Off-Limits Cowboy

Brothers of Lucky Seven Ranch #1

by Kristine W. Joy

He’s a grumpy cowboy and a single dad. He’s also my overprotective brother’s best friend... and when I agreed to stay at his ranch, falling for him was never in the plan.

While standing in the barn, I feel myself drawing closer to him, willingly closing what little space is between us.

The chemistry is palpable. Sparks are exploding.

My brother is going to kill us.

But I can’t bring myself to pull away.

Seeing him, I’ve managed to forget the heartbreak from my divorce.

In my head, I know pursuing anything beyond a friendship with him is asking for trouble.

I came here to get back on my feet...

But in my heart, I secretly hope he sweeps me off ‘em.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Clean Romance, Westerns, Cowboy Romance, Small Town Romance, Chick Lit

Unknown Binding

About the author

Kristine W. Joy is an Amazon Bestselling Author who loves creating sweet and swoony stories full of sizzling chemistry and laugh-out-loud banter. She prefers her coffee iced and her kisses hot. When she's not dreaming up romance novels or writing from a cozy coffee shop in Northern California, she is spending time with her hubby and two young sons. Becoming a published author was a lifelong dream. Becoming a momma was the inspiration to make it a reality.

To stay updated on all upcoming releases, subscribe to her newsletter.

Reviews

[Beatrice]

dnf at 30%
the writing was bad and the dialogues were forced

[Ilyssa Tillotson]

You know when a book is bad but you kinda wanna see what the author will do next?

[Hayley · Rating 1 out of 5]

She's a pick-me and he's a manchild, and by the end you are still wondering if they like each other.

[SarahLooHoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my style. Kinda felt like the book started in the middle of a story i missed out on???

[Rachel Luke Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read from Kristine and I cannot wait to finish this series!

I absolutely loved grumpy Carson. He is such a great father and I loved seeing him interact with his daughter Ava. I loved how much is just adored Emma too and how we were able to see how much he cared about her.

I loved Emma for how sweet she was not only with Ava but also with Carson. I loved how she wanted to take care of him and make him smile.

I loved the tension between the two and the element of forbidden romance since Emma was Carson's best friends sister.

This was a book that once I started I could not stop reading. I loved every minute!

Physical Intimacy Lvl 2.5ish (Deeper Kisses, descriptive kisses with mention of tongue)
Zero Swearing
Dual POV
Best Friends Brother
Forbidden Romance
Love after Divorce
Single Dad

[Savannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

the plot and concept of this book was great. but the dialogue was extremely forced and the writing was horrible; therefore, 2 stars.

[Modern Miss Granger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful cowboy romance that I didn’t want to put down!

[Paige]

dnf

[Angelina Justice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for me! It was a cute and fast read! I loved the love story that unfolded and I was all for the cowboy vibes!

[Brit’s Bookstagram · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read and a great start for this new series! Life isn’t perfect and things may not work out the way you expect but you can’t let that stop you from living. This book deals with real issues but there is also a lot of laughter. Will Carson and Emma get their second chance at love?


I received an ARC copy from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was the writing the best? No. Were the vibes immaculate? Yes, 100%

[Alora · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didnt like this book. It was so short and rushed. I feel like we were missing so many character details. World building wasnt good.
Also, I get the "forbiddon romance" / "brothers best friend" tropes, but these grown ass adults were behaving like middle schoolers with their rules. Like seriously?? Communicate and get over yourselves, let people live their lives.

[Tatum - nuggetybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What I loved:
- childhood friends/teenage crushes
- Best friend’s sister
- Forced proximity
- Grump & Sunshine
- Single dad
- Dual POV
- Small town Texas
- Cowboy, tough, stubborn MMC
- Sassy, funny, strong willed FMC
- Living on a ranch
- Everything about the ER 😂🫠
- Riding horses together
- Ava spilling all her dad’s secrets 🤭🫠
- Their first kiss 😍
- Forbidden by brother 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️
- Their “treasure” 🥹


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I could not put this book down. I was hooked from the very first page of this book and I absolutely I had to make sure Carson and Emma got their happily ever after 😍

