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Kittredge Ranch #1
Secret Nights with a Cowboy
A man holding on...
Riley Kittredge has always known exactly what he wanted. His land, his horses. His woman. He met and married Rae Trujillo far too young, and their young love combusted right after they said their vows. But their passion has never managed to burn itself out. Yet when Rae shows this time, it's not a night of pleasure she demands, but a divorce.
A woman letting go...
Rae should have moved on a long time ago. She knows she and Riley just don't work. They might make great lovers, but that doesn't make a marriage. And now Rae wants a new life, complete with a baby. But when her husband offers to be a father, to give her the family she's always secretly desired, she and Riley will both have to face demons from their past—and choose love over fear at last.
Riley Kittredge has always known exactly what he wanted. His land, his horses. His woman. He met and married Rae Trujillo far too young, and their young love combusted right after they said their vows. But their passion has never managed to burn itself out. Yet when Rae shows this time, it's not a night of pleasure she demands, but a divorce.
A woman letting go...
Rae should have moved on a long time ago. She knows she and Riley just don't work. They might make great lovers, but that doesn't make a marriage. And now Rae wants a new life, complete with a baby. But when her husband offers to be a father, to give her the family she's always secretly desired, she and Riley will both have to face demons from their past—and choose love over fear at last.
394 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2020
42 people are currently reading
1407 people want to read
About the author
Caitlin Crews
1,095 books595 followersCaitlin Crews discovered her first romance novel at the age of twelve, in a bargain bin at the local five and dime. It involved swashbuckling pirates, grand adventures, a heroine with rustling skirts and a mind of her own, and a seriously mouthwatering and masterful hero. The book (the title of which remains lost in the mists of time) made a serious impression. Caitlin was immediately smitten with romances and romance heroes, to the detriment of her middle school social life. And so began her life-long love affair with romance novels, many of which she insists on keeping near her at all times, thus creating a fire hazard of love wherever she lives.
Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.
She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.
Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.
She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
March 20, 2022
This is a Cowboy Romance, and this is the 1st book in the Kittredge Ranch series. I have to say I have a love to hate relationship with this book...lol. I could not put it down, but I also wanted to sit down the two main characters and just yell at them to just grow up. I love the ending of this book. Basically, The two main characters are so hard heading they just do not want to tell the other one they cannot live without them. Overall, I loved the book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) or author (Caitlin Crews) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
January 7, 2021
I enjoyed this book a lot. I didn't want to put it down and I was reading it on my phone as I carried it around. It was nice to be sucked into a contemporary romance book again. Caitlin Crews is a very good writer, and while the story might have seemed kind of basic, it wasn't. There was so much emotional and relational resonance in this read. I want to continue the series. I'm quite curious about Rae's friend Faith and her sisters, Riley's brothers, and Rae's brother Matias.
I'd give this 4.25/5.0 stars although for the magazine I had to give it 4 stars).
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.
PS. Still working on the attached short story about Conner and Melissa. Will post some thoughts when I finish.
I'd give this 4.25/5.0 stars although for the magazine I had to give it 4 stars).
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.
PS. Still working on the attached short story about Conner and Melissa. Will post some thoughts when I finish.
October 1, 2020
So much hurt, anguish, and tears in this story. I need more of the healing to balance it out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are so many aspects of the story that I could relate to. If you’re married you know that it’s not always easy. I’ve had my ups and downs with my spouse and a lot of the story I can relate to right now!
Both Rae and Riley are way too stubborn. They haven’t grown up even though they’ve been married for years and years.
The problems abound and the fact is they just won’t talk to each other. But yet they have this steaming hot secret connection. If they weren’t married, I’d say they have the best of both worlds. However, this story is full of hurt, anguish, and just brokenness.
I shed too many tears on this book. The secrets are astonishing and extremely sad. It took forever to get to where I could finally see them healing. I wanted more of happiness!
But I have to say Crews once again just completely obliterated my heart. Amazing story with well developed, highly crafted characters. Friends and family we love and hate plus an exciting new series to latch on to!
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review - https://amidlifewife.com/secret-night...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are so many aspects of the story that I could relate to. If you’re married you know that it’s not always easy. I’ve had my ups and downs with my spouse and a lot of the story I can relate to right now!
Both Rae and Riley are way too stubborn. They haven’t grown up even though they’ve been married for years and years.
The problems abound and the fact is they just won’t talk to each other. But yet they have this steaming hot secret connection. If they weren’t married, I’d say they have the best of both worlds. However, this story is full of hurt, anguish, and just brokenness.
I shed too many tears on this book. The secrets are astonishing and extremely sad. It took forever to get to where I could finally see them healing. I wanted more of happiness!
But I have to say Crews once again just completely obliterated my heart. Amazing story with well developed, highly crafted characters. Friends and family we love and hate plus an exciting new series to latch on to!
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review - https://amidlifewife.com/secret-night...
September 27, 2020
ARC provided by NetGalley and St Martins in exchange for an honest review.
Rating 3.75
This is connected to Caitlin Crews Cold River Ranch series. This is the Kittredge Ranch Series (I loved those Kittredge and was hoping this was going to happen). I loved the Cold Rivers series and am excited to reconnect with all the characters and the sweet small town feel she is so good at incorporating and delivering in her stories.
Riley Kittredge and Rae Trujillo are definitely fall under the term "soul mates." They were connected and friends from a young age. Always inseparable and no one was surprised when they became a couple in high school and married soon after they graduated high school.
Their relationship was volatile to say the least. Unfortunately both witnessed the same from their parents so they really didn't have great role models. Communication at times was a challenge for them in their marriage. Riley loved horse and trained them and Rae worked at her family flower shop creating beautiful bouquets. Their marriage was good, with issues of course. But something happened and Rae left Riley.
Rae in eight years never really shared why she left Riley and it wasn't like he didn't try to find out why. But a deep dark secret haunts Rae. The two never divorced (that was a secret each kept as the town was in the dark). In fact to the town the two hated each other, never spoke to each other and no one was allowed to mention the others name in their presence. But these two had secret meetings in which Rae would go visit Riley for some reason. They would get in a very heated and aggressive fights that they ended up in bed together (that was like a lot from what is implied). And then Rae sneaks out in the morning, till it happens again and again....
In the begin chapters we see Rae being challenged by her friends and brother that her life is in limbo. No one is sure about her marriage and she lives with her parents and grandmother. She is then challenged to make a change and decides to move out as well as make another big decision. Rae goes to Riley house, really the house they built together, and announces to him she wants a divorce. And this is the point where each does a lot of soul searching in what they really want in life. Does Rae want a baby and she needs to date for that, but can she really do that. Riley finds out she is wanting to date and offers to help her (but not really). The two develop a "friendship" that turns into friendship with benefits. Rae is right back where she was in a way. Another confrontation occurs between the two and that's when Rae tell Riley she wants a baby and he offer to help her, but she always thought he was against kids. And there another revelation is revealed to the couple.
At this point Rae reveals her reasons for leaving. And at this juncture a lot of soul searching, heart to heart talks and forgiveness takes place. The two navigate the past and decided to work on the future. They realized they never stopped loving each other, but just lost their way in communicating and working on their marriage. They get their HEA and then some.
Okay, I struggled with this a little. Well maybe a little more than a little. I liked it but had an problems with Rae and how she dealt with her issues and Riley. I loved Riley. But Rae, well she seemed a little immature to me at times and didn't do very well with relationships, especially Riley's. She needed way better communications skills. Riley was somewhat stubborn but nothing like Rae. Riley is my opinion was the character that came across "better" in this romance.
I'm looking forward to seeing who's next and reconnecting with characters from past books. I really do love her cowboy series and she does an excellent job in creating a small town feel.
Rating 3.75
This is connected to Caitlin Crews Cold River Ranch series. This is the Kittredge Ranch Series (I loved those Kittredge and was hoping this was going to happen). I loved the Cold Rivers series and am excited to reconnect with all the characters and the sweet small town feel she is so good at incorporating and delivering in her stories.
Riley Kittredge and Rae Trujillo are definitely fall under the term "soul mates." They were connected and friends from a young age. Always inseparable and no one was surprised when they became a couple in high school and married soon after they graduated high school.
Their relationship was volatile to say the least. Unfortunately both witnessed the same from their parents so they really didn't have great role models. Communication at times was a challenge for them in their marriage. Riley loved horse and trained them and Rae worked at her family flower shop creating beautiful bouquets. Their marriage was good, with issues of course. But something happened and Rae left Riley.
