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Code of the West #1

Cowboys Don't Cry

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Don’t Fence Me In

When Wyoming cowboy Robert Tanner promised to help out the new owner of the Three Bar C, he didn’t expect to have to teach a city girl schoolteacher how to run a ranch. Worse, Maggie MacLeod was a beautiful feisty redhead with flashing eyes and kissable lips — a woman who could tempt a saint.

Tanner was far from a saint. He didn’t do permanent, he didn’t do relationships. The smart thing would be to leave. But a man was only as good as his word. Trouble was, the longer he stayed, the more Maggie got under his skin…

The Tanner Brother series
Book 1: Cowboys Don't Cry
Book 2: Cowboys Don't Quit
Book 3: Cowboys Don't Stay

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1995

1161 people are currently reading
929 people want to read

About the author

Anne McAllister

348 books124 followers
Anne McAllister has written nearly 70 romance novels for Tule Publishing and Harlequin Books.

She has won two RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America — for COWBOY PRIDE and THE STARDUST COWBOY — and has had nine other books which were RITA finalists.

Her books have also been finalists for the National Readers’ Choice Award. She was named Midwest Fiction Writers “Writer of the Year” and also received Romantic Times’ Career Achievement Award as “Series Author of the Year.”

But while the awards and sales are wonderful, Anne thinks the best part of writing is telling the story. With every new book she writes, she meets new characters – or gets to know old ones even better – and discovers what makes them and their relationships tick.

It’s the relationships that interest her most and the question about “where do you get your ideas?” has always astonished her as she has more ideas than she knows what to do with!

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5 stars
595 (37%)
4 stars
530 (32%)
3 stars
343 (21%)
2 stars
104 (6%)
1 star
35 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
Profile Image for Cheesecake.
2,800 reviews510 followers
March 20, 2022
So disappointed. I've been wanting to read this author for quite a while and I was expecting a harlequin style story with a bit more emotion. And I got that... but

Tanner is a cowardly, rather stupid man-child.

And I never did get to know Maggie like... AT ALL.

The POV is all Robert Tanner's and since he spends most of the book avoiding Maggie, you never get to know much about her except that she's drawn to Tanner for some unfathomable reason, despite his OTT avoidance of her like she has the plague. Was she a virgin or not? Still not sure about that.

Tanner's employer kicks the bucket and wills her ranch to a woman he's never met; Maggie. Before the owner died, Abby made him promise to stay long enough to ensure that Maggie would be able to run the ranch on her own.
So pages and pages of him fighting his lust for Maggie.
What's his problem? Well other than his being an idiot...
Maggie is perfect and there are hints of her having an very interesting background, but the author never goes anywhere with that and I gotta say, that was almost as disappointing as Tanner's determination to be a sad lonely old man.

There is a separation that was a real low for Tanner, and he was already pretty low on my list of 'Heroes'. When he finally pulls his head out of his ass months later, Maggie is having none of it.
I thought... awesome, gleefully rubbing my hands and getting ready for his comeuppance. But no...

Tanner is still a coward and in the 11th hour when he finally finds his balls, Maggie was all like "oh well why didn't you say so in the first place?" ...and all is forgiven.

BLECH!!

safety is ok
Profile Image for Lu.
756 reviews25 followers
November 29, 2019
Shy, introvert cowboy fighting the power of love

Tanner has tried before and relationships and marriage just did not work for him. He messed up big and he was not going to take a chance ever again. But Maggie just inherited the ranch he works for and she
is so fierce and beautiful and she keeps reaching for him. He fortified his walls, stayed away as much as possible, but when the pull towards her becomes unbearable he takes the easy way out.
This is the second book I read from the series (I started by book three) and I love Tanner and his brothers because they are so quiet, so introspective and yet so full of love.
Maggie is great too. She knows what she wants and she is not afraid of putting her heart on the line, even if it is on a straight path to heartbreak.
Profile Image for Chloe Reads Books.
1,215 reviews499 followers
May 29, 2020
This was not very good, I'm sorry.
My main issue with this was the way time felt while reading this book. There were several points where I wasn't sure whether an hour was supposed to have passed, or a month.
The relationships also didn't seem to have any foundation? So I couldn't find a reason why Tanner was reacting so dramatically to Maggie.
Profile Image for Somia.
2,069 reviews171 followers
April 25, 2020
Not the tantalising contemporary cowboy romance I was hoping for.