Carson’s gruff / stubborn exterior did not stop Emma from calling him out and pushing him when he definitely needed pushing. 🤭💕This book is more real life romance than everything goes perfectly, which I appreciated. The MCs struggle to voice how the actually feel and often put their foot in their mouth, especially Carson. Throughout the book you can see the deep bond that’s always been there but was overlooked or discredited because of Emma’s brothers stupid rule 🙄 I loved that they are both spitfires and so neither one gets trampled. They fight for each other and the love the come to realize has always been there 💕 there is some suspense there at the end that got my heart racing and I SPED through the last bit of the book. Everything ends in a happy ending but oh my gosh if my heart wasn’t racing 😅🥴

I absolutely loved this book and I can’t wait to read the other brothers’ book, especially Hunters. My Annah Conwell girlies will love Hunter. He’s very similar to Grayson 😂😉 but a cowboy.

This is a clean romcom with some passionate kissing. There is no cursing.

Songs:
“Cowboys and Angels” by Dustin Lynch,
“Never Really Over” by Katy Perry
“Love You Like I Used To” by Russell Dickerson
“Mercy” by Brett Young
“In Case You Didn’t Know” by Brett Young,“Who I Am With You” by Chris Young, “Hard to Love” by Lee Brice,
“When She Says Baby” by Jason Aldean

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reader’s Notes:

– this is part of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone

– this is told from Carson & Emma’s points of view

Review:

I couldn’t put this story down! It was such a sweet romance between Carson & Emma, and I loved how everyone was with Ava! I loved that Carson was so loyal to his friend and wanted him to know about them before they really pursued anything. I loved Emma’s want to help out wherever she could, especially since Carson really wouldn’t let her even though he had been injured. I loved that Ava got so excited to hangout with Emma and do girly things with her. I loved that Carson’s brother, Hunter, was almost constantly poking fun at people and trying to break tension in small ways. Some more of my favorite scenes/moments were: Ava & Emma horseback riding, the opening scene, the brotherly messing around (on both characters), when they would think back on their pasts together, the epilogue, and the rescue. I’ve very curious to see who else will be getting a story and if any of them will include Emma’s best friend and/or Wyatt (her brother)!

Summary:

Carson knows that nothing could ever happen with his best friend’s little sister. But when Emma comes back into his world, he is turned upside down – literally. Emma grew to be so much more beautiful than he remembered and she cares for him much more than anyone has cared for him, besides his family. Especially after his injury results in an increase in his grumpy demeanor. The last straw is seeing how well Emma gets along with his daughter, Ava, who has had no interest in any of the women that have been around besides his mother. Carson finds himself falling for the one woman he could never consider for fear of losing his best friend. It could never work, right?

Emma is back home to get back on her feet after her marriage ended in divorce. She didn’t go looking for another romance, but Emma just can’t get her brother’s best friend out of her head. It doesn’t help that he is so good with his adorable daughter. With hope of finally getting the family she’d always hoped for, Emma is ready to pursue a relationship with Carson…if only her brother would get out of the way…

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I read: Off-Limits Cowboy by Kristine W. Joy

Why I picked it up: Another author recommended it in her newsletter – or she recommended the second and I have a hard time reading the 2nd in a series so I started with the first – about to begin the second.

How I read it: On Kindle Unlimited.

What it’s about: Emma moves back home now that her divorce is finalized and ends up living at her brother’s best friend’s ranch. Only problem is her brother has expressly forbidden anything from happening between the two of them – but that started when she was just a teenager, surely he doesn’t feel the same way now that they’re almost 30 – except he does. So there’s a kiss pretty early on, feelings expressed – then a LOT of book about how Wyatt will react and what they should do about it and if they’ll just give up because they don’t want to make him mad.

What I liked: I really liked Ava, Carson’s daughter – and she’s what made this a 4 star book over a 3 star book.

What I disliked: The conflict with the brother felt like terrible teen angst slash stupid sibling rivalry. How do you know what’s best for your sister when you won’t even speak to her about it? You preventing him from being with her so she doesn’t get hurt is just hurting her now, so stop!

