In this, the third book of the Dry Creek Ranch series we get to tag a long as Sawyer and Gina navigate personal mysteries on their way to happily ever after.
Gina DeRosa, a celebrity chef, is sent by her crisis management team to Dry Creek Ranch to lay low while they figure out how to dig her out of a hole that seems to be of her own doing. At Dry Creek she mistakenly believes the up to date loft with the tricked out kitchen is her safe space.....enter Sawyer Dalton. Sawyer comes home from an assignment to find luggage strewn across HIS loft. Sawyer has his own mystery he's been dealing with and has no time or patience to deal with a "princess." The verbal barbs and sparks fly almost immediately.. Along the way they realize they like each other and want to help solve the mysteries.
I love when you find a book that is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. "Cowboy Strong" is one of those books (but I highly suggest reading the first 2). Ms. Finz is brilliant in describing all of her characters from cafe owners to Gina and Sawyer.
I enjoyed visiting Dry Creek Ranch and hope there are more stories there!!

Cowboy Strong is the third book in this wonderful series. Sawyer and Gina. were interesting characters that pulled me in and kept my attention until the end. If they could just be open and honest with each other they would be a great couple. I can't wait to read the next book in this wonderful series.

Dry Creek Ranch in southern California has been in the Dalton family for four generations. But toward the end of their grandfather's life, it was harder to keep the working cow-calf operation going, especially with the high property taxes. Hot Dalton cousins Sawyer, Jace and Cash inherited the ranch and the debts and have been working through the series to come up with ideas to save their inheritance. Meanwhile, in the first two books, Jace, the town sheriff, and Cash, former FBI and now an investigator for the Bureau of Livestock Identification found their mates. This is Sawyer's story.

Sawyer is a investigative reporter. He comes home from an assignment to find his home occupied by Gina DeRosa, owner of a culinary empire, and a food show. She has been accused of having an affair with the husband of another food show celebrity and hired Sawyer's parents' publicity firm. His mother, thinking he was going to be out of town, had stashed her in his home to lay low and away from the paparazzi. At first the two are like oil and water. Gina has abandonment and Mommy issues and Sawyer has no interest in relationships. But they start to grow on each other and soon Gina becomes friends with Jace and Cash's women, rediscovers her love of cooking and finds comfort with Sawyer. They make a fun couple with lots of easy banter and chemistry. But can they get over their issues and actually speak to each other honestly? And will the cousins finally find out what happen to Sawyer's missing sister, Angie? This is a fun read, cooking info included and I recommend the whole series.

I read an ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Cowboy Strong by Stacy Finz is the third in the Dry Creek Ranch series. The series features the Dalton boys: Sawyer, Jace, and Cash who are struggling to keep the ranch they inherited from their grandfather afloat. Sawyer Dalton is a well-respected journalist who spends much of his time traveling, either researching for a book or for one of his many articles. He has just returned from London on a 14-hour flight to discover that he has a guest in his loft at the ranch. And this guest is messy and kind of obnoxious. It turns out she is a high-profile client of his mother's who sent her here to hide from the press. Plus, she is persona non grata for cheating with a married man (and getting caught), which is nothing Sawyer can admire.

These books are the stuff romance is made of: hot cowboys hesitant to fall in love; wounded women unwilling to trust; and gorgeous scenery. Sawyer is the best looking of the bunch, hard to accomplish given how good they all look. He is the oldest and most set in his ways, as well. Gina has very low self-esteem, cultivated for many years by her now-deceased mother. They are not a match made in heaven. In fact, when Sawyer realizes he is falling for her, he is mad about it. Their lives don't seem to mesh at all. Another endearing thing about this series is that there are several subplots that wend their way through all three books, subtle but important. This was a good ending for the series, if not a little too well-arranged. Doesn't matter. I love this series. I love this book. I guess you figured out: I recommend it.

I received a free ARC of Cowboy Strong from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #cowboystrong

I’ve read all the books in this series so far and they keep getting better! Sawyer and Gina start out as frenemies but their chemistry is soon off the charts. I even teared up when reading the epilogue. I can’t wait for more!!!
5 stars!!

