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The Cowboy Says I Do by Dylann Crush
When Idont Texas new mayor Lacey takes the helm from her father after some un-mayor like behavior she comes up with a plan to turn Idont in to Ido with a fabulous wedding venue. In order for this to happen she’s going to have to let her pride take a back seat and work with Bodie Phillips the deputy sheriff. When a magazine comes to town to do an exclusive on Ido Lacey lays out a plan that she and Brodie are going to be the first couple to get married. Will they be able to control all the chaos and pull this off?

Yeehaw! What a fun cowboy romance! Loved the tension between Lacey and Sheriff Bodie. Their chemistry was perfect. Thank for the opportunity to read this book.

It’s anything but a wedding cake walk for the mayor and the deputy sheriff when they team up to reinvent the town of Idont, Texas to Ido.

Newly elected mayor, Lacey Cherish, ran for office to redeem the family name after her father had to resign for un-mayorly like conduct. But if she wants to salvage her family’s reputation, along with the town’s economy, she'll need to think fast. With few options at hand, she starts to rebrand Idont as Ido, as the most romantic place in Texas to tie the knot.

Lacey's grand plans have just made Deputy Sheriff Bodie Phillips's life a whole lot harder. He's got bigger problems than helping the mayor bring in brides. Like figuring out why his dad and grandfather mysteriously shut down the family business, and who's abandoning dogs within the town limits.

When Lacey’s chance at getting major publicity for Ido’s first wedding is jeopardized, she’s forced to rely on Bodie for help. But as their attraction heats up, they both have to decide how far they’re willing to go to revive the town and their families’ honor.

I've loved everything that Dylann Crush writes. This one is no exception! She does cowboy books so unique and hawt!!! Can't wait for the next I Do book!!

Crush’s The Cowboy Says I Do is book one in the Tying the Knot in Texas series. If ever there were a town that needed rebranding, it would have to be Idont, Texas, and that's the premise for this romance - rebranding Idont as Ido, and if the author had kept it simple and stuck with that, this had the potential to be a witty and fun sweet romance. The problem is that it felt like this book just didn't know what it wanted to be or what storyline it wanted to follow.
The romance does have good character chemistry, and it's a charming story as far as Lacey and Bodie's romance, but I had trouble with Lacey. Try as I might, I just didn't care for her, and that makes rooting for a couple difficult at best.
I think Dylann Crush had a fun and engaging idea here, but there was just too much going on. Honestly, when I read the blurb, I expected a sweet and funny romantic comedy, and the bones are there. I don't know if this first book had too much of an introduction to the series or if every book is intended to be this busy, but it just didn't completely work for me. As much as it sounds like I'm complaining, the book is not without its good parts, and it's not a bad story. There were just things that didn't work for me, and I came away with a middle of the road feeling. It's an okay read but not one that left me burning to read the next in the series. I really think this one is a classic case of too much and could've done with a dose of less is more.

On the very first day of newly-elected mayor, Lacey Charish’s term, Philips Stationery and Imports, the biggest company in Idont, Texas announces they’re closing up immediately, with no notice given. Now, with a good chunk of the town unexpectedly out of work, she has to come up with something quickly, in order to save the town from disaster.

That’s where we start, anyway. With Lacey just trying to figure out a way to hold the town together. But Brodie Phillips, Deputy Sheriff, is right in her way no matter what she tries to do, and since it’s his family that owned the company that just closed down, Lacey isn’t feeling very generous toward him.

The overall plot, trying to figure out how to save Idont, Texas and employee as many of the suddenly-unemployed townspeople as possible, was really clever. Lacey comes up with a plan to change the name of the town from Idont to Ido and make the town attractive for destination weddings. It’s ingenious, and what’s even more impressive is that she sits down and comes up with an actual plan for how to do it. Which doesn’t stop Brodie from putting down her idea before he’s even heard her out.

Which brings me to my biggest issue with this book. As much as I wanted to see Lacey succeed and get the rebranded Ido, Texas on the map as a wedding destination, I didn’t like anyone else in the book, Brodie included. (Except Zina the vet. She was lovely.) But every other person was awful. Brodie in particular. He repeatedly ignored Lacey’s instructions to let her handle her own job, jumping in and usually making things worse. He just couldn’t allow her to handle a situation herself. She’s trying to get the town to see her as their leader, and earn their respect after her father’s shenanigans during his tenure as mayor, and every time she opens her mouth, Brodie jumps in to talk over her, completely undermining everything she’s trying to do. Even worse, he calls her stupid nicknames from their childhood while he does it. He makes her look weak and ineffectual over and over. And Lacey tells him to stop it. She tells him that it makes her look bad and why she needs him to quit, and he continues to do it.

