A Good Old-Fashioned Cowboy

Jasper Creek #2

by Maisey Yates, Caitlin Crews, Nicole Helm

Four best friends return home to find more than they ever dared dream of in this delightful quartet from bestselling authors Maisey Yates, Caitlin Crews, Jackie Ashenden and Nicole Helm.When they were girls, best friends Hope, Charity, Pru and Kit made a pact. If, at thirty, they weren’t happy with their lives, they would return home to Jasper Creek, Oregon. And when Hope’s wedding implodes, they decide it’s time. While Hope is uncertain she’ll find her way back to the man she left behind, Kit finds herself kissing the man of her high school fantasies, good girl Charity decides to have some fun with a bad boy and Pru develops feelings for the one man she shouldn’t touch—her brother’s best friend.All they wanted was to make their small-town childhood dreams a reality. But along the way, these four women also have to contend with their very own good old-fashioned cowboys…

Genres: Romance, Westerns, Contemporary, Fiction

396 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 26, 2021

About the author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.

Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.

She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

Reviews

[Esther · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the heroines in these short story's to be average.

And the romance just wasn't there for me.

It was very disappointing as two of these authors never disappoint.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Old-Fashioned Cowboy was a delightful collection about four friends who return home to fulfill their childhood dreams and find love along the way.

Overall average rating — 4.5 Stars

How to Find Him by Maisey Yates — 4 Stars

Hope Marshall loved Sullivan Brooks with everything she had but when he wouldn't take a chance on their relationship, she left town and tried to put him behind her. Twelve years and one cheating fiancé later, Hope returns to Jasper Creek to open a candy store. But when she runs into Brooks, she discovers her feelings for him aren't only in the past. I adore second chance romances and this one was no exception. Hope and Brooks had an all-consuming romance in high school but due to issues in both sides, the two destroyed any chance of them working out. However after twelve years it's obvious the two still care about each other, no matter how much they may not want to. The chemistry between them is fantastic and the few steamy scenes, while short, are very well done. I liked how the pair resolved their issues and overall I was very happy with their romance.

How to Win Him by Caitlin Crews — 5 Stars

Kit Hall has always done what was expected of her; she went to Princeton, moved to NYC, and became an editor for a literary publishing house. But Kit's real passion is romance novels, so she moves home to Jasper Creek to open a romance bookstore. When her carpenter turns out to be Browning West, a legend with the ladies before she left town, Kit decides she's ready for some fun in her life. I absolutely loved this story which had a sort of opposites attract romance. Kit has always been very serious while Browning is known as the life of the party. I enjoyed their banter and the deal they strike up (Browning reads romance books in exchange for getting Kit to do something fun). Plus their chemistry is off the charts and the steamy scenes are fantastically done. Overall this was definitely my favorite story in the collection.

How to Hold Him by Jackie Ashenden — 4.5 Stars

Charity Golding has known her whole life that she would be a doctor like her father. But when panic attacks keep her from returning to the ER, she returns home to Jasper Creek to unwind and open a yarn store. When the grandson of the former owner shows up to yell at Charity about making any changes, Charity discovers she's just attracted to Garrett Roy as she used to be. This story was fantastic and the romance followed the bad boy/good girl trope which is one I really like. Garrett has always felt he let his late grandmother down and as a result he lashes out at Charity for trying to make any changes to the yarn store. I liked how the pair worked out their differences and how much they opened up to each other about their problems. Their physical chemistry is excellent with some wonderfully done steamy scenes. Overall I really enjoyed Charity and Garrett's romance.

How to Love Him by Nicole Helm — 4.5 Stars

Pru Riley may not have gotten a piece of her family's ranch, but ranching is in her blood. So after Pru returns home with her friends, she sets out to open a feed store. But when her dream store is filled with junk she needs to clear out her brother's best friend, Grant Mathewson, is there to lend a hand. Now Pru just needs to find a way to keep herself from wanting Grant as well. I'm not generally a fan of the brother's best friend trope, but it actually worked really well for me here. Pru and Grant have an easy relationship with each other prior to getting involved that lays a nice groundwork for their romance. I loved that because of that, they were able to see each other's problems and help with them. The chemistry between them is fantastic and the couple steamy scenes are as well. Overall I really enjoyed the pair's romance and I liked the nice little epilogue at the end of the story showing all of the stores' grand openings.

Overall A Good Old-Fashioned Cowboy was a fantastic collection and I loved the unified theme of the women opening their dream shops. I highly recommend this book as well as the previous Jasper Creek collection, A Cowboy for All Seasons.

