What a wonderful story. Long time love, suspense, and a beautiful ending.
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We women know sometimes guys are a little clueless. Sometimes you have to do something drastic to make them see what’s right in front of their face.

That’s with the story is based on. Best friends who are trying to figure out how to be something more in the face of everything else surrounding them.

Liz has serious man issues. Totally in love with Tate but yet had to make a clean break. Her new guy is a serious jerk, however.

The author blends in so many different obvious control triggers and issues that women see while dating. Fyi – This book does contain stalking and several other major issues of a complete controlling jerk.

But through all of the stress and suspense, we also get the beacon of light of the best friend connection and a possible growing romance. Tate is seriously sweet and absolutely adores his best friend. This author did a great job balancing the protective nature Tate has with the serious situations she is finding herself in.

With action, suspense, some creepy factors, and some amazing heated connections, I just fell for Tate myself and seriously loved this book! And if you love a hot cowboy story, you got to grab this one!!

Once I started reading this I just could't put it down. From the age of 3 Liz and Tate are inseparable and at age 5 Liz declares that she is going to marry Tate one day.

The pair had been best friends their entire lives but Liz always longed for more. I thought it was sweet how Tate finally realized his true feelings for Liz. Unfortunately this couldn't be an easy HEA as the pair have to deal with Liz's psycho ex.

At times I felt a little bit confused by all of the references made about Tate's older brother and sister-in-law and how they came to be together but overall this was an excellent story and I can't wait to see what happens next for the McGrath family. I definitely plan on checking out more of Jennifer Ryan's work!


Go Into This One Knowing: Not a simple HEA

Jennifer Ryan does it again! Waiting for a Cowboy was the perfect book for a stress free afternoon. I adored it and can't wait for more!

Intriguing friends-to-lovers with a chilling twist!

What a terrific, manipulative, complex story! Liz and Tate have been best friends since preschool, but Tate has never seen Liz anything more. Liz, knowing that Tate will never be the one, is trying to make things work with Clint, a handsome, attentive guy she's been dating for a while. Until Tate sees them together an all of a sudden is realizing what he's been missing out on.

The author makes excellent use of multiple POVs to tell this story, building suspense and an emotional connection with all the principle players. Liz is smart and capable, but even she's subject to doubting herself and questioning whether she can trust her gut about someone else's feelings.

I loved how the families came behind our young couple to support and encourage them, knowing that they'd eventually see what everyone else has known for years. It was refreshing to see that once Tate made up his mind, there was no ambivalence or hesitation.

The story's nail-biting conclusion was everything I'd hoped for, leading to a very sweet and satisfying HEA. Ann Landers has been quoted as saying, "Love is friendship that has caught fire" and that's the perfect description for this romance. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

This is such a fantastic book and I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. Loved being connected from the first page until the end. Liv has always loved Tate, even stating at the age of 5, “ I’m going to marry you.” But he’s always kept her in the friend zone. I felt heartbroken for him as he realizes he needs to put himself out there with her or lose her. The book kept me on edge, there’s some crazy stalking that occurs. How much will they go through? Can he keep her safe? Thankfully there’s a very happy ever after and I even had some happy tears. This book is worth re reading.

Jennifer Ryan brings us a story of best friends Tate and Liz. Liz is always there for Tate whether it is listening to all his troubles and giving advice to hearing about all the dates with various women. Tate always included Liz since they were little and has taken her for granted throughout his life. When Tate realizes that he hadn't hung out with his best friend in awhile, he discovers that she wants a break from him and has been dating new guy Clint for a few weeks. Tate needs to figure out if that thought made him angry because he was just being protective of his best friend, or if there are feelings that go deeper than just friendship. Meanwhile, Liz is trying to get over the realization that her best friend will only be her best friend and feels that Clint is the answer to moving on from him. When things start getting too much with Clint's obsession over her, will Tate be there to pick up the pieces and protect her from the repercussions or will he be too late?