The issue with Philips Stationery and Imports spins out of control when Brodie’s dad and grandfather, who own it, come up with scheme after scheme to get their abandoned inventory back, despite it belonging to the town legally because of some unpaid rent and abandonment laws. It’s blindingly obvious why they want those items and only those items back. Well, blindingly obvious to the reader, but apparently not Lacey and Brodie who are shocked when they figure it out. And this brings me to the other issue with Brodie. Despite knowing what Lacey is trying to do to save the town, he continues to keep information from her that would help. Just flat out won’t tell her what’s going on, even when she asks. To his credit, he doesn’t lie to her; he tells her that he won’t tell her, but he’s still keeping the info from her.

Ultimately, this book was harmless but forgettable. I like Lacey’s friend, the vet, but I don’t know if I like her enough to look for the next book. If it showed up in my house, I’d read it, but I probably wouldn’t seek it out.

I really love a cowboy romance, but this one was not for me. I have a really hard time with characters making bad choices (Yep, I didn't love Daisy Jones) and Bodie's family was just too much for me. I wanted more cowboy and less family members with illegal drama.

This was a fun book about small town weddings. I was disappointed there were no cowboys.

Dylann was a guest on the What to Read Next Podcast where she share her writing process, her books and book recommendations.

A newly-elected mayor trying to save her town and redeem her family’s reputation teams up with a deputy sheriff who find themselves in a fake engagement and a bit of small town intrigue. Sassy small town setting and characters are my jam and this author has already proven she can come through with the goods so I said ‘I Do!’ to her latest.
Review

The Cowboy Says I Do introduces determined Lacey Cherish who returned to her old small town in time to see her dad arrested as a disgrace and now she is determined to raise the family’s credit once again by running her small town of Idont, Texas well. One of her first days on the job sees the town in jeopardy and she has to think of something that will bring the economy back. Her big heart won’t let her town die or get incorporated into the commercial next town over. Rebranding and an out of the box idea for tourism sees her going for a whole new image so Idont becomes Ido- a wedding destination. If that wasn’t hard enough, she has to do it in a fake engagement to her older brother’s best friend who is a deputy sheriff and her secret childhood crush. Maybe she should just let herself get carried from fake to real since the attraction is definitely there.

Brodie Phillips’ easy policing job around Idont just got mighty interesting when he backs up Lacey in her efforts to save the town, gets into the public eye by accident when an innocent picture gets out of him and Lacey so he ends up her fiance, stray dogs starting to appear around town, and that really ticklish problem of whether he’ll have to arrest his own dad and uncle for shady dealing. Lacey surprises him all around and he finds himself wishing he could get a different answer than ‘I don’t’ out of her.

As I said in the opening, Dylann Crush writes a frolicking and charming small town romance. The sassy dialogue between the main characters and their sizzle of attraction against a series of dealings all to save their town and stop the trouble that was brewing. The ‘save the town’ theme was as welcome as their fake engagement romance.

Both are sweet, giving, and dedicated people, they’ve know each other since they were kids, and they have to slowly see the other as an adult. I liked everything about them and their romance with one issue. I hated the whole conflict caused by miscommunication. Lacey believes the worst and never talks about it so sees Brodie as untrustworthy. There is enough going on in this one between the marketing campaign to save the town, the issue with Brodie’s family’s factory, the loose dogs, and annoying people trying to see them fail that the internal drama was just annoying to me. But, that said, I was all in for this pair.

In summary, this was a light, charming opening book to the series and I had a good time with Lacey and Brodie in Idont/Ido. I look forward to seeing what comes next for the town. If small town, fake mates, and slowburn are your thing, give this one a go.

My thanks to Berkley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've never tried a book by Dlyann Crush so I couldn't wait to give her a try. I love trying new authors Some I like others not so much. But without trying so one new how would I know.

I really enjoyed The Cowboy Says I Do. I liked both Lacey and Bodie. They worked together even though at times I think Lacey was crazy rude to Bodie for no apparent reason. I get that she was working so hard to save her town and show that her family could do the job but still...

I really liked her idea of how to save the town and was glad so many people tried to help her. What she and Brodie did isn't a new theme in books but still, a fun read. Poor Lacey has so much going against her as the new mayor as it is, having one of the biggest employers close down doesn't help.