**I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

[Nate Brightman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
This review contains spoilers but only to the effect that each story ends with the couple achieving their happily ever after which shouldn’t be a shock to anyone whose ever read a contemporary romance.
I guess A Good Old-Fashioned Cowboy can be viewed as one novel written by four authors or as four novellas written by four different authors. I’ll go with the later although all the stories are inner connected. The stories are based around four now thirty-year-old women who have been best friends since childhood. In the prologue we see the women Hope, Kit, Charity and Pru at age thirteen. Three of the four Hope, Charity and Kit have plans to leave their little town of Jasper Creek Oregon when they graduate high school to go out and make their mark in the world. Certain bigger and better things await them beyond the borders of their sleepy little town. The fourth girl Pru or Prudence just wants to remain in Jasper Creek helping run her family’s ranch when her parents retire. Pru fearing the permanent loss of her friends when they leave for college, insists they swear an oath, make a pact that if by the time they’re “old” (thirty) they are not married and are not happy with the lives they are leading they will all return home to Jasper Creek to start businesses together. Fast forward seventeen years and the young women find themselves back in Jasper Creek together renting a large seemingly enchanted farmhouse for the summer. They tell themselves they are there to support Hope whose rich boyfriend she’s been with for the past nine years left her standing at the altar on her wedding day. But the truth is they are all single and they are all dissatisfied with the lives they were living in the big cities they’d settled in after college. As we quickly learn the lives the women had been living were mostly lived by them to satisfy their parents ideas of who they should be and not their own. In truth the stories are an indictment of how even well meaning parents can mess up their kids. Pru, the only member of the group who had actually wanted to stay in Jasper Creek was denied her dream when her parents left the ranch to her brothers cutting her out, paying for her college education instead. The stories run in parallel over the summer.
How to Find Him Maisey Yates
The first book written by Maisy Yates is Hope’s story. Hope came from a fairly affluent family. When her high school sweetheart Sullivan Bentley who came from the other side of the tracks tells her he doesn’t love her she tearfully packs her bags and head off to Chicago for college (Northwestern I assume) where she meets the wealthy Robert and enters into a nine-year relationship with him telling herself she loves him although she really doesn’t. When Robert leaves her standing at the altar Hope packs up her things (along with some stolen salmon) and heads home to Jasper Creek. Surprising her, her friends follow and agree to fulfill the terms of the pact they’d swore to seventeen years ago. The town agrees that if they can all successfully open businesses in four empty adjoining storefronts on one end of Main St. before the Centennial Celebration at the end of ‘August, they can rent them for $1.00 a month. If they can’t they will have to pay a much higher rent none of them can afford. Hope decides she’s going to fulfill her life long dream of running a candy store. But even preparing to live her dream as a candy store owner leaves her unfulfilled because she has unfinished business with her high school love Sullivan Brooks. It seems she and Brooks (she never uses his first name) had gone to Third Base many times but never all the way to home. Just the memories of making out with Brooks in his pickup truck got her hotter than sex with her ex-fiancée ever had. She feels she won’t be able to move forward until she rights her long regret that she didn’t allow Brooks to take her V-card. Brooks for his part has never been able to forget Hope. He tells himself he hates her for breaking up with him and leaving him behind in Jasper Creek to run off to Chicago and find a rich boy like he predicted she would. Problem is it was a self-fulfilling prophecy engineered by Brooks when he told Hope he didn’t love her in order to protect his heart, certain that she would eventually leave him anyway. Despite his conflicted feelings over Hope he’s more than onboard for the sex part just to get her out of his system. Or so he tells himself. It doesn’t take long for Hope to realize she’s always been in love with Brooks and wants to be his wife, the mother of his children. As in seemingly all Maisey Yates books Brooks the male lead stubbornly refuses to acknowledge his love for Hope and rejects her love in order to protect himself. This results in Hope delivering a scathing lecture to Brooks telling him that it was him and not her that broke them up all of those years ago and he used her as an excuse because he’s a coward afraid to risk his heart. Seriously this seems to be the way almost every Yate’s book goes until the male lead gets his head out of his ass, faces his fears, begs the female lead for forgiveness and they live happily ever after. I found the Hope character easy to care for. Brooks not so much. But then I’m a guy so my sympathies are going to more naturally go to the woman.
How to Win Him Caitlin Crews
The next story written by Caitlin Crews is about Kit. Kit like Hope was driven to fulfill her highly critical, snob of a father’s plans for how she should live her life. She goes to Princeton for college and then becomes a senior editor at one of New York City’s oldest and most prestigious publishers. But the job leaves her little time to enjoy the entertainment options the City that Never Sleeps has to offer. She’s living in a tiny studio apartment which I honestly found strange because I thought her prestigious job would have afforded her something much nicer even in the expensive N.Y.C. When she does date she dates pseudo-intellectual metro-sexual type men who do nothing for her libido. When she returns home to Jasper Creek she avoids contact with her highly critical and pompous father. She plans to use her storefront to open a book store focused on romance novels. She and her mother had secretly (because her father would never approve) loved reading her grandmother’s collection of romance novels. She hires devastatingly handsome Browning West who was the scandalous bad boy Lothario, manwhore in high school to remodel her store into a book store. Browning is everything in a man she’s never dated and never knew she needed. But every time he comes near her, her body responds and her brain practically shuts down. For Browning its love at first sight although he really doesn’t understand his attraction to the contrary woman who is nothing like the women he normally dates. This is what critics call a slow burn romance. Browning patiently works to remodel Kit’s store and the apartment above it. He gets her to join him in doing fun things her father would call frivolous in exchange for reading romance novels. In an odd turn of events for a contemporary romance it is Browning who first lays his heart on the line and Kit, after a lifetime of being made to feel less by her father who can’t believe somebody other than her three closest friends could actually love her for who she is, doesn't know what to do with Browning's profession of love. With a little interference from the enchanted house and the brutal honesty and support you can only get from your best friends, Kit eventually finds her way into Browning’s arms. But even her apology is classic Kit.
