True Love Cowboy (McGrath) – ARC review

True Love Cowboy
by Jennifer Ryan
Release Date:  August 24, 2021
Publisher: Avon
Book #3 in the McGrath series
Number of Pages:  400
Kindle Edition
Source:  NetGalley
Contemporary Romance/Western
Ages 17 and up
CW: child abuse, child neglect, assault

Cowboys live by their word, their wits, and their loyalty.

Jon Crawford has returned to Montana, determined to take over his father’s ranch and raise his daughter in Big Sky Country, leaving the big-city life behind once and for all. He doesn’t have time to fall in love, but he doesn’t count on stubborn but beautiful Trinity McGrath, who arouses his protective instincts even as she tries to push him away.

Life hasn’t always been easy for Trinity, but now she has everything she needs—her family, friends, and a safe and secure life. With a business to build, Trinity doesn’t have time for romance…until Jon comes barging into her life and all her intentions are turned upside down! 

Still, an attraction like theirs is too powerful to deny, and sometimes true love comes along when you least expect it. But when someone from Jon’s past comes back with a vengeance, Trinity and Jon will have to do everything they can to save themselves and their new love…

There is a whole lot for me to unpack here. There were a lot of times this story was extremely hard for me to get through. Unfortunately, I know a mother like Jon’s ex and it was making me sick to my stomach long before there was any confirmation of things going on with his little girl Emmy. It’s also unfortunate that the child I know doesn’t have a dad with lots of money that is able to fight the system. Even in this story, it’s clear that Jon has a rough road to travel if he wants to get sole custody of his daughter even though he has the resources. Knowing the frustrations that face a person in the US legal system when it comes to parental rights, I felt the author did a good job with the portrayal without slowing down the story.

I put that right out there and it may scare some readers away. If these issues will cause you stress, you absolutely should do what is best for your own emotional well-being. For those who will be able to read on, just know there are a lot of light and romantic and beautiful moments. Jon and Trinity have wonderful chemistry. Jon’s relationship with Emmy is adorable and just what you want to see with a father/daughter story. Add to that the bond Trinity and Emmy forge from the moment they meet, and this story has all of the elements to make it memorable.

As much as I thought I knew where this story was going to go, the author threw me for a loop and made it so much better. There was definitely a point where I thought there would be a whole lot of miscommunications between Jon and Trinity, and that would be a huge hurdle for them. While that was an underlying issue, there was so much more that was piled on. I loved that, even though Trinity was unsure of what Jon really wanted from her, she was absolutely always there for Emmy no matter what.

There were a few things that didn’t fit the timeline correctly for me, but I was so caught up in the story  that I don’t even care. That’s saying a lot coming from me.

5 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**