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King Family #4

The Cowboy

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CODY

We have three rules:

We never see each other’s faces. We don’t know each other’s names. We don’t say a word.

But at dawn when she steps out onto her private balcony over my work site, we show each other… everything.

She’s My Morning Girl and the rules keep both of us safe.

BEA

Yeah, Cody’s got a lot of rules and I have a few of my own. But the minute Cody walked into the bar where I work – I knew I’d break every last one of them. That’s why I can’t tell him I’m his Morning Girl. I’m head over heels for that broken-down cowboy and he only wants one version of me.

I take what I can get from him: scraps of friendship and his eyes on me every morning, but soon the secrets and lies grow out of control and the only thing I know for sure is I love him.

And when he finds out the truth, I’ll lose him for good.

211 pages, ebook

First published November 16, 2018

555 people are currently reading
832 people want to read

About the author

M. O'Keefe

31 books218 followers
This author is also published under: Molly O'Keefe.

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5 stars
317 (34%)
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321 (34%)
3 stars
204 (21%)
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66 (7%)
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20 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
Profile Image for Isabella. R.
1,007 reviews2,191 followers
October 17, 2020
4 Morning Girl Stars ⭐

Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom for all the pieces to reset, which is the case here. Two self-destructive people, who are in no real position to be forming relationships, will be each other's redemption.

Bea King is old money, yet prefers living like a pauper. A self-confessed disaster, she is presently working in a dive bar while avoiding life. With the company of her two dogs Thelma and Louise, she has finally acknowledged that changes and decisions need to be made, if only she knew what they were.

"Because I liked messes. Messes were my happy place. And if it wasn’t messy, I’d make shit messy, just so I felt comfortable."

Cody McBride was once a rodeo star. But with an accident that has destroyed his knee and career, he’s barely getting by. Hidden behind pain, anger and frustration, he is clearly broken and alone. And then he meets Bea, well two versions of her…

"You’re…fucking beautiful," he said.

I laughed with the magnanimous humor a good orgasm could give a girl. "You want to tell me your name?" I asked.

"No names," he said. "No faces. No talking. I’ll be back here tomorrow morning."

And then my cowboy voyeur was gone.


Their initial meeting was of two strangers; Bea deciding to be wanton and a cowboy who happened to be working construction next door. A morning peep show that continues for a few days.

Except Cody is now renovating the dive bar that Bea is working at and doesn’t realise that she is in fact his ‘Morning Girl’. With Bea not confessing the truth, the tentative friendship they have struck is based on lies.

"I bit my lip. Realized how selfish I was in my heart and how I didn’t want to screw this up. How I wanted to be friends with this man and I wanted to keep getting naked in front of this man and how I would lie to get what I wanted."

With Cody pushing Bea away at every turn, when Bea’s identity is finally revealed, it gives him the perfect ammunition to fuck things up royally.

The Cowboy was one emotional read. You really felt each character’s struggle and saw how ugly things got when you’ve forced all your loved ones away. Where Bea uses sass and bravado to hide her vulnerabilities, Cody uses resentment to keep everyone at arm’s length. Here I was anticipating some sugary cowboy lovin' romance, but instead I got two kinky individuals who stumbled across anonymous voyeurism that led to their HEA. Go figure!
Profile Image for Lana Reads.
477 reviews231 followers
October 20, 2020
God, those two were broken. They tiptoed around each other like two wounded animals, wanting to touch for comfort, but not daring.

I wasn't sure I liked the heroine, Bea, much from the first book. Yet again, this author made me understand and like this woman as soon as she introduced her here. The hero, Cody, took me some time, but I warmed up to him at the end too.

Their chemistry was off the charts, that O'Keefe did well. The grovel at the end? Not enough!! Damn, it wasn't enough for everything that went down... But I still enjoyed it and I'm glad I went there (as the second book in the series was pretty bad and almost discouraged me from reading more).
Oh, and there was some kink! The kink was good.

Now I want to read the third one, I'm all curious about The Bastard.
Profile Image for Molly O'Keefe.
Author 108 books2,136 followers
October 26, 2018
PHEW!!! Final draft is done! I will have ARC's ready soon - raise your hand if you want one!!

If you'd like an ARC -- here's the form!

http://bit.ly/2Rexutu

The Cowboy will be released November 16. And it will be free on KU!

https://amzn.to/2xPtKHI

I am so excited for you guys to meet Cody and watch him bring Bea to her knees!!!