Jennifer Ryan shares with us a story of love, friendship, and obsession. She brings you on a journey with Tate and Liz as they maneuver around old and new feelings. Will they be able to find their way back to each other and if they do, will they be able to maintain their friendship while venturing into new territory?

I enjoyed reading Tate and Liz's story and look forward to the next adventure with her. I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this privilege.

The song, Don't Know What You've Got, is perfect for the beginning of this book. Tate came real close to losing Liz. Once he finally convinced her to give him another shot, they work hard to not let her ex ruin it.
Waiting On a Cowboy, is a great book with a happy ending.

So we meet Tate and Liz who are besti'es since young children, yet Liz in love with Tate and would like more and even although Tate may feel the same he will stay in the friend zone. Liz realizes it is time to move on and finds Clint a nice guy, or is he? Unexpectedly Clint turns into an abusive jerk an Tate is going to protect Liz while finally realize that he loves Liz. Clint goes nuts, he is a stalker, violent, and doesn't understand when woman say no.

Liz and Tate have been best friends all their lives; however, Liz wants more and has decided to give up waiting for Tate to realize that they should go beyond friendship. Unfortunately, the guy she thinks might be a good alternative turns out to be a real creep so Tate must step in to help protect her.

While the plot was interesting to me, I thought that there was too much telling rather than showing in the writing. I never got a sense of why Liz was so attractive that Tate would love her or other guys want to be with her. And Liz and Tate repeat over and over their conversations wondering why someone would turn to violence and stalking if a woman turns him down. He’s a psycho - accept that and then figure out what to do. And Tate goes from not seeing her as a romantic partner to suddenly realizing he’s in love with her. He just seemed rather clueless. So it was hard for me to fully engage with their plight.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Liz Scott announces at age 5 that she's going to marry her best friend Tate McGrath and they've been best friends ever since. Liz has been in love with Tate since they were kids and they're still only best friends. Liz is tired of waiting for Tate and starts to date, unbeknownst to Tate.

When Tate finally gets off the ranch and out with his brothers to the bar in town, he sees Liz with a date. Surprised and a nudged a little off center by this he goes over and speaks with them and seems like Liz's date doesn't take a liking to Tate and same goes for Tate. Something about the guy bothers Tate. With good reason, the guy is totally off his nut and he becomes obsessed with Liz. There is plenty of drama that guy causes in not only Liz's life but also effects Tate and his brothers as well.
There's plenty of angsty moments for Liz and Tate.

I loved the story and plot, both were very well done. I love a good cowboy story and Tate was one hot cowboy! Great character development, suspense, the right amount of angst and tension, it's a great read. Ms. Ryan does a great job handling the obsessive personality in the story. I loved both Tate and Liz and loved their relationship.
I'd like to go back and read the first book about the other brother and would love to read future books about the other two!

arc from Avon via NetGalley

I’m always a fan of a friends to lovers story and this one delivers. Liz tells Tate one day in Kindergarten that she’s going to marry him. He doesn’t believe her. Fast forward to adulthood and he still hasn’t caught on despite their being best friends and so Liz attempts to move on and find love elsewhere. She begins dating Clint who seems to be what Liz is hoping for...until he isn’t.

This book needs a trigger warning for some as Clint is a controlling abusive character. I enjoyed the story and that things were not solved easily. I did wish the focus was more on Liz and Tate’s relationship instead of the issues with Clint but I understand it would be a different book then. I felt the writing was a bit wordy and repetitive at times but was overall well written. I would recommend this one to those who want a friends to lovers romance and a quick read.

I highly enjoyed this book. It's a quick read, and I really enjoy how Ryan's series intertwine. Both Liz and Tate are completely relatable. I completely get Liz finally giving up on her unrequited love of Tate and trying to move on, which ends up not being the best decision, considering that it's Clint that she tries to move on with and he's a controlling abuser.