Rae in eight years never really shared why she left Riley and it wasn't like he didn't try to find out why. But a deep dark secret haunts Rae. The two never divorced (that was a secret each kept as the town was in the dark). In fact to the town the two hated each other, never spoke to each other and no one was allowed to mention the others name in their presence. But these two had secret meetings in which Rae would go visit Riley for some reason. They would get in a very heated and aggressive fights that they ended up in bed together (that was like a lot from what is implied). And then Rae sneaks out in the morning, till it happens again and again....
In the begin chapters we see Rae being challenged by her friends and brother that her life is in limbo. No one is sure about her marriage and she lives with her parents and grandmother. She is then challenged to make a change and decides to move out as well as make another big decision. Rae goes to Riley house, really the house they built together, and announces to him she wants a divorce. And this is the point where each does a lot of soul searching in what they really want in life. Does Rae want a baby and she needs to date for that, but can she really do that. Riley finds out she is wanting to date and offers to help her (but not really). The two develop a "friendship" that turns into friendship with benefits. Rae is right back where she was in a way. Another confrontation occurs between the two and that's when Rae tell Riley she wants a baby and he offer to help her, but she always thought he was against kids. And there another revelation is revealed to the couple.
At this point Rae reveals her reasons for leaving. And at this juncture a lot of soul searching, heart to heart talks and forgiveness takes place. The two navigate the past and decided to work on the future. They realized they never stopped loving each other, but just lost their way in communicating and working on their marriage. They get their HEA and then some.
Okay, I struggled with this a little. Well maybe a little more than a little. I liked it but had an problems with Rae and how she dealt with her issues and Riley. I loved Riley. But Rae, well she seemed a little immature to me at times and didn't do very well with relationships, especially Riley's. She needed way better communications skills. Riley was somewhat stubborn but nothing like Rae. Riley is my opinion was the character that came across "better" in this romance.
I'm looking forward to seeing who's next and reconnecting with characters from past books. I really do love her cowboy series and she does an excellent job in creating a small town feel.
December 18, 2023
Secret Nights with a Cowboy was an enjoyable read featuring a marriage in trouble romance.
Riley Kittredge has only ever wanted Rae Trujillo but they married far too young and their love went up in flames only two years into their marriage. Despite their troubles, they've never been able to stay away from each other and they continuously return to each other over the years. But this time when Rae shows up it's not for pleasure, instead she demands a divorce. Rae knows she and Riley don't work and she should have walked away a long time ago. And now Rae wants more from life which means letting Riley go which turns out to be a lot harder than either of them expected.
Marriage in trouble isn't one of my favorite romance tropes so I was a bit hesitant going into this book. Unfortunately that aspect wasn't done very well in my opinion as we don't even find out why Rae and Riley separated until almost three-quarters of the way into the book. I mean Riley doesn't even know why until then either which was just baffling to me as how can you leave your spouse without even telling them why? While the reason behind it was heartbreaking, I just found myself frustrated that Rae never told Riley what happened and that it took 8 years for them to have that conversation. So if you're looking for a great example of this trope, I don't think this is the book for that.
I did end up enjoying other aspects of Rae and Riley's romance. After Rae tells Riley she wants a divorce, she rejoins the dating scene only to realize she has no idea how to date anymore. Riley comes up with the crazy idea that they'll help each other date other people which was fun and goes about as you would expect. Plus the steamy scenes between them were enjoyable and I loved the history they had even when it wasn't always a happy one.
Overall Secret Nights with a Cowboy was a good start to the series and I will be continuing the series and picking up All Night Long with a Cowboy soon.
Riley Kittredge has only ever wanted Rae Trujillo but they married far too young and their love went up in flames only two years into their marriage. Despite their troubles, they've never been able to stay away from each other and they continuously return to each other over the years. But this time when Rae shows up it's not for pleasure, instead she demands a divorce. Rae knows she and Riley don't work and she should have walked away a long time ago. And now Rae wants more from life which means letting Riley go which turns out to be a lot harder than either of them expected.
Marriage in trouble isn't one of my favorite romance tropes so I was a bit hesitant going into this book. Unfortunately that aspect wasn't done very well in my opinion as we don't even find out why Rae and Riley separated until almost three-quarters of the way into the book. I mean Riley doesn't even know why until then either which was just baffling to me as how can you leave your spouse without even telling them why? While the reason behind it was heartbreaking, I just found myself frustrated that Rae never told Riley what happened and that it took 8 years for them to have that conversation. So if you're looking for a great example of this trope, I don't think this is the book for that.
I did end up enjoying other aspects of Rae and Riley's romance. After Rae tells Riley she wants a divorce, she rejoins the dating scene only to realize she has no idea how to date anymore. Riley comes up with the crazy idea that they'll help each other date other people which was fun and goes about as you would expect. Plus the steamy scenes between them were enjoyable and I loved the history they had even when it wasn't always a happy one.
Overall Secret Nights with a Cowboy was a good start to the series and I will be continuing the series and picking up All Night Long with a Cowboy soon.
December 26, 2020
I am normally with the h as sisterhood dictates but what a waste of time because of her silence! However H was great and writing was good.
December 7, 2020
3.5 stars
Secrets Nights with a Cowboy is the first story in a new series from Caitlin Crews and it was an angst-filled second chance at love story. Riley Kittredge and Rae Trujillo married young and lucky for them they found their soulmate. Unfortunately, it was a tumultuous relationship and they split up after a few years. Living in a small town they’ve created a détente and their friends and family tiptoe around their relationship. Recently, Rae realizes she wants something different and decides to move on. But can she leave behind her marriage when her heart is still in love with her husband, but a big secret lies between them?
When I heard that this was a spin off series I was elated knowing that we would get Riley Kittredge’s story. What I hadn’t anticipated was the angst and the heartache that these two would go through to get the second chance at love. Rae left and returned to the marriage over and over throughout the last 8 years, and kept her secret too. It was frustrating and I wanted to shake some sense into Rae for being so selfish and not communicating. I stuck with it and felt some satisfaction when they got back together. Courage to face the facts spurred her to spill the beans. I understand her reason but couldn’t get passed the years it took for her to come to this conclusion. Both Riley and Rae had to face the truth of their relationship and decide to put the past behind them and move forward. They wanted to make it work since living without the other was sheer misery.
The main story was trying at times but it was the secondary characters that kept me invested. The Kittredges and the Trujillos are both large family and Rae and Riley’s siblings came in all different temperaments and professions. Of course, they felt they needed to put their two cents in regards to their relationship whether it was welcomed or not. They definitely piqued my interest and can’t wait to read their stories.
To my delight, there was a novella starring Riley’s younger sibling Connor Kittredge and his high school girlfriend Missy Minton. Sweet Nights with a Cowboy, was short and sweet and also a second chance at love story, that ended this holiday story on a high note.
Secret Nights with a Cowboy is the first in the Kittredge series and a return to the small community of Cold River. The story was well written and they did find a way to move past the hurt. I’m looking forward to reading more from this series because it looks quite promising.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
Secrets Nights with a Cowboy is the first story in a new series from Caitlin Crews and it was an angst-filled second chance at love story. Riley Kittredge and Rae Trujillo married young and lucky for them they found their soulmate. Unfortunately, it was a tumultuous relationship and they split up after a few years. Living in a small town they’ve created a détente and their friends and family tiptoe around their relationship. Recently, Rae realizes she wants something different and decides to move on. But can she leave behind her marriage when her heart is still in love with her husband, but a big secret lies between them?
When I heard that this was a spin off series I was elated knowing that we would get Riley Kittredge’s story. What I hadn’t anticipated was the angst and the heartache that these two would go through to get the second chance at love. Rae left and returned to the marriage over and over throughout the last 8 years, and kept her secret too. It was frustrating and I wanted to shake some sense into Rae for being so selfish and not communicating. I stuck with it and felt some satisfaction when they got back together. Courage to face the facts spurred her to spill the beans. I understand her reason but couldn’t get passed the years it took for her to come to this conclusion. Both Riley and Rae had to face the truth of their relationship and decide to put the past behind them and move forward. They wanted to make it work since living without the other was sheer misery.
The main story was trying at times but it was the secondary characters that kept me invested. The Kittredges and the Trujillos are both large family and Rae and Riley’s siblings came in all different temperaments and professions. Of course, they felt they needed to put their two cents in regards to their relationship whether it was welcomed or not. They definitely piqued my interest and can’t wait to read their stories.
