This was such an amazing story. James had me hooked right away curious to find out what would happen. I loved Janie immediately because she was strong, brave, and independent. I also loved Will because he showed maturity beyond his years while still being a typical teenager.

Aiden was such a great hero. I always love characters that have a lot.of.room for growth and I loved how much he had grown from his own youth to current day. It was neat to read his memories and see how much stronger he was than when he was Will's age. I also loved his hard-working mentality too.

All three of the main characters in this book have been through a lot and have come through the hard times stronger. James didn't take it easy on them, but the ending was perfect. I loved how she brought things around.

This book is steamy and ultra conservative readers might find it to be too much but there were no open or closed door sex scenes.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Janie was always told she was not pretty like her older sister Maxi. She studied hard so she could make her own way. When Maxi came home pregnant, Janie stepped in to help with baby Will. When Janie was eighteen, Maxi left Will in Janie's care and made her his official guardian. Janie put herself through college, worked, and raised Will. Now six months away from finishing veterinary school, she is drowning in debit and needs help. Maxi told her that Aiden, Will's father, would help her financially. Aiden runs a bar he inherited from his father. Janie and Will travel from Chicago to Montana to ask for help for the first time in her life. Both Aiden and Janie find out that Maxi has lied to them.

In Wishing for a Cowboy, Victoria James unveils the story of two strangers who want the best for a 15-year old boy and the attraction they begin to feel for one another. This is not a Christian novel. There is some bad language, but it's scattered. I enjoyed the book. I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book on #NetGalley.. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

You can count on Victoria James writing an emotional charged story. She has done it again with Wishing for a Cowboy. Down right lies and falsehoods come to light as Janie Adams takes her nephew to meet his father, Aiden Rivers. It is difficult to step up to the plate and be a dad when you were never told that you had a son for fifteen years. However, when Aiden is confronted he rises to the occasion. This keeps you reading to see how Janie and he will navigate life after learning the truth.

Besides the financial responsibilities, plus learning to handle a teenager, then find a way to be a father, friendship then love blooms between Janie and Aiden. Of course, the past comes bad to put a stop to this newly formed family unit. Selfishness comes bad to stop any happiness that Aiden, Janie, and Will might have. Thank goodness that they stick together in the end. Loved the conclusion.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a beautiful story for Janie, Aiden, and Will! The motherly love Janie has for Will is simply beautiful and heartfelt. She may not have been his biological mother but she was his real mom. And the way he looked after her too was so heartwarming. Will and Janie made a great team! Now for the fun that started when they first met Aiden. She picked up her momma bear determination and broke through all the walls Aiden had along with helping him learn to be a dad. The amount of respect, admiration, sympathy, friendship, and love Aiden and Janie had towards each other was simply perfect. To see them both be accepted and accept the other was a thing of beauty. I loved their journey through all the complications and feelings in order to get their happy ending.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

Wishing for A Cowboy is a sweet story about a cowboy who suddenly learns he has a 15 year old son, the son, and the aunt who has raised the boy and is his legal guardian. While there is a lot of introspection, the author doesn’t drown the reader in angst...a plus for this reader. Complications arrive when the boy’s mom suddenly shows up. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Recommend.

Title: Wishing For A Cowboy
Author: Victoria James
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Wishing For A Cowboy" by Victoria James

My Opinion:

Wishing for a Cowboy" was an enjoyable and emotional story where we find Aiden the cowboy get a shock at finding out that he has a fifteen-year-old son, Will. And guess whom he got this information from...his ex-girlfriend's sister, Janie, the aunt. I enjoyed all of the characters presented in this story [except 1], bringing out a well-told story from the start till the finish.

It will be quite a read as Aiden and Janie work together navigating co-parenting and guess what...by the end, will they fall in love? Now, be prepared for there to be trouble that will come up for these two as hidden secrets will come out as they try to solve this situation that they are going through.

This is where I say you will have to pick up "Wish for a Cowboy" to see how well this author brings it out so well to the reader. The story will definitely warm one's heart and leave you with a smile on your face.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC. for the advanced ARC of this book. The opinions stated are my own.

