If you can’t stand the heat… 

Lam Draeger’s deep wounds from the death of his young son and his subsequent divorce were still healing when he was saddled with his running his family’s cattle and rodeo stock ranch and the responsibility of raising his siblings and keeping them out of trouble. His every moment is devoted to running the ranch and business smoothly. He’s had no time to mourn his many losses or try to rebuild his personal life. And romance? Out of the question, no matter how sweet the temptation. 

…don’t fall in love in the kitchen 

Single mom Gwen Hobbs is right back where she swore she’d never be – cooking in the kitchen at the Draeger ranch just like her mom before her. But since her fiance and the father of her daughters walked out on her, taking all their savings with him, she’s forced to be practical. So she vows to ignore the attraction that hums between her and Lam and to stop dreaming of becoming a chef. But when Lam suggests she audition for a cooking competition, Gwen realizes that not all her dreams are out of reach, and her growing hopes extend far beyond a professionally tricked-out kitchen.

Titles in the Draegers of Last Stand, Texas series include – Sweet on the Cowboy –

(This series is part of the Last Stand, Texas group of connecting series.  (think Marietta, Montana– Tule Publishing’s other large set of somewhat connecting series set in a fictional town)

Title:  Sweet on The Cowboy
Series:  Draegers of Last Stand, Texas #1
Author:  Sasha Summers
Genre:  Modern Western Romance
Published:  May 30, 2019
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

SWEET ON THE COWBOY begins The Draegers of Last Stand, Texas series, part of the Last Stand, Texas connecting series.  Much like the Marietta, Montana connecting series, also from Tule Publishing, this small Texas town is sure to turn into a destination reading location for readers who love that sense of community that an overlapping set of series does – and that certainly includes me.

Gwen is back home, well back where her mom still works trying to hide from her jerk of a fiancé who left her and their twin daughters, took off with their savings and generally is determined to make her life miserable.  Coming back made sense in many ways, she’d give her mom a bit of a vacation, take over the ranch cooking and figure out how to put their lives back together – all while making certain her sweet little girls are not harmed by the sudden changes in their lives.  She had dreams once, but not they’ve disappeared in the puffs of smoke from her bonfire of life.  The one thing she never thought of was this unexpected, burning attraction to Lam, technically her boss and the owner of this ranch.  Trusting another man isn’t in the cards for Gwen any time soon, but how do you resist a man who will put on fairy wings just to make her little munchkins smile?

Life has hit Lam hard.  The loss of his son was devastating, the divorce that soon followed completed the job of destroying his dreams.  The absolute last thing he needed or wanted was this attraction to not only the new cook but to her adorable little girls who melted his heart faster than a popsicle in the summer Texas sun.  He’ll do everything in his power to fight against this spark between them, but Lam also knows it’s a losing battle.  Who would have ever thought that Cowboy-Man would don fairy wings just to make little girls smile?  Certainly not Lam, but that action only proves just how deep he is.  Now the decision – what to do about Gwen and the munchkins.

The chemistry is strong between Gwen and Lam in SWEET ON THE COWBOY, the tensions high as danger from Gwen’s past finds her once again.  The sense of family is strong in this story and I can’t wait to discover Lam’s siblings’ stories later in this series.  The twins stole scenes left and right, it will be hard to resist these little ones.  In all, I had a blast discovering a new family to get to know, explore a different part of Last Stand, Texas and meet two people who are so right for each other they simply have to get to that point as well.  If you love a good romance, cowboys, little girls in tiaras and the sense of community that an overlapping set of series brings then you’ll love SWEET ON THE COWBOY.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available for the Kindle