Once Upon a Cowboy

Four Corners Ranch #0.7

by Maisey Yates

Will this single dad cowboy get the happily-ever-after he never thought possible?  

When Belle Langfords moves to Pyrite Falls, Oregon, to take a job as a live-in housekeeper and nanny, she’s ready for a new start. Shutting down her grandmother’s beloved bookstore had been devastating, but she’s hopeful that the three motherless young children she’ll be taking care of will ease that pain. The only challenge? When Belle arrives at her new employer’s house, the brooding cowboy has no idea who she is or what she’s doing there.

Adam Winchester knows exactly who to blame for Belle turning up on his doorstep out of the blue—his kindhearted former mother-in-law is playing fairy godmother. Adam is convinced he doesn’t need Belle in his life, but when he agrees to let her stay for a month, the transformation he sees in his children tells a different story. As does his entirely inappropriate, but impossible to ignore, physical attraction! For Adam knows that Belle couldn’t be more off-limits—all he can offer her is nights in his bed—but it’s clear that Belle deserves the whole fairy tale…

Genres: Romance, Westerns, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Audiobook

75 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2022

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

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the first novella, the second was okay, and I also liked this one. Up next is the full book so we'll see how that one will fare.

This one had Beauty and the Beast vibes, even with her being called Belle and him being called Adam, her being bookish and him being beastly (kinda, growling).

I wasn't sure about it at first because I'm not a huge fan of kids in books, but it worked out okay, the kids weren't annoying either but really sweet.

And I like that even though this was a novella, it took them months to get together, so it felt more realistic.

[Nadene (Totally Addicted to Reading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.In Once Upon A Cowboy the reader meets Belle and Adam. Adam is a divorcee and a father of three rambunctious children. He loves his children, but struggles with raising them, not that he will admit to it. His mother-in-law, seeing his struggles, hired a nanny without his knowledge. So you can imagine his surprise when a strange young lady showed up at his front door claiming to be the nanny he hired. 

Belle Langford was content to continue the operation of her grandmother’s bookstore. However, mounting debts made it challenging to maintain. The job offer for a nanny couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. She closed the bookstore and set out for Oregon. Imagine her shock on her arrival to discover that the man she believed to be her employer did not hire her. However, not one to back from a challenge, she struck a deal where she had thirty days to prove she was more than capable of taking care of his children.

Once Upon A Cowboy was a short, but sweet and entertaining read. Belle proved to be just the person Adam needed in his life. Initially, she experienced challenges with the kids and their father, but she won them over in the end. Despite its brevity, the story spanned several months and delivered a sweet slow burn romance. I loved the characters, and I enjoyed how the romance developed. 

Overall, a fun and cute story and perfect for those times when one is looking for a quick read.

 This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

[Miš · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.6

[Just A Girl With Spirit · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprise! A quick novella after the Unbridled Cowboy book and boy did this one grip me by the heartstrings. When a mother in law arranged a nanny for her grandchildren on the downlow unbeknownst to the single father of these children, let me just say all kinds of sparks fly. This Cowboy has been wounded both from the military and personally by his ex wife. He wasn’t expecting to fall in love with Belle, with her glasses and books. This book was just everything I needed. Onto the next!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 stars

This one of the better novellas that I have read. I just connected to it right away with the fairytale vibes of Beauty and the Beast, which is one of my favorites. Immediately I liked Adam, Belle and the kids from the first moment they met. It was really sweet and lovely to see them become a family. What I appreciated most was that, even though it wasn’t show, this story took place over the course of several months, which built up Belle and Adam’s attraction as well as feelings growing between them. It had me anticipating them getting together. I was rooting for them all away. The ending was a little abrupt, but overall I was satisfied with the romance between Adam and Belle.

[January · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbridled Cowboy by Maisey Yates
Four Corners Ranch #1
Once Upon A Cowboy
Four Corners Ranch #0.7
409-page Kindle Ebook main story ends on page 315, novella starts on page 315/318

Genre: Western Romance

Featuring: Unwed Father, Arranged Marriage Trope, Ranch, Oregon, New York, Emotional Baggage, Sex - Detailed, Bonus Novella: Once Upon a Cowboy : Single Father Nanny Trope, Military Vet, Retelling, Book Preview - Rough Rider Ch. One pages 387-407

Rating as a movie: X for strong sexual content

My ratings:
Unbridled Cowboy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🤠 💒
Once Upon A Cowboy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👢

My thoughts: 🔖Page 158 of 315/409 Ch. 10 - I'm loving this story. It was awesome from the first page. I already feel like I need to read the entire series.

Unbridled Cowboy - I loved this story, it got a little drawn out towards the end but in a good way.

Once Upon a Cowboy - This is pretty much a retelling of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and I'm not mad at it. It was pretty good in fact. It's set simultaneously during the time of the first book.

I was surprised the scenes were so explicit, there wasn't any vulgarity but she was detailed. Marriages of Convenience seem to be her niche and I'm here for it. I will be reading the rest of this series, I can't wait to get the details on the sister and neighbors' future.