To my delight, there was a novella starring Riley’s younger sibling Connor Kittredge and his high school girlfriend Missy Minton. Sweet Nights with a Cowboy, was short and sweet and also a second chance at love story, that ended this holiday story on a high note.
Secret Nights with a Cowboy is the first in the Kittredge series and a return to the small community of Cold River. The story was well written and they did find a way to move past the hurt. I’m looking forward to reading more from this series because it looks quite promising.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
September 19, 2020
This was quite an angsty read but laced with some healthy doses of humor and sizzling moments of heat, and I absolutely loved it!
I’ve only read a couple of romances where the hero and heroine are married before the book begins. Sometimes they’ve won me over completely, but mostly they leave me unhappy with so much of how their story unfolded. With Rae and Riley I was captivated from the beginning and with a hint here and a clue there, I was determined to find out what had happened to make this couple that couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, disintegrate.
From the first chapter, it was apparent that Rae had some real issues, that she was damaged and carried quite a load on her shoulders. As the story progresses this author begins to unveil the situations that have created the young woman that Rae is today as compared to the girl she was when she first fell in love with Riley. I admit there were times I wanted to shout at her to just come out with it - it being what had caused their separation. Ultimately, I allowed these characters to torment me until the end, and what an angsty but sweet torment it was.
Riley was wonderful! He had a plan to win and keep Rae and his reactions were perfect for what I love in a book hero. He also learned a good bit about himself in his attempts. I initially felt that Riley was the strongest between him and Rae, but once more Ms. Crews surprised me by showing me another side to him that I didn’t see on my own.
While this isn’t a long book, there were times where it felt like it was dragging a bit. It seemed a bit too wordy in places and while I prefer a faster paced read, this was still engaging. There are several secondary characters and I can see where this might be the beginning of a series, but I’m also curious to find if there were previous books as well.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys romance between a husband and wife with plenty of angst along the way to their happy ever after.
Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
I’ve only read a couple of romances where the hero and heroine are married before the book begins. Sometimes they’ve won me over completely, but mostly they leave me unhappy with so much of how their story unfolded. With Rae and Riley I was captivated from the beginning and with a hint here and a clue there, I was determined to find out what had happened to make this couple that couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, disintegrate.
From the first chapter, it was apparent that Rae had some real issues, that she was damaged and carried quite a load on her shoulders. As the story progresses this author begins to unveil the situations that have created the young woman that Rae is today as compared to the girl she was when she first fell in love with Riley. I admit there were times I wanted to shout at her to just come out with it - it being what had caused their separation. Ultimately, I allowed these characters to torment me until the end, and what an angsty but sweet torment it was.
Riley was wonderful! He had a plan to win and keep Rae and his reactions were perfect for what I love in a book hero. He also learned a good bit about himself in his attempts. I initially felt that Riley was the strongest between him and Rae, but once more Ms. Crews surprised me by showing me another side to him that I didn’t see on my own.
While this isn’t a long book, there were times where it felt like it was dragging a bit. It seemed a bit too wordy in places and while I prefer a faster paced read, this was still engaging. There are several secondary characters and I can see where this might be the beginning of a series, but I’m also curious to find if there were previous books as well.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys romance between a husband and wife with plenty of angst along the way to their happy ever after.
Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
December 1, 2020
It took me a while to warm up to Rae and Riley, I liked the story but felt it dragged at a few parts and could have been shorter. That being said let me tell you what I did like about the story....
I love second chances, and this one had a unique twist because Rae and Riley were married but separated, one day Rae up and moved out and Riley didn't understand why. Their relationship never really ended because she would make late night visits to their home and spend a few hours in bed together, well that was until she showed up asking for a divorce.
Rae had a secret that no one knew about, I did figure it out early on because there were some clues but you have to be paying attention or you may miss them. Anyway, this secret is a big one and it's something that drove her to leaving her husband that she really did love. Riley and Rae still loved one another deeply but Rae didn't think they could be together.
I mentioned earlier that I felt the book dragged a bit and that could be because I wanted Rae to stop the internal fighting she had going on and just man up and tell Riley what was happening so I was getting frustrated but I'll leave that to you to decide for yourself, you may enjoy the inner turmoil she had going on.
This book also included a bonus novella, Sweet Nights with a Cowboy, where the youngest Kittredge brother, Connor, finds his HEA with ex-girlfriend Missy Minton.
If you enjoy spicy western romances with the Second Chance at Love trope then this one is for you!
Happy Reading!!!
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books** blog post will be live on 12/1/2020
I love second chances, and this one had a unique twist because Rae and Riley were married but separated, one day Rae up and moved out and Riley didn't understand why. Their relationship never really ended because she would make late night visits to their home and spend a few hours in bed together, well that was until she showed up asking for a divorce.
Rae had a secret that no one knew about, I did figure it out early on because there were some clues but you have to be paying attention or you may miss them. Anyway, this secret is a big one and it's something that drove her to leaving her husband that she really did love. Riley and Rae still loved one another deeply but Rae didn't think they could be together.
I mentioned earlier that I felt the book dragged a bit and that could be because I wanted Rae to stop the internal fighting she had going on and just man up and tell Riley what was happening so I was getting frustrated but I'll leave that to you to decide for yourself, you may enjoy the inner turmoil she had going on.
This book also included a bonus novella, Sweet Nights with a Cowboy, where the youngest Kittredge brother, Connor, finds his HEA with ex-girlfriend Missy Minton.
If you enjoy spicy western romances with the Second Chance at Love trope then this one is for you!
Happy Reading!!!
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books** blog post will be live on 12/1/2020
September 21, 2020
I was invited to view this ARC through NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it
2.5 stars.
“Secret Nights with a Cowboy”, by Caitlin Crews (St. Martin’s Press) centers around a tempestuous passion and a romance full of desire and angst between two very strong personalities, and a secret dividing them.
Riley and Rae are an original fictional couple, with good back stories, and the way they experience their marriage is unusual. As individuals they didn’t appeal to me as other Caitlin Crews’ protagonists.
As much as I like an intense relationship and tortured characters, I found there was too much anger and fighting; the passion between the leading characters was too explosive and conflictive and the fighting within the families made the reading process a bit grueling sometimes. It was just too excessive.
The dynamics between the Kittredge siblings was lively and I found the eldest brother (a former Marine), Matias, an alluring character. Connor and Missy are interesting, too. But the family drama was a bit annoying.
I also think that there was too much conversation, characters and melodrama in this story. The story dragged out for me, especially in the beginning, because of a secret not powerful enough to base the plot and whose revelation, in my opinion, should have been anticipated.
I liked the setting and the relation the characters have with the land and the community.
2.5 stars.
“Secret Nights with a Cowboy”, by Caitlin Crews (St. Martin’s Press) centers around a tempestuous passion and a romance full of desire and angst between two very strong personalities, and a secret dividing them.
Riley and Rae are an original fictional couple, with good back stories, and the way they experience their marriage is unusual. As individuals they didn’t appeal to me as other Caitlin Crews’ protagonists.
As much as I like an intense relationship and tortured characters, I found there was too much anger and fighting; the passion between the leading characters was too explosive and conflictive and the fighting within the families made the reading process a bit grueling sometimes. It was just too excessive.
The dynamics between the Kittredge siblings was lively and I found the eldest brother (a former Marine), Matias, an alluring character. Connor and Missy are interesting, too. But the family drama was a bit annoying.
I also think that there was too much conversation, characters and melodrama in this story. The story dragged out for me, especially in the beginning, because of a secret not powerful enough to base the plot and whose revelation, in my opinion, should have been anticipated.
I liked the setting and the relation the characters have with the land and the community.
December 1, 2020
It took me a while to warm up to Rae and Riley, I liked the story but felt it dragged at a few parts and could have been shorter. That being said let me tell you what I did like about the story....
I love second chances, and this one had a unique twist because Rae and Riley were married but separated, one day Rae up and moved out and Riley didn't understand why. Their relationship never really ended because she would make late night visits to their home and spend a few hours in bed together, well that was until she showed up asking for a divorce.
You can read the rest of my review along with an #excerpt here: https://bit.ly/NBReviewSNWaC
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books**
You can find me here: https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic
I love second chances, and this one had a unique twist because Rae and Riley were married but separated, one day Rae up and moved out and Riley didn't understand why. Their relationship never really ended because she would make late night visits to their home and spend a few hours in bed together, well that was until she showed up asking for a divorce.