I think having a dual POV may have helped tons, but we only get the hero's and it just wasn't was enough to ensnare me. I didn't find myself caring that much about the characters or what would happen.

Potential Triggers:

Freebie on Amazon 18th April 2020.

Profile Image for Mary Carlisle.
33 reviews1 follower
March 24, 2017
Bad Read

Title should be Cowboys Whine--the whole book, even during sex. I gave this '1 star ' so no one thought I forgot to grade the story. this was my first read for this author and my last. Just sorry I c a n't get my money back. :(
Profile Image for Eve.
923 reviews20 followers
March 10, 2021
Absolute shite. We have once again encountered a book where the first 50% maybe was alright, it was barable, are was able to look past some of the faults? But then, oh momma, things got *bad*. This "protagonist" was bad, just really not great. Sure, he didn't do anything reprehensible but he certainly managed to leave a bad taste in my mouth. He was rude, he was mean, I'm pretty sure he was verging on sexist at times too. Y'know, this is a romance, we're meant to be rooting for him and the love interest, but it just didn't make any sense. This man is horrible to her 24/7 and we're meant to overlook it because he "loves her" (aka he's just mega horny for her). Imagine if we weren't reading this from his POV, it'd just be a man mistreating a woman for seemingly no reason. Not to mention that if we ignore that she's his love interest, SHE'S STILL HIS BOSS!! You can't be treating her like that!!

There's so much more I could say about this man but I'll leave it there for today. Other issues included the fact that it didn't feel like there was an actual story going on, it was just one man's thoughts, lusting after some woman. None of the characters really had any personality, they didn't serve any purpose. It often just felt like we were going over the same issue over and over again in a never ending cycle.

Honestly, I just don't think this book was written very well. Y'know, it really had the potential to do something, to deal with some big issues. "Man marries young, he's not a good husband, has to look after his family alone, loses his baby, gets divorced", you can do lots of great things with this, could have pulled on some heartstrings but no, that's not what happened. This was meant to be his crux, he had to overcome this so he could fall in love again. This book would rather focus on how sexy the love interest is than have any depth. We never really saw his struggle, we never felt anything in regards to his issues because they were laid out to us like "this is what happened, now he can't get some, the end". There was no emotion behind.

Anywho, I didn't like this book.
Profile Image for Christine .
1,161 reviews61 followers
January 16, 2022
Not your average cowboy confident romance. An original story with a hero filled with self-doubt, self-confidence, and a stubborn personality. Lucky the heroine was just the opposite. “Cowboys Don’t Cry” was an engaging, fun, slightly angsty, slow burn romance with some serious tones. I enjoyed Tanner and Maggie’s story. I loved the ranch and Wyoming setting. When the author paints a perfect picture with her words, I can be more engaged in the whole story. I can see it; not just read about it. This was the first in a series and I would definitely like to read more about the Tanner family. The only reason I didn’t award five stars was because the POV was solely the heroes. I would have enjoyed the book more if I was privilege to Maggie’s thoughts as well.

This is my honest and unbiased review and I thank you for taking the time to read it!
Profile Image for CB.
726 reviews22 followers
its-a-no-for-me-dawg
January 6, 2026
Not interested - 🧼
1,603 reviews12 followers
November 30, 2019
This is an OK cowboy romance, but the H was annoying. I also thought the story was a bit too unrealistic.

I got irritated with Tanner a few times, because he did and said some really dumb things. I get that he was convinced he wouldn't be good for Maggie (because of his failed marriage), but that was no excuse to avoid all relationships. Also, and no spoilers here, but what he did after they got together was awful. I'm really surprised Maggie forgave him as quickly as she did -- she should have made him do some serious groveling.

Maggie was likable enough, but I didn't believe that she fell in love with Tanner so quickly. He was often rude and bossy to her, and acted like he didn't want her around. But she still fall in love with him? I just didn't buy it.