How to Hold Him Jackie Ashenden
Ashenden is a new author to me. This is the story of Charity Golding. I’ve been very curious about Charity since I began this book. It’s clear that her father had a strong influence in her becoming a doctor. Still I struggled with the idea that she was giving up her medical career after years of study to become one, to open a yarn store in sleepy little Jasper Creek. Early in the story its revealed that Charity only intends to take a break from medicine until the end of summer. Which makes her decision to put the time and energy and money into opening the yarn store if she’s just going to walk away from it in a couple of months as curious as the idea she’d give up practicing medicine. Charity has always been the calmer, kinder less snarky of the four friends. The peacemaker, the mom figure of the group. Like the other three friends she doesn’t pull any punches but she seems to be gentler, more empathetic while forcing her friends to fess up. What we discover is Charity has spent a lifetime burying any unpleasant emotions she might have because she doesn’t want to upset her father who gave up his dreams of being an ER doctor to raise her by himself after her mother died. Our male lead here is Garrett Roy, former town bad boy and bull riding champion. Garrett had briefly taken tutoring from Charity before he dropped out of school to pursue a career as a rodeo bull rider. He, the town bad boy had a crush on Charity the town good girl and Charity had a crush on him. As it so happens Garrett’s beloved grandmother who raised him when his mother abandoned him and his father was out riding bulls on the rodeo circuit, was the previous owner of the knitting store Charity is trying to rehab and reopen. He bursts into the store one morning proclaiming Charity cannot change the name of the store from what it was when his grandmother owned it. This leads to an argument where at Garrett’s goading Charity actually loses her temper. Which leads to the two of them confessing their attraction to one another and agreeing to have casual sex while Charity is in town. It also leads to Garrett spending a lot of time helping Charity remodel her store. This story actually was very similar to Hope and Brook’s story. High school crush by a good girl from a good family on a boy from the wrong side of the tracks who was abandoned physically by his mother and emotionally by his father. And when it comes down to it, Garrett like Brooks feels unworthy of being with Charity because of the scars his parents left on him. Far be it from me to tell Ashenden how to plot her stories but I think this one would have ended better if perhaps Charity decided that yes being an ER doctor was too stressful for her so she becomes a small town doctor like her father where perhaps when she wasn’t busy tending to the townsfolk’s medical needs she could keep her hand in running the yarn store. The idea to quit being a physician all together to run a little yarn store just didn’t work for me.
How to Love Him Nicole Helm
This the fourth and final book is the story of Prudence Riley and Grant Mathewson. It’s an “older brother best friend” trope, Grant being the lifelong best friend of Pru’s brother JT and seven years older than her. Pru is perhaps the most damaged of our four heroines. As I mentioned at the start Pru’s dream had always been to be a part owner of her parents ranch and live the life of a rancher. When they came of age her parents offered her two brothers a share of the ranch but Pru, they offered the equivalent value to pay for her college education. This shattering of her life long dream taught Pru to avoid believing she could have her dreams. So she avoids reaching for what she really wants in life. While she’s working to open her feed store and building a closer relationship with Grant she won’t allow herself to believe she can have it all. She keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop and have her dreams snatched from her. It also turns out her family is incapable of expressing most emotions. Even saying I love you to one another is unheard of. So when her parents offered her a college education rather than a share of the ranch Pru didn’t know how to express her disappointment.
Grant Mathewson is the oldest of six now adult men. Six years ago his father died in his arms. His last words to Grant were to take care of his family and the ranch. His father’s dying request leaves Grant overwhelmed by the burden. He’s alienating his brothers by micro-managing their work on the ranch. He’s shut himself off from everything outside of the ranch rarely leaving it.
Until Pru’s mother Mary who has been like a second mother to him since his own mother passed when he was young insists he help Pru clear the junk out of her storefront which the previous owner more or less used as a dumping ground/warehouse. Mary Riley may not be good at expressing emotions but apparently nobody refuses her. Grant finds he really enjoys getting away from the ranch helping Pru and the ranch isn't suffering from him not being there. He also discovers his best friends little sister is now a very attractive grown woman he’s having a difficult time resisting his attraction to. Even though Pru is herself still an emotional mess, she helps Grant to see he doesn’t have to be chained to the ranch and can pursue a life beyond it that makes him happy. Pru had always had a crush on Grant when she was younger. When he makes it known he’s interested in her she doesn’t know what to do because he’s another thing she’s always wanted and believed she’d never have. Her friends challenge her to deal with her fears so she agrees to a casual sex relationship with Grant but insists they keep it on the downlow as to not upset either of their families. Of course they become more than sex partners although Pru refuses to acknowledge it. She also refuses to decide where she’ll live when she and her friends move out of their summer rental or if she’ll hire someone to help her run the feed store after its official opening. Grant, clueless to Pru’s issues becomes frustrated with her refusal to make decisions about anything until after the Centennial Celebration. When he declares his love for Pru, his desire to build a life with her she is forced to deal with both her fears of failure and loss and her inability to express her emotions.
The only thing that bothered me about this story is I kept getting the sense that Helm lifted the Mathewson family from some other book or series she’d written because there’s plenty of references to backstories to his brother Cade and his wife J.J. as if their story were told in a different book we should be familiar with.