A lot is packed into the book - abusive relationship, violence, murder, love, close family bonds and Ryan handles it masterfully. I appreciate that there is more substance in her romances.

I’ve been excited to read the start of the McGrath series ever since they were introduced in the last Wild Rose series. I really liked Tate, and Liz, and their friendship. Their story is one of my favorite tropes— friends who feel something more for each other. If I had one complaint, it would be that Tate and Liz knew each other so well but he never had a clue about her feelings. All in all, it was good and I would recommend this book. Can’t wait for the rest of the series.

This was my first book from Jennifer Ryan and I'm excited to find another author I love.

With Liz loving Tate since kindergarten and holding out hope for more than a best friend, Tate is oblivious to Liz wanting more Anna had not ever considered going past friends.

Liz is heartbroken but realizes it's time to move on, Tate isn't going to be more than her best friend. Moving on isn't as easy as she thinks when the guy she starts daring is a little jealous after meeting Tate and soon become dangerous. This book is very suspenseful when Clint becomes dangerous to both Liz and Tate. This was written so well that I so entranced with each page, waiting to see what would happen next.

Thankfully, these two childhood friends were meant to be and their romance plays out so sweetly. Loved it!

ARC received for review

4.5 stars

Friends to lovers romance. Tate and Liz have been friends since they were in kindergarten, and Liz announced she was going to marry him. Years have passed and they are still just best friends. Tate sees her out one night on a date, and things start to change. There was a little angst on his part before he finally got it. Plus throw in a seriously bat sh!t crazy ex. Great story.

At the beginning and periodical throughout the story is mentioned his brother's story which was in Tough Talking Cowboy. I am curious about their story, but didn't need to read it to enjoy this one. There are two more siblings to get HEAs.

WAITING ON A COWBOY is the first book in The McGrath series by Jennifer Ryan and incorporates some memorable characters from previous books as supporting cast members. The stars of WAITING ON A COWBOY are Liz Scott and Tate McGrath. And they fill the book page by page with a glorious love story that is guaranteed to make you smile and laugh. But WAITING ON A COWBOY doesn’t make the path to love easy for Liz and Tate.

Liz has been looking for someone to be in love with her. Different then someone who loves you like a best friend, although there is nothing better than falling in love with your best friend. But it has to be reciprocal. That’s the burning question in WAITING ON A COWBOY. Liz has had her eye on Tate forever. Liz is in love with Tate. Tate loves Liz. In kindergarten she said she was going to marry him. Tate and Liz share a unique and amazing relationship. Strangely enough they both want the same thing. A family. Kids. But not necessarily with each other.

Tate is busy dating and not looking in Liz direction. Until now. What has changed you ask. Well Liz is starting to date most recently with Clint. Clint does all the right things but there is an undercurrent of concerns regarding his attitude and reaction to things. Especially his reaction to Liz and Tate friendship.

Liz quite innocently put herself in crosshairs of someone who targets vulnerable women. It took Tate a long time to finally flip the switch from best friend to love of her life. In that time Liz has been spending time with a man who says all the right things. Makes her feel loved and desirable and wanted.

Tate truly believes he is not nearly good enough for Liz. Certainly not husband and provider material. Liz isn’t concerned with material wealth. She is looking for love and as the song says perhaps in all the wrong places.

Clint has a way about him. Doting and caring was the initial attraction. Liz liked the way he went out of his way to be with her. And then she started to notice some uncomfortable traits and actions. Liz and Tate start sharing their feelings toward each other. Sure they had known each other their entire lives but the relationship stalled at friendship. Liz wanted more. Tate wasn’t sure he did. But the one thing Tate knew was that he did not want to lose Liz who was capturing his attention in a whole new way.

Some guys just don’t know how to take rejection. It turns out Clint is one of those guys. Now Liz realizes her instincts were quite accurate and Clint is becoming fixated on her.