My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
Profile Image for Tracey Cramer-Kelly.
Author 49 books342 followers
April 24, 2020
Tanner had a heavy load of responsibility from a young age and a traumatic event that he wasn’t mature enough to process at the time (and still hasn’t at the start of the book). I felt the author portrayed the reticent, non-talking, averse-to-showing-emotions cowboy type well. However, I did not like how he treated Maggie, nor could I figure out why she thought she was in love with him. A woman like her should be smarter than that, although we don’t really get to know her (maybe because the book was all in Tanner’s POV and he spent much of the book avoiding her). She felt like a cut-out… perfect, no apparent flaws… not real. When she finally breaks down Tanner’s defenses (from a physical standpoint), what he does is awful. I just didn’t have a lot of respect for him after that, and even when he returned to the ranch, he still didn’t get real with her about his feelings until the absolute past-last-minute.
Profile Image for Vi.
732 reviews2 followers
October 20, 2017
Tanner's a free spirit who doesn't believe in relationships. He's been working on the 3 Bar C ranch for Abigail Crum, as her foreman. Abigail, 84 years old, wanted to leave the ranch to him, but he declined. She ended up leaving it to a someone Tanner doesn't know.
Maggie, a schoolmarm, inherited the 3 Bar C. She's thrilled to inherit the ranch and have a home and income for herself and her two brothers. Tanner isn't happy about her decision to live on the ranch, or his attraction to Maggie...
Clashing personalities and resisting the romance between Tanner and Maggie, make for a lively read. However, felt Tanner's stubbornness and animosity towards Maggie was overplayed; Maggie took his harsh treatment somewhat meekly. Other than that, the story was well written and the other characters warm and lively! A standalone read.
Profile Image for Elgyn.
3,085 reviews39 followers
June 18, 2020
Hezké, ale občas neudržela myšlenku.

s. 33 Všiml si jí, když prodávala v Harrisonově železářství
Kovbojův návrat, s. 12 Robert zamlada chodil se svojí spolužačkou ze školy...

s. 83
snažil se být výborným otcem i manželem
Otcem? Když se dítě narodilo mrtvé a on ho ani neviděl (s. 35)? Manželem? Když se většinu času snažil manželce vyhnout?

s. 67 [Robert] Poprvé po dlouhé době přemýšlel, co se s nimi asi přihodilo
Kovbojův návrat, s. 118 Robert ty sešity vyhodil

Pokud učitelka někomu na s. 15 opravuje gramatiku, neměla by po zbytek knížky mluvit hovorově.

Úplně jsem nepobrala, jak vypadají „hrací karty“ u scrabblu. (s. 135, 136, 137)


s. 7 stroužek krve ?

ji/jí - s. 7, 11, 44, 82, 99
mě/mně – s. 9
uvozovky - s. 104
Profile Image for Beth.
2,912 reviews26 followers
June 18, 2017
Good, quick read. The story is ok...a bit far-fetched. We're supposed to buy that Abby leaves her ranch to some person who is practically a stranger because she's playing matchmaker from the grave? Tanner's reluctance to get involved with Maggie and the reasoning for it is also a bit over the top. When the precipitating event occurs and we have the relationship crisis it is just irritating. And then the attempt at amends which is thwarted is too ridiculous given what occurs right after it. I want to be more specific but hate spoilers!!

If you are willing to just suspend some rational thinking then it is an ok story story. Not great, not horrible. I'm not sorry I read it and might read more by this author.
Profile Image for Stephanie Bolen.
2,151 reviews28 followers
March 9, 2020
The time line is screwy

If a man took off on me for three to six months--there would be nothing for him to come back for. But she didn't really love him, she didn't really know him. He didn't and doesn't really know himself. When someone is just surviving and not dealing with past trauma, they are running. And everything will hit when they stop. But most people never do stop running. He was right when he said she deserved better. And she should have had it. He never stopped running. Maybe he will but I have a feeling their relationship won't last longer than his fear when she gets pregnant. Cause he'll run again. He may stay there but he'll run like when she first got to the ranch.
2,747 reviews128 followers
December 27, 2020
Cowboys Don’t Cry is the first in Anne McAllister’s Tanner Brothers and Code of the West series. Told entirely in Tanner’s (Robert only to Maggie) third person perspective, it’s a bit old school and a bit angsty, about a tough guy rancher who doesn’t know how to let down his walls after a heartbreaking loss early in his marriage.

Tanner is the foreman on Abigail Crumm’s ranch, and while he refuses to be named inheritor to her property when she passes, he agrees to remain on to care for it when the new owner, the too lovely Maggie MacLeod. A schoolteacher, she’s bound and determined to make a home out of the gift she’s been bequeathed.