Recommend to others: Yes! I Loved it.

Four Corners Ranch
Her First Christmas Cowboy (2021)
The Cowboy She Loves to Hate (2021)
✔︎ Once Upon a Cowboy (2022)
✔︎ 1. Unbridled Cowboy (2022)
Her Cowboy Prince Charming (2022)
2. Merry Christmas Cowboy (2022)
aka Merry Christmas Cowboy / Her Cowboy Prince Charming
Her Wayward Cowboy (2023)
3. Cowboy Wild (2023)
4. The Rough Rider (2023)
Wild Night Cowboy (2023)
5. The Holiday Heartbreaker (2023)
6. The Troublemaker (2023)
The Rival (2024)

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

My latest guilty pleasure - Cowboy Romance! LOL And I had no idea there were so many of them! And some that I cannot find anywhere else are on Spotify! How amazing!!

[Garth Mailman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four Corners Ranch #0.7
Once Upon a Cowboy
Maisey Yates

Be ware interfering Mothers-in-Law. A gal is commissioned to keep house for a widower and mind his motherless children. The issue being that the nanny was sprung on him. Two lonely souls find one another and three kids find a mother.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once Upon a Cowboy features a romance between a single dad and the woman who comes to help him care for his children.

Belle Langfords is ready for a fresh start so when she's offered a job as a live-in housekeeper and nanny for a single father of three, she jumps at the opportunity. But when Belle arrives at her new employer's home, the man has no idea who she is or why she's there. Adam Winchester has no idea what Belle is doing on his door step until his former mother-in-law arrives and tells him he needs help so she got him some. Adam doesn't think he needs Belle but agrees to allow her to stay for a month. As the month goes on, Adam finds himself attracted to Belle despite the fact she's off-limits to him.

The circumstances that brought Belle and Adam together were interesting and it definitely strains things between them initially. Belle doesn't know how to behave around Adam as she knows he didn't want her there and Adam is resentful of his former mother-in-law interfering. Over time the two form a tentative friendship of sorts which I enjoyed. It doesn't take long for an attraction to build between them though they both try to repress those feelings. I enjoyed the scene when they finally admitted their feelings for each other. I will say that I knew going into this novella that I was unlikely to love it as I don't enjoy the presence of kids in my romances. But that is a completely personal preference so I believe people who don't mind them wouldn't have the issues I did with this book.

Overall Once Upon a Cowboy was an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to reading the first full-length book in the series, Unbridled Cowboy, soon.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella was included at the end of book 1 in the series and is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. When Belle Langford arrives at Adam Wynchester's ranch, he wonder what's a stranger doing there but the biggest surprise goes to her because while she thought he hired her to be the nanny to his 3 kids, it was his ex mother-in-law who communicated with her and gave her the job.

The little rascals made for a fun story.

[CrazyGal609 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stubborn, Hard, Cowboy-gruff vs Sweet, Soft, Fairytale-lover 💟💟💟💟💟 oh with “almost feral children” 🤭 Loved their first interaction, he just swears his answer to her and Belle determines he’s a Beast…lol, but I agree with her that those Princes seem lacking!!
This has to be the shortest book I’ve ever read of Maisey Yates😳 still magical✨ yet realistic🥦 because, ya know… Scurvy!!!😂

🤠Four Corners Ranch🤠
0.5)Her First Christmas Cowboy
0.6)The Cowboy She Loves to Hate
0.7) Once Upon a Cowboy
1)Unbridled Cowboy
1.5)Her Cowboy Prince Charming
2)Merry Christmas Cowboy
2.5)Her Wayward Cowboy
3)Cowboy Wild
4)The Rough Rider
4.5)Wild Night Cowboy
5)The Holiday Heartbreaker
6)The Troublemaker
6.5)A Summer to Claim Her Cowboy
7)The Rival
8)The Hometown Legend
9)Hero for the Holidays
10)The Outsider
11)The Rogue
12)Cowboy, It's Cold Outside

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another cute novella in this series. I'm really excited for the full-length novels to come out. This is the first Maisey Yates series I've followed, but that will change, as I definitely plan to read more of her work. In this story, we follow Belle and Adam. Belle accepts a position as nanny to Adam's children after she's forced to close up the bookstore owned by her grandmother after her death. Adam has let his kids run a bit wild after divorcing his ex-wife, so Belle was definitely needed. I liked the setup, found Belle's love of books very relatable, and just wanted to see all the characters happy. This was quick, funny, and had a nice romance plot. Also, the epilogue was great.

[Jennifer McClurkan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A happily ever kind of cowboy story.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick and heartwarming little novella, this story packs a punch. I seriously had butterflies swarming around my stomach for most of this book. I was in a constant state of wanting more, more, more. Such a wonderful grumpy/sunshine book to escape into for a short time.

There’s nothing subtle about the author naming her FMC Belle. This story is expired by Beauty and the Beast, and that’s very obvious and it’s meant to be obvious. The beginning reminded me of another favorite of mine, the (original) movie Overboard. Adam’s young sons are definitely mischievous.

