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Grape Seed Falls #1

Choosing the Cowboy

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Maggie Duffin is all set to inherit her father's farm supply store in Amarillo, Texas. With only girls in her family, and Heidi now married and living at Three Rivers Ranch, she feels a sense of duty and family loyalty. Which is honorable—if it wasn't for her boyfriend, cowboy Chase Carver.

Chase is and always will be a cowboy at heart. He breaks up with nineteen-year-old Maggie at the request of her father, but he's miserable. He can only keep himself away for five months before returning to the store and the girl he loves. He believes that if he can prove to Maggie's father that he can provide a stable, secure life, that Chase and Maggie can be together again.

So he sets out on a quest to find his own ranch. But with financial trouble and personal issues around every corner, both Maggie and Chase will have to rely on their faith to find their happily-ever-after.

**This is an introductory novelette to the Grape Seed Falls Romance series, with full-length books starting with CRAVING THE COWBOY.**

68 pages, ebook

Published July 1, 2017

787 people are currently reading
326 people want to read

About the author

Liz Isaacson

359 books1,189 followers
★ USA TODAY BESTSELLER, AMAZON BESTSELLING AUTHOR, and KINDLE ALL STAR! ★

Liz Isaacson writes inspirational cowboy romances. Her Three Rivers Ranch Romance series has multiple #1 bestsellers in half a dozen categories. She loves all things to do with contemporary cowboys, and will write romance in Texas, Montana, Vermont, Wyoming, and anywhere else she can find horses and mountains. Find out more at lizisaacson.com. Join her fandom by texting COWBOY to 801-618-2114 for exclusive sales and freebies.

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5 stars
426 (58%)
4 stars
179 (24%)
3 stars
89 (12%)
2 stars
26 (3%)
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4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
Profile Image for S. Daisy.
200 reviews63 followers
January 26, 2018
This is a sweet Christian romance novella, taking place in Texas in the late 1980s. Maggie loves Chase, the cowboy of her dreams who works at the ranch of her sister and brother-in-law. And Chase loves Maggie, the sweet small-town gal who stole his heart. They believe God meant for them to be together, and they want to get married. But Maggie's dad has other ideas. Chase barely makes ends meet with his job, and cannot provide for her properly. Chase has no land, and no home for her. Chase is six years older than 19-year-old Maggie. And Maggie's dad wants to pass the family store down to her, but not if she is too busy with her own life to take care of it. Her dad gives her an ultimatum: either the store, or Chase. What will she choose?

I thought that this story was a quick, cute, sweet read, and I liked the fact that other than a lot of kissing and hugging it was a very clean book. A great light, fluffy read, perfect for when you're looking for a book that you don't have to invest much time or thought into. Four stars!
Profile Image for Courtney.
4,298 reviews
February 5, 2018
Now I am sure that not everyone is a major Liz Isaacson fan as I am, but if you happen to be a fan of her novels about 'Three Rivers Ranch'- you'll love this book! Wonderful characters, page turner, and inspirational are just a few of the adjectives that I would use to describe this novel by Ms. Isaacson!

"Choosing the Cowboy" is a wonderful tale about Maggie, Heidi from 'Three Rivers' sister, and her very own cowboy Chase. We left Maggie in the book written about Heidi and Frank, in this story she worked with her father at his store and was secretly dating Chase behind her family's back. All of this has come back into play in this spin-off series about the 'Grape-Seed Falls' located in Hill Country.

This is the first and only novel in this series so far, but I look forward to the others to come later on in the future!
Profile Image for Tamera Westhoff.
1,099 reviews6 followers
April 17, 2019
Sweet Prequel

This is a clean short story introducing us to Grapeseed Falls, Maggie, and Chase. I'm still confused as to why it says it's the 7th book, but it's still a great story about how things cone together!
Profile Image for Christina.
800 reviews34 followers
February 13, 2018
3.5 Stars for a sweet novella

This was a cute read. I enjoyed the ranching/cowboy theme and the storyline was sweet. Definitely a quick novella, but a good clean romance.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews128 followers
Want to read
April 10, 2019
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/10/2019)! 🎁
Profile Image for Lila Diller.
Author 11 books47 followers
March 27, 2018
(First of all, I don't like how Amazon's "it's okay" is a 3* but Goodreads' is only 2*. I gave it a 3 on Amazon, so I'll give it a 3 here, even though it really was just "okay" in my opinion.)

I read this all in one sitting. It was cute but fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed the two main characters, Chase and Maggie, and I liked the faith element (though brief). However, I felt like there should have been more. I kept feeling that I was missing something.