There’s a brief epilogue here set on Centennial Day with lots of warm feels as the women celebrate their success, their love for one another and their new found loves with the four hunky cowboys who have won their hearts.
When it's all said and done I have to say this was a very enjoyable short series built around the friendship of the four women whose support helps each of them find their happily ever after.

[Stephanie Panach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who says you can't go home again? This anthology of four interconnected stories says that you can! Each story in this book tackles one of four close friends. They all left their very small hometown for different reasons, but have promised to move back home in the future if they aren't happy. When Hope's wedding implodes all of them head back to Jasper Creek to try and open their own businesses and find some happiness and direction in their life.

I adore interconnected novellas - and these are truly top-notch. The events of each story intertwine around each other and key on pivotal events and moments. The characters in each story give their thoughts on the relationships of the other friends without spoiling anything. It is really skillfully done. And you'd expect nothing less from these authors!

All of the stories were great - but I think my favorite was definitely Kit's!

I will say - there are several current country songs that could be listened to as a companion to this:

Morgan Wallen - Seven Summers Ago
Morgan Wallen - My Hometown
Lee Brice - Rumor
Brett Eldridge - Something I'm Good At
Eric Church - Springsteen
Blake Shelton - Happy Anywhere
Chris Stapleton - Starting Over
Chase Rice - Forever to Go
Chris Janson - Done
Ashley McBryde - Hang in there Girl
Jordan Davis - Slow Dancing in a Parking Lot
Marshmello & Kane Brown - One Thing Right

Overall - I highly recommend - especially if you like western, small town romance.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

[Figlet · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a magnificent set of stories. I loved all of them for different reasons. I don't want to get too spoiler-y either because, like the first Jasper Creek Collection, I feel like you have to read them all in order and in entirety to really get the breadth of the tales and the heroines and, mostly, the broken on the inside cowboys.

I will admit to a big ole burst of tears at the end of "How To Love Him" because, honest to June Gable, if Prudence is going to cry, I am going to cry.

I really love these books. I wish I could find my copy of the first one. Alas, I believe my mother donated it to a hungry reader during these many, many, many months of lock down.

Maybe I'll buy another?

Rated 5 HUMONGOUS MAGIC HOUSE STARS *cue The Andrews Sisters*

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the concept of the story, four friends if they weren't happy with their lives they would return to their small home town Jasper Creek and run four very different businesses'. I think each story was sweet, very good and unique. I actually found a paperback of the first Jasper Creek "A Cowboy for All Seasons" a week ago so I can't wait to jump into that one very soon.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Harlequin Books]

Categories
Western Romance, Contemporary Romance

[Donna Repsher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by admitting to being a fan of all four of the authors who wrote these four charming and addictive novellas, 3 of whom I discovered in The Deacons of Bourbon Street series (not to be missed!). I also know that these authors are actually good friends, which is probably why their novellas in this book flow so seamlessly into one another that you would swear they were written by a single author. Kudos to all 4 authors and 5 stars to each and every one of them.

I was hooked from the Prologue, in which 4 best friends are camping out in their small home town of Jasper Creek, Oregon, and discussing their plans for the future, and only one friend, Pru, will be staying home, planning to inherit her part of the family ranch--the others will be heading off to follow their dreams, and often it's the dreams of their parents they will try to fulfill. But they make a pact, as only best friends can, that they will stay in touch, and they then search for and purchase 4 identical necklaces, a small compass on a chain, swearing to never take them off, and they also promise to return to Jasper Creek someday should their future plans fizzle out.

A dozen years later, Hope's wedding plans fizzle out when she's left at the altar by the man she's been seeing for 9 years, and her three friends, her bridesmaids, are there to witness it, console her, and discuss their futures, and the dreams they once had of opening their own small businesses on Main Street in Jasper Creek. It seems to be the perfect time, early summer, to spend 3 months vacationing together, bolstering up Hope's shattered relationship, renting a house together in Jasper Creek, and possibly returning to their childhood dreams of each owning her own business there, and so it begins.

