Hope Roberts has a strict No Cowboys Allowed policy. Between raising her daughter, running her business, and trying to settle into her new ranch, Hope has no room for romance—especially when it comes to cowboys. What she needs is someone to help fix her ranch. But the only person to respond to her ad is the one man Hope still blames for her husband’s death…

In Wishing River, Dr. Dean Stanton is pretty much a legend. Cowboy, doctor, heir to his family’s ranching empire—everyone knows and loves him…with the exception of Hope. But Dean doesn’t trust a complete stranger to keep Hope and her daughter safe. And despite their troubled past, he’s still the best cowboy for her job.

Bit by cautious bit, Hope’s little family of two is making room for the man she once thought of as her enemy. Until one day, Dean looks like the perfect exception to her “no cowboys” rule. But he’s been keeping a secret from her that could destroy their newfound family…

Titles in the Wishing River series include — The Trouble with Cowboys —♥— Cowboy for Hire —♥— Wishing for a Cowboy —♥— Mail Order Cowboy —♥—

NetGalley ARC

Title:  Mail Order Cowboy
Series:  Wishing River #4
Author:  Victoria James
Genre:  Modern Western Romance
Published:  December 27, 2022
Publisher:  Entangled Publishing
My Rating:  4.5

Mail Order Cowboy is the fourth novel in the Wishing River series, and this one is packed full of emotions… and not always the sweet and caring kind.

Hope has inherited a ranch that was left to her deceased husband.  She and her daughter, Sadie, have taken on this property with determination and trepidation for Hope hasn’t the slightest clue on how to run a ranch, let alone one that is in as bad a shape as this one.  She’s exhausted, frustrated, and trying to keep them afloat but between the ranch’s repairs and her own business, she needs help.  Little did she know that the ad she put out into the wild would bring the one man she loathed and yet needed right to her door.

Dean knows that Hope needs help, and he’s also quite aware of her feelings toward him, but that doesn’t mean he could help himself from loving her and Sadie quietly without making a fuss about his feelings.  There is a promise to her deceased husband that Dean made as his doctor and friend that Hope has no idea about, and he intends to keep it that way.  Unfortunately, that secret can build a stronger wedge between them… and Hope already blames Dean for her husband’s death.

Mail Order Cowboy has layers and deals with some subjects that need a gentle touch.  One of the reasons this author is an auto-buy (or request) for me is that she tackles those uneasy subjects with compassion and respect.  While Hope has her hands full with her business, her ranch, and fighting the attraction between them, it was Dean who won my heart in this story.  He has his own demons to conquer, including one nasty piece of work father.  The promise he made to Hope’s husband while he was a patient lays heavy on his heart.  This was a story filled with laughter and tears, assumptions and truths, and a couple that really does belong together and deserve happiness in spite of the past or others’ opinions.  My heart was broken by this story and healed up with hope for their future by the final page.  If that’s your kind of romance, then you’ll find the perfect fit here.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and I sincerely thank the author or publishing house for their trust.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available in print or for the Kindle as this story is currently in KU