CODY

We have three rules:

We never see each other’s faces. We don’t know each other’s names. We don’t say a word.

But at dawn when she steps out onto her private balcony over my work site, we show each other… everything.

She’s My Morning Girl and the rules keep both of us safe.

BEA

Yeah, Cody’s got a lot of rules and I have a few of my own. But the minute Cody walked into the bar where I work – I knew I’d break every last one of them. That’s why I can’t tell him I’m his Morning Girl. I’m head over heels for that broken-down cowboy and he only wants one version of me.

I take what I can get from him: scraps of friendship and his eyes on me every morning, but soon the secrets and lies grow out of control and the only thing I know for sure is I love him.

And when he finds out the truth, I’ll lose him for good.
Profile Image for Kimmylongtime.
1,324 reviews130 followers
Read
November 14, 2021
I know I know !! I read the entire series but I just couldn’t finish book 4 !! Are you mad at me ? I am mad at myself honestly … ugh 😣 I waited too long and I just didn’t love the story line anymore. You guys know I only sporadically enjoy rich people scandal. Very short spurts of time and only with particular authors. This held my interest pretty well and then about 50% I found myself rereading because I forgot what happened in the beginning.

I know this was probably freaking awesome but I just couldn’t go on. I love Molly O’Keefe because she makes me feel and cry but this didn’t do that for me and it kind of pulled me out of it.

I hope those of you who did finish this series loved it 😍 !!

Happy reading everyone 😍🥰😍🥰!!
Profile Image for Mairi Swan.
504 reviews38 followers
August 1, 2024
I'm not really sure how I feel about this book, I'm a little bit conflicted. The plot definitely wasn't my thing but mostly I didn't get the chemistry between them
Profile Image for Timitra.
1,755 reviews10 followers
November 17, 2018
I loved the premise of The Cowboy, it's one of the most unusual if not the most unusual first meet between main characters I've ever read. I loved that even though Bea and Cody's relationship started in a certain way friendship and love grew from.

Besides the sex scenes which were hot my fave thing was watching the characters realize that they weren't just A they were also x, y and z and everything else in between.

I enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.

Copy provided by author
Profile Image for Bette Hansen.
5,073 reviews40 followers
November 17, 2018
The Cowboy is the fourth book in the King Family series and it's a fantastic story. I'm going to keep this review short because it's hard to be too descriptive of Bea's story without spoilers and I think everyone should experience Bea and Cody's story as it unfolds on the pages. It's sexy, it's gritty, and it is oh so hot! Wonderfully written and these two damaged souls work fantastically together. I absolutely recommend this book and series to everyone.
492 reviews
June 26, 2019
No magic in this one

This is the first of the King’s books I’ve tried. The grammar and editing wasn’t bad. I didn’t note a lot of mistakes that happens in a lot of books now a days. So that as a good thing!
However, it was all just sort of boring? I guess is the best way to describe it. Her sisters mainly sounded like real b*tches, especiallySabrina who was most involved in this book.
No major action. Most of the book involved Cody and Bea just being friendly with one another interacting. Some secretive voyeurism not know who each other was, but it was just personal touching. So that got boring to read about after the first two times.
They didn’t have any dates or any real getting to know one another moments besides some time at the bar she was working at and he was doing construction on. But nothing really in-depth.
NO Sex until 87% and it was pretty darn mild in description!
I’m not planning to try the others in this series.
Profile Image for Lori R..
1,411 reviews71 followers
November 23, 2018
Loved everything about this one!

What an original and naughty and hot AF way to meet! I couldn’t wait for each little morning scene. I was as eager as Cody to get out by that oak tree at 7AM. The chemistry between Cowboy and his Morning Girl sparked with deliciousness. Their connection was more than just sexual. Their pull toward each other was strong.

Bea and Cody were so down on themselves, each with their own reasons. To see their growth both mentally and emotionally was a beautiful thing. The author made this story a very enjoyable one for me. This book made me smile, had me fanning myself, and definitely pulled at the heartstrings. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

Lots of heart, plenty of steam, and some powerful emotions throughout - loved it!

