Member Reviews
Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary digital copy of All Night Long with a Cowboy by Caitlin Crews. I voluntarily agree to read and review this unique novel prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and nothing has influenced my rating.
All Night Long with a Cowboy is an emotionally charged western romance set in small-town USA. The novel is well-written with endearing characters and a unique plot. The pacing pulled me in from the start and kept me engaged until the end.
Harriett Barnett is the heroine, and I thoroughly enjoyed her character. It’s what makes this book unique since she’s an introvert who is the local librarian in Cold River. She’s not the typical heroine as many romances have in this sub-genre. She’s not a hard riding cowgirl, so that’s what makes this tale unique.
She isn’t sure about becoming involved with the hero, but the attraction is too irresistible to ignore. I felt her confusion and anxiety on whether to believe this handsome cowboy could possibly be interested in her for anything other than a fling. She has never entered into a intimate relationship, let allow one that could only be temporary.
Jenson Kittridge is the hero, and he doesn’t do permanent. The guilt from his past has him convinced he doesn’t deserve the love of a good women. This is why he only has unemotional hook ups with women who know the score.
When he meets the pint-sized heroine, he’s amazed by the strong emotions she stirs in him. I loved seeing the way he copes with the revelation his feelings are so much more than he’s ever enjoyed. Harriett has him agreeing to things he never has in the past. Against his better judgement, he finds himself mentoring a troubled teen.
The romance between Harriett and Jenson surprises both characters. Harriett, because she’s never become friends with anyone like Jenson, and Jenson, because he doesn’t have female friends, especially one who has his emotions churning in ways that has him wanting to run to his cabin, fearing what is possible if he stays. All though this pair are so different, they are perfect for each other, and I wanted them to find their happy ending.
If you enjoy contemporary western romance with characters, you’ll want to hug them and tell them “It’s okay,” then you will love All Night Long with a Cowboy as much as I did. This is the second book in Ms. Crews’ Kettridge Ranch series, a spin-off of her Cold River Ranch series. I read the previous novel as well and both are engaging reads, and I can’t wait to read the next one. Happy reading!
In All Night Long with a Cowboy, Ms Crews brings us back to Colorado and the brothers of the Kittredge Ranch. The focus of this book is town good time guy Jensen and the highschool librarian, Harriet.
One the surface these two characters couldn't be more different and initially, I wasn't sure I really liked either of them. Ms Crews did an excellent job of peeling back the layers to show the true people beneath their personas. It turned out that they were people more a like than they seemed, and people who were actually very likeable once you got past their defences.
I enjoyed seeing how the author used these two characters to challenge each other and their own preconceived notions. This was all done against the back drop of Cold River, a town we have been introduced to before. Fans of Ms Crews will be glad to see several previous main characters make appearances in supporting roles. That said, new comers can easily pick up this book and skip right into town. I have to admit I am curious to see who will feature in our next Cold River adventure.
ALL NIGHT LONG WITH A COWBOY is the second book in the KITTREDGE RANCH series, and I’m looking forward to reading more. It was nice to be reunited with the Kittredge family members as well as others in their small town of Cold River, Colorado.
This is Jensen and Harriet’s story. He’s the bad boy in their small town, or so he wants everyone to think. He’s only interested in a good time and not getting serious or tied down. That all changes when the high school librarian and cat lady, Harriet, gets in his face. She’s out of her comfort zone when she confronts him at the dive bar in town. But there’s a certain spark that gets under both of their skins.
Jensen brings feelings to the forefront for Harriet, a woman unused to being socially acceptable, seen as no more than a shut-in and cat-lady. Her friends think she’s being set up for a fall with her attraction to Jensen, and those who learn about the relationship tease her. But as she learns the secrets he’s kept to himself for so many years, she comes to understand him. They’re both trying to help a young teen who comes from a dysfunctional family, and it’s not easy.
The story has great pacing, romance, and some steamy moments. The happily ever after plays out nicely, and there’s the closure that I look for. I look forward to reading his older brother Zack’s story in SUMMER NIGHTS WITH A COWBOY.