WAITING ON A COWBOY by Jennifer Ryan touches on a sad and scary part of looking for mister right. There’s an expression that you have to kiss a lot of frogs but relationships can be fraught with danger. In WAITING ON A COWBOY we see a man with a great capacity to hurt people especially those loses in the race for love. Clint can’t face losing. And yet it is his own actions that erect fences between himself and the women he is attracted to. What I liked about WAITING ON A COWBOY is that Jennifer Ryan did not take the easy way out and spend time excusing this behavior. Jennifer Ryan tackled it head on. At times definitely cringe worthy. But WAITING ON A COWBOY is an important tale to tell and Jennifer Ryan did it with panache.

At the age of 5, Liz Scott looked at Tate McGrath and said "I'm going to marry you."

They stayed the best of friends as the years passed. Liz was deeply in love with Tate but he didn't know he felt the same as her. He wanted to keep her in the "friend zone." So Liz decides that she needs to move on and start dating to find someone to spend her life with. She finds Clint, a nice man and a great personality. When she goes out with Clint to a local bar and runs in to Tate, Clint starts to show an abusive side that she had never seen before. He grabbed her arm several times and hurt her. Tate sees what is happening and starts to "feel". Why? Is he feeling jealous? Why is she doing this to him?

Liz's new boyfriend turns in to a stalker/dangerous, Tate quickly becomes her protector and now realizes that he has alway loved Liz and wants to spend his life with her. Clint's abuse goes beyond Liz. He is abusing all of the women he works with. Even blackmailing some of them to do his biding.

Abusive relationships, violence, murder, close family connections and love is packed in to a really good book by Jennifer Ryan. I look forward to the next book in the series. Hopefully we will see Declan, Tate's brother, and also Trinity find their HEA in the upcoming books. A good ride!

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Jennifer Ryan's previous romances, I was excited to see she was starting a new series featuring the McGrath's. The hero, Tate McGrath, was introduced in Tough Talking Cowboy. From the time Liz was five years old, she knew that she would marry Tate. Too bad it took almost losing her to another man for Tate to realize they were meant to be together! This was a fantastic start to a new series, plenty of romance, drama, endearing and believable characters with a touch of suspense. Everything you need for a great story and I can't wait to see what is in store for the other two single McGrath's! Both Trinity and Declan deserve their own happily ever after.

Tate and Liz have been best friends forever, but when she eventually wants more and he doesn't, she decides to move on. Sadly though, she picks a guy who has control issues and violence issues, and gets scary. That is when Tate finally realizes what he could and should have, but is it too late? Overall a good story, and kept my interest throughout. Found Tate a little thick headed at times, and felt his change happened too quickly but I guess that is fine. Also felt the police and others were a bit too open, but again, I guess I would want to know too. Hard to put this one down, and would recommend it. Not sure why, but actually felt a bit sorry for Clint. Help came a bit too little too late.

This is the first book I have read from this author and I loved it. I will have to go back and read her earlier work.

Tate and Liz have been friends since elementary school. They were each others person without the romantic entanglements. They have remained loyal friends through it all. Until Liz finally realizes that Tate is never going to see her as a friend.

I liked the character of Tate. For some reason I could really understand him. He had completely put Liz in the friend zone and would not ever entertain anything else. That was why the first time he feels a little jealous he loses it. It was like to put blinders on to her. He knew she had interest in him but chose to ignore it.

Liz was a woman I could admire. She was sick of pining for Tate and decided that she wanted someone who wanted her like a woman. Unfortunately for her, she didn't pick the best guy to start this I am woman here me roar thing. The things I loved reading about Liz was the stages of everything that she went though. She ran the gambit on her feeling towards Tate the whole book and also all the stages towards her stalker. She would be scared one moment and then she would get upset and not hide from him.

The book had lots of ups and downs. There was sweet and sexy times along with fun and banter. There was also suspense and drama so basically this book has everything!