Review: The Cowboy Whisperer

The Cowboy Whisperer by Sabrina Sol
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

The ranch had been in their family for four generations. 

The Cowboy Whisperer is second in the Rancho Lindo series, it's about a family run ranch with five brothers who are trying to keep it going in the face of financial troubles. You could start here, the first book introduces everybody, but this does a good job of not overwhelming but relaying the foundation for the family dynamics and setting. There is a continued storyline dealing with the father and his cancer diagnosis and treatment. This book spotlights Tomás, the ranch's stable master and the one everyone is worried about since his fiancee broke off their engagement eight years ago and he hasn't dated since. When his brother Cruz, who's the main one in charge, tells him they're going to have a guest on the ranch for three months, an equestrian jumper training for the Olympics, Tomás is less than thrilled. 

Maybe Rancho Lindo wasn’t up to her standards. But Veronica del Valle was going to find out soon that not everything in this world was about her. 

Veronica's mother was an equestrian jumper and when she died from cancer when Veronica was sixteen, she made a promise that she would compete in the Olympics in her mother's memory someday. Three years ago, Veronica fell during a jump, the physical and mental recovery had her isolating at her family's home in Guadalajara and had rumors spreading about her as the video of her fall went viral. Now, with some pressure from her father, she is ready to try again. Rancho Lindo isn't up to her standards but the stable master is giving her better advice than her trainer. She's also starting to see that she may not always know better and the initial dislike she had with Tomás is turning into something much different.

In that moment, Tomás wasn’t sure exactly what it was. But his gut told him that he was starting to see the real Veronica. And he liked her. 

I thought the beginning of this started off with great possibility but the first half's pace, kept the story slow enough that I started to itch for something to happen. Around thirty percent Veronica and Tomás start to thaw to each other, as they talk and learn about one another. Veronica's not just the rich princess Tomás thought she was and he's not just the rude and grumpy stable master she thought him to be. There's some strain with Veronica and her new trainer, she has over the phone conversations with her sister that she seems to be close too and Tomás has the family drama to deal with, the stress of the ranch needing more money and then his ex-fiancée coming to town to celebrate her parents' anniversary. Tomás says, and it feels like, he's over his ex but when she calls him and tells him she's engaged and bringing the fiancé to the party, he finds himself lying that he has a girlfriend to stop any pity she might have towards him. 

They might be on a pretend date tonight, but Veronica was starting to have real feelings. 

A little over midway, the fake dating kind of happens, I say kind of because while the trope appears in the story, it didn't really feel a big part of it. Veronica sort of steam rolls in and introduces herself as Tomás' girlfriend, even when they had a previous conversation where Tomás said he didn't really feel comfortable lying to his ex and subsequently his parents and abuelita. Tomás then feels he's obligated to help Veronica with her training, even when he turned it down before because he didn't like that she wanted to keep it a secret that he was helping her. They spend a little more time together, go on a date with his ex, her fiancé, and his brother with his girlfriend (book one) and dance, which was just about the only time I felt these two had a romance connection. There's a picnic scene where we get a kiss (this was very closed door) and around eighty percent, Tomás is saying he wants this fake dating relationship to be for real because he loves her. 

Then she remembered that she was Veronica del Valle and she never gave up without a fight. 

I can't really say I bought into or felt the romance between these two and the slower first half and then the latter second half that had a rush of things happening with dealing with issues, Veronica's equestrian career and Tomás' fear of how it could ruin anything between them as it echoes how his ex left and he needs to stay on the ranch, made the story feel so uneven. Tomás' character also felt a little uneven to me, he seemed more stoic grumpy in the first half and then really disappeared in the second half with more of a paper doll getting moved from here to there. The romance wasn't as developed as I like and overall, the story fell off to feeling uninspired. I do really enjoy the setting of a family ranch, so I'm hoping the next brother's romance delivers on some sparks.

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Reading Update: Page 1

Cold and blustery day, so I'm warming up with corn bread and cowboys! 

🤠🐎 

We're headed back to Rancho Lindo! 

A champion equestrian, Veronica has spent the last three years healing and hiding after a disastrous competition went viral. Ready to get back in the saddle, she begins training at the Ortega's family ranch. 

Tómas is the family's stable manager and while he's busy caring for the horses and trying to keep the ranch afloat, he can't help offering advice to Veronica. 

They're a bit oil and water but when Veronica offers to be his pretend girlfriend when his ex comes back into town, he can't help but accept. 