A few spoilers: I wish we had started with the breakup instead of the makeup. And every time anything needed to happen for Chase to get the farm, it just somehow landed in his lap. He didn't have to do much for anything. Even for Maggie, all he had to say was “I'm sorry,” and she was ready to marry him.

I felt like I was cheated out of the best parts, with very little real tension, like the author just hurriedly threw something together as a prelude to the real series and called it #1. If this is how sparse the storyline is going to be in the next one, I'll be too disappointed to continue.

I had one favorite quote: “His problem still existed, but at least he had chocolate to go with it” (p.43).

(I received this book free, but the decision to write a review, as well as the opinions expressed in it, are all my own.)
Profile Image for Precious Deskin.
10 reviews
April 27, 2018
A good clean romance series

Choosing the Cowboy by Liz Isaacson is the first book in The Grape Seed Ranch series.
Chase loves Maggie but knows there's no future for them unless he can provide a good life for her. It's not that he doesn't want to provide a good life for her; He does. He wants to be with Maggie more than anything else. Her father is the main stopping block. Her father wants the best for his daughter .... He also hopes that she will take over the feed store when he retires. Chase doesn't want to work at the feed store. He doesn't want to be trapped inside.
Chase finds out that a ranch in Grape Seed is up for sale. He makes arrangements to go look at it and asks Maggie to go with him. If he can secure Grape Seed Ranch, it will be the answer to all his/their dreams.
Will Chase be able to buy the ranch? Will it look like the description he read about? Will Maggie want to give up the family store that she loves so much? Will Chase ever be accepted by her father?
1,265 reviews6 followers
June 21, 2018
What do you do when your dad tells you and your boyfriend that you can't see each other anymore because he is too old for you. That happens with Maggie and Chase. Although Maggie is almost twenty she still lives at home and is expected to take over the family business. Chase stays away out of respect for her father but after months of being miserable he stops by the store to see Maggie and start seeing each other again. Chase and Maggie both admit they still love each other and want to be together. The only problem is Maggie's dad won't allow her to marry someone who is just a cowhand so Chase starts looking into getting a loan and looking for property. Maggie's dad is ready to retire and hand over the keys to her for the family business but will not do it when he finds out that she is seeing Chase again. Will Chase find property and be able to get a loan? Will Maggie choose Chase or the family business? Where is the property Chase is looking at? They both rely on their faith to help them make the right decisions.
Profile Image for Lee.
604 reviews13 followers
July 10, 2017
What a lovely romance! This novella is the perfect beginning to the Grape Seed Falls Romance series.
Maggie is a young woman who works at her father's supply store. Her older sister married recently and moved to a large ranch with her husband. And all Maggie can think of is the fact that her sister is living on the same ranch as the man Maggie loves, Chase, who works at the ranch. Five months earlier, her father made it clear that she didn't need to see Chase anymore, since he was too old for her and had no way to take care of her. She had been heartbroken ever since. But her whole outlook changes when Chase comes to the store and declares his love for her and says he has to be in her life. Maybe things are looking up, and, besides she's almost 20, quite old enough to decide who she wants to date... I enjoyed the short book, and highly recommend it. I would love to see more of the couple, which I'm sure will happen as the series of books continues.
413 reviews6 followers
July 11, 2017
I honestly liked this story. It speaks of pure love and honor and maturity. Chase takes everything that Maggie's father told him seriously and does what he can to fulfill it. He takes ownership of his life like a mature adult and risks literally everything. For her part, Maggie realizes that she can't be a dependent child anymore either and has to reach toward adulthood as well.

I appreciated how they each honored each other. There was no selfishness or anything like that. I also appreciated how Chase was open for advice and learning. He wasn't so proud that he refused help. And, finally, I appreciated the focus on seeking God's will and guidance in life decisions.

It may be a short story, but it's got a lot packed in it that many young people today can learn from.

Romance - PG - some kissing
Language - clean
My rating - 5 stars.
Profile Image for Margaret Watkins.
3,564 reviews89 followers
March 5, 2018
Sometimes when parents make decisions about their children, they don't always make sense. When Maggie's Dad denied Chase's request to marry his daughter, it may have been harsh and seemingly unfeeling, but he was thinking of his daughter's best interests. What seemed like an unfair and unfeeling rejection of a proposal, resulted in Chase making life choices that stood him in good stead for the future and won the respect of all who knew him. It wasn't easy, but then nothing that is worth fighting for is. This is a sweet short story with a value lesson for everyone. It is also a prelude to the Grape Seed Falls series and whilst characters from previous stories appear in this one too, it is nevertheless a standalone with a happy ending.
Profile Image for Barbara Campbell.
1,778 reviews42 followers
April 5, 2025
While Goodreads lists this as book 7 in the series (as does Amazon), Liz Isaacson's booklist puts it as book 1 of the series. It is a novelette and a prequel to the Grape Seed Falls Romance series. I strongly encourage reading it first as it tells how everything starts.