Genre: Small town, second chance, sibling drama, closed door.

Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and sure, I’m going to keep reading the series about the other brothers, so it’s not that awful.

[Chelsea✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ✨✨✨

ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ ʟᴇᴠᴇʟ: 🚫

ᴘᴀɢᴇꜱ: 331

ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ:
He’s a grumpy cowboy and a single dad. He’s also my overprotective brother’s best friend... and when I agreed to stay at his ranch, falling for him was never in the plan.

ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ:
Now I had extremely high expectations from this book based on other reviews I had seen and was quite disappointed with it.

Now the parts I liked, they didn’t gloss over the cowboy part of cowboy books as some I have read before, as a horse rider myself I was not disappointed with the accuracy of how the horses acted (I’m looking at you Thunder and Brownie).
I loved little Ava and her ‘I have everyone wrapped around my fingers attitude’
I was quite happy with how fast paced this book was.

The parts I didn’t like, I found Emma to be quite 50/50 in some chapters I loved her and her whit, other times she made me feel like if I met her in person it would be onsite🥊. I don’t like how she kept wish washing between “oh I hate Carson” and “oh I love him” like pick a side a stick to it, she tended to ignore how he felt and it seemed like she was a bit self absorbed.

Carson, I loved you but man did you need therapy…possibly church, I wish the delved more into his relationship with Ava and her non existent mum. I wish we saw more of his so called friendship with the asshat Wyatt.

[Manee Contreras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance level: kissing 🔥.

This is the start of a new series for Kristine and I am so excited!!! The chemistry between those two was there from the start.

I loved the first few lines😂. It was so funny. He was so grumpy at the beginning 😅 like a lion with a torn in his paw. He was aloof sometimes, but I liked how he got softer around Emma.

The brother's best friend plot was interesting. It felt familiar but at the same time was so good & unique!

Poor Carson, but he needed to figure out what he wanted.

I wish I could tell more, but I don't want to spoil anything. I want to let you enjoy the twists & turns when you read it.

What I can say is that I loved the horse search & rides 🐎. THE Horse Search was such a key point in the story. It took me a minute to digest what happened & how it did, but after that, it was so cute.

These two were just so sweet. I loved how they were with each other and also with Ava. She was so wise for her age!

I can't wait for what's to come! Excited to see if we get Wyatt & the Lewis's brothers. Give us the cowboys!🤠

⚠️TW: divorce; cheating (not MC); neglecting parent/partner.

🐎
* I was kindly gifted an ARC from the author. This doesn't influence in any form my review/opinion of the book*

[Marissa Busk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book, but boy did those hard headed cowboys make me frustrated!

Emma is recently divorced and moving back to the small town she is from. Her brother's best friend,
Carson, lets her stay in the apartment above the barn.
Carson is a single dad who lives on his families old ranch.

From the moment Emma arrives they both realize that their old feelings from high school weren't something that just magically disappeared because they haven't seen each other in a while. But things are even more complicated now as adults. Not only does Emma's brother still have a rule about his friends dating his sister, but Carson also has a daughter that he doesn't want to get attached to someone that might leave. In fact he hasn't dated since she was born because he didn't want her to get hurt.

There were so many times I was frustrated with the characters and how they handled situations, but was still ultimately rooting for them to get together.
The author does a great job of creating suspense around a scary moment. I couldn't put the book down until I found out how all the characters were doing.