You can read the rest of my review along with an #excerpt here: https://bit.ly/NBReviewSNWaC
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books**You can find me here: https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic
May 6, 2021
3 Not Talking Stars
* * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
When I first read the blurb for this book, this lyric from Johhny Cash came to my mind immediately:
We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout
This is a story of very young love, a repeat of doing things that don't work over and over again, and having one of the partners who refuses to share her reasons for her behavior beyond the point of normal.
With Riley Kittredge and Rae Trujillo being a small-town love story, they are also the town's gossip focus. They married really young, both without the tools to understand how to be married because both of their families were lousy at communicating.
What they did have was intense passion and love for each other but that was only the core. What wrapped around Rae's core was a serious bit of immaturity and stubbornness.
This leads to the big break up, without a hint of why for Riley. He loves her, still is willing to deal with the ups and downs but also has his own hang-ups. They don't share that they are still married only living apart, lives on hold, and engage in serious, fierce, blistering intimate times in the dark middle of the night. The type of hate you/love you times.
All come together in the end but it is quite the journey.
Secret Nights with a Cowboy (Kittredge Ranch, #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
All Night Long with a Cowboy (Kittredge Ranch, #2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Series That Birthed Kittredge Ranch:
A True Cowboy Christmas (Cold River Ranch, #1)
Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy (Cold River Ranch, #2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Last Real Cowboy (Cold River Ranch, #3)
A gifted copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
* * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
When I first read the blurb for this book, this lyric from Johhny Cash came to my mind immediately:
We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout
This is a story of very young love, a repeat of doing things that don't work over and over again, and having one of the partners who refuses to share her reasons for her behavior beyond the point of normal.
With Riley Kittredge and Rae Trujillo being a small-town love story, they are also the town's gossip focus. They married really young, both without the tools to understand how to be married because both of their families were lousy at communicating.
What they did have was intense passion and love for each other but that was only the core. What wrapped around Rae's core was a serious bit of immaturity and stubbornness.
This leads to the big break up, without a hint of why for Riley. He loves her, still is willing to deal with the ups and downs but also has his own hang-ups. They don't share that they are still married only living apart, lives on hold, and engage in serious, fierce, blistering intimate times in the dark middle of the night. The type of hate you/love you times.
All come together in the end but it is quite the journey.
Secret Nights with a Cowboy (Kittredge Ranch, #1) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
All Night Long with a Cowboy (Kittredge Ranch, #2) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Series That Birthed Kittredge Ranch:
A True Cowboy Christmas (Cold River Ranch, #1) Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy (Cold River Ranch, #2) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Last Real Cowboy (Cold River Ranch, #3) A gifted copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
September 21, 2023
I just could not with this book. Is it just me or was this book just not good? I disliked the narrator. I was not motivated in the characters. And honest, I really could have cared less. I usually don't mind marriage in crisis books. In fact, my favorite book ever is one. But this was just a hard no for me and seemed a little unbelievable. Not to mention again, the narrator was not good.
December 4, 2020
This series apparently overlaps the Cold River Ranch series since Book 3 of that series is Book 1 in this series. So that's a bit confusing. But if you've read the Cold River series, then you'll recognize most of the characters in this one, which is good, since there are a lot of family members and friends to remember.
It took me 5 DAYS to finish this book. Now that may not seem like a lot, but for ebooks, I'm usually done with them in less than 2. I struggled with this book from the very beginning. The author writes long chapters and I quickly remembered that, but dealt with it. I think after this one I'm just going to have to give up on this being an author I will like since I've yet to rate any of the 5 books I've read over 2-3 stars. The Kittredge Brothers did intrigue me though...Others obviously like the books, so maybe it's just a 'it's me, not you' thing. If anything, she certainly writes books that either makes you love or hate a character.
The problem was that I absolutely hated Rae and that's putting it nicely. Honestly, there wasn't anything about her I liked. She and Riley are married (although kinda still in secret). But she left Riley without any explanation 8 years ago and moved in with her parents. 8 YEARS AGO!!! And with NO EXPLANATION! Yes, you heard that right. Yet she still shows up on his doorstep ever so often for sex and she leaves before the sun comes up. She keeps having inner thoughts about something devastating that happened 8 years ago that caused her to leave (which I predicted right away).
Even after the big reveal at the very end of the book, I had lost all patience for her and found her completely to blame for their breakup. The simple fact was that she didn't trust her husband of many years and instead left him and stayed away for 8 years before finally admitting what caused her to leave. And it wasn't justified in the least, regardless of what Riley seemed to think about himself. When you're married to someone you've been in love with since a teen and you can't seem to communicate and be honest, then you shouldn't be married at all.
And then there's the fighting. Not physical - although they do mention that she hits him sometimes when her temper gets the best of her, which is often with him. But she shows up at his house, they argue and then that somehow riles them both up and makes them want to jump each other's bones and that's what they do. It wasn't at all a healthy relationship.
Fair warning, there isn't any cheating in that the other kisses/sleeps with someone else, but Rae does decide she wants to start dating someone and she does some awkward flirting and dancing with another man at a bar, all while Riley watches and grins and encourages her (even though he hates it).
I have to give it to Riley, he certainly had the patience of a saint to wait around for 8 years for her to come back to him and tell him what happened. I certainly couldn't have waited it out for someone that didn't want me and that didn't love me enough to trust me. And when she said she wanted a divorce and wanted to date, he put up with it and grinned the whole time despite it eating him up inside. He wasn't the best hero, but it wasn't bad either and I had a lot of respect for him since he kept his vows and knew Rae was the only woman for him, even if it made him look like a broody lonely guy to everyone else.
They don't actually get back together as a couple until the end of the book (maybe 2 chapters from the end), so if you're expecting a romance, well, you won't get that. Just a lot of soap opera drama that gets dragged out until Rae finally breaks and comes clean with Riley.
It took me 5 DAYS to finish this book. Now that may not seem like a lot, but for ebooks, I'm usually done with them in less than 2. I struggled with this book from the very beginning. The author writes long chapters and I quickly remembered that, but dealt with it. I think after this one I'm just going to have to give up on this being an author I will like since I've yet to rate any of the 5 books I've read over 2-3 stars. The Kittredge Brothers did intrigue me though...Others obviously like the books, so maybe it's just a 'it's me, not you' thing. If anything, she certainly writes books that either makes you love or hate a character.
The problem was that I absolutely hated Rae and that's putting it nicely. Honestly, there wasn't anything about her I liked. She and Riley are married (although kinda still in secret). But she left Riley without any explanation 8 years ago and moved in with her parents. 8 YEARS AGO!!! And with NO EXPLANATION! Yes, you heard that right. Yet she still shows up on his doorstep ever so often for sex and she leaves before the sun comes up. She keeps having inner thoughts about something devastating that happened 8 years ago that caused her to leave (which I predicted right away).
Even after the big reveal at the very end of the book, I had lost all patience for her and found her completely to blame for their breakup. The simple fact was that she didn't trust her husband of many years and instead left him and stayed away for 8 years before finally admitting what caused her to leave. And it wasn't justified in the least, regardless of what Riley seemed to think about himself. When you're married to someone you've been in love with since a teen and you can't seem to communicate and be honest, then you shouldn't be married at all.
And then there's the fighting. Not physical - although they do mention that she hits him sometimes when her temper gets the best of her, which is often with him. But she shows up at his house, they argue and then that somehow riles them both up and makes them want to jump each other's bones and that's what they do. It wasn't at all a healthy relationship.
Fair warning, there isn't any cheating in that the other kisses/sleeps with someone else, but Rae does decide she wants to start dating someone and she does some awkward flirting and dancing with another man at a bar, all while Riley watches and grins and encourages her (even though he hates it).
I have to give it to Riley, he certainly had the patience of a saint to wait around for 8 years for her to come back to him and tell him what happened. I certainly couldn't have waited it out for someone that didn't want me and that didn't love me enough to trust me. And when she said she wanted a divorce and wanted to date, he put up with it and grinned the whole time despite it eating him up inside. He wasn't the best hero, but it wasn't bad either and I had a lot of respect for him since he kept his vows and knew Rae was the only woman for him, even if it made him look like a broody lonely guy to everyone else.
They don't actually get back together as a couple until the end of the book (maybe 2 chapters from the end), so if you're expecting a romance, well, you won't get that. Just a lot of soap opera drama that gets dragged out until Rae finally breaks and comes clean with Riley.
September 22, 2020
Humor, heat and a heck of a lot of chemistry! Caitlin Crews’ SECRET NIGHTS WITH A COWBOY is a passionate tale of second chances, unfinished love and two souls meant for each other who never seem to get things right, unless they are between the sheets.
