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Southern Cowboys #1

Taming the Outback

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A single mother desperate for a second chance. A cowboy that needs her more than he can admit. One teenager out of control, a daughter terrified of anything that makes a sound, a dead-end job – how much more can this poor widow take?

Libby expects the worst when she’s called into the lawyers office but things are not what she thinks. Inheriting an outback station might be just what her little family needs. Lord knows it can’t be any worse than what they’re going through now.

What she doesn’t expect are the sparks from her new neighbor, Nathan Miller. If he had his way, she’d turn tail and return to the city, but Libby has more spirit than that. And more to lose.

He’s been hurt before so when Libby arrives, Nathan isn’t interested in being nice. Even if she’s exactly what he wants. She won’t last. City girls never do. He’d rather be a confirmed bachelor than fall for her and risk his heart again.

But Mother Nature has other plans. When she brings chaos to the station and threatens Libby’s children, he’ll either be proven right or find his barriers taken down by the stubborn woman and her adorable kids.

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2012

354 people are currently reading
420 people want to read

About the author

Ann B. Harrison

71 books276 followers
I swear I was born with a book in my hand and that is how I spent most of my childhood. That was fine until I got older and the voices in my head demanded to be heard and I started to write.
The voices are no quieter but there are less of them.

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5 stars
500 (46%)
4 stars
332 (31%)
3 stars
158 (14%)
2 stars
58 (5%)
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20 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
Profile Image for Sharon.
1,452 reviews264 followers
October 12, 2023
Cowboy Next Door by Aussie author Ann B. Harrison is the first book in the Australian Outback series. This is a clovely written story with beautiful descriptions of the country and characters you warm to as you get to know more about them.

This second chance romance was a very enjoyable book and I’m looking forward to reading the next one in the series. Recommended.
Profile Image for Lynelle Clark.
Author 58 books178 followers
September 27, 2012
Sparks flew from the moment widow Libby and Nathan met with a definite underlining of physical attraction towards each other. But Nathan was slow to admit to his feelings due to a past scorn and Libby had to take matters in her own hands to convince him that he love's her. Added in the mixture to create even more intrigue a rebellious teenage son and cute six year old daughter the plot thickens. Nathan had this macho over powering manners that scared the kids but after an near fatal accident things started to change for the better. I liked the old man Tom, station manager who brought Libby to her senses allowing her to focus on what is important while teaching the city chick all about life in the outback. Libby is not afraid and with bruised ego's and hands she became a strong dependable woman. Not afraid of the challenges the outback offer. Winton an orphan stayed in the back ground but in his quiet way he helped Josh who became a real pillar to his mother. I really liked the story, fast pace and to the point. I can recommend this good read.
Profile Image for Carmen Falcone.
Author 68 books516 followers
September 4, 2012
Taming the Outback is a very compelling read. I really enjoyed reading it, from the moment Libby's life changed (and she had to go to live in a "station", an Aussie ranch) until the end (buy the book and you'll know, lol).

Libby is a strong heroine, and the author made her a well-rounded character. The author also pulled me into the scenes, and made even the secondary characters (her kids, Hannah and Josh, the foreman and Winton-- I particularly like what she does for Winton) leap from the page.

A lot of times when we read romances, it's mainly about the couple, but this book is also about a woman, adjusting to a new and scary reality (well, scary for me at least). We root for her in her journey, and now, let's talk about Nathan, the hero... WHEW! Nathan is HOT, and cranky, and really stubborn. At first, I was like "How will these two ever get along?" which made their journey a delightful one.

I traveled through the pages. Well done, Ms. Ann B. Harrison!
Profile Image for Roxy the Fury.
590 reviews
April 5, 2022
Had promise but fell flat

Libby has fallen on tough times. Her husband passed suddenly, leaving her to raise an unruly teenage boy and a young daughter. She finds out that a grandfather she never met bequeathed a farm to her. Nathan is a born and bred country man. He hates city folk and that’s all he sees Libby and family as: ill prepared city folk playing farm.