Ava is the cutest kid and the perfect addition to a book of hard headed cowboys. In fact her moment in the epilogue was my favorite part by far. I might be biased as a second grade teacher, but her happiness in the epilogue was everything I needed from this book.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow Burn Romance.
I’m a sucker for a cowboy and getting to know Carson Lewis and how he became a single dad is just heart swooning. But I love the story introduction. What a great mood starter! Falling off a horse because he caught sight of a pretty girl and getting hurt-epic attention grabber. And learning about Emma Moore and how she got herself back together after a divorce, we learn more and what a journey she’s taken to reclaim her self confidence-good for her. Knowing these two were childhood friends just makes this sweet and endearing and her being the younger sister to Carson’s best friend, Wyatt is what defines the story of being ‘off-limits’. The whole story captures and absorbs the attention while the scenes retain the humor, sweet and even those tense moments. A wonderful story about second chance and family. What is endearing about this author is that she sells the story without the sexy scenes. Her strength is those scenes that leads the heart and not the libido. She’s my ‘Hallmark’ romance author who makes me feel good and believes in love.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[RedReviews4You Susan-Dara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great second chance romance that blends in the brother’s best friend trope. A fun feel good book that has great characters, good dialogue, and is as refreshing and sweet as a tall glass of Texas Sweet Tea. Emma is returning home after a divorce and literally knocks Wyatt off his horse shortly after her return. There always was a spark between this pair but the timing was never right before; but driving together to the hospital after his fall and the intimacy of being mistaken for husband and wife while the surly cowboy needs help recovering can easily chart a course for romance. But how does one navigate coming back to live at home, recovering from a divorce, and finally realizing that her brother’s best friend is actually the man she wants most of all?? Clean and fun, the Lucky Seven Ranch is someplace I look forward to returning to again because I want to know more about Emma’s brother and I can’t wait to see Carson, Wyatt’s best friend, find his own match.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Coffeenbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore everything this author writes and this book is no exception. This story is about a single dad cowboy that is afraid to take a chance on love.

Carson is totally smitten with Emma, his best friend's little sister. How did he miss her becoming so beautiful that he sees stars? Or is that from falling off his horse because he was too busy staring at her?

As a favor to Wyatt, Emma's brother, Emma is staying with Carson to clear her head after her marriage ends. How did she forget how devastatingly handsome he was?

Carson is conflicted. He really likes Emma - and so does his daughter, Ava - but Wyatt has a firm policy against his friends dating his sister. Carson struggles to keep his feelings for Emma platonic, which is hard to do when she feels just as drawn to him... However, Emma is tired of the hot and cold game Carson is playing with her emotions. Will he make a decision to stand up to Wyatt or will he be alone forever?.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jennifer Whalen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times- I’m a sucker for a cowboy romance! There’s something about a man in boots and hat that makes him extra swoony.

Carson was the perfect balance of grump and swoony. He really knew how to romance a woman! And his skills as a single dad made him even more loveable.

Emma was just pure sunshine, so easy going and easy to root for. I love how she loved Ava and Carson but also held her ground and demanded what she deserved.

I could have finished this book in one sitting if I didn’t need sleep! 😂 it was so fun and fast paced. With a very exciting and unexpected third act that had me on the edge of my seat. Cannot wait to read the next book in this series.
And as an added bonus, we got a glimpse in to overprotective Wyatt (Emma’s older brother) and I loved him! I hope he gets his own book in this series!

This book is clean and closed door- meaning it is free of swearing and explicit sexual content.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Ava is freaking awesome I kind of wish there was more of her in the book. Although there is a good amount. Ava is Carson’s seven-year-old daughter, and she has all the sass and sunk. She does try to do a little bit of matchmaking with Carson and Emma but not too much to help them get together. Carson is a hardheaded grumpy cowboy who has liked Emma since he was young, but she has always been off limits because she is his best friend’s younger sister. Emma liked Carson as well when they were younger but left the small town of Roberta and got married but now, she is back after being divorced. They both know that they shouldn’t get involved with each other because it will only complicate things. But the heart wants what the heart wants. This was a great closed door romcom it all the sizzle without going over the line which is really nice. There are some very funny moments, most of them with Ava’s sunk. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

[Kate Fredrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this best friends 'off-limits' sister to lover story! This is the first in Kristine's new series and it has started off super sweet. Carson is a single dad, melt my heart into a puddle right here, who has had feelings for his best friend's sister ever since they were little. The only problem is that Emma is 100% off limits. Normally that would be fine, except Emma has found herself back in town looking to get her life back together and is staying on the ranch with Carson. This romance is filled with sweet secret romance moments, a grumpy cowboy, accidents that seem to keep happening, closed door romance, and painted toe nails. This book will take your heart on quite the journey to finding out if Emma and Carson are meant to be together or not!