Another great story in the Dry Creek Ranch series! Each book can be read standalone but I highly recommend you read them all. In this book the characters of Sawyer and Gina are fantastic with sizzling chemistry whether they want to acknowledge it or not. Their enemies to lovers story is full of sass, snark, and a whole lot of fun. The book is very well done with a nice easy pace to the story. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Stacy Finz is a go-to author for me. Her characters are always flawed but likable often worn down by circumstances but resilient too. So is the case for Gina DeRose and to some degree Sawyer Dalton in Cowboy Strong, the third book in the Dry Creek Ranch Series. Sawyer may be somewhat cynical as an investigative journalist as well as somber but he does listen to his mother so that makes him a great character in my eyes. Of course I am also a mother with a son.

Cooking and cowboys go well together in this book, though being a cowboy is not necessarily how Sawyer has made a living. His cousins and he have inherited the ranch which does open some door while providing some headaches too. Gina is a chef with PR problems. The story is fast paced along with the romance. These two characters work well together making Cowboy Strong a hit.

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.

Love these Daltons, they're all hot, hunky, and honorable. This, the 3rd book, features Sawyer, a Dalton cousin, who grew up in L.A., but always felt a deep connection to the Dry Creek Ranch where he spent summers with his granddad and his cousins while growing up.
He's a freelance journalist, travels often, but now calls Dry Creek Ranch home. He has a beautiful converted barn to house he lives in and is pretty content. Until he comes back from a trip, finds a strange car in HIS garage, and his very own Goldilocks. Oh this was good!
Gina, bless her heart, is the victim of the Hollywood blather at the moment and needs a place to hide out. Sawyer doesn't want anything to do with her or her recipe for drama, but, dang can she cook, she's also smoking hot, down to earth, and not at all what he first thought.
They need to clear her name, and it's quite an entertaining read!
They also need to keep the ranch running in the black.
The Dry Creek Ranch series rather depicts real life, real ranches with the real problems of trying to stay afloat by adapting however they must.
I enjoyed this read a lot, a few tiny spots got predictable, but still worth reading.
I received an ARC through NetGalley and am giving my own opinions.

If you've been following my blog then you know how much I love this author's writing. This is the third series I've read of hers and I can't wait to see what she's going to do next.

It looks like this is the last book in the Dry Creek Ranch series. I totally love Sawyer. He was a favorite of mine from prior books and I couldn't wait for his book. I have to say he did deliver for me. I really enjoyed him and felt for him. He so badly wants to find his sister and it kills him the thought of her hurt or worse.

What I like most about this series is how the cousins all act towards each other. They are as close as brothers and that warms the heart. They always have each other's backs and stand with them.

As I mentioned I really love Sawyer. He cracked me up more than once. I love how he just pops up here and there at his cousin's homes, more often than not in their kitchens eating their food. He takes everything in stride. Looking for his sister, working, and trying to figure out a way to pay the ranch taxes along with his cousins.

I would have to say that the only blimp in my love fest of this book is Gina. I really didn't like her. She did by the end of the book wear me down but I was rough going. Thankfully the other characters and the writing was good enough for me to overlook her.

There was just something about her that set me off. It did change after a while but didn't totally go away. The good thing is that for some reason she and Sawyer just worked. Because of that fact, the book also worked.

With all that said I really enjoyed the book. What happened to Gina was wrong and I'm glad she had someone there on her side. That's one of the things I love about this family, they know how to close ranks and protect.

This is a great story with a wonderful ending. Many good things happen. It was a pleasure to read and enjoy. If you haven't yet read a book by Stacy Finz you really should. This is the perfect series to start on.

This is Sawyer and Gina's story and the beginning is so much fun - he comes home from a business trip to find her in his bed and has no idea who she is - wonderful writing makes you feel/see the buildings and surroundings - this is book 3 and loved reading it!