Whether writing as Caitlin Crews or Megan Crane, the author writes enjoyable books filled with romance and cowboys or adventures. Give her books a try if you haven’t already. You’ll be glad you did.
What to say about Jensen and Harriet? Well, first and foremost, they are complete opposites in almost every way. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we say that about a lot of couples, but with these two, it is so true and a fact of their lives. She is happy and confident in her own skin, carrying on in her own way, whereas he presents a version of himself to the world to pull the wool over their eyes, happy and sly in his deception. She doesn’t buy his act. He sees beyond the prickly exterior she has put up. The slow burn and thrust and parry these two take is so much fun to watch. Neither knows what to think of or do with the other, but they keep coming back for more. Of course, as they spend more time together, they get to know each other. Things move deeper, but that confusion still exists on both sides, but now, it isn’t only with the other, but with self-reflection, themselves as well. When they figure that out, it is full-steam ahead, no hesitation, and a sprint to the finish line for the HEA to begin!!!
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I decided to read this story but this was not it.
I loved Harriett and Jensen. She was such a quirky, funny and take no prisoners kinda attitude was so refreshing. I loved her way of logic for everything and not taking everything so personal.
Jensen was a complex character. His past was preventing him from living his life to full potential. But Harriett made him see that sometimes the best things are worth the pain and the wait.
I'm not sure why is this the first time I'm reading this author but rest assured I’m coming back.
I read a lot of romances and I am always on the lookout for really good ones, as so many romances are trope-filled and pedestrian. Well, I am here to tell you that "All Night With a Cowboy" is remarkable. I cannot praise it too highly. What makes it so special are the main characters, especially the heroine, Harriet.
I don't usually give spoilers, but I am going to do so, be warned! Harriet is a person who lives her life in a certain way, and she is wonderful. She is an introvert who is comfortable in her own skin; a woman who is dedicated to her students, but not a prude, nor a stick-in-the-mud. She is direct and refreshing, and she stays true to herself. Love of and with Jensen enhances her life and makes her happy, but it doesn't change her in any profound way. She is Harriet at the beginning of the book, and she is Harriet to the end. I loved it, and I love Harriet. Jensen, her true love, is a terrific match for her.
My scientist daughter is not a romance reader, but this is one I am going to buy for her because she will love Harriet. You will love her, too.
Jensen is the laid back playboy in town. Harriet is the proper and primped librarian. CAn Jensen corrupts Harriet or will they really find they each other heart an de learn to live a full and happy life? Things are not always how they seem to be and this couple is a sweet proof of this.
Don't you just love a book where one of the main characters is underestimated?
Imagine the joy when the hero and the heroine are both underestimated?
Jensen Kittredge is a cowboy and smoke jumper, Harriet Barnett is the high school's librarian. They should have no common ground.
However, Caitlin Crews skillfully merges their lives together finding common ground and an attraction that can't be denied.
I love a cowboy romance and Jensen epitomises a cowboy to swoon over. When it emerges that he also has a soft squishy heart... Game over!!!
I'll be revisiting the Bar K ranch to see the rest of the Kittredge family get their HEA, that's for sure!
I've always been a fan of unlikely pairs in romance, and this story of two people as different from each other as can be finding not only love but the inspiration to freely be themselves hits all the good spots.
There's something unexpectedly enjoyable about the seemingly unassuming librarian getting the town playboy, who is really just hurting and trying to hide it, to do her bidding and winning him over. Both Harriet and Jensen are interesting characters that stand out from the stacks of opposites attract characters by having personality traits that quickly make them empathetic. Harriet because of her awkwardness and straightforward nature. Jensen because his joker mask hides his depth and pain so well that even his family doesn't see it. They come together in a very romance-tropey way but it's also full of great moments of discovery for each character that makes this more than just the usual tropey, smexy goodness.