Thank you so much Kristine for my free ebook! It was not expected for me to leave positive feedback. These opinions are 100% my own!

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of suspense and sweetness

Take one cowboy and his young daughter and add his best friend's sister, but be sure to keep it on the lowdown from the best friend. Why you ask? Because that best friend has always had a " hands off my sister " policy that he is still enforcing more than ten years later! Just a couple problems... the couple are falling in love and the daughter has "found" A mother!

So many emotions! So many miscommunications as well as a lack of communication. Such a stubborn and inconsiderate brother who loves his sister very much. It's almost impossible to have hope that everything will get resolved.

Fabulous characters in perfect dialect, plenty of horses, and forbidden love. What else could you hope for‽ This was a compelling story that was fun and entertaining from start to finish!

[Megan Crofton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one from the very beginning! I am sucker for the grumpy/sunshine trope and this one definitely delivered. Also, I related and felt right at home with the horse anecdotes and details.

Emma and Carson had such an easy, comfortable relationship once they got through their first dilemma together. They had some history since they grew up together and I think that helped establish such a quick relationship. The added drama of being her brother's best friend played in to the story very well. That relationship added some great drama! I felt Carson's struggle and the way Joy wrote and handled it made it very relatable. He was stuck and couldn't figure out which way to go.

Emma's relationship with Carson's daughter was so sweet and natural, they got along so well. I also loved getting to know the brothers a little bit since the rest of the stories in the series will be about them. They are fun! And all so different. Love Hunter's comedic relief in the tense situations. Bailey was also such a fun character!

Joy's books are always so romantic, but also have a layer of relatable drama and conflict. This one was done so well and added such an incredible layer to the story.

[Kristina Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect feel good, mouth hurts from smiling too much, HEA story! This is an author I have grown to really enjoy, and she once again did not disappoint! Carson is a grumpy, stubborn cowboy, and Emma is the best friend’s sister. Perfect, right?! I love how she really brought the whole cowboy/ranch way of life to fruition through the descriptions and how her characters act and speak. You feel as if you are right there! And if you think you know exactly know the story goes, think again-there are definitely some twists you won’t see coming. I am so hooked in the Lucky Seven Ranch and the brothers…I can’t wait to see whose story will be next! If you love good ol’ clean rom-coms, you will definitely enjoy this book!

[Elaine Coghlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Off-Limits Cowboy #1 by Kristine W.Joy
A new series from Kristine and different from her first series. I really enjoyed this book and fell into the story from the very first page until the last. Off-Limits Cowboy has fantastic characters for you to fall in love with. Here we have Emma, who has returned home after her divorce and is staying in an apartment over the sables on Caulson Lewis's ranch.
Emma just happens to be the sister of Caulson's best friend Wyatt. Will they be able to get a HEA?
A great book to start the series, which kept me entertained from beginning to end. Kristine has given us new characters that we can care about. Off-Limits Cowboy just pulls you in and never lets's go

[Korkoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Love Prevails -
This was a really entertaining and truly captivating story, that had me glued to the pages from the beginning and made it difficult for me to take a break until I finished reading the book. My experience after reading Kristine Joy books is that I actually want to be friends with the characters and live in the town (even though it is fictional 🤦‍♂️). My advice for reading this book is to carve out a few hours where you will not be disturbed, get yourself a glass or bottle of your favourite drink (mine is a bottle of wine 🤪), relax on the sofa and immerse yourself in this awesome book. It will definitely be a worthwhile experience.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kim Mears · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

This story is about Carson and Emma.
When Emma comes back to town after her divorce and Carson sees how beautiful she has become. He always thought that that nothing could ever happen between them as he is best friends with her brother. Emma also cannot get Carson out of her head and thinks him and his daughter could be the family she has been looking for.
As Carson is loyal to his friend, he wants him to know how he feels about Emma before pursuing a relationship with her. But will Emma's brother be the one thing standing in their way of happiness.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.