What follows are four charming, sad, touching, dramatic, angsty, funny, romantic and sexy short novels, as each of the four women rediscovers her roots, and also the boys, now men, they left behind. The intertwining of the four narratives is flawless. Even the rental house weaves it own magic into their lives, and when they discover an old 1940s era magazine with tips on how to find and hook the man of your dreams, the tips are placed in a jar, house rules are established, and if you break one of those rules, you have to reach into the jar, pick a slip, and do what it says. There's even an old Victrola that plays 1940s records by itself. There is also a hilarious running joke about salmon, which made me laugh out loud whenever it came up, and it came up a lot.

To say that I was absolutely enchanted by the concept and execution of these novellas is putting it mildly. I read one per night, usually finishing each one near dawn, but once I started, I simply couldn't put any of these four stories down. As a former indie bookseller in a small town, how could I not be overjoyed that one character wants to open a romance bookstore, another a yarn shop (there used to be one that my bookstore shared a building with), the third a homemade candy shop, and the fourth a feed & seed, since ranching was her childhood dream. Thanks to the little slips of silly suggestions and the house rules, each of these friends find themselves, and in doing so, they find the boys they left behind. If you've never read any of these authors before, this is a wonderful introduction to their books, and if you're already a fan of theirs, I think you'll be as delighted with these stories as I was.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

We’re back in Jasper Creek and, to my delight, back at Grandma June’s house. Seems Grandma June’s granddaughters have decided to rent out the home. In this book, a group of four childhood friends rent the house in order to reassess and straighten out their lives. All of the women grew up in Jasper Creek but have since scattered to different parts of the United States. They’ve kept in contact during their time apart, but now it’s time to remember their dreams and make them come true. A fun twist, they decide to use Grandma June’s old magazines from the 40s and 50s to jumpstart their dating lives. They fill a jar with the dating advice from these magazines and must pull a slip each time they break their new house rules. Of course, the house will work its magic and be sure each lady ends up with her HEA.

On top of it all, as young girls they dreamed of opening their own shops in town and now they have the opportunity to do so. The catch being that they must open by a certain date to maintain the low rent being offered as an incentive to revitalize downtown. If they are not successful in meeting their deadline, they will be locked into sky high rent, which none of them can afford.

How to Find Him by Maisey Yates
The first story told is Hope’s tale. After a nine-year relationship and being hours from walking down the aisle, she is back in Jasper Creek single and frustrated. It’s not even that she liked her fiancé overly much, but it was what was expected of her from her uppity parents which made her believe it was what she wanted. But really, she has always just wanted her old high school boyfriend, Brooks.

Hope is opening a candy shop in town. She loves all things sweet and has spent years avoiding sugar due to her ex-fiancé and his family. Now she’s eating all the candy, putting some of her natural weight back on, and enjoying the journey. And then she, quite literally, falls head over heels back into Brooks. Who, get this, has a syrup farm. It’s instantly obvious these two still have many unresolved feelings, but they’ll have to get out of their own way to try to work things out.

There are some wonderfully butterfly-inducing scenes that come about due to the slips of “advice” Hope has to pull during the course of her story. I really loved the parts of their story when they let their guards down and really talked and shared with each other. Just like Hope’s store, the story of Hope and Brooks is very sweet. ~ 3.5 stars

How to Win Him by Caitlin Crews
Kit has been living in New York and working at a prestigious publishing house since graduating from Princeton. Her father always knew she was meant for great things! And Kit always loved to make her dad happy and proud. Although there is satisfaction in her dad’s approval, there’s not much joy. Kit likes her job and her life enough and while she’s not unhappy, she’s also not happy. Hope’s canceled wedding is the perfect excuse to leave it all behind and move back home to Jasper Creek to open a genre-specific romance book shop. Of course, she also avoids her dad for months not wanting to face his disappointment.

Browning West always had all the girls swooning in school. He’s a couple years older than Kit and were on totally different social rungs so never interacted in high school, but he volunteered to help his sister-in-law’s tenant (Grandma June’s Keira) build some book shelves and other odds and ends. Browning may not immediately be able to place Kit, but she knows exactly who he is…the subject of many schoolgirl fantasies back in the day. They seem like total opposites on paper, but these opposites most definitely attract.

This story was a lot of fun on top of having many warm-fuzzy moments. Kit has to do some ridiculous things due to the slips of dating advice and each and every time Browning just rolls with it and never asks why. He is such a wonderful love interest. He’s thoughtful and fun and pushes Kit outside her comfort zone. She pushes back, having him read romance book after romance book so he can understand what she’s trying to build with her new store. I just adore these two. And their groveling scene is the best. Chef’s kiss! ~ 5 stars

How to Hold Him by Jackie Ashenden
Oh, how I love Charity and Garrett together. Both very misunderstood, even by those closest to them. Both seeing the true person behind the act. Plus, they had crushed on each other in high school without knowing the feelings were mutual. Well, Garrett suspected but didn’t feel he was a good person for Charity to fall for.