Overall, it's romantic, it's sexy, it's a few hours very well spent in pure escapist romance of the best kind. I highly recommend it.
Many very happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the early read!
ARC received via Netgalley for an honest review
What happens when the quirky librarian knocks the town playboy on his ar$3?
That's what we get when Harriet meets Jensen.
I like Harriet. I like that she walks to the beat of her own drummer. I like that she doesn't give a crap what anyone thinks of her, and adore that she sticks up for those who have no one to stick up for them.
From the beginning I knew that there was more than the player persona to Jensen, but boy did it take some work to drag it all out of him.
And I freaking LOVE that they drag each other out of their self imposed ... pigeon hole I guess you would call it.
And when they take on all the small town gossip as a team.
I enjoyed this story, and look forward to more of the Kittredge Ranch series in the future.
I love a good cowboy romance and this one was no exception. All Night Long with a Cowboy is not a story that you have read before. Sometime some books blend in together as the theme is normally the same. Caitlin Crews always gives a different kind of story. An unexpected story line to be exact.
Jensen had my heart in a sobbing mess. I loved his character and how he is an all around good man. When Harriet came into the picture, it was a bit concerning that these two would mesh. Oh how I was wrong! These to were fire and ice! They worked great together and their souls were just connected.
I can't say it enough, you need to get your copy of this book!
They say opposites attract...that definitely proves true in this charming new story from Caitlin Crews. Harriet is a librarian, and Jensen is a cowboy and playboy, Mr. No Commitment. These two opposites come together and just work. I loved getting to know them individually and as a couple. The romance, laughter, steam, and fun in this book make it well-worth reading. 4 stars
Many thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.
All Night Long With a Cowboy by Caitlin Crews
Kittridge Ranch book #2 which is also connected with the Cold River Ranch series. Contemporary western romance. Can be read as a stand-alone but previous couples make appearances.
Harriet is the high school librarian working with students in a summer program. To motivate them, Harriet reaches out to Jensen to ask him to talk to her students.
Jensen is intrigued by Harriet. She dresses in old fashioned clothes and doesn’t seem to care what anyone thinks of her. She’s short but lifts her chin and can stare anyone down.
An emotional romance that is tender, smart and hot.
Jensen has deep issues that need healing and he gets help from Harriet and his brothers.
Learning to work with and for horses is a recurring theme in both series. Patience? Hard work? Acknowledging a living thing that needs daily care? All of this and more are parts of how the teens are redirected from delinquent behavior.
From this city girl, it just sounds like a lot of us rewarded and hard work!
I really liked the hero. He made it clear he didn’t care how she dressed as long as she was happy.
Excerpts that describe Harriet:
“She liked quiet. She liked cats. She enjoyed research, reading, and studying. She preferred comfortable clothes that she could move in and hairpins to keep her heavy hair from annoying her while moving. Most of all, she liked her own company.
She wasn’t sad when she was left alone. She was happy.”
“I believe you, Harriet,” he said in that rumbly way of his that made her, uncharacteristically, want to turn a few cartwheels.
That would be undignified. Appallingly unprofessional. And worst of all, profoundly silly.”
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
I am a big fan of Caitlin Crews and her cowboy stories set in Cold River, Colorado. There's always a bit more to them than just an enjoyable story for die-hard romantics. This one made me think a lot about being pigeonholed not only by other people, but also yourself and then feeling you have to live in a certain way to conform to the set expectations.
Meet Jensen Kittredge- a charming jock in high school, a ladies' man who never parks his truck anywhere for longer than one night, cheerful guy who knows how to diffuse any conflict or any serious talk by cracking a joke or two. People have very low expectations of him and being underestimated works for Jensen. Until Miss Harriet Bartlett, a newcomer in Cold River (why, she's only been living there for three years), announces she won a date with Jensen and would like to claim it. Not that she wants this date to be of a romantic kind-she needs a hero! or rather a role model, to be more precise, for an inspirational talk as a part of her summer school remedial program. Everyone laughs at her, including Jensen, who jumps from planes to fight fires in summer months and is taking care of the business side of the K-Bar (the Kittredge Ranch) and yet cannot believe anyone would see him as more than a barfly or the town clown. Who is this odd catlady-librarian wearing shapeless, frumpy outfits and why is Jensen suddenly thinking about her blue eyes nobody notices behind her huge glasses?