Ms. James is a newer to me author, but I've enjoyed everything I've read by her so far.

This book is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming. The struggles that these characters have gone through and overcome to make a new life together is so inspirational.

Family is truly what you make it.

I'm not typically a cowboy romance kind of girl but Victoria James is my exception.
I love her writing and the characters are so authentic. The romance is too cute and melted my heart like butter.
The overall story was sweet, emotional and heartfelt.
The perfect book to lift your spirits.

Wishing for a Cowboy is a sweet but complicated contemporary romance about a devoted aunt, an equally devoted nephew, an absent mother, and a father who didn't know he carried the title. Janie Adams has been single-handedly raising her nephew. Finances are tight and when her sister finally let her know who Will's father is, Janey and Will head out of town to Montana to request help. Aiden Rivers is shocked to learn Maxi was pregnant when she left him 15 years ago. Had he known, his and Will's lives may have been different. As it is, Aiden is resentful of Maxi for keeping his son hidden, grateful for Janie stepping up and raising his son when Maxi abandoned him, and surprised to feel like the trio could be a family.

This book is wonderful. The characters are flawed but lovable. The setting was written perfectly, and the world building is great. I enjoyed learning about Janie and Will and then about Aiden. Watching the slow-burn romance develop between Janie and Aiden was exciting and stressful at times. I was engaged in their story. I was engaged in the story between Aiden and Will. Learning he was a father 15 years after the child was born had to be a complete and utter shock to the system. Aiden handled things as well as can be expected and I loved watching Aiden and Will's father-son relationship flourish.

There is a reason that Victoria James is one of my all-time favorite authors - she writes impassioned and realistic contemporary romances. Her writing is realistic and her subject matter for each book is believable. Her heroines and her heroes are not perfect, but they are perfect for one another. To date, I've read most of her books and each one manages to evoke emotional responses from me. At the very least, I always tear up during some part of the novel. Her characters are believable and realistically written.

Victoria's writing is phenomenal. Her characters, the plot, themes, drama, and passion pull the reader in and keeps them engaged. There is true emotion that can be felt by those readers that become one with the books they read. I get lost in the novels and put myself right into the middle of them. I feel for the characters and drawing on my emotions is what makes a book worth 5 stars for me. If I hurt with them, cry with/for them, laugh, or get angry, then the author did a fantastic job and has written the perfect book for me. Victoria James is amazing!

I was provided a copy of this book to read.

Wishing for a Cowboy is the third book in the Wishing River series. I have read the first two books and enjoyed them. I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping this book would be Hope and Dean's story. But I guess I will have to wait for the next book. This one involves Aiden and Janie.

Out of the three books I have read, this one was not my favorite. However, I still enjoyed it. I'm not usually a fan of the hidden baby trope, but I didn't mind this one too much. I did enjoy watching Aiden get closer to his son and realize that he could be and do better than his own father had done. The romance was sweet and I was rooting for the couple. In all, this was a sweeet addition to the series.

This author never seems to disappoint and gets right to the heart of the matter. I feel like with this book and this series the characters feel completely relatable. I really like Janie she was a fighter and would stop at nothing to do what was right for her "son". Will he has such a big heart and you can tell he was raise right by Janie and my heart kind of broke for him in the beginning of this book. Aiden man he was a hard shell to crack. I really like the other characters in the book as well, except for Maxi. Maxi I just want to hunt her down and smacker her myself. Overall this book was a fun read and I hope this is not the last we hear from these characters.

What an absolute delight this book was! I love Victoria James's books—they have all the small-town charm I need, cowboys who are completely swoonworthy, and produce such an overall feeling of warmth and happiness that, even when they manage to reduce you to tears, you can't help but smile. And Wishing for a Cowboy is no exception to this rule. It's a sweet romance between two exceptionally likeable characters—ones you can't help but wish the very best for because they are mature and kind, flawed and sometimes gruff or uncertain, but never anything other than good.