I truly wanted to like this book and Libby. I was rooting for the single mom trying to save her family. I would have given the book five starts if Libby wasn’t such a doormat and Nathan wasn’t such a mean hearted man. The side characters were well developed. The plot line was great. I did not like that Libby allowed Nathan to treat her like the dirt on his boots and kept mooning over him. I don’t believe I will continue the series and I wouldn’t recommend.
Profile Image for Karen.
557 reviews6 followers
April 4, 2022
Good read

The story is great, but there are loads of gramtical errors, so I cat give it a hire rating. As a city girl turned country I really related alot.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews132 followers
Want to read
March 22, 2022
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/22/2022)! 🎁
Profile Image for Preet.
3,381 reviews233 followers
March 29, 2013
Single mother Libby is on her last straw. Her teenage son is getting into all sorts of trouble and she's trying to make her money stretch when she receives a call she's inherited a station in the outback from a great-uncle. Being a city girl, Libby decides she has nothing to lose and decides to move her family into the wilderness. Neighbor Nathan doesn't think Libby can hack it in the "wilderness" but he also can't stop wanting her in his bed. He's torn between getting her in the sheets and getting her to go so he can buy Quincy Station.

Libby loves her kids. She's still hurting from losing her husband and trying to keep her family together. I admired her greatly for her efforts in not only trying to keep her family together, but also trying to be successful in something she'd never experienced; ranching and farming.

Even though Nathan was surly and even cruel sometimes to Libby, I couldn't help but like him as the story progressed. I loved the way Ms.Harrison used Libby's kids Hannah and Josh in the story. However, the way Libby treated Winton was something I just absolutely loved.

The way the author describes the beauty of the country and landscape as it changes from city to rural was wonderful. Being a visual person, I could easily picture the locales in my head.

Being American, I had no problems with the lingo in the book, and don't think anyone else will either. If you're a fan of westerns or of just a good story, I'd suggest picking up this book.
Profile Image for Aine Massie.
Author 5 books84 followers
October 1, 2012
4.5 Drops

Taming the Outback is not only set in Australia, but it’s written in the same lingo, but that just made it more fun to read. Libby is a widow whose in-laws were horrible even before her husband died and her own family had passed back when she was a teen, leaving her to raise her two children alone.

Nathan is a sexy Aussie cowboy whose been burnt by one woman that couldn't hack the life on a station (ranch/farm), leaving him heartbroken and jaded.

When Libby inherits the station next door, a lot more than just tempers fly! the sexual tension was so powerful it was it’s own entity and hot, OMG do the sparks fly. But, mixed with that is his fear, her stubbornness, a failing station she has to revitalize, and her kids that have to be saved – from themselves and from nature at least once, lol.

My only complaint is that I want more... This was a sweet, sensual read with a nice touch of spice and I would recommend Taming the Outback to any with a love for romance, a hot cowboy, and a lot of fun.
300 reviews
October 16, 2020
I have to say I liked this one more than I thought I was going to.

The first chapter straight up had me disliking the main female character immediately and I suspected this would be a hard book to get through, but, I was pleasantly surprised.

Within a very short time, Libby's character had already started to develop and I felt myself liking her more and more with every chapter until I had actually completely reversed my feelings about her and found her to be not only likeable, but inspiring as well.

In fact, I ended up liking every character more than the initial impression I had of them. This is the type of book that just draws you in and wants to make you keep reading until you get to the end, not put it down and come back to it later, so make sure you free up an afternoon to read it.

Really well written light summer read that gives more than expected.
Profile Image for Effie Pegios.
9 reviews9 followers
September 5, 2012
A first taste from this expressive new Author, Ann B. Harrison.

Taming the Outback is a dirt and dust outback romance. The story opens with Libby who inherits a farm. But what Libby doesn’t expect is an irate and annoying nieghbour named Nathan.

Nathan infuriates Libby to no end. Deep down she knows that he’s only got eyes for her farm and will do everything and anything to send her packing back to the city.

Libby however is strong willed and wants to learn how to run her newly acquired land but Nathan stirs something far, far deeper in her.

I loved the setting and the characters. Ms. Harrison has certainly captured the essence of a small town and community in outback Australia.

A must read for all ‘rural romance readers’.

Looking forward to more Ann B. Harrison.
Profile Image for Patty.
22 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2015
What a great story! I loved the characters and the setting. Strong willed
Libby inherits a station and encounters her annoying neighbor Nathan. Tempers and sparks fly! The secondary characters were great and added to the story.
This is the first book I've read by this author and I will definitely read any upcoming releases!
Profile Image for P. Reads.
58 reviews4 followers
August 16, 2014
This is my second book from the Ann B Harrison. I liked the first one (Mistress for Magnus) so much I wanted to read something from the same author again. In short - I was not dissapointed.