Is there a better gift than helping another person discover a hidden part of themselves which is pure good? Jensen needs to process and address some issues from his past, while Harriet is about to discover that her singledom wasn't due to her 'oddness' or her refusal to lower her expectation of being treated with respect, but more to the simple fact that she hadn't met her match. It is difficult to say who goes through more growth in the story.
There's also a secondary character-a teenager Harriet is heping to get back on track academically. Aiden comes from a family which has produced too many delinquents and he cannot shake off the weight of this reputation, while Jensen is a Kittredge and can rightly be proud of his hard-working, honest family. Both Jensen and Aiden want a second chance, but are afraid of trying and failing. Clearly, they can help each other, however incredible it may sound to the town.
Harriet ismy favourite character in the story. How could I not love this strong-willed, independent, selfless librarian who believes in informing, educating, never keeping knowledge or skills to herself, but sharing them in a kind and considerate way? all that and practical skirts with pockets. A woman after my heart.
Yes, there is also love and passion and quite a lot of steam, but there are also strong emotions that need to be recognised and managed. Once again, Caitlin Crews gives us an entertaining, swoonworthy story with fascinating characters! Can't wait for the next story in the series!
Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the review copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Jensen has crafted a persona of the easy going, not so smart Kittredge and he’s comfortable living with this persona. For him, he carries guilt for the loss of his friend so he doesn’t believe he deserves true happiness. What he never expects is Harriet, the new school librarian, to shake his world and push him to reevaluate what he truly wants. Harriet is passionate about reading and learning which inspired her to start a summer school program to try to help students on the verge of failing which brings introduces her to Aidan. Aidan carries the sins of his family name with him every day but he is a boy that wants someone to believe in him and to find a way to change the path everyone in Cold River has him on. This inspires Harriet to seek out Jensen to help Aidan realize that he does have options. Jensen is shocked and curious by Harriet’s request but what really surprises him is how much he wants to get to know Harriet. He doesn’t do repeats so this is foreign territory for him. Harriet sees herself as odd, never knowing the right thing to say in social situations so she chooses to lead a solitary life with her books and cats but Jensen gets her out of her comfort zone. I enjoyed Harriet and all her quirks. She is upfront, honest and unapologetic about how she acts which is refreshing. Jensen is really tested by her so the real issue is can he forgive himself to allow happiness in his life or will he walk away from that opportunity with Harriet. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
I love tropey romances, and this had some good ones: opposites attract, manwhore and virgin, cowboy and librarian. Is there a local playboy cowboy gobsmacked by virgin librarian cat lady trope? There should be one and Caitlin Crews' All Night Long with a Cowboy needs to be on top of that list. Calm, sensible, determined Harriett leading Jensen around town like a sultry "officious duck" was a blast.
Harriett has always been a little odd and she's absolutely fine with that. Her calm confidence and acceptance of herself was the sexiest thing ever and it was refreshing to read a romance where an adult woman's virginity wasn't due to any ongoing trauma or angst. She is who she is and Jensen soon realizes he is completely amazed by Miss Harriett.
Watching Jensen turn himself inside out figuring out what to do with his blazing sexual chemistry with Harriett and the inconvenient emotional feelings that followed, was so much fun. That he had to finally deal with his long-suppressed childhood trauma made the story take a darker turn, but Jensen and Harriett's HEA was all the sweeter for it.
All Night Long with a Cowboy returns readers to Cold River and the Kittredge Ranch, and focuses on Jensen the second eldest of the Kittredges and the one who acts like he doesn't have a care in the world. But that's far from the truth, and this sexy cowboy certainly meets his match when he is confronted by strait-laced high school librarian Harriet. Who couldn't be more different to Jensen, yet, the more time they spend in each other's company the more they realise they are both hiding who they really are.