Choosing the Cowboy is the sweet story of Heidi Duffin Ackerman's sister, Maggie, and her tenuous relationship with Chase Carver. Maggie and Chase are head over heels in love, but her father doesn't approve. 1. Chase is older than Maggie, who isn't yet 20. 2. Chase works as a cowboy at Three Rivers Ranch, which is not the life Maggie's father wants for her. He asks Chase to step back and, out of respect, he does... but just until he can find a ranch of his own and show Maggie's father that he can provide for her.

Profile Image for Kristen Lewendon.
8,429 reviews63 followers
February 3, 2018
This sweet little prequel takes us back to a time when the Three Rivers Ranch was still quite new. And while Three Rivers is a large part of the setting for this story, it’s all about how Chase is working to acquire a ranch in Grape Seed Falls so that he can be worthy of being Maggie’s husband. The obstacles Chase faces are difficult, and it hurt my hurt when he was plagued by self-doubt. But this pair has so much faith, in each other and in the Higher Power, that those obstacles only serve to prove their love for one another. I look forward to reading the new series that will take place on the new ranch.
667 reviews
April 16, 2021
Maggie and Chase

What a wonderful short story! Chase is run off by Mag's father, but he loves her so much he can only stay away for five months before he has to see her again and kiss her! Her parents aren't real happy he's back, but, they agreed that they would not lie or keep secrets from them! When an opportunity comes Chase's way to provide for Mag's in the way he feels her father will approve of his first reaction is he wants Mag's to see it with him! What is this opportunity? Will Mag's be happy about it? Will her father? Only one way to find out, read this great story by Liz Isaacson. 👍😊
7,766 reviews50 followers
July 3, 2017
CHOOSING THE COWBOY by Liz Isaccson Grape Seed Falls series
Chase, Daddy said he was too old for Maggie, and without a fight he went back to .Three Rivers Ranch. Now, after 5 months he back, saying he is miserable and wants her back. He needs his own ranch to support them, how can he get, without funds,he'll need a co signature.
She doesn't want to lie to her folks, that she is seeing him again. Will true love win her folks over, and Chase finds a ranch. Delightful story that puts a smile on your face.
Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.
135 reviews3 followers
July 2, 2017
Chase and Maggie were dating and when her parents found out, her Father wasn't happy because he was quite a bit older than Maggie. So Chase listened to her Father and left her alone. It was a hard few months and then he decided he needed to see her. It's a cute story about how true love doesn't just go away and about determination to get what you want. Chase does some things to try and win over Maggie's father and prove he can provide and take care of her. It is an extra short but cute and clean story. It gives you a glimpse of Liz's excellent writing.
Profile Image for Sandra.
1,498 reviews23 followers
July 4, 2017
We are first introduced to the two main characters, Maggie Duffin and Chase Carver, in The First Lady of Three Rivers Ranch. I love that Liz includes some of the previous characters in her books. Maggie's older sister Heidi as well as her husband Frank Ackerman, owner of The Three Rivers Ranch, are part of the story. Liz is know for her sweet, clean love stories and this one doesn't disappoint. I enjoy her novellas because I can read them in an afternoon. I am a usually a little disappointed only because I am left wanting more. Guess that's a good thing.
Profile Image for Jennie Fortna.
2,545 reviews29 followers
July 11, 2017
ARC for honest review with no compensation

Choosing the Cowboy (Grape Seed Fall series) by Liz Isaacson is another book that has characters from the Three Rivers Ranch series and what a good book it is.

Maggie and Chase were first introduced in the First Lady of Three Rivers Ranch but Maggie’s father thinks Chase is too old for her and tells Chase to go back to the ranch. After five months he knows that she is the one for him. Now he has to prove to her father he can and will take care of her.
Will true love prevail for these two??? Short, quick read, with God’s hand in all…..
Profile Image for Suzanne.
117 reviews2 followers
July 22, 2017
This novella follows the story of Maggie and Chase. Maggie's family owns a feed store in Amarillo that she is set to take over when her father retires. Chase is a cowboy at Three Rivers Ranch. They met at a dance and dated for several months before Maggie's father essentially put an end to it and told her she should date other people. Chase respected Maggie's father's wishes and left her alone for 5 months. He can't resist the girl he loves any longer. Chase and Maggie decide to get back together and Chase wants to marry her but feels he needs to have her father's approval. After a few twists and turns, Maggie and Chase get their HEA and a new series is born.