Don’t they say love is the closest thing to hate? Riley and Rae married right out of high school, but maybe they were just too young, too self-absorbed to learn what it took to make a marriage work. Rae moved back home, but they never divorced, but now she is ready to move on, to grow up, find a mature relationship and have a family. Is Riley ready to let her go? Is he satisfied with the status quo or will they both realize they both deserve more?
Sizzling with passionate emotions, there is heartbreak, heartache and enough angst to shred your romantic side to bits. Fear not, there are moments of humor that seem to balance things out as these two muddle their way through growing up and learning what is really important in life! The problem, do they truly want the same thing?
A quick read that will have readers’ hearts pumping, cheering Riley and Rae on! Besides, who doesn’t love a good cowboy romance?
I received a complimentary ARC edition from St. Martin's Paperbacks! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: Kittredge Ranch - Book 1
Publisher : St. Martin's Paperbacks (December 1, 2020)
Genre: Contemporary Western Romance
Number of Pages: 400
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Don’t they say love is the closest thing to hate? Riley and Rae married right out of high school, but maybe they were just too young, too self-absorbed to learn what it took to make a marriage work. Rae moved back home, but they never divorced, but now she is ready to move on, to grow up, find a mature relationship and have a family. Is Riley ready to let her go? Is he satisfied with the status quo or will they both realize they both deserve more?
Sizzling with passionate emotions, there is heartbreak, heartache and enough angst to shred your romantic side to bits. Fear not, there are moments of humor that seem to balance things out as these two muddle their way through growing up and learning what is really important in life! The problem, do they truly want the same thing?
A quick read that will have readers’ hearts pumping, cheering Riley and Rae on! Besides, who doesn’t love a good cowboy romance?
I received a complimentary ARC edition from St. Martin's Paperbacks! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: Kittredge Ranch - Book 1
Publisher : St. Martin's Paperbacks (December 1, 2020)
Genre: Contemporary Western Romance
Number of Pages: 400
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
December 1, 2020
Riley Kittredge and Rae Trujillo got married right out of school. In a small town that usually only means one thing, but they proved the gossips wrong. Then one day Rae moved out of Riley's house and back in with her parents where she has stayed ever since. The whole town thinks they are divorced, only Riley and Rae know they are still very much married, and not averse to sneaking around behind everyone's backs.
Then Rae realises she is stuck in a perpetual teenager mode: working for the family business; living with her judgemental family; no home of her own; and no chance of a family while she's still in a friends-with-benefits arrangement with her husband.
When Rae announces to Riley that she wants a divorce and she wants to move on he thinks he's heard it all before. After all, that's what they do, shout and scream at each other then rip one another's clothes off. When he realises she is serious Riley has some serious thinking to do, can he win back the woman he still madly loves? How far is he willing to go?
I don't know what it was about this novel that tugged so hard on my heartstrings, maybe it was the tragedy of two people madly in love who just can't find their way back to one another. Maybe it was because Riley had no idea why Rae left him. All I know is that I literally dripped tears practically the entire time I was reading this book (and I devoured it in a single day), I just couldn't stop. The way in which their split had broken apart friendships between the families was so sad.
Second-chance cowboy romance that sweeps you along on an emotional rollercoaster.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Then Rae realises she is stuck in a perpetual teenager mode: working for the family business; living with her judgemental family; no home of her own; and no chance of a family while she's still in a friends-with-benefits arrangement with her husband.
When Rae announces to Riley that she wants a divorce and she wants to move on he thinks he's heard it all before. After all, that's what they do, shout and scream at each other then rip one another's clothes off. When he realises she is serious Riley has some serious thinking to do, can he win back the woman he still madly loves? How far is he willing to go?
I don't know what it was about this novel that tugged so hard on my heartstrings, maybe it was the tragedy of two people madly in love who just can't find their way back to one another. Maybe it was because Riley had no idea why Rae left him. All I know is that I literally dripped tears practically the entire time I was reading this book (and I devoured it in a single day), I just couldn't stop. The way in which their split had broken apart friendships between the families was so sad.
Second-chance cowboy romance that sweeps you along on an emotional rollercoaster.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
December 4, 2020
4 1/2 Stars!
Oh this couple!! Riley and Rae grabbed my heart and ran with it. They were married right out of high school which sounds really sweet. Unfortunately, things didn't go smoothly and they've been "separated" for around eight years. When Rae tells Riley she wants a divorce so they can both finally move on, he's shocked. He knows he'll have to handle things carefully to not fully chase Rae away. He concocts a plan for them to "be friends" and help one another ease back into the dating world.
Even though the characters' inner dialogues are often somewhat amusing and could make me giggle, the overall storyline is quite serious. Truthfully, my heart broke in two with Riley and Rae's emotional drama. Their love for one another was so obvious. Unfortunately, it was damaged by some events earlier in their marriage that had never been properly addressed. For this reason, they didn't quite know how to proceed and kept falling back into bad habits with one another. To witness their pain at not being whole and complete in their love and marriage was crushing. I found myself feeling frustrated with them at times, but then I also just wanted to give them each a hug and some advice.
One thing I know for sure is that I loved the people of Cold River. I have to now go back and read the previous series just because I want those stories as well. I'm quite impressed with Ms. Crews' ability to combine heartbreak, hope, loyalty and a little humor to build an incredible story.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.
Oh this couple!! Riley and Rae grabbed my heart and ran with it. They were married right out of high school which sounds really sweet. Unfortunately, things didn't go smoothly and they've been "separated" for around eight years. When Rae tells Riley she wants a divorce so they can both finally move on, he's shocked. He knows he'll have to handle things carefully to not fully chase Rae away. He concocts a plan for them to "be friends" and help one another ease back into the dating world.
Even though the characters' inner dialogues are often somewhat amusing and could make me giggle, the overall storyline is quite serious. Truthfully, my heart broke in two with Riley and Rae's emotional drama. Their love for one another was so obvious. Unfortunately, it was damaged by some events earlier in their marriage that had never been properly addressed. For this reason, they didn't quite know how to proceed and kept falling back into bad habits with one another. To witness their pain at not being whole and complete in their love and marriage was crushing. I found myself feeling frustrated with them at times, but then I also just wanted to give them each a hug and some advice.
One thing I know for sure is that I loved the people of Cold River. I have to now go back and read the previous series just because I want those stories as well. I'm quite impressed with Ms. Crews' ability to combine heartbreak, hope, loyalty and a little humor to build an incredible story.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.
dnf
October 1, 2020DNF at 31%
This is a case of its me not the book. I am finding myself distracted and completely disengaged from the story and the characters.
And I just want to shake sense into Rae soooo badly
I will try this one again another day
This is a case of its me not the book. I am finding myself distracted and completely disengaged from the story and the characters.
And I just want to shake sense into Rae soooo badly
I will try this one again another day
November 26, 2020
Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of Secret Nights with a Cowboy by Caitlin Crews prior to publication. An emotionally charged contemporary Romance. My opinions are my own and no one has influenced them.
Secret Nights with a Cowboy is a well-written romance with engaging characters and an emotionally charged plot. The pacing pulled me in and kept me entertained. The story gained speed as it progressed and had a fantastic ending, tying up all plotlines.
Rae Kittridge is the heroine, and she is ready to at last end her broken marriage, but it’s incredibly hard because she still loves her husband, and she hates to give up on the sexual chemistry that still exists.
Rae has a deep secret she’s never told anyone, including her estranged husband, even though he has the right to know. I felt her pain as she tries to stop seeing Riley cold turkey, especially when he tells her he’ll sign the divorce papers, but he wants to stay friends before they end their marriage.
Riley Kittridge is a yummy hero. He’s determined to get to the root of what went wrong between him and Rae. To do that, he needs to become her friend and quit clouding the relationship by late night sexual encounters with each other, no matter how fantastic. I loved his determination to succeed. I could sense his bewilderment as to why Rae left him years before while still visiting him at night.
This is a second chance romance, and the couple have been childhood sweethearts who married, and it didn’t work. This story starts when Rae is tired of hanging on to Riley. Their marriage has been broken for years.
I enjoyed Rae’s dilemma because she desperately needs to end things permanently, but her heart doesn’t want to give up. Riley is a dream hero from the start, so I really wanted them to find their way back to each other.
If you enjoy contemporary romances with a hot cowboy, one who isn’t willing to let the girl go, then you will love Secret Nights with a Cowboy. While this one isn’t my favorite novel by Ms. Crews, it’s an enjoyable read, and I’m glad I accepted the invitation to read and review. Happy reading!