Who I felt the most for is Bodie. This poor guy is forced to make some very tough choices. I couldn't help by feel for him. Often you see him putting his job and Lacey above family and you don't blame him at all but you do feel for him. It has to be hard.

These two don't have an easy courtship but a fun one to read about. I really can't wait to see what happens now with the changes to the town. I think it will make for a fun series. My only very small issue with the book is that I didn't feel the title matched the story at all. In fact, if you are going into the book looking for a cowboy you aren't going to find him.

One of the things I really did like that the author did was make Bodie a deputy instead of the sheriff. It was nice to see a plain working guy. I'm not saying he at some point can't move up to sheriff it was just nice to see where he started.

As I mentioned, this is a fun read, one that left me wanting more of the town of I Do. Also, you have to admit it has a really great cover.

THE COWBOY SAYS I DO is the first book in the TYING THE KNOT IN TEXAS series, and there are a lot of angst and family issues. Lacey is the mayor in the small town of Idont, but she decides they have to reinvent themselves due to the closing of a warehouse that employs a lot of townspeople. Their town has been hurting financially for a while, and Lacey gets the idea to make the warehouse into a wedding venue and change the name of the town to Ido!

This is a cute premise, but the story often bogs down thanks to Lacey wanting to always do things her way. Her dad was the mayor before her, and when she learns about some of the ways he handled the job, she’s definitely not on board. There are some shady dealings in town and at the warehouse. Bodie, the deputy in town, has his hands full, especially since his family owns it. Will he cover up what he learns or make his father and grandfather pay the price?

I liked how the ruse Lacey and Bodie took part in played out so they could get magazine press for the town. Lacey and Bodie have an attraction but fight it tooth and nail and always seem to be getting on each other’s nerves. For Pitties’ Sake, a pit bull rescue, is woven throughout the story in a fun way, and what a cute name!

There is some intrigue to the story as well as a depth to the characters, nice closure, and a terrific happily ever after. And I loved the cover.

I’ve read a couple of the author’s books previously and look forward to reading more, especially in this series to see if the town of Ido lives up to its name! Next up is HER KIND OF COWBOY.

The Cowboy Says I Do is the first in a new series by Dylann Crush. Lacey Cherish has been newly elected as the mayor of Idont, Texas. She’s got a plan to rectify the reputation her family has gained after some un-mayorly like conduct by her father. When her grand plans for rebranding, the town go a bit haywire she enlists the help of Deputy Sheriff Bodie Phillips. But Bodie’s got problems of his own, not the least of which is his family. Can these two civil servants work together to revive the town and their families or are they doomed from the start?

I came to this book a little hesitant because the last book I read by this author I did not enjoy at all. I must admit that this offering was a pleasant surprise and a much better written novel. My previous issue with the author was that the heroine and hero seemed immature and idiotic in their choices. And while Lacey and Bodie make some odd choices that are the inciting incident of this book, they never felt too over the top for me.

In the current political climate reading about a Texas mayor and a Deputy Sheriff could have been very difficult, but these two people were so relatable that I ended up not caring about their jobs. Both Bodie and Lacey are driven by their desires to help their families and the town move past some embarrassments and hard times. Both Lacey and Bodie have pure motivations for taking care of their town and actively working to bring business and tourism back into Idont. The rebranding to a wedding destination and changing the name to Ido was a fun a unique answer to a lot of the town’s problems.

The chemistry between Bodie and Lacey was good, if a bit tame for my personal tastes. I want my romances to feel like these two really can’t get enough of each other. And while there were some great scenes with sexual tension and steam. Their emotions just felt a little bland, perhaps this is because of the steam level the author chose or maybe it was the characters themselves. I’m not quite sure. But what really popped off the page was the banter between these two. Crush really impressed me with her quick wit and humor in these interactions between Lacey and Bodie.

My biggest issue with this book was a series of misunderstandings/bad communication that makes Lacey think Bodie is actively working against her. Though he clears it up this addition to an already busy plot felt like the author was just packing on the angst for the sake of it. I would have rather kept this out of the plot and instead had Bodie and Lacey working together on other outside forces rather than silly internal misunderstandings between them. There were plenty of other problems including illegal activities that I didn’t feel like I had the patience for hidden emotions and miscommunications.

