amanda’s romance. The author chose to have that plotline go at a medium pace, which was more than OK with me. There was some lag towards the end of the book. I wasn’t thrilled with it, but the author was able to get the book back on track, so I dealt with it.

I am going to put up a quick trigger warning. Brady suffered intense emotional and verbal abuse by his father. The author didn’t hold back any punches when it came to writing what Angus did to him. Those were some of the most intense scenes of the book, and I will admit, I sobbed through them all. So, read with care if that type of abuse triggers you.

Brady was an enigma in Grey and Ty’s books. He was portrayed as someone who could care less about the ranch. I will admit, I was curious about how he would come across in the book. I was surprised when his character turned out to be the exact opposite of the previous two books. I felt terrible because he did have some legitimate business opportunities, and he got bullied/laughed at by his brothers. That was hard to read because they were continuing what Angus was doing to him.

I thought that Amanda was immature and impulsive for most of the book. But, once I got to thinking about it, I would have been the same way if I had four older brothers breathing down my neck. While she did mature throughout the book, her impulsiveness stayed. That impulsiveness was crucial towards the end of the book.

I did think that Brady and Amanda were a good couple, right from the beginning. They complimented each other. I loved that Amanda wasn’t afraid to go to bat for her man when the going got tough. I wouldn’t want to piss her off, that’s for certain. That scene was the best in the entire book.

The sexual attraction between Brady and Amanda was immediate and red hot. Of course, Brady did try to reign it in (because of her brothers), but Amanda kept chipping away at his defenses. That sexual attraction morphed into some intense sexual chemistry. The author was smart and built that chemistry up. So when they did have sex, it was explosive.

The plotline about Brady and the ranch was sad. As I mentioned above, his father abused him. He ensured that Brady would continue to be outcast by his brothers after his death. His college education was used against him time and time again. There was a point in the book where I did wonder why Brady was staying.

While The Last Real Cowboy is the last book in a series, it can be read as a standalone. But I would strongly suggest reading the first two books. It explains more about Angus and the brothers’ relationships.

I do wonder if Amanda’s brothers will be getting their books. If they do, I want to read it. They were a massive presence in The Last Real Cowboy!!

I wasn’t thrilled with the ending of The Last Real Cowboy. While everything happened the way I thought it did, I was left with a feeling that it was rushed.

I really did enjoy this story despite the fact that I’m going to now go on a rant about some parts of it.

I hate hate hated the way that Amanda’s brothers “protected” her for her whole life and I really disliked the way that Brady’s brothers treated him. I know that all of these things were important to the story and the growth of the characters but the whole overly protective brothers scenario is my least favorite trope. I also understand that the way that Brady’s brothers treated him stemmed from misunderstandings and leftover baggage from their awful, horrible father. I just wish they had maybe talked about those things instead of just always going at each other. However...it was because of this behavior that my absolute favorite scenes from this book came to be so I can’t even stay mad.

Amanda might be young and inexperienced but she was full of piss and vinegar and when she found her voice, boy did she use it!!

The pure unadulterated sexiness in this book came as a bit of a surprise to me. Brady and Amanda’s sneaking around was delightfully dirty and fun!! Despite my annoyance at their family members, I really enjoyed the chemistry between Brady and Amanda and enjoyed seeing them wade through the ups and downs of falling in love, family be damned.

This can be read as a standalone but the previous books in the series provide helpful background.
Brady is back at his family farm after going to college and moving to Denver for a successful finance career. His best friend's family owns the farm next door, and suddenly the "baby" sister is trying to prove herself a grownup. Amanda decides to abruptly move out to a new job bartending at the seedy bar in town and an apartment above, and starts behaving so freely that her brothers ask Brady to keep an eye on her.
Brady started off very surly, and Amanda was immature even while trying to show everyone she was an adult. I almost stopped reading at 20-30% because I just didn't like the characters at that point. I kept going and the book did improve, but I still only thought it was ok. Without more background or context, Amanda's brothers just seemed like jerks, and I also struggled with the age difference and how everyone in town had such an opinion about "little Amanda Kittredge."
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before I go into my complaints, I want to be clear: this book is full of tropes I don’t like. I’m sure there are people who will like it…or love it.

So, the tropes. Amanda ends up in a relationship with her brother’s best friend. What happened here is exactly why I don’t like it. Her brothers (there are four) are incredibly overprotective. They treat her like a child and are demeaning. She’s an adult and can do whatever she wants-even if it is a mistake. Brady also treats her like a child. Spare me from men who think they know better. There’s also unrequited love, but that’s the thing that bothered me the least.

The romance wasn’t my favorite, but aside from my previous issues I don’t have any big complaints. It was pretty decently paced.