This is a great addition to the King Family saga!
And I can’t wait for Jack’s story!
Profile Image for Michelle Claypot_Reads.
2,513 reviews61 followers
January 11, 2020
Happy sigh 😍😍😍 This was the perfect end to the series. Bea and Cody’s book made me laugh so much. It also made me cry. These two could not be more damaged by their childhoods. Absolutely fantastic final chapter for this family.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews128 followers
Want to read
July 28, 2019
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (7/28/2019)! 🎁
Profile Image for Chelsea B..
569 reviews94 followers
December 28, 2018
My first Molly O'Keefe book! I really liked it, and almost want to give it 4 stars instead of 3.5, but Cody really tested my nerves. Now Bea, I loved. I loved her confidence and personality. I loved her relationship with her sisters and friend, Jack (who I really want a book about). But the storyline wasn't my favorite (though it was extremely sexy and I approve of that) and Cody was so hot and cold and then such an asshole I at least wanted more of a grovel from him. I love a good grovel. But Bea forgave him so quickly and I was like nah girl, let him keep going. But that's just me.

The writing was so so good and I can't wait to go back and read the previous books in this series. Started with book 4, oops!

3.5 stars.

Favorite quote:
"It was so easy to forgive anyone but myself." Amen to that.
Profile Image for Madame Smarty.
549 reviews
October 9, 2020
Cody & Beatrice
Oh my gosh, this has got to be the weirdest story of all 4. First of all, I do not get Bea at ALL and I REALLY don’t get Cody full stop. He sounds gorgeous, but an absolute wimp.

Bea has been present in all books and I’ve been waiting for some clarity on why she’s so aggressive, why she hates everyone in the family (except Veronica) and what the hell happened during books 1 & 2 when her life was apparently going pear-shaped, but she wouldn’t tell anyone what was going on. So there’s been some mild clarity, but definitely nothing definitive.

Don’t get me started on the whole waking-up-one-day-and-stripping/masturbating-on-the-back-patio-in-front-of-a-random-man. WTF!! The other 3 books were actually plausible, but that was just plain weird.

Bloody dogs in books... I can’t stand dogs in books!

Cody... What’s with all the hot & cold? What the hell is wrong with you? Just... What the hell Man?!

The editing is hopeless, tho not as bad as book #3. This author’s writing style seems very disjointed and all over the place to me. There were whole conversation exchanges that just did not make sense AT ALL and I had to keep re-reading over them to figure out what I’d missed. Should never have to do that with a great author. Sigh, what a shame. I was really glad to be finished this book and definitely won’t be reading this series again :(

“I pulled that underwear out of the way, leaving it just above her knees because I liked the way that looked. Dirty and desperate.”

“But don’t excuse what he did. He can’t put one hand down your pants and shove you away with the other hand.” Holy shit. That’s exactly what he’d done.”

Series:
King Family #1 Tycoon | Molly O’Keefe (Clayton & Veronica)
King Family #2 The Bodyguard | S Doyle (Garrett & Sabrina)
King Family #3 The Bastard | Julie Kriss (Dylan & Madeline)
King Family #4 Cowboy | Molly O’Keefe (Cody & Beatrice)
Profile Image for BookAddict.
2,081 reviews209 followers
November 13, 2018
There's certainly no lack of chemistry between Bea, the King daughter most likely to screw up, and Cody, the broken down rodeo cowboy. Their romance is decidedly lacking in hearts and flowers, but rather is raw, gritty, and devastating. And did I mention hot? I’m not usually a fan of two broken souls trying to heal each other, but it works for Bea and Cody and the inevitable pain they inflict on each other leads to some pivotal “ah ha" moments that would not have occurred otherwise.

These two have enough baggage that they require a flatbed trailer to haul it, but their individual healing is poignant, cathartic, evocative and breathtaking. O'Keefe takes the reader through the full gamut of emotions and you’ll find yourself by turns wanting to throw your Kindle out the window and then wrap the characters in your arms. Your heart will get such a workout that it most certainly counts for your cardio exercise for the day and you’ll have a hard time letting go of Bea and Cody by the end of the book. Don’t miss this amazing addition to the King family saga!

*I reviewed an advance copy of this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.
Profile Image for Kate ☕ (semi-hiatus).
651 reviews
March 28, 2022

Whiny main characters. Neither of them suffered a huge trauma, just a series of negative life events -like cheating, death of a parent, accident, tough childhood...

I'm a little fed up by guys, who use their past "trauma" to treat people and especially women bad.