Overall, this book reminded me a lot of other Texas based contemporaries from authors like Lori Wilde’s Wedding Veil Wishes series or Rachel Gibson’s Lovett, Texas series which are some of my favorite contemporaries of the early 2000’s. Crush, just as Wild and Gibson, does a entertaining job of balancing mystery, love, and small town intrigue. I will warn that there is some difficult content around animal abuse that may be hard for some readers to see, so buyer beware. But that aside, this was a enjoyable read that totally redeemed this author in my eyes. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

I am a sucker for a sweet, small town romance and when it is set in the south, I happily dive in! The Cowboy Says I Do was a perfectly written example of that genre. Lacey Cherish has reluctantly become the mayor of Idont Texas and is constantly coming at odds with the town's deputy sheriff and her older brother's best friend Bodie Phillips. Now this small town is really in a pickle due to Bodie's father closing up one of the town's largest employers. No one knows what will happen to their livelihoods and Lacey has come up with a solution...reinvent the town into Ido and become a destination wedding location! There are so many great supporting characters in The Cowboy Says I Do as well as one of the sweetest dogs in fiction. I really enjoyed the banter between Bodie and Lacey as well as reading about her crazy ideas to reinvent the town. This story was truly sweet with just a bit of heat. It was told from dual POV and I am looking forward to reading more about Ido Texas in the future.

The plot is a fun kickoff to a series. Friends to lovers/best friends sibling tropes are one of my favorites in the romance genre. So that was a win. I liked the inclusion of the dog and the way it will link to the next story. And that's about it.
I thought the events that happened in the book were cliche, which I expect in a romance. Predictability is one of my favorite things about the genre. Unfortunately, I just thought the author did a poor job of carrying it out. The characters were shallow - every single one of them, with the exception of maybe Zina, who played a minor role - or ridiculous but not in a quirky, charming way. I also never really felt that the connection between Lacey and Bodie was truly fleshed out.

I received a dARC from the publisher via Netgalley. This is my honest review.

How to save the reputation of the family itself (since her father acted politically wrong) and an entire city from ruin?
Lacey Cherish has a big problem in her hands.
The city needs money, the economy needs to change urgently. For this, she has the idea of ​​transforming the city into an almost mandatory place for those who want to get married. And so, the idea of ​​Idont becoming Ido is born.
But of course, for this to happen in a way that many people believe, good advertising would be necessary, so why not become the face of this campaign?
That's when Lacey asks Deputy Sheriffe, her childhood friend, Bodie Phillips help, to pretend to be engaged.

Bodie has his own problems to solve, not just family problems as well as trying to discover something that is happening in the city.
Pretending to be engaged to Lacey wouldn't be a problem, right? After all, they had known each other for years, even though they had spent a long time away from each other.
But would her crazy idea of ​​saving the city's economy work? And more, wouldn't that make the two end up confusing their feelings?
I do or I don't?
4 stars

Lacey is one heck of a multi-tasker but now she is Mayor she needs to focus on the town Idont but boy that is definitely going to be a challenge and it doesn't help that her friend Bodie's family appear to be up to no good and are the cause of her desperate need to save the town. Lacey is pretty good at thinking on her feet but there are times where neither she or I knew if we could trust Bodie as much as we want to and when things start to unravel in regards to Lacey saving the town and Bodie finding out whats really going on with his family it gets a bit intense. There are plenty of laughs, disasters, twists and attraction along with a fake marriage, cute dog and a town to bring together and save ... and I still can't help but giggle about the florist that Bodie and Lacey first met with! 😂

3.5 Stars

This was a cute, fun read and I really like Dylann Crush’s characters and writing.

However I did think that too many aspects of the story were wrapped up a little too easily and I found myself wanting more. There were time jumps that seemed create a disconnect between in the story in order to move it along quickly but overall it was an enjoyable read.

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

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. I adored the main and secondary characters. The book was so well written that it just flowed beautifully. I didn't think that book would have so many twists and turns for these two but it did. I had to finally put it down in the earlier morning hours as I eyes were so blurred, I couldn't see. I would love to see this in a movie as it played out as one in my mind. Some of the scenes were so hilariously funny that I couldn't help but stop reading and work through my laughter.

Deputy Sheriff Bodie Phillips and Lacey Cherish practically grew up together. Bodie's BFF is Lacey's older brother Luke. After graduating high school both Bodie and Luke left the town of Idont. When Bodie returns from college, it is Lacey's turn to leave for college. The two haven't seen each other in years. Lacey grew out of her gangly young girl stage to a gorgeous young woman. She becomes Mayor of Idont after her father was arrested and put under house arrest. He was the current mayor. When Bodie and Lacey have to work closely together due to their offices, the sparks just fly all around. Poor Luke is balancing getting to the bottom of his family's sometimes shady dealings and keeping a close eye on Lacey. What his family had him go through kept me guessing and glued to my e-reader!