Brady’s family drama was interesting, but too repetitive. He and his brother, Gray, have the same argument over and over again. It got real annoying. I remember the previous book in this series being the same way.

At the end of the day, I think Caitlin Crews just isn’t for me. But you may love her books.

Yet another great amazing read from the series. Amanda and Brady find their HEA in this book. Amanda is a very long time not little anymore and for that to change, she makes a drastic decision, moves out and starts a secret relationship with Brady. Brady is too very unsatisfied with his life, the brothers don't take him seriously, he has still much baggage from the past and the only good thing that happens to him in a long time is Amanda. And he ruins that too. A very good story with yet another great couple. I loved both of them, especially Amanda and I loved how she stood up for Brody. Their story develops very well and I loved how it ends.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley

The third in a series but can be read as a standalone. The youngest Everett has to make his peace with the past (and his best friend) in order to find love and happiness. Loved how Amanda shook up her life, stood up to her brothers and went after what she wanted. A recommended read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the chance to read and review The Last Real Cowboy by Caitlin Crews in advance of publication. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

The Last Real Cowboy is no doubt a well-written novel. It may have helped if I had read the other books in this series, so I would possibly have had some prior knowledge of the secondary characters. However, this can be read as a stand alone novel. It just didn’t resonate with me.

Amanda Kittredge’s character is a mixed bag for me. There are aspects of the heroine that I enjoyed very much, but I had a difficult time wrapping my brain around a woman being as sheltered and naïve as she. This is the 21st century, and it would be highly unusual for any young woman, unless she’d been raised in a very strict religion such as an Amish community, to be as sheltered as Amanda. If this novel had been set in the late 19th century, this aspect of the story may have worked much better.

Brady Everett is not my favorite type of hero. He’s arrogant, and at times rude to the heroine. I struggled with him from the start and would have liked more depth to his character to explain his coldness. He isn’t very nice to Amanda throughout most of the book.

For me, there just wasn’t very much chemistry between Amanda and Brady. I never became fully vested in their love affair. Brady and Amanda never seemed to connect on an emotional level. I’m not fond of relationships centered on the physical.

If you like contemporary romance set in the west with cowboys and small-town USA, then The Last Real Cowboy may be a good reading experience for you. Reading is subjective and what doesn’t work for one individual may appeal very well to another. I just downloaded the first book in this series, via Audible since that one has excellent reviews. Happy reading!

For those cowboy lovers, brother's best friend, childhood crush lovers out there this book is for you. Amanda and Brady are simply lovely. I love the feistiness of Amanda and the way she finally says enough to her family. You get why she finally wants to be seen as more then a kid. You feel for her and her over protective brothers. Brady is just trying to do his own thing while pleasing his brother. The battle between the Everett brothers will just pull at your heart for what they faced as kids and now. You get why Brady is trying to prove his way. I love the banter between Amanda and Brady. This book was a fabulous read.

The Last Real Cowboy is the concluding story in Caitlin Crews Cold River Ranch series, and tells the story of the youngest Everett sibling Brady, who has grown up to see the land his family works in Cold River as an albatross around their necks and youngest Kittredge sibling Amanda, who is sick of being treated as though she's still twelve years old, and in a bid for independence moves out of her family home into an apartment above a seedy bar, that her brothers and Brady are known to frequent; and it doesn't take long for Brady to get the message that Amanda is all grown up. But with an age gap of ten years and four overbearing and disapproving brothers, their path to a happy ending is a little rocky to say the least.

But it was also sweet and pleasing to read, and with a charming small town setting, plenty of family ties, and a touch of angst I was easily engaged. And I would happily recommend it to others, especially if you're looking for a Cowboy Romance with lots of courting, family feels, and western charm.

**I was kindly provided with an ARC via St Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review**

4.5 stars!

I enjoyed this 3rd book in the series even more than the last one. So happy for Brady's story and to get to know what a great man he is.

Amanda is very young, 10 years younger than Brady and also his best friends sister. He had no intention of noticing that Amanda had grown up and chose to see her as a little girl along with the rest of her family and the entire town. Now that Amanda is 22 and done with being seen this way, she moves out of her families ranch house and gets a new job and apartment above at the local biker bar. She just wants to be seen as a grown-up, have new experiences away from her protective older brothers and maybe catch Brady's attention. She certainly does catch his attention but she wants more than to be noticed so she asks him to be her sex teacher (!), no strings attached, while keeping it secret from everyone, especially her brothers.

So much fun and so much emotion. Brady and Amanda were so good together. They brought out the best in each other. It was great to see the other couples from the last book, Ty and Hannah, Grey and Abby. I look forward to more stories in this series.