He was doing just that, being hot and cold and she was a bit too dormat-y for a woman, who apparently had a big temper.

Anyway the beginning was hot, even though they had sex later in the book, it was pretty steamy ♨️♨️♨️

Profile Image for Sebnem.
225 reviews
December 24, 2020
MCs are so whiny but still this one was much better than the 2nd and 3rd books. I listened to the audiobook.
Profile Image for Pennie Morgan.
2,340 reviews10 followers
November 27, 2018
So good I have to wonder how I missed the rest of this series! I will have to remedy that right away. Cody and Bea are two damaged souls who are perfect for each other. Cody is a former rodeo star who was severely hurt and now back home and working as a contractor for Jack who owns the town bar. Early one morning he happens to look up and see a beautiful woman who is nearly naked and unrecognizable because she is shadowed by the massive tree. Turns out they are both in shadows to each other and no names are exchanged. Bea works for Jack even though she is "richer than God" as they say, and she is uncomfortable with the money. I'm not going to tell you any more other than this was a roller coaster of emotions and sexy and smoking hot. Definitely warmed up the cold winter day!

**Received this ARC for review**
Profile Image for Jeanne Stone.
941 reviews4 followers
November 19, 2018
Wow. What a way to start a relationship! I'll leave it to you to find out but just wow. I've enjoyed the King Family series. Though written by different authors, each book matches seamlessly. Equally well written, equally hot and equally emotional.

We've watched Bea and her shocking behavior through the series and like her sisters there were hints that she wasn't what she'd been judged by all around her to be. The King girls have been pigeonholed and no one sees who they really are. Bea as much as her sisters. Her own actions just play into that stereotype unfortunately and the start of her relationship with Cody is just further proof.

There's a heroine with far more depth and far less confidence that meets the eye. A sexy hunk of a hero who's dealing with a lot physically and mentally following a debilitating injury. Cause who doesn't love a brooding, hot cowboy?

O'Keefe takes us through the many issues these two must deal with separately and together in a well perfectly crafted story. Not only do we get a happily ever after to the love story but to these two's personal lives in most satisfying ways.
Profile Image for Carol (bookish_notes).
1,820 reviews135 followers
Read
May 6, 2021
This review is also posted on my blog.

I love this book so much. I think this is the most enjoyable book of the series. I've been waiting for Bea's story since The Tycoon, and this book did not disappoint. So, I haven't read many books with cowboy MCs, but this book makes me want to read alllllll the cowboy romance books if they're anything like Cody. He is absolutely darling.  I think this story could be read as a standalone, but you'll definitely miss out on the background behind Bea and her siblings if you don't read the other books first.

Do note that the series epilogue is currently part of a newsletter sign-up with Bad Boy Romance Lovers Book Club.

Bea is the third child in the King family of four. She is closest to Veronica, known as "Ronnie," and has always relied on her Ronnie bailing her out of bad situations. Bea always has the best intentions, but always seem to let people down and she's tired of it all. She may be wealthy now, but for fear of screwing up yet again, she doesn't touch any of the money in her inheritance and works during the weekday lunch and happy hour shifts at the local bar as a bartender. And she meets Cody in a very unexpected way.

In some ways, I would say this story reminds me a lot of Molly O'Keefe's Everything I Left Unsaid series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading that series, so that's probably why I love this book so much. It's instalove without ever feeling like instalove. I don't usually enjoy reading instalove, but there are a few authors I enjoy reading instalove from, and Molly O'Keefe is one of them. All the angst and inner turmoil from the characters are just so much more magnified in the story, that it always feels like the characters have known each other forever.

I cried so much reading this book. I really didn't expect that at all, but anything related to horses - whether happy or otherwise - will get me every single time. Nothing bad happens, but it's the message of found family, love, and hope that just GOT to me. I winded up having to set the book aside for a time because I was so overwhelmed with the feels that came out of nowhere. 

I love Bea. I found her story really relatable (well, maybe not quite the exhibition part) in that she feels like she's one step away from disappointing her loved ones because everyone seems to be expecting her to fail. Even though they're willing to drop anything at a moment's notice to help Bea and clearly care a lot about her, she doesn't like the feeling of disappointing people and this winds up with her pushing away the good things that are starting to happen in her life.

The owner of the bar Bea works at is Jack. Jack is one of the first people in this story that truly believes in Bea and doesn't care that she's a King. He wants to offer Bea more than her current role as a bartender. Jack is also Cody's best friend. Pretty much his only friend.