This book features an enemies to lovers romance with plenty of snark, conflict, and wild, passionate encounters. Mutual dislike soon becomes reluctant tolerance, then a friends with benefits arrangement. Neither will admit that love is involved, or that they want something more than a temporary fling. Handsome Sawyer Dalton is a world travelling investigative journalist with the soul of a cowboy. He is part owner of the Dry Creek Ranch with his two cousins and his journalism career helps offset the cost of running the ranch, but the ranch and his family are his heart and soul. Returning from a journalistic conference, he is surprised to find a client of his parents PR firm ensconced in his apartment on the ranch. His first meeting with Gina DeRose, a disgraced celebrity chef hiding from the media, is full of snark and dislike on both sides. He quickly transfers the unwanted guest to a small neglected cabin on the ranch and heads back to his apartment to sleep. The next few encounters see a tolerance and a budding friendship form. Sawyer is annoyed she keeps invading his kitchen, but doesn’t complain too much because he benefits from her great cooking. When he finally gets Gina’s version of the scandal that has her hiding out on the family ranch, Sawyer goes into investigator mode and does a little digging. He wants to help her clear her name if he can, but realizes he also will be helping her to go back to her celebrity life, a life that won’t include him...or will it? His first impression of Gina was that of a neurotic, narcissistic and spoiled celebrity who deserved what she got in terms of bad press. Now he knows she is woman driven to succeed, but insecure about her talent. She is also stubborn, compassionate and more vulnerable than she allows other people to see. Gina disliked the rude cowboy/journalist at first, but his gruffness grows on her, as do his compliments about her cooking. She badly needs the praise to bolster her self esteem. His passionate kisses and their make out sessions leave her breathless and purring. But a relationship with the handsome cowboy can’t really go anywhere, can it?

The twists and turns of this story are captivating as is the slow burn romance between Sawyer and Gina. They work together to find out who is behind the hatchet job on her reputation and up falling in love. Neither was looking for love, but love found them anyway. This is a great read for all lovers of romance with a fascinating storyline. I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is my first time reading this author and though I did like the writing per se, my problem with the story begins at the beginning and with the title. “Cowboy Strong” is a good title the problem for me is the way Sawyer treated Gina DeRosa at the beginning. No cowboy by the true meaning or gentleman would have taken her in the middle of the night and left her at a cabin even if it was on their property. One he did not know the condition of the inside of it and two he left her with nothing. I understand it is a story but I just could not get past what he did and yet he wanted to be a cowboy, he wasn’t even a gentleman. Then you have him constantly saying that Gina is spoiled when in my opinion he was the one that was spoiled and arrogant, that was my take.
He immediately believes all of the press about her and thinks she is guilty without really looking at everything. When he finally starts to look at what is being said about her, he begins to believe what she is saying that she is innocent. Of course, by then he is eating the food that she has been making and he is warming up to the idea that she is more than just the person that has a cooking show.
Another part of this story has Sawyer looking for his missing sister and you get a look into that investigation as well. You do find out what happens with Gina, with the ranch and what all of them are going to do with it to make it profitable, what happens to the ranch next to theirs that is for sale who will buy it? Theses questions and a few others will all be answered. Even with my dislike at the beginning, the story improved and so I decided to give it 4 stars instead of three.

I've liked Sawyer ever since he was introduced in book one of the series, so I was excited to read his story. I enjoyed Cowboy Strong. It was fun to catch up with the Daltons, I loved all of the additions to Dry Creek Ranch, and the epilogue was the perfect ending! I hope Sawyer's sister Angie gets her story told next.

3 stars. I have been reading Stacy Finz for over 6 years and always look forward to her books. I did not like Gina in the beginning, but she grew on me and I was satisfied with the story, I thought this might be a trilogy, but I'm thinking that there may be a 4th book at some point. I hope so! I receied a copy of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stacey Finz gives you another Dalton's story set in the Ranch Lands of California. Sawyer the Cowboy Reporter and writer comes home from working on a story and a writer's conference - getting the surprise of his life Celebrity Chef Gina DeRose occupying his apartment.
Gina came to the Dry Creek to hide from the paparazzi and the rest of the world feeling like she is in uncivilized hell.
The relationship that is forged between the two is amusing, sexy and takes a few twists, you will not be able to put this book down.