And with a story full of layers, sweetness and some emotion. Not to mention likable characters and a beautiful setting, this was an enjoyable read. That I would happily recommend to others.
This book is funny, steamy and wonderful. The first encounter between the prim and proper Harriet and the sexy, life-of-the-party cowboy, Jensen, is absolutely hilarious. Harriet is determined to wrangle Jensen into helping her with her at risk students and she is not above stalking him to do it. Jensen doesn’t know what to make of the prissy, dowdily dressed librarian, but she unexpectedly appeals to something deep in side him. The fact that he begins to wonder just what she is hiding under her ill-fitting clothes is disconcerting. He also finds her take-no-prisoners attitude and her intellect to be oddly attractive and challenging at the same time. Jensen gives into her demands and actually has an honest, impactful and inspiring conversation with her students. One student in particular takes his words to heart and both Jensen and Harriet find themselves trying to help him overcome his background, his predestination if you will, in order to make a better future for himself. Along the way, Jensen and Harriet spend more time together, which doesn’t go unnoticed by the townspeople, who don’t hesitate to vocalize their disapproval or disbelief. This spurs Harriet to take matters in to her own hands. Their relationship takes on a whole new life….. a sexy, steamy intimate life, that neither is really prepared for emotionally. Jensen has deep seated demons that have long prevented him from making commitments, building relationships and finding love. Harriet has always been the odd duck, the person who doesn’t fit in or conform to the group. Emotion is not something she usually indulges in or looks for, so her relationship with Jensen and the feelings she has developed for him send her logical, tightly controlled self reeling. Could this relationship that started as a type of rescue mission for a misguided teen really lead to a happily ever after for Jensen and Harriet or is it destined to end in heartbreak? Read this captivating and very entertaining book to find out how Jensen and Harriet’s story concludes. I am sure that you find it to be well worth reading.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
A story with one of the most unique female characters that I have ever read. Harriett Barnett, high school librarian, lives alone with her five cats. Now you might think that she is a shy and lonely woman, but you couldn’t be more wrong. She is stubborn, assertive, charges into situations at full steam and admits that people may find her “odd”. When she needs to get the attention of cowboy and smoke jumper Jensen Kittredge, she marches into the bar and explains that she needs his help with one of her students. Let the games begin! A supposedly selfish playboy who uses humor to deflect the pain from the loss of his friend, Jensen has no plans to help her…yet he does. The dialog was extraordinarily fun and sarcastic as these two match wits and give their friends, family and the town “something to talk about”. I enjoyed every minute of this truly delightful book! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
I've enjoyed all of the Caitlin Crews books I've read and I enjoyed the first book in the Kittredge Ranch series as well, so giving this one a go was a no brainer. It was definitely enjoyable!
Jensen Kittredge is a part-time fire jumper and he's well known around town for being a fun guy who doesn't do relationships. He's one of those guys that only shows people the enough of himself. He' doesn't open himself up and really let anyone in. He's currently helping to run the family ranch after his father's health scare.
Harriett Barnett moved to town a few years ago and is a librarian who is currently working with kids in a summer school program. She's unapologetically herself in the sense that she's a cat lover, she's a bit odd and she has her own fashion sense, which most don't love.
When Harriett is told by one of the kids in her program that the only person who would be worth listening to in terms of being a motivational speaker is Jensen Kittredge, she is bound and determined to make that a reality, even if she has to put herself in an uncomfortable position to make the ask of him! Will these two be able to work together to help her students? And, in the end, will they end up making more of an impression on each other than either could have guessed?
Jensen and Harriett are the epitome of opposites attract, but that's what makes it so great. They both learned from the other person and I loved that Harriett didn't have to change herself to make an impression on Jensen. He liked her for who she was, eccentricities and all!
I enjoyed this trip back to Cold River and I'm looking forward to what's next!
**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**