Liz Isaacson has worked her magic again. This is a sweet love story with great characters. I look forward to this new series.

I received an ARC of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest review.
Profile Image for Connie.
1,670 reviews6 followers
August 12, 2017
I received a free copy of this book and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

I was so excited to read this story. I read about Heidi and Frank and the Three Rivers series but I needed to read about Maggie's and Chase. Yeah, I wasn't disappointed either. Ms. Isaacson has such a wonderful gift of words. The stories just grab you in. You won't be able to stop reading. This one was a quick read but OH SO GOOD. I look forward to reading more stories about Grape Seed Falls!!!!!

HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone.
Profile Image for Dorothy Beer.
303 reviews4 followers
February 10, 2019
CHoosing the Cowboy Chase and Maggie were a nice couole , . Maggie was suppose to take over her fAther's Supply Store. Chase was working for her brother-in-law. Hexwanted to get his own

A nice story .Maggie was,running her fAther's supply store. Chase was working on her brother-in-law ranch. To show her father he was serious and worthy he wants to buy his own ranch. Nice chAracter's and a good ending. No big surprises. I gave it 4 stars
Profile Image for Michelle Ferrari-Johnson.
1,559 reviews39 followers
April 16, 2019
Maggie and Chase

As a huge fan of Liz Isaacson, I can honestly say I read her books when I want something wholesome to read. This story is no exception...

Chase has loved Maggie for a very long time. Unfortunately, her father made it clear, if you can't provide well for my daughter you can't be with my daughter.

Maggie loves Chase but seeing as she lives at home there isn't much she can do. How can she have her cake and eat it too?

Sweet novella and perfect read to escape reality ~
132 reviews
October 7, 2022
I really enjoyed this short novel about Maggie and Chase. They have been friends for a long time but Chase was away working for his Dad for a while. Maggie works in her Dad’s store but would really like to get married and move away. Not too far though. Maggie’s Dad isn’t very keen on Chase as he is a it older than his daughter.
It is a great short story with Chase and Maggie kissing but nothing more as they want to keep their love pure without saying it in so many words.
Thank you Liz for this book.
Profile Image for Joan Arning.
1,773 reviews29 followers
June 23, 2017
Choosing the Cowboy is the story of a cowboy who loves a younger girl and sets out to prove himself to her parents. Chase honors her dad's wishes and stays away from Maggie for five months to give her time to find someone else. I would have enjoyed a longer, more detailed version of the story but am guessing it may be a prologue for a new series. I received my e-book from the author. This is my honest opinion.
202 reviews
July 8, 2017
Maggie's dad would not let her have anything to do with Chase because he had no means to support her. He started looking for a ranch to purchase so that he could provide a home for Maggie. She told her dad that she was seeing him again. Chase found a ranch in the Hill country but he didn't have the money for the down payment Frank and Heidi gave them the money for the down payment on the ranch. Her dad signed for the note.
1,353 reviews
August 1, 2017
This story shows how sometimes love takes work, but this is not just work between Maggie and Chase. This is work to be able to establish their place in life. Set to be together, they have to change their plans when life throws them a curveball.

Choosing the Cowboy is the first book in the Grape Seed Falls Romance series. This book is a sweet clean romance and it is quick read. I really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it!
140 reviews1 follower
August 11, 2017
Chase Your Dream

This is a wonderful, quick book to read. Chase and Maggie, in spite of their age difference, are in love, but need to prove themselves to her father. The young couple show integrity, determination, and courage in order to obtain their dream. Sometimes we Chase after the wrong dream and need to get turned around. Grape Seed Falls is Book 1 in the series, so there is more to come.
1,353 reviews
August 23, 2017
This story shows how sometimes love takes work, but this is not just work between Maggie and Chase. This is work to be able to establish their place in life. Set to be together, they have to change their plans when life throws them a curveball.

Choosing the Cowboy is the first book in the Grape Seed Falls Romance series. This book is a sweet clean romance and it is quick read. I really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it!
1,482 reviews19 followers
July 5, 2024
Maggie Duffin inherits the family’s farm supply store in Amarillo, Texas. Chase Carver is a cowboy at heart and told to break up with his girlfriend Maggie at her father’s request. Chase returns to the store to prove to Maggie’s father that he can provide a life for Maggie. Chase purchases a ranch but runs into financial troubles. Both Chase and Maggie use their faith to survive on their own. I really enjoyed this marvelous western Christian romance novel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews

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