I absolutely love that Belle is a non-apologetic reader of romance. When Adam screws up and it’s time for his grovel she lets him know, in no uncertain terms, that she expects all of the pretty words of love she deserves.

This short story will warm your heart and have you coming back from more from this author.

You can find more of my reviews at All In Good Time.

[Viper Spaulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cowboy twist on the Beauty and the Beast trope

Bookish Belle finds a new start as nanny to Adam's three adorable young children whose mother abandoned them long ago. Adam isn't ever going to risk marrying again, but he grudgingly accepts that he needs a little help wrangling his unruly varmints.

Tucked into the back of my ARC for Unbridled Cowboy, this romance is a tale as old as time, and it is as charming and heartwarming as you'd expect from this author. It's a short bonus story that packs a whole lot of sensual heat and dynamic personal growth into just a few chapters.

I loved Debbie in the fairy god-mother role, especially as she set such a wonderful example of putting the children first. I loved how Belle compared her real-life experiences to those she'd read about in romance novels. Their HEA was perfect, even with the water balloons. Maybe especially with the water balloons. It's a delightful story that stands well on its own, and one I can heartily recommend. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Trudy Dowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once Upon a Cowboy left with all the happy feels. It was my reward for working my way through Adam and Belle's struggles in the beginning.

Adam has become a single father to two mischievous little boys and an adorable toddler girl that he has been taken with him on the ranch. The kids are running wild. He needs help but won't admit it.

His mother-in-law arranges for a nanny/housekeeper to come out the ranch and give him a hand. He is not a happy cowboy when he opens his door to Belle, a woman he was not expecting. He definitely not expecting her reaction to being hit with water-balloons.

He doesn't think she will make it a week, let alone a month trial period. Their struggles make for a great, quick read that left me smiling. It is always good to be left smiling.

[Kate Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belle lost her grandmother and then the bookstore she ran with her grandmother before the old lady died, so when she was approached to be a nanny for a threesome of small children, she figured 'why not?'

What she wasn't expecting was the father of those children being so big, so angry, so masculine that his presence set her to trembling with all manner of feelings, most of which she'd never felt, even in her imaginings.

But the children fill her with love even as she begins to tame them. The question raised when she shows up is, can she tame their single dad, Adam? And if she does, what will that mean for her?

[Heidi Ciravola · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a novella. Technically it came before Book One of the Four Corners Ranch series but it was included at the end of the audiobook for Book One.

Belle (24) was hired to be a nanny for Adam’s (35) 3 kids unbeknownst to him by his MIL.

This was sort of a loose Beauty and the Beast retelling. With Belle coming from a bookshop she owned and a lover of books. Soft, studious, wearing long flowy dresses.

It was just too quick for me. For a thrown together couple, the story needed more depth. Everything came together too quickly.

[Emma Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely one of the better ones! Belle is a bookshop owner who turns up on our cowboy’s doorstep after answering an ad for a babysitter. She likes helping people and she might be just what this family needs.

I really loved Belle and her attitude, she’s very capable but also loves reading out loud and is so lovely and sweet. The fairytale references were a nice addition. I wish this had been a longer book, I got really attached to the characters.

[delusioanal | emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a short sweet, warm novella that really packed a punch for me. I could have easily read and enjoyed an entire book about this couple. A single dad gets an unwanted nanny. Belle and Adam, Beauty and the Beast elements. I ate this up in one sitting. Enjoyed reading about her coming into their life and becoming a pivotal part of their family. When Imogen called her mommy I was done for. Teary eyed. I just love Maisey Yates.

[Macattack · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clunky

What seriously clunky writing. I’ve read Ms. Yates in the past and found the writing much cleaner. The bones of a story were there. Don’t know if this was churned out for $$$ or what but there was no chemistry and everyone was one dimensional.

[Karen Hackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

ONCE UPON A COWBOY, a Four Corners Ranch novella found right in Maisey Yates’ UNBRIDLED COWBOY!

Can grumpy, single dad, Adam, give Belle the fairy tale she's always dreamed of? Delight tale about a woman taking care of his two unruly kids, and a sweetheart daughter.

[Lori Grim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun spin on Beauty and the Beast set in Yates' new location of Four Corners. Great story with a good mix of humor and fun along with a mix of sadness and new love that to me is the halmark of all if Maisey Yates' stories!

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great fairy tale in modern times but based on Beauty and the Beast.

Belle Langford is hired to be a nanny to Adam Winchester’s children by his mother-in-law. Adam is not happy but soon finds himself in over his head.

I loved this story! It was wonderful.

[Flo Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love is all you need

Just loved this novella by Maisey Yates. It just Horsham show that love that be the basis of everything that makes one happy.

[Karen Geurts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, fast paced story. Heartwarming! Wonderful characters that end up a wonderful family! Well written.

[Sandra Eidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little novella. But it felt rushed to me. Not as good as most her other works.

[Connie Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book A wonderful story between and older men and a younger lady. I

[Roo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an easy DNF for me. The story might’ve been ok but I just couldn’t get past the writing.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belle and Adam

She came to be a nanny and ended up falling in love with his employer.