This is a slightly sexy read. The sexy scenes were so well written that they shouldn't offend but that being said, I would only recommend this to someone over the age of 18.

If you love the older brother's friend to younger sister troupe, (especially with a hunky sheriff deputy) and laughs along the way, then you will definitely want to give this one a try. I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

The Cowboy Says I Do is the first in a new series by Dylann Crush. Lacey Cherish has been newly elected as the mayor of Idont, Texas. She’s got a plan to rectify the reputation her family has gained after some un-mayorly like conduct by her father. When her grand plans for rebranding, the town go a bit haywire she enlists the help of Deputy Sheriff Bodie Phillips. But Bodie’s got problems of his own, not the least of which is his family. Can these two civil servants work together to revive the town and their families or are they doomed from the start?

I came to this book a little hesitant because the last book I read by this author I did not enjoy at all. I must admit that this offering was a pleasant surprise and a much better written novel. My previous issue with the author was that the heroine and hero seemed immature and idiotic in their choices. And while Lacey and Bodie make some odd choices that are the inciting incident of this book, they never felt too over the top for me.

In the current political climate reading about a Texas mayor and a Deputy Sheriff could have been very difficult, but these two people were so relatable that I ended up not caring about their jobs. Both Bodie and Lacey are driven by their desires to help their families and the town move past some embarrassments and hard times. Both Lacey and Bodie have pure motivations for taking care of their town and actively working to bring business and tourism back into Idont. The rebranding to a wedding destination and changing the name to Ido was a fun a unique answer to a lot of the town’s problems.

The chemistry between Bodie and Lacey was good, if a bit tame for my personal tastes. I want my romances to feel like these two really can’t get enough of each other. And while there were some great scenes with sexual tension and steam. Their emotions just felt a little bland, perhaps this is because of the steam level the author chose or maybe it was the characters themselves. I’m not quite sure. But what really popped off the page was the banter between these two. Crush really impressed me with her quick wit and humor in these interactions between Lacey and Bodie.

My biggest issue with this book was a series of misunderstandings/bad communication that makes Lacey think Bodie is actively working against her. Though he clears it up this addition to an already busy plot felt like the author was just packing on the angst for the sake of it. I would have rather kept this out of the plot and instead had Bodie and Lacey working together on other outside forces rather than silly internal misunderstandings between them. There were plenty of other problems including illegal activities that I didn’t feel like I had the patience for hidden emotions and miscommunications.

Overall, this book reminded me a lot of other Texas based contemporaries from authors like Lori Wilde’s Wedding Veil Wishes series or Rachel Gibson’s Lovett, Texas series which are some of my favorite contemporaries of the early 2000’s. Crush, just as Wild and Gibson, does a entertaining job of balancing mystery, love, and small town intrigue. I will warn that there is some difficult content around animal abuse that may be hard for some readers to see, so buyer beware. But that aside, this was a enjoyable read that totally redeemed this author in my eyes. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

~ Lindsey

As I just moved to Houston, I thought this would be a good choice. I don't, Texas is a tiny town somewhere between Houston and Dallas. There are quirky small town residents and family-driven politics and economics. That's how we get our main characters, the newly elected mayor (despite a lack of qualifications) and the deputy sheriff (despite questionable business activities by his family). This is a good story for those fond of sweet romance without a bit of small town drama.

I would have liked to see more back story and character development, and some of the plot details elaborated upon. The investigation into Bodie's family could have been more detailed, as could the abandoned dog situation and/or dog fighting ring (it wasn't clear if these were connected).

I voluntarily read and reviewed and advanced copy of this book I received from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was okay for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the hero of this one. Bodie was manipulated too much by his family, and I would have liked for him to be a stronger hero. I guess I'm an alpha kinda girl ;) I felt like Bodie told himself (and Lacey) that he was one way, and then when he was with his family he was the complete opposite. He acted like he would never do anything against the law for his family, but he already had by keeping what they were doing a secret. I just wanted him to choose Lacey a lot sooner I guess. Lacey was a strong heroine, and I liked her for the most part. I would have loved if they would have talked to each other about everything, instead of keeping everything to themselves. It would have saved a lot of heartache, and they could have had a united front against all the stuff going on. All in all it was a cute story, and I was happy to see them get their HEA.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.