Book Review: Big Bad Cowboy (Once Upon a Time in Texas #1) by Carly Bloom

A sexy cowboy, a woman with attitude, and a kid? Stick a fork in me, I'm done! Big Bad Cowboy was the best! So entertaining and sexy, I devoured it!

Big Bad Cowboy (Once Upon a Time in Texas #1) by Carly Bloom

Who's afraid of the big, bad cowboy?

After one too many heartbreaks, Travis Blake hung up his cowboy hat and put Big Verde, Texas, behind him. But when he gets the call that his young nephew needs him, he knows he has to return home. His plan is to sell the family ranch and hightail it back to Austin, but there's a small problem: the one person who stands in his way is the one person he can't resist.

Maggie is pretty sure she hates Travis Blake. He's irritating, he's destroying her business, and . . . and he's just so frickin' attractive. But when they're forced to work together, Maggie discovers that the Most Annoying Man in the World is more than he seems. He's sweet with his nephew, he helps out in the community, and he makes her heart flutter. Maggie doesn't want to risk everything on a man who wants to leave, but what if she can convince this wayward cowboy to stay?

5 out of 5 stars

Carly Bloom is officially my jam! I loved Big Bad Cowboy! It was so entertaining with amazing wit and humorous dialogue. It was flirty and steamy and outright fun to read. I loved Travis and Maggie so much and couldn't get enough of them!

Travis and Maggie were fantastic. Travis is completely out of his element and doing the best he can to do right by his nephew. I loved how hard-working and sweet he was. I felt for him, I got his struggle, and was rooting for him. I loved watching him grow, become a better man, and be there for his nephew. The bond they formed was so sweet and I really liked watching that relationship grow. Maggie was awesome. This woman is a spitfire, I loved her attitude and how she was pretty much fighting her way in a man's world. Them coming together thrilled me. I loved how they met - so intriguing and holy wow HOT! I loved that Maggie did not know everything about Travis and I was filled with so much anticipation to find out. I love the playfulness and the antagonism. And I freaking loved the texting and all the fairytale references. It was all so good!

There was a wonderful build to their growing friendship, the flirtation, and heat. There were so many fun scenes that had me smiling and laughing. There's a wonderful group of characters involved and all kinds of side stories taking place to round it all out. I really liked JD and all that was developing there. I also loved Claire, Maggie's best friend, and I can't wait to find out more about her and the mysterious cowboy Ford in the next book. Alice totally intrigued me and I’m really hoping she gets her own story. There was great attention to detail as it all played out. There's a nice bit of emotion (I totally got choked up), some tense scenes and mild drama happening too.

This was my first Carly Bloom book and it will not be my last. I couldn't have asked for more. I love it when a story can make me laugh, get heated, and make me teary-eyed. It's the perfect trifecta. It was a truly fantastic story and I am thrilled to have found a new author to read. I'm hooked!

Complimentary copy received for honest review.