Secret Nights with a Cowboy is a well-written romance with engaging characters and an emotionally charged plot. The pacing pulled me in and kept me entertained. The story gained speed as it progressed and had a fantastic ending, tying up all plotlines.
Rae Kittridge is the heroine, and she is ready to at last end her broken marriage, but it’s incredibly hard because she still loves her husband, and she hates to give up on the sexual chemistry that still exists.
Rae has a deep secret she’s never told anyone, including her estranged husband, even though he has the right to know. I felt her pain as she tries to stop seeing Riley cold turkey, especially when he tells her he’ll sign the divorce papers, but he wants to stay friends before they end their marriage.
Riley Kittridge is a yummy hero. He’s determined to get to the root of what went wrong between him and Rae. To do that, he needs to become her friend and quit clouding the relationship by late night sexual encounters with each other, no matter how fantastic. I loved his determination to succeed. I could sense his bewilderment as to why Rae left him years before while still visiting him at night.
This is a second chance romance, and the couple have been childhood sweethearts who married, and it didn’t work. This story starts when Rae is tired of hanging on to Riley. Their marriage has been broken for years.
I enjoyed Rae’s dilemma because she desperately needs to end things permanently, but her heart doesn’t want to give up. Riley is a dream hero from the start, so I really wanted them to find their way back to each other.
If you enjoy contemporary romances with a hot cowboy, one who isn’t willing to let the girl go, then you will love Secret Nights with a Cowboy. While this one isn’t my favorite novel by Ms. Crews, it’s an enjoyable read, and I’m glad I accepted the invitation to read and review. Happy reading!
October 24, 2020
Although I think it is a standalone read, this book is part of a series. I like it when walk-on characters have been in other stories as it is like catching up with old friends. SNwaC is about Rae Trujillo and Riley Kittredge. They are what I would call a perfect example of a combustible couple. They were sweethearts for fuh-evah, grew up together, and married right out of high school. They burned brightly and then imploded and split…or did they?
These two are clearly in love with each other but haven’t spoken in years. Or have they? It was a great premise – and I won’t give too many details so as not to spoil the story for anyone – but I wish I could have sat the two of them down and told them to just talk! In any case, they end up giving each other dating advice and in a small town? You can bet some of the scenes are hilarious.
The families are something. Hooboy, everyone has an opinion! At the core, they are right behind Rae and Riley, but there is much drama in both families. Rae’s mother and grandmother cracked me up, most of the time, as I can picture (what I like to call) their rivalry. And Riley’s brothers and father have just as much going on as the Trujillos only they express it in a different way.
I liked this story when it had Rae and Riley actually talking to one another. The results were pretty amazing, considering some of the secrets these two kept from each other.
These two are clearly in love with each other but haven’t spoken in years. Or have they? It was a great premise – and I won’t give too many details so as not to spoil the story for anyone – but I wish I could have sat the two of them down and told them to just talk! In any case, they end up giving each other dating advice and in a small town? You can bet some of the scenes are hilarious.
The families are something. Hooboy, everyone has an opinion! At the core, they are right behind Rae and Riley, but there is much drama in both families. Rae’s mother and grandmother cracked me up, most of the time, as I can picture (what I like to call) their rivalry. And Riley’s brothers and father have just as much going on as the Trujillos only they express it in a different way.
I liked this story when it had Rae and Riley actually talking to one another. The results were pretty amazing, considering some of the secrets these two kept from each other.
June 17, 2021
4.5 Stars!
Riley and Rae married right out of high school while still a little self-centered, immature, and lacking in awareness. Separated, but not divorced, it's been nearly a decade since they lived under the same roof and Rae has decided it's time to move on.
This book might be book one in the Kittredge Ranch series, but it's setting is in the same town along with familiar characters from Crews's previous Cold River Ranch, 3-book series. While Grey and Abby's story in book 1 of that first series will be an all-time favorite, the wonderful characters and emotional story arc of this this book comes close. I love when an author can write a romance about a married couple and give me the same kind of affecting connection that I would feel in the typical boy-meets-girl romance. I could relate to this couple and their hasty decisions from the past, as well as their struggle to confront those choices and move forward.
The writing was evocative as Riley and Rae worked to figure out their future, together or apart. There were intimately sensitive moments and abject character growth throughout, as well as a realistically moving conclusion. When the story ended, I felt like it was only the beginning of their romance and I wanted more. Hopefully, there'll be significant scenes with them in the next two books featuring Riley's brothers.
September 20, 2020
Secret Nights with a Cowboy was an enjoyable read with some humor and plenty of heat. There were some parts of the story that tend to drag on that Good extension to boredom but then it picked up and turned into a delightful chapter. Nice comfy read.
I received a copy of Secret Nights with a Cowboy by Caitlin Crews from St. Martin's Press and Net Galley in exchange for a honest review. My opinions are mine own.
I received a copy of Secret Nights with a Cowboy by Caitlin Crews from St. Martin's Press and Net Galley in exchange for a honest review. My opinions are mine own.
August 3, 2021
When I started Secret Nights, I thought I would end up DNF-ing; instead, it sucked me in and I read into the wee hours and again at dawn. I’m groggy and tired, but trying to understand why I enjoyed it as much as I did. To start, I think the reason I thought I would DNF is there’s something about Crews’s narrative voice that grates. When I start one of her novels, I’m instantly turned off by the feeling she’s leading me along her narrative; I can see her composing on a computer. If I end up enjoying the novel, then it’s because, despite that intrusive storytelling voice, the sheer romance-y-ness of it is compelling. In this case, it was (in others, not) and I don’t even enjoy marriage-in-trouble romance:
Riley Kittredge has always known exactly what he wanted. His land, his horses. His woman. He met and married Rae Trujillo far too young, and their young love combusted right after they said their vows. But their passion has never managed to burn itself out. Yet when Rae shows this time, it’s not a night of pleasure she demands, but a divorce. Rae should have moved on a long time ago. She knows she and Riley just don’t work. They might make great lovers, but that doesn’t make a marriage. And now Rae wants a new life, complete with a baby. But when her husband offers to be a father, to give her the family she’s always secretly desired, she and Riley will both have to face demons from their past—and choose love over fear at last.
Riley and Rae were high-school sweethearts and their young love didn’t exactly combust until “something happened” and Rae left Riley to move back in with her parents. Then, for the next eight years, Rae drove to Riley’s horse ranch, to the house he built for them, to fight and have sex. Eight years of yelling and sex doesn’t seem plausible to me because surely a person needs some peace and friendly conversation? What do I know, though, spinster that I am? A friend of mine once told me that her 30-year marriage consisted of yelling and great sex, so maybe? In any case, when the novel opens, Rae asks Riley to divorce because she wants to have a baby. Her friend Abby’s baby, Bart, has set all hormones firing. This is less of a plot point, in the end, than the blurb suggests and that was a good thing. I’m glad baby-making didn’t play such a great role, instead the working out of a relationship where’s there’s a lot of love, but not much by way of understanding, forgiveness, or communication.
Those “secret nights” in the title? Not so secret. The town of Cold River knows all about Riley and Rae and their public separation and private marriage. The only secrets are the ones Rae is keeping. While I’m rubbish at guessing the whodunnit, I’m pretty good at romance “sekrets” and I’d figured out what was going on, given Rae’s internal monologue of pain and suffering, way before she finally told Riley. Poor Riley, despite rugged good looks and elemental-as-the-Colorado-mountains stoicism, was clueless. In eight years of fighting, you’d think Riley would have demanded some answers, but I guess being as elemental as earth and sky also makes you silently forebearing. Except this also made Riley self-righteous in his patience and love and made Rae immature and mean in her temper tantrums. While I hate to admit it, this made for compelling reading.
The latest romance trend for rom-coms is about the meet-cute. I love a meet-cute (see my review of Pineapple Girl), but a convention we don’t see as much in these cartoon-cover-rom-com days is the “line in the sand”. In friends-to-lovers and marriage-in-trouble, the relationship opens in a state of stasis, where the couple has been playing out the same old patterns over and over again. Then, in place of the meet-cute, comes the “line in the stand,” the point at which one of the two protagonists seeks to change the pattern and the other reacts, that is, resists the change. I think what I found compelling about Crews’s romance was that one “line in the sand” follows another, inexorably as hero and heroine navigate relationship change, one or the other decides what they’ll tolerate/accept or not, the more “nots” the less believable the HEA; the more compromises, the more convincing the HEA. The narrative moves like a murder mystery, whodunnit and whydunnit become “Will they work it out?” If that narrative impetus is maintained with great dialogue (Crews’s is especially fine) and, in this case, family and friends who give key advice (one of Crews’s strengths), then it works.