While I felt this story had tons of chemistry and heart, I was missing the dating advice slips. Not that Charity didn’t have to pull a slip from time to time, it just didn’t seem like it was a big part of her story. Although, there was one particular slip that had her confronting Garrett the first day they see each other and it’s such a fun, intense, and heated scene. Other than that, I felt the slips were a bit inconsequential to Charity. And, although the house worked its magic here and there, it was much more subtle than in the other stories so far. I still thoroughly enjoyed their journey and really loved seeing them find their HEA. ~ 4 stars

How to Love Him by Nicole Helm
Nicole Helm is really hitting it out of the ballpark with her stories in this series. In the few pages she has to work with she gave me tons of warm-fuzzies and touches a bit on mental health in a very accessible way. And seriously, there are few tropes better than a brother’s best friend romance.

I really enjoyed the use of the advice slips in this story. I already mentioned that I missed them in the previous story so I was happy to have the slips and the magical house show up a bit more again. No matter how strongly Pru tries to fight her emotions, the house and slips (and her girlfriends) just won’t allow her to bury her head in the sand.

This story is a lot about Pru’s growth, especially emotionally. But I felt Grant grew even more. It seemed Grant has been having a very rough few years and was finally able to really listen to what his brothers and friends were telling him. Somehow hearing it from Pru, who was more of an outside observer, helped him to hear the truth in what was being said. Once he was able to step back from what he perceived as his (and only his) responsibilities, Grant found that it was possible for him to find happiness.

That was a harder lesson for Pru. While her family is loving and caring, they don’t really discuss feelings. Meaning, Pru never spoke up when they hurt her in the past. She also learned to not hope for things. Once that feeling of hope started to blossom, she shut it down. Not a healthy way to live, to be sure.

All the feels were had with this story. ~ 5 stars

Summary: I love reading about friends who have stood the test of time. These women have had each other’s backs for a long time and know when to sit back and let things play out, and when to push things into an uncomfortable zone. I’m really happy I finally picked this series up. It’s a lot of fun and gives me four HEAs in one each time.

Overall = 4.375 stars (we’ll round that up to 4.5)

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Old-Fashion Cowboy by Maisey Yates, Caitlin Crews, Nicole Helm and Jackie Ashenden. This is the second collaboration between these four women, where each author writes about a specific character but the four characters are all part of the story. Quite frankly, I found moving from story to story flawless. BTW - There were four good old-fashion cowboys… hot cowboys!

Hope, Charity, Pru and Kit were best friends since they were young. They always had each other’s backs and loved each other totally. So when they were all 30 and realized they were unhappy (you need to read the story for more) they started all over again in Jasper Creek, Oregon - home for all of them. They got a deal with the town and each worked to open her own store. It is in each story that we meet hot cowboys. To me one of the quirkiest parts was the house and the hysterical jar of tasks to catch a man’s attention.


Once again, the four authors have crafted a marvelous story that weaves around each other. A Good Old-Fashion Cowboy by Maisey Yates, Caitlin Crews, Nicole Helm and Jackie Ashenden was awesome!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

General review:

I liked the set up that they used with grandma June’s house again but this time it was a group of four friends that came back to Jasper Creek after Hope getting left at the altar. They reunited to their town and stayed in that house, and decided to open these four stores on the main street. Then they found this magazine from back in the day with dating tips of how to win a man that were really outdated, but very funny, especially as these girls executed some of these little tricks. I liked that friendship that carried throughout all four stories, and the love stories that followed.

I did feel that some of these stories could have benefited if they were longer and more developed because I think they would’ve made awesome full length stories, but they were still decent and I liked them.

Hope’s story:

Out of the four stories, this one was probably the one I liked the least. For one, I hope was just getting over being jilted at the altar. Granted her and her ex fiancé didn’t have the perfect romance or even perfect connection but still, that was a little iffy to me. Secondly, she reconnected with her ex boyfriend, Brooks as she attempted to open her up her candy shop. And even though they had a history air and unresolved feelings between the two of them, I felt like this could’ve been a lot more angsty, and had a whole lot more attention than it did. To be honest with you, I didn’t even really feel the chemistry between Hope and Brooks. There was just something missing between them that I wasn’t 100% on board with the romance. I think big reason was because things happened way too quickly in the story and the ending felt a little rushed. There were some funny moments, especially with the dating tips, which is how they inadvertently reunite again, but I just wasn’t overly keen about the story. There could’ve been a lot more than there was.

Kit’s story:

This story did make my little heart pitter patter, because Kit was determined to open a bookstore and I could relate to her love of books. I loved how she challenged Browning to read a bunch of romance novels so he could understand that drum a little bit more and why she was opening a Romantic centric bookstore instead of a generic one. They had a lot of great flirty and fun scenes together that showed off the chemistry and banter that was just really entertaining. I loved the fact that she dared her to outside of her comfort zone and really push her boundaries but made it all the more passionate between them when they did. Kid really was a good match for browning and vice versa. And they just had a really great romance overall.