After some life-changing moments in Cody's life, Jack stuck by Cody and makes sure he eats and offers him a job doing demo as a project to expand the bar. In a way, Jack is instrumental in introducing Bea and Cody, however indirectly at first. Jack seems like a very interesting character and he's gay. I knew I wanted a story for his HEA when he was introduced in the story, and it does look like we'll be getting Jack's story with the Read Me Romance podcast at some point in the future! I'm super excited for that because I don't think Molly O'Keefe has written m/m, so I'm interested to see how an audiobook take on Jack's story will turn out.

I read an ARC, and I haven't had a chance to compare this yet with the final copy, but there are some minor instances with the story that don't make sense? Earlier in chapter, Bea remarks that Jack is gay, but then later in that same chapter, Bea mentions that it's strange she's never seen Jack with a woman before like she...doesn't know Jack is gay? And unrelated to all that, and I know it's a a very minor thing, but does Bea only own red underwear?

There's also a sex scene between Bea and Cody that doesn't really work. So, Cody's still going to physical therapy to get movement and bend back in one of knees and he still feels pain in his knee. Yet, during the sex scene, he's on his knees on the bed having sex with no mentions of any pain in his knee? I don't know, I just found that a little strange because he mentioned previously that he was still working to get a forty-five percent bend back in his knee. So, all this might have been edited in the final edition of the book, but these were just some things that stuck out to me.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and is an easy favorite of mine out of the King family books and I will definitely be re-reading this book. <3

***Thanks to the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review***
Profile Image for Jennifer D..
728 reviews13 followers
November 17, 2018
I enjoyed the first three King Family novels and was excited when I saw Bea was getting her own book. I knew her story would be wild, because that's Bea. The way she and Cody met was epic (and totally hot) and I wasn't sure how that would play out but Molly did an awesome job. I loved the realness of these totally flawed characters. There aren't hearts and flowers in this romance - it's real and raw, an almost primal connection. It was a quick, easy read that I didn't want to end. The epilogue was perfect!! I recommend this whole series!
Profile Image for Passion 4 Books.
577 reviews23 followers
November 21, 2018
Two lost souls whose baggage has left deep scars and trust issues, meet under strange circumstances. While Bea plays with fire, Cody begins to let down his armor.

Without giving too much away, Bea and Cody play a dangerous to the heart game of cat and mouse. As steam rises off the pages, you’ll find yourself rooting for these two in a way that will have you racing to the conclusion.

This is my second Molly O’Keefe book and forth in the King series. I’m very fond of her writing and look forward to reading more.
1,218 reviews
October 16, 2019
This fascinating plot brings together Bea King, a sassy, impulse young lady who is a terrible judge in men, and Cody, a rodeo cowboy that has gone through a traumatic accident that left his body and spirit broken. As they both reluctantly attempt to put their lives back together, they stumble over each other and share a few secretive and arousing moments each morning in each other's company. Of course, the longer this situation continues, the more complicated their lives become. I found this touching drama stimulating and heart-wrenching. It was amazing that M. O'Keefe could lead these characters into so much emotional turmoil and then present a believable solution. I appreciate her work so much. It is a pleasure to read her stories and get to know all of those wonderful characters. Outstanding Read!!!!!
Profile Image for Julia DeLapp.
92 reviews9 followers
October 24, 2019
A must read

I could not put it down on the edge of my seat laughing cussing crying waiting for these two to figure it out
928 reviews3 followers
August 13, 2019
I didn’t like it

I didn't care for Bea because she was to whiny and always feeling sorry for herself. Poor little rich girl. If she didn't want to be a F*up then stop being a F*up. Cody was meh. The whole book did nothing for me. I don’t like to give up on a author after one book so I will read another book by this author.
Profile Image for Paige.
492 reviews9 followers
February 28, 2019
In the Previous books in this series Bea was my favorite secondary character. I wanted to learn more about her. I was excited to learn more about this seemingly outrageous woman.. and then this book dropped me off of the disappointment cliff.
Profile Image for Debbie.
Author 3 books50 followers
October 2, 2019
The low road to the goal.

To many brothers to smother her made her go rogue. One hot guy that she loved all her life. A night in Vegas makes a couple off limits. I enjoyed her finding her love.
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