While I remained annoyed at Crews’s storytelling tone, there were moments of good writing, which made me pause, smile, and appreciate them. Like: “Because fighting and making up was … fighting and making up. It wasn’t a relationship. War and sex wasn’t putting down roots, it was tearing them up. It wasn’t Corinthians.” That final little reference, to the Bible verse that is quoted in more weddings than Khalil Gibran (thank the wedding gods for that mercy), it was good and apt. Riley and Rae could use some “patient and kind”. Once they realize that, both of them, there’s not much left to the HEA, which came a tad too patly, but I was no less glad for Rae and Riley.
Caitlin Crews’s Secret Nights With a Cowboy is published by St. Martin’s Paperbacks. It was released in December 2020 and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-galley from St. Martin’s for the purpose of writing this review.
Riley Kittredge has always known exactly what he wanted. His land, his horses. His woman. He met and married Rae Trujillo far too young, and their young love combusted right after they said their vows. But their passion has never managed to burn itself out. Yet when Rae shows this time, it’s not a night of pleasure she demands, but a divorce. Rae should have moved on a long time ago. She knows she and Riley just don’t work. They might make great lovers, but that doesn’t make a marriage. And now Rae wants a new life, complete with a baby. But when her husband offers to be a father, to give her the family she’s always secretly desired, she and Riley will both have to face demons from their past—and choose love over fear at last.
Riley and Rae were high-school sweethearts and their young love didn’t exactly combust until “something happened” and Rae left Riley to move back in with her parents. Then, for the next eight years, Rae drove to Riley’s horse ranch, to the house he built for them, to fight and have sex. Eight years of yelling and sex doesn’t seem plausible to me because surely a person needs some peace and friendly conversation? What do I know, though, spinster that I am? A friend of mine once told me that her 30-year marriage consisted of yelling and great sex, so maybe? In any case, when the novel opens, Rae asks Riley to divorce because she wants to have a baby. Her friend Abby’s baby, Bart, has set all hormones firing. This is less of a plot point, in the end, than the blurb suggests and that was a good thing. I’m glad baby-making didn’t play such a great role, instead the working out of a relationship where’s there’s a lot of love, but not much by way of understanding, forgiveness, or communication.
Those “secret nights” in the title? Not so secret. The town of Cold River knows all about Riley and Rae and their public separation and private marriage. The only secrets are the ones Rae is keeping. While I’m rubbish at guessing the whodunnit, I’m pretty good at romance “sekrets” and I’d figured out what was going on, given Rae’s internal monologue of pain and suffering, way before she finally told Riley. Poor Riley, despite rugged good looks and elemental-as-the-Colorado-mountains stoicism, was clueless. In eight years of fighting, you’d think Riley would have demanded some answers, but I guess being as elemental as earth and sky also makes you silently forebearing. Except this also made Riley self-righteous in his patience and love and made Rae immature and mean in her temper tantrums. While I hate to admit it, this made for compelling reading.
The latest romance trend for rom-coms is about the meet-cute. I love a meet-cute (see my review of Pineapple Girl), but a convention we don’t see as much in these cartoon-cover-rom-com days is the “line in the sand”. In friends-to-lovers and marriage-in-trouble, the relationship opens in a state of stasis, where the couple has been playing out the same old patterns over and over again. Then, in place of the meet-cute, comes the “line in the stand,” the point at which one of the two protagonists seeks to change the pattern and the other reacts, that is, resists the change. I think what I found compelling about Crews’s romance was that one “line in the sand” follows another, inexorably as hero and heroine navigate relationship change, one or the other decides what they’ll tolerate/accept or not, the more “nots” the less believable the HEA; the more compromises, the more convincing the HEA. The narrative moves like a murder mystery, whodunnit and whydunnit become “Will they work it out?” If that narrative impetus is maintained with great dialogue (Crews’s is especially fine) and, in this case, family and friends who give key advice (one of Crews’s strengths), then it works.
While I remained annoyed at Crews’s storytelling tone, there were moments of good writing, which made me pause, smile, and appreciate them. Like: “Because fighting and making up was … fighting and making up. It wasn’t a relationship. War and sex wasn’t putting down roots, it was tearing them up. It wasn’t Corinthians.” That final little reference, to the Bible verse that is quoted in more weddings than Khalil Gibran (thank the wedding gods for that mercy), it was good and apt. Riley and Rae could use some “patient and kind”. Once they realize that, both of them, there’s not much left to the HEA, which came a tad too patly, but I was no less glad for Rae and Riley.
Caitlin Crews’s Secret Nights With a Cowboy is published by St. Martin’s Paperbacks. It was released in December 2020 and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-galley from St. Martin’s for the purpose of writing this review.
October 8, 2020
ARC received for review
DNF
I've tried, but I just can't get into it, and I don't care what caused her to run away from him.
DNF
I've tried, but I just can't get into it, and I don't care what caused her to run away from him.
February 28, 2021
This book hurt me. Not in the way that the relationship between Rae and Riley and all its angst hurt me, although it did, but the book physically pained me when I read it. It was not a good book.
I originally read the book because I found the audiobook version of it on spotify. I hadn't read a cowboy romance book before, but I was very much inclined to read one so I quickly decided that this was the next book I was going to read. Oh how I regretted that choice. The beginning of the novel started fine enough, some sort of estranged relationship between Rae and Riley, some sort of event that happened years ago that set off their relationship being broken seemingly for good. That was fine. And while I'm on the topic of things that are fine, I would like to congratulate the audiobook reader. His voice was low and full of depth and added much character to the otherwise vapid characters.
Rae's character can be essentially boiled down to, constantly thinking of Riley, even though she not supposed to, and mourning her life as a part of dysfunctional family who refuses to update the store uniform. I know that part of the narrative is Rae trying to, take action? But Rae's passivity in her own life is astounding, even when she's making "Big changes." She refuses to talk to anyone because she determines that everyone either can't listen or is too toxic to listen. And while many of the characters in this story have toxic relationships, Rae absolutely refusing to do anything about her living situation is a form of self-toxicity.
The real kicker of this story is that it tries to dismiss everything that is toxic. Oh, you thought that Rae's mother and grandmother are toxic? No, they actually love each other and waging a cold war is the way of showing that love. I'm sorry, but you can't just say that it's not toxic and expect the readers to agree with you. Rae's psychological state seems to be damaged from years of a toxic family environment and simply saying that it's not toxic doesn't fix that.
Speaking of other toxic relationships, Rae and Riley. I couldn't give this a pass. At one point in this book I realized, this book is toxic, the relationship isn't going to become non-toxic, the book will justify the toxicity. I was right. I mostly kept reading out of morbid curiosity for that one even that happened years ago that completely broke things, and that I wanted my seething disdain for this book to see a suitable end. I think that the author doesn't understand that not all abusive relationships are abusive in the same way. The author keeps repeating how Riley doesn't drink or hit his wife as a saving grace. That bar has been sent on the floor. The entire time I was reading about Riley and Rae's relationship, I kept thinking, this is toxic and abusive. It was the constant arguing and verbal abuse. It was the gaslighting that Riley engaged in. As I made those determinations the book made sure to remind me "Riley doesn't drink all that much whisky and doesn't hit his wife!" Thank you book for yelling about how Riley doesn't abuse his wife in a very specific way, but all the other ways are still in the open. The book also tries to dismiss all this toxicity at the end. All that arguing? It was only their love language all along! If your love language requires you to be an in an abusive relation you may be in need of seeking help.
Since we spoke about Rae, let's speak about Riley. He can be boiled down to thinking about Rae Trujilo, even though he says he doesn't want to, and moping about he hates his parents' toxic relation ship. Plot twist, even his parents' toxic relationship that scarred him for life got revealed to fixed and loving in the end. Even though in their relationship they did throw things at each other. Lovely. Riley can be seen in this book lying about trying to help Rae move on and meet new people and then standing over her in bars looking at other men in a threatening way because "Rae is his, all his." While I love the book constantly mentioning how this woman is fully belonging to this man, similar lines constantly peppered throughout the book, I think it is odd these lines keep appearing when they have been separated for years. But then again, what do I know of romance? I do know that Riley's actions are deceitful and aren't very healthy. But when has anything been in this book?