Charity’s story:

This one was a fun one as well, and it really started off with a bang as reunited. It was an explosive a counter that really had them headbutting over her taking over his grandmothers knitting store. He just didn’t want to change and demanded that she not change the name, and that just sent off a spiral between them as well as intensify the fact that they had a history together where she was his tutor, and they both had crushes on one another, though neither of them they were at the time. And there were some deep issues touched on with this, especially for her at her mental health that she was able to talk through with Garrett. And just all the pressure that she faced and how she had to live through that control day after day as a doctor was just exhausting to her. Garrett helped her get rid of that pressure from her daily life by showing her that she could depend on him to help take care of her and not always be in control of situation. He very much encouraged her to live the life she wanted instead of the one she was pressured into. And she learned to embrace her how to control a passionate side through Garrett and Garrett embraced her end of life that she could bring to by being together. He could let things go on a little bit more and embrace love.

Pru’s story:

I think what I loved most about. This one was the fact that there was a transformation for grant that was shown very clearly. In the beginning, he was very lonely and grumpy, and just had no joy in his life because he felt such responsibility to his families ranch after his father died. Grant micromanaged everything at the ranch to make sure that nothing went wrong, and that was including his brothers, but it made him miserable in the process, because that’s what his life became but once he met Pru, then sunshine finally came into his life again, and I could see how he just lit up from the inside out by falling in love with her. And it was obvious how much happier he was with Pru as he spent more and more time with her. And it was a sweet thing to see him do things for her, and pull out all the romantic stops along the way, including a picnic for her. And it was really refreshing to see him every since his love for her first, and basically just be all in on it without, a moments hesitation. I loved that he fell first. Things were complicated by the fact that he was her brothers best friend, but that just added to the intensity and the passion of their story. And Zoe Grant didn’t want to hide it she did but that could only lasts for so long. I thought the funniest part of this was when the family of proof found out and just the reactions to it. It showed where she came from on an emotional basis and why she kind of held back from grandma little bit. But I really enjoyed their story, and I thought they fit together really well and it was just a nice brothers. Best friend story.

[Viper Spaulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this romance set!

Last year, I read "A Cowboy for All Seasons" by these four authors and loved every bit. Set in the same small town and connected to a few of the characters from that book, this collection follows the romances and life changes for a set of four women who have been friends since childhood. Each one pursued their lives and careers away from Jasper Creek, but are now back home and have the entire summer to make their dreams of owning a shop on Main Street come true.

Each of these romances is outstanding, with vibrant characters, passionate connections, and swoon-worthy cowboys. The real charm, however, is the seamless way the four stories, each written by a different author, fits together with the rest to form a cohesive story from start to finish. Since all of these characters grew up in the same community, there is a lot of family baggage to sort through for each couple that adds emotional depth to each story.

Everyone gets a wonderfully satisfying HEA, and the friendship between the women is strengthened by their experiences. I loved all of these characters, especially the way each couple fought their way through their own obstacles to find their futures together. It's a wonderful story and I highly recommend it for anyone who likes cowboys or small-town romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in the series. I am glad that we are back in Grandma June's magical house. Love how things appear or show up when they are talked about. It is the summer and four friends have rented the house for the summer..They all grew up here and are back now to help Hope get over her cancelled wedding. While there they are going to open four different stores in the town.

They make a pact after finding a magazine from 1945 with dating advice on how to get your man..they write them down and put them in a jar. Each time a girl does something that is against the rules they have they have to pick a slip and do as it says.

There are some funny ones. But funny enough they seem to work when they are needed.

I loved reading each girls journey to finding long lost love of the cowboy of their dreams

These four stories all flowed from one to the next. It was good to see friends that are more sisters than friends. How they held each other up when it was needed and gave each other a swift kick in the butt when needed too.

A must read!

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could read this book over and get all the feels I did the first time, I would; If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would; If I could feel all of these girls emotions, I would... this book was absolutely incredible and I knew it would be once I spotted it in barnes and noble.

I would recommend this book out of the whole 3 book series (as i say this before finisheing the third book lol) It was amazing to see their viewpoints altogether as you kept reading through but seperate as you enjoyed each section of the book. The meaning behind the different sections now makes so much sense after reading like the plot of the book!!

How to Win Him(2nd part) and How to Hold Him(3rd part) I rated a 5/5 and I would rate it more if I could! How to Find Him(1st part) and How to Love Him(4th, final part) I rated those both a 4.5!

I need cowboys like them in my life😌🥹

[Adrienne Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a reason people swoon over cowboys and all four authors nailed each one of their stories! A Good Old-Fashioned Cowboy by Maisey Yates, Caitlin Crews, Nicole Helm and Jackie Ashenden takes you on a wonderful story of friendship, love and perseverance. It will have you staying up pasture bedtime 😉! When four friends return home to start their own respective stores, they find more than they bargained for. Each of them find themselves again, a store they each love along with the aforementioned cowboys. I laughed out loud multiple times and fell in love with the women’s friendship. Besides, what’s not to love about cowboys?!