Both main charaters are strong persons which deals each with their own demons from the past.
Will they be able to conquer them and their predjudice?

I will leave you to find that on your own...
Profile Image for Donna.
171 reviews9 followers
October 21, 2013
What a great discription of the strugel of every day outback with the comming ones own self love stry thrown in
Great quick read lovwd it ready to read more of Ann's books
Profile Image for Allie.
38 reviews1 follower
April 3, 2022
Nope

Pretty bad. Nathan's a dick. Needs a good editing, too. I should have left this one in the free pile.
Profile Image for Laura.
257 reviews19 followers
December 8, 2023
This was free on googleplay books, the only reason I picked this was because due to my shift at work, staff had been asked to limit personal items. Carrying a phone is 10x easier than storing a physical book.

When I downloaded this book, I knew by the cover that it was a cowboy romance..which would mark my second cowboy romance story. As I started reading, I discovered this was an Australian cowboy romance.

As an Aussie, I didn't realise we still had our cowboys around. Proves how little I know about our farm life.

Okay..the opening pages is okay.. the intro of a single mother with two kids; one supposedly known as a troublemaker, the other..who knows. BUT the switch from "wtf has my son done now!?" To "I'm given..what!?" Is a bit jarring. Especially since the switch of mood isn't as clear cut from eachother.

When I got to page 9, I felt like the characters weren't as fully fleshed as the author thought they'd be. Every time a character name was dropped I was like "wait? Who? Where'd they come from?" , I feel like character descriptions should've been longer than a sentence or more than just "a very good looking man" or "the person visibly judging her." As a reader, those sentences mean very little if all I've got is a random character name that pops up randomly.

Hold up.. if the truckie is the lawyer from the earlier pages than why does he go "why are you here!?"..dude!? He knew she was moving to the country. Why is he shocked!?

21 pages in and why is everyone so angry? Like I sorta get Libby but fk me..everyone's go rage issues.

Wait hold up..I thought Nathan was a farmhard but his a neighbour? I thought Tom was the one with relationship issues but it's Nathan?

By the 67% mark, I felt like this story was just chasing its tail. How many times do you need to say "I'm a city single female with two kids, I'm staying regradless of what my ahole neighbour thinks."

The dialogue read as if the characters over explained themselves.

I still don't really und the romance between Nathan and Libby, there was no real reason for the story to end the way it did..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Tanja Glavnik.
730 reviews13 followers
April 2, 2022
So here's the deal.

I liked the setting - I have this thing for the outback, not being Australian myself.

I loved the side characters, Tom, Joan and the kids especially, because they were just precious to me.

I really liked Libby too because she took a tough situation and tried to make the most of it, dealing with things as they came and fixing what was broken to make a new life for herself.

But I didn't like Nathan, which is a surprise since I usually have a bigger problem with females than males in these types of books. Nathan, however, is just a jerk from the second he shows up to almost the end. Not only does he not want to have Libby run the neighbour station, he continuously tries to boot her back to the city, insults her and belittles her as if she doesn't have her own brain to use. Even when he's nice he usually only does it for his own gain, which sours the taste further. He's just a jackass, and his fiancée leaving him is hardly an excuse for treating people like dirt. The worst of it is that more than one person keeps telling Libby that 'Nathan really isn't like what she's saying because they know him'. Uh yeah guys, I don't think so. He demands, he bosses around, he thinks he's God's gift to Earth and just shoves himself in uninvited whenever he can. Thank you, next, as Arianna would say!

Honestly I was rooting for Tom to end up with Libby 😂 but overall an easy, relaxed read. There are errors in the text and often too many pronouns jumping around so the edit could have been a bit tighter, but it's readable and enjoyable. Three stars.
Profile Image for Jenny.
2,333 reviews73 followers
November 17, 2024

Taming the Outback is book one in the Southern Cowboys series by Ann B. Harrison. Five years ago, Libby Holland's husband died, and her two children are not coping with their grief. At first, the letter from Lawyer Mr Thomas caused Libby Holland to believe that the letter was caused by her son Josh getting in trouble. However, she was wrong; Libby inherited an outback station to provide her small family a second chance to recover from the death of her husband and their father. The only problem was that her new neighbour, Nathan Miller, wanted her or her family to be off the farm. The readers of Taming The Outback will continue to follow Nathan Miller and Libby Holland to discover what happens.