Anyways, it's time to address the elephant in the room. What happened all those nights ago. If you still have interest in reading the book and you don't want a late book spoiler, this is the time to skip this paragraph. So after Rae realizes that all the toxic relationships around her were actually all loving, coincidentally Riley realizes the same of his family around the same time, Rae decides to confess to Riley what happened that night. This is a bit heavy, so consider this your trigger warning, miscarriage. Rae had gotten pregnant but was scared to admit it because they didn't want children and Riley consistently talked about how he hated children. She didn't know what to do, and couldn't tell anyone because she couldn't even tell Riley. In the end, while Riley was away, Rae had a miscarriage. It's something incredibly sad and I really sympathize for the characters. This event is treated as what changed their relationship, and a serious event like this certainly would change the lives of the people it affects. But as soon as Rae and Riley decide to move past this they just decide, all of the arguing that lead to Rae being too scared to communicate with Riley sort of gets left in the past. I understand that they are trying to start on a new slate, but it's hard to believe they can move forward without actually taking a serious look at what happened in the past. I especially can't believe it because the same arguments that Rae to be scared and alone and have a miscarriage are also characterized as their love language and them arguing, but "arguing together." It's somewhat unbelievable and really left a bad taste in my mouth. They then decide to have children because the book views children as the thing that saves marriages. It saved the marriage of Riley's parents and it did so for Rae and Riley. And the child knew it had to be born to them. And so the problems are solved. The child fixed their marriage. And the ending scene is Rae giving Riley a blowjob, although it's not described, so she can convince him not to tell her family that she stole his family's carrot souffle recipe. Brilliant.
Overall, the story spends a really long time in the conflict portion of the story without really showing the readers why Rae and Riley should end up back together, other than the fact that they are married. While I knew it was hopeless, I kept hoping that Rae left that toxic town full of all it's toxic relationships. Instead, we get to see Riley's manipulations and how eventually, everything that was once toxic is shown to be love. The sex scenes were lackluster and the characters were vapid. The last blowjob got quickly thrown in with one sentence unlike the very arduous process of reading this book. What should have been a quick and easy read became a painful chore, but I did it so you won't half to. If you like a book with a toxic and domineering male that doesn't even seem aware of the problematic standards it perpetuates, I think this book is for you. I didn't even think that this book leaned in too heavily for the cowboy concept, although admittedly I'm not too familiar with the cowboy genre, but you barely see a horse and are more often in a flower shop. Save yourself the time and effort, you can find better.
Again on a more serious note: I think this book was incredibly problematic and it idealized a toxic and abusive version of romance. I don't think that's okay. If you see yourself in a relationship that is abusive, and it doesn't have to be just physical, you can seek help. Domestic abuse can be enacted by physical violence, emotional abuse, threats, or financial control. A partner does not have to be physically abusive to be abusive. If you would like to call someone for help, contact the phone number below. It's the number for the national domestic violence hotline.
800.799.SAFE (7233)
December 2, 2020
Reviewed for Romancing the Readers Blog: http://www.romancingthereaders.com/20...
Second chance romance isn't always my cup of tea. I kinda feel been there done that. But I still read them. I know, I can't help myself. If it sounds good I have to give it a try.
I have to start off with the fact that both Riley and Rae need a swift kick in the butt. They both have tunnel vision in their hurt and anger so they can't see beyond it. You just want to yell at them to step back and see the big picture.
They've let their pasts eclipse the here and now.
I understand they both have past issues, but the one thing for me that means so much is the fact that they both stayed married. Something has to be there for that to happen. They are both young and could have started over so something stopped them.
I will say at times this isn't an easy book to read. I often got frustrated by it. I liked them both but at times when they are together, it was hard to like them. I will have to say this is a very emotional book to read. With all that you still couldn't put it down because you needed to know if they worked it all out. Yes, I know because it's a romance they would, but you still wondered with these two.
So this is one of those books that I didn't love but still enjoyed it. It's not the first book in the series but I don't think it made much of a difference with this book. I do usually like to read them in order but sometimes that doesn't happen.
Second chance romance isn't always my cup of tea. I kinda feel been there done that. But I still read them. I know, I can't help myself. If it sounds good I have to give it a try.
I have to start off with the fact that both Riley and Rae need a swift kick in the butt. They both have tunnel vision in their hurt and anger so they can't see beyond it. You just want to yell at them to step back and see the big picture.
They've let their pasts eclipse the here and now.
I understand they both have past issues, but the one thing for me that means so much is the fact that they both stayed married. Something has to be there for that to happen. They are both young and could have started over so something stopped them.
I will say at times this isn't an easy book to read. I often got frustrated by it. I liked them both but at times when they are together, it was hard to like them. I will have to say this is a very emotional book to read. With all that you still couldn't put it down because you needed to know if they worked it all out. Yes, I know because it's a romance they would, but you still wondered with these two.
So this is one of those books that I didn't love but still enjoyed it. It's not the first book in the series but I don't think it made much of a difference with this book. I do usually like to read them in order but sometimes that doesn't happen.
November 28, 2020
I found this story to be strange at first. Rae who works at her family’s flower shop seems to want more. The more means or I think she wants a family or at least a child. With her brother really being the only person calling her out on still living at home telling her she could go back to her husband. Most people in town along with her best friend think she and her husband Riley are divorced. Riley and Rae are not divorced they are still married and why they are not together is a combination of things.
First being married to young, second Rae believes that Riley does not want children of his own because he had to raise his brothers and sisters. But there are still times that Rae will end up with Riley at his or there are and in bed but will be gone in the morning. What will Riley do though when she shows up at the ranch this time with divorce papers and she tells him why and what she wants. Will he give her what she wants? Read this story and find out. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
First being married to young, second Rae believes that Riley does not want children of his own because he had to raise his brothers and sisters. But there are still times that Rae will end up with Riley at his or there are and in bed but will be gone in the morning. What will Riley do though when she shows up at the ranch this time with divorce papers and she tells him why and what she wants. Will he give her what she wants? Read this story and find out. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
Read
October 29, 2025The h exasperated me to the point of no return. The amount of self-sabotage, indecision and back and forth was astounding. I feel bad for the H in this case.
November 27, 2020
Secret Nights with a Cowboy returns readers to Cold River and focuses on the Kittredge family with horse trainer Riley and his estranged wife Rae taking centre stage — in a story that, while slow at first, was satisfying to read.
As Riley battles to learn what caused Rae to walk away from their marriage and put it right, whilst Rae battles her feelings for Riley and desperately after years of pretending Riley doesn't exist yet spending nights with him tries to finally cut all ties, and move on.
And with a lot of anguish, a touch of sweetness and emotion, not to mention great characters, it was an engaging story to read. But it was also a frustrating one, and at times I just wanted to scream at these two characters or lock them in a room and demand they have a proper conversation.
But all in all, it was a great read, and it was lovely to be back in Cold River.
Would recommend.
**I was kindly provided with an ARC via the Publisher in exchange for an honest review**
As Riley battles to learn what caused Rae to walk away from their marriage and put it right, whilst Rae battles her feelings for Riley and desperately after years of pretending Riley doesn't exist yet spending nights with him tries to finally cut all ties, and move on.
And with a lot of anguish, a touch of sweetness and emotion, not to mention great characters, it was an engaging story to read. But it was also a frustrating one, and at times I just wanted to scream at these two characters or lock them in a room and demand they have a proper conversation.
But all in all, it was a great read, and it was lovely to be back in Cold River.
Would recommend.
**I was kindly provided with an ARC via the Publisher in exchange for an honest review**
December 6, 2020
As teenagers Rae fell in love with Riley and thought she had found her happy ever after. Instead she found out that marriage wasn’t just about love and when she reached a breaking point she left her husband physically but her heart remained behind. As a result, even though they aren’t living as a couple that didn’t mean that they could stop the chemistry igniting between them in the subsequent years.
Eight years later when Riley is approached by Rae asking for a divorce as she needs to move forward with her life it changes everything. He isn’t about to just let the only woman he has ever loved leave his life and that means not only sorting through the misunderstandings of the past but convincing her that they have a future together.
This is a heartwarming story of two people who have always loved each other who needed to realize that with understanding trust they can have the life and love they have always wanted.
Eight years later when Riley is approached by Rae asking for a divorce as she needs to move forward with her life it changes everything. He isn’t about to just let the only woman he has ever loved leave his life and that means not only sorting through the misunderstandings of the past but convincing her that they have a future together.
This is a heartwarming story of two people who have always loved each other who needed to realize that with understanding trust they can have the life and love they have always wanted.
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