Tómas soon realizes that Veronica isn't who he thought she was but with her dream of the Olympics and him needed at the ranch, their future seems uncertain, even as they grow closer. 

Giddy up, this sounds like it's going to have some delicious tension 

The Cowboy Whisperer by Sabrina Sol purchase (Releases tomorrow Nov. 28th!) link

BBQ Chicken Pot Pie topped with Cornbread recipe

Tasty one and comfort food feeling on a cold day. I added diced jalapenos to the cornbread for some kick

Review: Second Chance at Rancho Lindo

Second Chance at Rancho Lindo by Sabrina Sol
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

He'd been consumed with the idea that there was something better for him out in the world. When all he really had wanted was something different. 

When an IED puts an end to his career as an explosions technician because of lingering hand grip issues, Gabe Ortega goes back home to the family ranch that he couldn't wait to escape. His four brothers still work on Rancho Lindo and with a father that Gabe just can't seem to connect with, he's felt like an outsider. At a transitional point in his life, Gabe gets reintroduced to the ranch's horticulturist, Nora Torres and while he's instantly attracted to her, he has some past issues to atone for with Nora and his family, along with deciding what he wants out of life once and for all. 

He decided right then and there that his new favorite pastime was making Nora blush. 

Second Chance at Rancho Lindo kicks off the series about the Ortega family, they've owned Rancho Lindo for generations. Second oldest brother Gabe, always felt like he couldn't live up to his father's expectations of him and be good enough like his older brother Cruz. When Gabe turned eighteen, the tension finally exploded and he signed up for the military to just get away. Coming from a close knit family, this fractured some relationships and because Gabe left forgetting that he promised to take Nora, a girl who spent her summers on the ranch with her tia and tio, to a dance, he also broke trust with her. This was really a family ensemble story, the Ortega brothers along with their parents and abuelita were a big part of the story and I would suggest reading this for that kind of atmosphere because this was a good story in that aspect. For me, the romance took a big backseat and there wasn't much there. 

All she knew was that her pulse quickened at the way he looked at her. 

By 20% Gabe learns why Nora is standoffish with him and I liked how that issue when they were teenagers wasn't the number one issue of keeping them apart throughout the story. It played, along with Nora's father leaving when she was nine, into Nora's trust issues with Gabe but Nora didn't fixate so much on it. Around 30% I felt like Nora and Gabe were starting to get going more and I was ready for the romance to make a stronger showing since the setting and family dynamics had been laid out but these two never really got their engines revving and out of park. 

It was about time he truly appreciated what he had in front of him. 

And that included Nora. 

The majority of the story is Gabe figuring out what he really wants out of life now that his military career is over. He half halfheartedly checks around for jobs from his contacts but it's mostly him being wishy washy and not quite outright moping around that he feels like he could never live up to his father's expectations and therefore not wanting to try. An emotion and thread I think could have played better if around 20% had been trimmed from this, the story started to feel like it was dragging as this went on for the whole story. Halfway through we get Gabe learning about how the ranch is in financial trouble, health issues with his dad, and he and Nora kiss. It was around 60% that Nora and Gabe start up their relationship and while we get a few kisses here and there (one very fade-to-black scene) most of their romance is very much in the back and just about non-existent. 

Nora did the only thing she could do in that very big moment between them. 

She kissed him back. 

The ending had Gabe coming through for the ranch and Nora in the work sense and a misunderstanding that had everyone leaning into their insecurities and with only 5% remaining, Gabe finally making a decision that he grappled with for the whole story. I struggled with how to rate this because I liked the story but if you read it in the family fiction sense, I would have wanted more conversations, scenes, and flushing out with some characters. I would promote it as family fiction over romance though, the romance was more of pinch seasoning and too much in the background for me. A good story, setting, and family but the romance was not there for me.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

A blizzard outside but cookies and a book inside for me! This is week is all about holiday treats for breakfast and now cowboys 

🤠❄️🍪 

A second chance romance that has Gabe coming home to his family ranch after an injury ends his military career and Nora trying to prove herself as a horticulturist and make the Ortega's garden a success. A broken promise from the past and Gabe' yearning for more has Nora scared to trust in him again. 

Is Gabe wearing that cowboy hat when he's asking Nora for a second chance?! 'Cause Nora, you're a stronger woman than me to put a fight! 

Second Chance at Rancho Lindo by Sabrina Sol purchase link

Andes Mint Cookies recipe