THE TRUE COWBOY OF SUNSET RIDGE
In The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge, Maisey Yates takes readers back to Gold Valley
Today on the blog, we have a book review for Maisey Yates’s newest Gold Valley release, The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge.
The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge is one of those books that immediately grabs you. Right from the start, readers are drawn into a beautiful, emotionally rich, contemporary western romance that pulls at the heartstrings and makes a girl long to take a visit to Gold Valley and catch their own cowboy. The chemistry between Mallory and Colt is instant, and the effect they have on each other makes this one of the most delightful of romance reads.
POV: Dual, 3rd Person
Pairing: Mallory Chance and Colt Daniels
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Western Romance
Tropes: Cowboy, One Night Stand, Baby on Doorstep, Working Together
I received an advanced reading copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher. The receipt of this ARC did not influence my choice to review the book on this site. It also did not influence how I felt about the book or its characters, storyline, and overall feel. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. As such, they only deal with what is written on the pages of the book and how what is written and otherwise presented made me feel during and after my reading of the book.
In addition to receiving an ARC of this book, I also bought my own digital and print copies through Amazon.
The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge by Maisey Yates is the 14th book in the author’s long-running Gold Valley series and an absolute gem of a read.
Haunted by pasts they can’t change, midwife Mallory Chance and ex-bull rider Colt Daniels struggle to find out who they are and why they belong. They each have issues with connecting with their loved ones, mostly because they fear opening themselves up to the truth of their pasts. If they don’t have to talk, they don’t have to share, and that’s a safe place to be when they fear failure and intimacy.
To me, the first half of this book wasn’t as strong as the second, likely due to a slight perseverance on backstory details. Not that the first half of the story wasn’t good, because it was, but the second half packs a considerable emotional punch that gets all up in a reader’s feels. The things Mallory and Colt have experienced and how they feel about those experiences, about themselves, is a raw, honest look at the emotional wounds humans sometimes carry, and the lies we humans tell ourselves to hide the pain those wounds manifest.
This story was all about digging down deep, pressing a finger right into the center of Colt and Mallory’s biggest problems. Though they wanted to run and hide from the pain of their pasts, Yates keeps the pressure on them, forcing them to not only confront what they’ve been through but who they are and why they are enough. It is what made this book such an emotional read for me. In fact, there were several points in the second half of this story that made me tear up. And once I hit the halfway point in this book, I couldn’t put it down, staying up until nearly 3am to finish it.
Colt and Mallory were each forced to go inside themselves and confront the pain they’ve spent years running away from, and what they find is pure character-driven revelation. The kind of things a person has either experienced or knows someone who has. And it doesn’t let up, not until all the secrets and internal deceptions are exposed.
Overall, I enjoyed these characters, and I loved this book.
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Add to Goodreads | Discover the Series
Though THE TRUE COWBOY OF SUNSET RIDGE is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.
BOOK SUMMARY
When a bull-riding champion is left holding his friend’s baby, could it be time to put down roots in Gold Valley?
Midwife Mallory Chance is ready for a fresh start in Gold Valley. And when she locks eyes with a handsome cowboy across the saloon, it feels like fate. After too many years wasted on her cheating ex, good girl Mallory is ready to cut loose and prioritize herself. But when the dust settles on their hot night together, it turns out that her mysterious one-night cowboy is none other than her new landlord—and someone she’ll be seeing very regularly around Gold Valley.
Bull rider Colt Daniels has a wild reputation, but after losing his friend on the rodeo circuit, he’s left it all behind. If only he could walk away from his guilt as easily…or the temptation of Mallory. He can’t offer her the future she deserves—what does a cowboy with a heart as damaged as his know about forever? Then his friend’s tiny daughter ends up in Colt’s care. Colt has never wanted to rely on anyone, but he needs Mallory’s help taking care of the baby he’s beginning to love as his own. But is it all still temporary, or is it their chance at a forever family?
HQN Books, 384 Pages
December 28, 2021
Buy: Amazon Kindle | Amazon Paperback
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maisey Yates is a New York Times bestselling author of over one hundred romance novels. Whether she’s writing strong, hardworking cowboys, dissolute princes, or multigenerational family stories, she loves getting lost in fictional worlds. An avid knitter with a dangerous yarn addiction and an aversion to housework, Maisey lives with her husband and three kids in rural Oregon. Check out her website, maiseyyates.com or find her on Facebook.