[Kate Vale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four authors create four stories in one; an interesting effort I never expected to like, but I was totally won over as each story was woven with the others when a broken wedding serves as the catalyst for four friends--Charity, Hope, Prudence and Katherine--go home to Jasper Creek OR to take on the challenge of refurbishing four storefronts before the Centennial celebration. Each has their own issues and each finds herself also having to confront a man from their past--a totally hot guy who soon comes to represent their future, if only they have the courage to grab him and hang on for the ride!

What will this lead to? I'd love a sequel...

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four women who have grown up together made a pact that when they were 30 they would come back to their hometown and revitalize four shops (each unique to their preference). This book follows each woman with their journey of opening a store front and landing a man of their dreams. Each story is on the shorter side, but brings a unique love story to each one. I haven't read a novel quite like this one where each story line connects which I thought was quite clever on the authors part.

*This review is based on an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher

[readingromancehea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hope's story was cute. I love how she finally realized what she needed out of life. Kit is way too serious. I like that the slips make her do something out of her comfort zone. Browning reading romance is everything. I'm loving how Charity and Garrett are both always annoyed with each other. I feel bad that both Pru and Grant hate anything to do with feelings. Having a friendship like these four have is amazing and I'm glad I read 4 stories about it!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great anthology. It starts with four good friends going back to Jasper Creek for Hope's wedding. Unfortunately no wedding took place. Hope, Charity, Pru and Kit all decide to stay in Jasper Creek. They have decided they will each open their own business and try to find a man, fall in love and be happy. There are many laughs and the stories flow easily from one to another. I really enjoyed every minute of this book.

[Brittany Lynch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Normally I devour anything with Maisey Yates' name on it, and I thoroughly enjoyed the last anthology from this group, but I found this one to be a major drag. None od the stories hooked up, and was not helped by the weird slips and no phones subplot. I realize romance novels can require suspension of disbelief, but I just found these ones lacking enough positives to warrant it. I couldn't even finish the last story.

[Sandy Frediani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a great deal. Four close friends - four stories. I did a fair amount of chuckling as the stories unfolded. The house the girls rented has a personality all its own, too. A common thread through all four stories was that of living one's life to other's - usually the father's - ideals, rather than living one's own life. This was the case not only for the girls, but also the guys. Well written, these stories are a joy to read.
Excellent.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book to take to the beach for vacation and it was very entertaining. 4 childhood friends return to their hometown of Jasper Creek after one of them cancels her wedding. They made a pact that they would return at the age of 30 if things weren't working out. How fortunate that Hope's wedding imploded when she found out her fiancé was cheating on her. Together they rent a farmhouse and are taking the summer to renovate 4 stores in town and have a deadline to do it before the Founders weekend a few months from now.
They were all interconnected and each found their own cowboy as they each found what would truly make them happy. I highly recommend this anthology for a totally satisfying, wonderful cowboy romances.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I thought it would be different stories, but it wasn't It was a continuation of the last book and so forth. I finished it in a day, it's an easy read and it is very contemporary/ erotic. You never know what to expect and that's a good thing. I love the friendship among the women .I am grateful that netgalley let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

[alittlebitbooked || Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only gripe really is that I wanted more from each story! The baseline was amazing and all was so romantic, however it felt rushed and almost unfinished. There could have been so much more to each of the heroines back stories, that of their families as well as more of the romance!
But I devoured it and this is also a sign of great writing. Loved it, just wanted more!

[Kandice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novellas are very hit or miss for me. I appreciate that I can often get a great story in a shorter amount of time, but it's challenging for the authors to provide a fleshed-out story in a shorter format. These stories were fine but none really stood out for me. I found the ebook formatting to need a LOT of work. It was very difficult to read.

Copy provided by NetGalley.

[Lily Whipple]

I liked the book overall but I wasn't sure about it being broke down into four different stories. I feel like each character didn't have enough time to truly evolve. Each story was kind of the same too. I liked the book though. I would definitely read it again. Seeing the women go after what they want is wonderful.

[Maria Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

So here’s the thing, these were amazing stories. They were great! They made me laugh, they made me cry, they made me believe that there’s love out there for everyone, if you just take a chance. They’re so well written and the stories flow very well, even though they each are written by a different author.

[Melody Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the 4 friends written by 4 friends!

Love these gals. The 4 friends written about by the 4 romance novelist friends! Its a delight to read their collaboration. I'm a longtime Maisey Yates fan from the 1st book, but Maisey introduced me to Caitlin, Nicole and Jackie and I love them too!

[Patty Champion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. it is 4 stories about 4 friends told by different authors. I especially enjoyed how each author picked up where the previous book ended.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from these authors

Thank you Netgalley and Had lean in for allowing me to read this title for a honest review.

[Stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. Each story was good individually. But putting it all together was confusing and difficult to follow. The timeline didn't flow, and it kept repeating certain details. Plus, each author has a different writing style, which makes it even more confusing. It would have been better if it had been one continuous book written by a single author instead of divided into multiple stories.