Book Review: Cowboys of Chance Creek Series (1-3 & 4)

**I received access to all of these books through Netgalley.com to facilitate my review.  All opinions are my own.

I love being able to get into a book series - it's so much fun to be able to see the characters develop and grow over multiple books - especially the first couple to get together... and the characters who will star in their own books later... so finding the Cowboys of Chance Creek series in the past few weeks has got me wishing I could visit Chance Creek for sure!  I can't lie either.. I've already read the fifth book in the series, but I can't talk about it until closer to the release date, so I will concentrate on bringing you up to speed by introducing you to the first four books in the series! 




Currently if you are an e-book reader, you can pick up all of the first three books in one anthology (The Cowboys of Chance Creek Volumes 1 - 3) for just $4.99, or get the first book in the series (The Cowboy's E-Mail Order Bride) for only $.99 if you're not totally convinced by my review!  These cowboys are in a whole lot of trouble—women trouble, that is. When a practical joke kicks off a series of romances, the Cowboys of Chance Creek will never be the same.  



When Ethan Cruz finds himself with an e-mail order bride he never asked for, he’s ready to send her right back where she came from—just as soon as he gets to know her a little better. When Autumn Leeds answers a plea for a modern mail-order bride for a cowboy, it sounds like the story of the century, but when she reaches Montana, she’s surprised to find Ethan’s the perfect cowboy husband-to-be. Against her better judgment, her plan to keep her handsome groom at arm’s length while she writes a scathing article on the subject disintegrates into a night of passion spent in his arms.
Ethan knows he can’t keep playing this game – he has to come clean with Autumn and tell her the truth; about the practical joke and about the state of his ranch. Autumn’s in bigger trouble than ever. Not only has she fallen in love with the subject of her exposé – she might be carrying his child. Can she trust a man she’s just met when she knows too well that men always let you down?
Can a love based on lies last?

All Jamie Lassiter wants is to marry his best friend’s sister and settle down for the rest of his life in Chance Creek. He’s saved his money, bought into the Cruz Guest Ranch and he’s ready for that wedding, but Claire Cruz is nowhere to be found. Claire’s too busy leaving Montana behind to care about cowboys or their wedding plans. She’s got plans of her own – a trip around the world. She’ll go as soon as she buys her tickets and she doesn’t care if she ever sees Chance Creek again.
Desperate to change Claire’s mind, Jamie proposes a bet: give him six weeks to convince her to marry him. If he can’t, he’ll pay for her round-the-world tickets himself. Claire can wait six weeks if it means free tickets and a chance to get a little revenge on a man who once broke her heart. She’s got only one stipulation: Jamie can’t touch or flirt with her – or any other woman – while the bet is on.
Now Jamie’s on the run from a bevy of cowboy-groupie ranch guests, and Claire’s learning she cares about the ranch – and Jamie – more than she dreamed possible.
Maybe it’s time to lose that bet. As long as Jamie loses it first.

Rob Matheson doesn’t know how much longer he can keep up the tough-guy act. As his buddies get married one by one, he’s left with the sinking feeling he lost more than his dreams when he traded them for a thick skin. Now Rob’s father has issued a challenge – he’ll give 200 acres to the first of his four sons to wed. Could this be a chance to become the man he really wants to be?
Morgan Tate’s worked for years to climb the ladder to a top job at Cassidy Wineries, but Duncan Cassidy, the boss’ son, always stands in her way. Now he’s issued an ultimatum; marry him or he’ll make sure she never works in the wine industry again..
Rob offers Morgan a proposition – marry him and split the land. Now they’ve got sixty days to fall in love, and a passel of family and friends determined to keep them apart. Will it take the biggest practical joke of all to convince the world – and themselves – that they’re truly meant to be man and wife?

My Take: I couldn't stop reading!  From the first chapter of book one when you meet Autumn and Ethan to the end of Rob and Morgan's story, I was mesmerised and enchanted!  Cora Seton took a whole mess of improbable situations and through humor, love and great characters created a believable and fun Western Romance series that you want to keep going and going!  As someone who loves a good continuity series, I can say without a doubt that you too will be hooked and waiting patiently (or impatiently like me) for the next book and the one after that ... just to keep up with what is going on with the characters that are already in your heart!  If you like a good contemporary romance with a little cowboy flair, than this series is definitely for you!

And because you won't be satisfied by just reading books 1-3, I highly recommend just biting the bullet and picking up the latest book, The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire!



Bella Chatham will lose everything – her veterinary practice, her animal shelter, and even her home – if she can’t find another source of income, fast. So when her best friend signs her up for the hot new reality television show, Can You Beat a Billionaire, Bella accepts the challenge and hopes against hope she can win the ten million dollar prize. If she doesn’t, it’s bye-bye pet clinic and shelter, bye-bye Chance Creek, Montana, and hello to marriage to the billionaire for a year!
Evan Mortimer, billionaire, can’t believe he’s reduced to competing in a television contest to win a wife. Unfortunately, it’s the only foolproof way to secure his position as head of Mortimer Innovations. At least he’ll be able to dump his “spouse” at the end of the year; he’s much too busy to be tied down to a country bumpkin cowgirl.
Bella doesn’t expect her adversary to be handsome – or funny, or compassionate – but Evan’s all three, and he’s proving a tough competitor, too. When they end up sharing a tent – and a sleeping-bag – her body betrays her with a longing so deep it cuts her to the core. Still, this cowgirl must stay strong. If Evan uncovers her secret fears, he’ll use them to win the contest – and then he’ll own her for a year. She’ll be out of luck, out of cash, and stuck being Mrs. Mortimer until he kicks her to the curb. Too bad she can’t decide which is worse – winning the show and losing Evan forever, or losing the show and only being his temporary wife.
Evan can’t believe he’s falling for the one woman who doesn’t want him. This cowgirl’s not impressed by his money, his name, or his inability to sleep in a tent with her for an entire night, but every look and touch she gives him sends his desire through the roof. With a director determined to use his claustrophobia to make him look like a fool, and an adversary so sexy he can hardly see straight, he’ll need all his savvy to come out on top. Too bad he’s going to lose no matter how this show turns out. If he beats Bella, he’ll destroy the first woman he’s ever loved. If he doesn’t beat her, it’s bye-bye Mortimer Innovations.
Will either of them remember in time that it’s not who wins or who loses – it’s how they play the game that really counts?
My Take:  This was my favorite book in the series (so far) because it takes a really out there scenario and makes it fun and believable in that romantic fiction way - come on - a billionaire who needs a wife and a broke vet who needs an infusion of $$ both agree to do a reality tv show... but Cora Seton makes it fun and plausible enough that you suspend reality and just fall in love with Moneybuns and Betty Bumpkin... and you stay along for the ride from the first word to the last.  I love that both characters have flaws, history and strengths and that the book manages to bring out the right amount of snark, sarcasm and animosity to fuel the sparks that fly off the page!  Whether you read The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire as a stand alone book or as the fourth book in the series, I don't think you'll go wrong if you are the type of person who enjoys a quirky romance with some fun twists and turns!

As I said before, I really enjoyed getting to know everyone in Chance Creek and I look forward to being able to share more with you about the fifth book in the series, The Sheriff Catches A Bride soon!