On an inherited ranch in Northern California, one family is discovering all the possibilities life can offer—and the kind of love that will outlast even the land . . .
When Angela Dalton comes home to Dry Creek Ranch after a long absence, she’s carrying weighty emotional baggage. Charmed by a handsome face, she inadvertently bank-rolled members of a violent militia group, all of whom now want her dead for working with the authorities. Leaving witness protection for the ranch is a risk until she can figure out where to take her life next—and the good-looking cowboy who lives across the creek from her cabin is an inconvenient distraction. She can’t trust her heart to anyone again, even a gruffly sweet man like Tuff Garrison . . .
Tuff doesn’t get involved—with anyone. It’s been his guiding principle since leaving home alone at fifteen to find his own way in the world. But the haunted look on Angela’s gorgeous face is impossible for him to ignore—and the heat of their attraction has become a blaze. When a set of dangerous men track her down, they’ll have to rely on each other to escape the threat—and take a chance that trusting each other will be worth a lifetime of love…
Titles in the Dry Creek Ranch series include – Cowboy Up – Cowboy Tough – Cowboy Strong – Cowboy Proud –
This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.
Title: Cowboy Proud
Series: Dry Creek Ranch #4
Author: Stacy Finz
Genre: Modern Western Romance
Published: November 23, 2021
Publisher: Kensington Books
My Rating: 4 stars
Cowboy Proud continues the Dry Creek Ranch series with an intense romance full of sizzle and danger as Angela and Tuff face her past on the way to their own future.
Sometimes I believe that a series goes one book beyond when it naturally wrapped up — for me, not necessarily for anyone else. My opinion, yours may differ and that’s perfectly fine. I think that the Dry Creek Ranch series had wrapped up nicely in Cowboy Strong. Sure, there was one family member who hadn’t had their story told but we were given answers that lead the reader to believe that the missing member was fine and happy right where they were. Again, this is my opinion, and I’m defining that opinion by saying there were so many things in Angela and Tuff’s story that I cannot believe would ever happen or be allowed to happen to someone in the Witness Protection System… it just makes no sense for Angela to be allowed to return home when those she’s testifying against, the reason she’s in Witness Protection at all have not yet come to trial or been convicted and sent to prison. And that is only one example, I’m not about to spoil the entire book for anyone by nitpicking reasons that didn’t make sense to me, personally.
The story is good, and again, in my opinion, deserves the four-star rating I gave it. The plot is tight, the feel of the story flows easily, and I’ll always pick up a Stacy Finz book. There were simply too many things that I couldn’t believe to allow me to fall into the story accepting everything on the pages without question. Yet, that decision is reader-based, and your opinion may differ from mine so please pick up Cowboy Proud and make up your own mind on how this series ends. Overall, I enjoyed Tuff and Angela’s story as I watched two wounded in different ways people find their way to happiness. If you’ve followed the series then you’ll meet up with familiar faces, if you haven’t read the earlier books I’d recommend going to the first book, Cowboy Up, before stepping into this world at this point, it will all make more sense if you read from start to finish, again, my opinion.
*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.*
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