I read this book fast, y'all. I started it and finished it within a couple of hours—the perfect Friday night, it's-been-a-long-week-and-I-need-to-unwind read—and closed it with only one real regret: that I couldn't immediately keep reading about the town of Wishing River and it's residents. *cough Dean and Hope cough*

For the record, this is the third book in the Wishing River series and although you don't need to have read the first two, I certainly recommend that you do. Like Wishing for a Cowboy, they are heartfelt, swoony books that will leave behind them a warm glow of satisfaction. And that's something that you can prolong by reading all three of them—one after the other, if you dare—while you wait for the next one to come out...

This is book is well written and full of emotions. It's a sweet romance that will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. Beautiful story! Thank you Entangled Publishing, LLC via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

There is nothing that Janie wouldn’t do for Will who is more like her son than her nephew. She has raised him since she was a teenager herself, but she is struggling financially and isn’t sure where to turn so she decides to approach the father that wanted nothing to do with his son for help.

Aiden was only a teenager himself when he was involved with Janie’s sister and their relationship did not end well. When Janie shows up at the bar he owns he is shocked to find out that he is a father but the one thing he does know is that he wants a relationship with his son.

As they try to maneuver the new situation they find themselves in Aiden is determined to be the best father that he can be and shows Janie and Will that he can be trusted. As the relationship between Aiden and Janie develops they made a point of ensuring that Will was always the top priority as three people who have overcome so much finally get the family they all deserve.

I have read a number of Victoria James' books and really like her small town romance and this series in particular.

Janie has been taking care of her nephew since he was a baby, and now, when he's a teenager, she is taking him to meet Aiden who may be his father. Aiden is shocked to find out he has a son and Janie stays to help him.

I liked that this story focused on family relationships in addition to the romance growing between Janie and Aiden. It made me invested in seeing Aiden bond with his son and how they would all come together as family.

4.5☆
I enjoyed revisiting Wishing River.

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Wishing River
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed the story. The characters were real, honest, and well developed. The only problem I had with the story was that Maxi never got what was coming to her!

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Take a trip back to Wishing River with this amazing installment from the superbly talented Victoria James. I absolutely love her romances and this one did not disappoint. She blends beautiful characters and plot lines that keep you up long into the night.

I absolutely adored Will in this story. That could just be the mama in me but my heart went out to him! And seeing Aiden & Janie together, and the sparks that flew between them, really made my heart sore. I loved the way they were with Will and with each other. I really felt a part of their story.

Becoming friends with these beautifully chiseled characters, following them on their journey was a refreshing time. James truly knows how to create a story that comes to life and completely draws you to the center of the story. A wonderful addition to the Wishing River series, and I absolutely can not wait for another amazing read from her talented hands!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Author/Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

Wishing for a Cowboy is the third book in the Wishing River series by Victoria James. It is a steamy cowboy romance that pulls you in from the beginning and holds your attention to the very end. The characters are well-written and full of intriguing backstories. Once I started reading, I did not want to stop.

Wishing for a Cowboy is Victoria James’ third book in her Wishing River series. All of the books can be read as standalone titles. This is only the second book in the series that I’ve read, and I didn’t feel like I was missing any backstory at all.

I loved this story. I’m a characters girl, and there was just so much to digest where both the hero and heroine were concerned. Both of them had such complicated, hurtful pasts they had to overcome. And just when it seemed like life was settling out for them separately, they are thrown into this complex web of lies and deceit that neither of them saw coming. My heart hurt so much for Aiden for everything he didn’t get to experience. Dreams that didn’t come to fruition. Goals never reached. So much was stolen from him that he could have become this awful person, but he rose above it all and is well on his way to achieving all of his dreams. Only to find out, so much more was actually stolen from him. What a one-two sucker punch from life. And Janie. Her past wasn’t so great, but she’s worked hard to make it all work for her and Will. But despite all of her hard work, they still need someone to help them get over this one last hurdle. Talk about two characters that really need each other. And Maxi was just a piece of work. Not sure I’ve ever wanted to smack a character more.

If you enjoy small-town, emotional contemporary romances with complex characters that pull at your heartstrings on almost each and every page, you’ll love this book.

NICUnurse’s Rating: I give Wishing for a Cowboy by Victoria James 5 out of 5 stars!