Gina's world has imploded- she's a celebrity chef- and the internet is determined to take her down. Luckily, her PR person owns Dry Creek Ranch and offers her the chance to cool off there. Sawyer is a journalist and a cowboy (what a combo!) and he's very surprised to discover that his mom has installed Gina in his apartment (in fairness, she wasn't expecting him to come home). These two are chalk and cheese to start but readers know that all those sparks are going to come to something. Sawyer helps Gina solve the mystery of the rat trying to hurt her. This has nice characters and a zippy plot. I read it as a standalone and was just fine. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

When Gina De Rose’s life fell apart, Dry Creek Ranch became her refuge. Returning home from an overseas assignment, Sawyer Dalton arrives to find a strange woman living in his apartment. His mother Wendy, a public relations expert, sent Gina to stay in his apartment believing that he was still overseas. Gina’s culinary show and multimillion business may be over as she has been accused of having an affair and ruining a friend’s marriage. Sawyer has no liking for Gina, but as he gets to know her, he admires the way she is trying to regain control of her life and career. An enjoyable contemporary western romance as Gina and Sawyer, along with his cousins Jace and Cash continue searching for Sawyer’s missing sister Angie. Is there a chance that this city girl can learn to love life on the ranch? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Can Gina have it all!

Journalist Sawyer Dalton just wanted to get some sleep when he found Gina DeRose in his apartment to hid out after being accused of having an affair with another FoodFlicks star and breaking up his marriage to his wife. Gina was trying to save her food empire before it imploded from all the horrible press but when his mother asked for Sawyer’s help, he decided to let her stay at an old cabin on the ranch while helping her figure who was trying to ruin her career.

Gina just wanted to get her career back but the more she was with Sawyer and Dry Valley the more she wanted her name cleared with Sawyer’s help, restart her career on her terms and just maybe they involve Sawyer.

Cowboy Strong is a mashup between a mystery between figuring out who set Gina up and a cowboy romance.

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

I have come to love not only this series, but also the writings of this author. This latest book in the Dry Creek Ranch series, gives us the story of the 3rd cousin, Sawyer Dalton.
The premise of the series is about three cousins that inherit their grandfather’s ranch. Though each one has a profession , they are cowboys strong at heart and determined to do all they can to keep the ranch afloat.
Sawyer, and investigative journalist, has been traveling for over a day hoping to get home and rest after his latest assigned. Anxious to get to his loft apartment, he trips over a number of expensive suitcases and finds a woman in his kitchen. None other than a well known cooking celebrity that is hiding from the media. Not happy with this latest development, he realizes that if his mother, a PR “fixer” sent her to the ranch to hide, he will not complain . Instead, he takes her to a dilapidated cabin and informs her this is her new dwelling.
Though I have to confess it took me a while to warm up to Gina, the plot was engaging. Not only do the sparks fly between Gina and Sawyer, but there are also a couple of mysteries to solve (who spread the compromising pictures of Gina and where is Angie). It’s also a story about family support or in Gina’s case, lack thereof, how rumors can destroy an individual as well as how the media can sometimes do more harm than good.
Though this book was about the third and the last of the male cousins, I hope that we get one the long lost cousin, Sawyer’s sister.
I was entrusted this copy by Netgalley and the publisher. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Cowboy Strong is the third book in Stacy Finz` Dry Creek Ranch series and brings together Sawyer Dalton and Gina DeRose. If you take out the Cowboy element (not that I know why you would want to) this is a fast-paced, two-fold mystery, with plenty of drama thrown in for effect. This was definitely a book that focused on the characters and for me that aspect drove the storyline to perfection. There’s undoubtedly a lot to enjoy in this book and the romance element built nicely and was totally believable. I’m sure Cowboy Strong will be a winner with readers, and I thank Ms Finz, for a wonderfully entertaining read.