Taming the Outback is another excellent book by Ann B. Harrison. I engaged with it from the start, allowing me to forget about a bad day at work. I like that Ann B. Harrison reminded me that families are not only made up of parents and siblings; families can be groups of people who love each other. I enjoy Ann B. Harrison's writing style and her portrayal of her characters and their interaction with each other. Taming the Outback is well-written and researched. I like Ann B. Harrison's description of the settings of Taming the Outback, which allowed me to imagine being part of the book's plot.

I recommend this book.
118 reviews
April 18, 2022
I'm loving your Country!

You definitely need to read this second chance romance. You will learn about Australia and the way of life there. This book draws you in to the characters and their story! You will learn about what it's like to live on a ranch in the Outback and the problems encounter by the characters in this story but also the neighbors who live there. I would recommend this book for lovers of romance. I look forward to reading more about this Country and the people who live there! I also look forward to reading more from this author. You will enjoy this book!
Profile Image for Cindy Riley.
61 reviews3 followers
May 30, 2022
Taming The Outback ( Australian Outback series book 1)

Rrading about Libby & Nathan , falling in love
how Nathan fell in love with her kids, i love how Holly started to trust Nathan after the river almost took her away, this is the brst love story i have read in such a long time, plus to read how strong Libby turned out to be was amazing.

Thank you Ann B Harrison for writing one of the best stories I have ever read in a long time, I can't wait to read more in this series.

Cindy Riley
Profile Image for Mary.
940 reviews10 followers
April 4, 2022
He Promised Me Your Ranch

When Libby learned she'd inherited a ranch, she moved herself and her 2 kids there even though she knew little to nothing about how to run it. When Nathan told her that she'd be going back to the city with her tail between her legs, it made her more determined to succeed. He felt that he'd been cheated as the ranch had been promised to him at one point.
918 reviews3 followers
April 7, 2022
Sets a Bad Example

The so-called hero in this book is a real jerk. This book sets a very bad example for naive readers, who will think that love conquers all. Well, maybe sometimes jerks straighten out, but in my long life I have noticed that good, decent young men become good, decent old me, but smart-mouthed jerks who enjoy tormenting others will be bullies whenever the going gets tough.
1,218 reviews
June 13, 2022
This outback adventure revived Libby's true nature as she settled in her new home with her troubled children. Long hours of hard work and sheer determination brought about the most amazing changes in her farm, the people in this new community, and, most importantly, her new family. Don't miss the excitement and romance of this story as Libby and her children settle into this harsh environment and weather emotional and climatic storms. Good Read!!!!
Profile Image for Shirley.
252 reviews9 followers
January 6, 2025
Libby moves to the country with her two children to a property she inherited. She meets Nathan who lives on the next property and they seem to clash every time they see each other due to their previous relationships. A nice country romance with a few extra main characters who push Libby and Nathan in the right direction.
4,538 reviews29 followers
April 6, 2022
I liked the bits about Libby settling in and learning the farm and making a home for her family. Nathan was a rude asshole and the romance wasn’t remotely believable. No one could be attracted to a rude jerk like that.
Profile Image for Janice.
3,062 reviews
April 10, 2022
Libby, a widow with 2 children, unexpectedly inherits a ranch which her neighbor, Nathan, was expecting to be able to buy. She quickly learns the ins and outs of farming/ranching but he refuses to believe she has what it takes to succeed.
1 review
April 11, 2022
Good read

I liked it very well,but at some point it seemed a lil bit about her needing sex got to be too much ,took away from the story. But I do like some of it..all around good read.
Profile Image for Angel Graham.
Author 1 book33 followers
April 14, 2022
Too many grammatical errors.


Nathan is a bully. Straight up, misogynistic bully.

DNF at about 35% because a woman needs to believe in herself and not accept a man bullying her as the sign of "true lurve"
Profile Image for Katie J.
77 reviews1 follower
July 10, 2022
A hot Outback

My first time reading this author.
She describes the scenery, scenes and people in a clear and enjoyable manner.
The series of events with the animals and kids are great. Heart touching moments with laughter.
I'll order the next book to see what else happens.
3,589 reviews16 followers
August 4, 2022
A good storyline!

I liked most of this book, but I skipped most of the bedroom scenes as I felt it was just a little too soon for them. Great storyline though and I loved the baby sheep!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews

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