Anne McAllister’s story is engaging, and Maggie is a paragon. A solid start to the series!
Profile Image for Barbara Cuyler.
Author 3 books2 followers
May 3, 2020
This is a very well-written book where the reader gets to know Tanner and Maggie through only Tanner's point of view, which was a nice change from a lot of the romances I've read lately, which alternate between the two main characters' first person point of view. The dialogue was really good. There were times I wanted to shake Tanner for being so stubborn in his belief that he wouldn't be good in a long-term relationship, but the book kept me thoroughly engaged as Maggie gradually made him question that. A lot of sexual tension without the overdone graphic sex
Profile Image for Pauline Frost.
1,471 reviews5 followers
October 7, 2018
A cowboy you fall for and the Tanner brothers are a story you want to meet all three brothers and find out their story. This one is about the oldest brother Robert and the journey he takes. Then throw in Maggie a city person to learn the life of running a ranch that was left to her. A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start.
401 reviews2 followers
April 26, 2020
Good Quick Read

I love a cowboy and Tanner is a stubborn, prideful, stoic cowboy who decides that he doesn’t deserve to be loved. But when Maggie becomes his boss he is tempted...very tempted. I enjoyed the characters and Tanner’s struggle although it took a bit too long ( in my opinion) for him to realize that Maggie was his destiny.
Profile Image for Judy.
2,007 reviews13 followers
June 4, 2023
New beginnings

Maggie is a teacher and is the new owner of a ranch. She doesn't know anything about ranching but is willing to learn. Tanner has worked there for years and doesn't want anything to tie him down . But things are taking a turn that he didn't see coming. I received a free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a honest review.
37 reviews
February 15, 2018
Cowboys Don't Cry(Tanner Brothers Book 1)

This book was a very well-written story of a good man and how he was afraid to enjoy his life. I recommend it to anyone who wants a good read..
516 reviews2 followers
September 18, 2018
Cowboys Don't Cry

Another great story. It is not totally clean, but the intimacy is always discrete. Ms. McAllister brings emotion to the reader. I ached, yearned, laughed, and cried.
Profile Image for Kelly Palmer.
877 reviews2 followers
October 28, 2018
Good

I enjoyed this heartwarming cowboy book. Robert and Maggie's story is a chance of happiness that's too frightening to take. I wanted to knock some sence in to Robert. An enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to the second book!
918 reviews3 followers
April 18, 2020
Packs a Punch

This story started off like many others, but by the end it was in a class of its own. Few if any short cowboy romances make me tear up, but this one did. Do not miss it!
Profile Image for Mary.
943 reviews9 followers
April 19, 2020
Tanner Learns the Hard Way

Tanner was the ranch foreman but he never expected what he got when Maggie became the owner. He's tried marriage and never wanted to fail like that again.
25 reviews
May 8, 2020
I love westerns about small towns and ranches. I liked the characters but I felt like the book ended abruptly. Everything all tied up nice and neat. I love happy endings but I felt like I needed to know more?
8 reviews
May 16, 2020
Not my favorite

This book is a little too contrived. I really doubt modern cowboys are like Tanner who is so sure of himself as a ranch fireman but so unsure of himself in every other area. I was hoping for more of a alpha in the starring role.
Profile Image for Jane Drager.
Author 14 books132 followers
July 24, 2020
I've never read a story where the male character tries so hard to be miserable. I wanted to strangle some sense into him. Overall, the book is well written with strong characters, but some readers may find his anger a deterrent. Low on sex, no foul language. Happily ever after ending.
58 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2020
I really enjoyed this well-written book. I like the strong silent type of heroes. Maggie was strong as well in her own way and very kind and caring. I will read the next in the series for sure. I thought the chemistry between them was just right and love the cowboy books.
Profile Image for Deanna Walker.
679 reviews9 followers
July 3, 2021
I really enjoyed the book and it was very clean romance of cowboys….

I’m glad that Tanner got along good with Maggie in the end of the book…So good!

Looking forward to read more book from this book series soon…
Profile Image for Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams.
2,705 reviews5 followers
October 20, 2022
Cowboys Don't Cry (Tanner Brothers Book 1)

The love story of Robert and Maggie. Robert was call Tanner by everyone but when Maggie walked into his life she call him Robert. Tanner give up on love after his first married fail. Can he find his heart again? Great story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews

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