Last Dance with a Cowboy: Includes a Bonus Novella

Sara Richardson

Dec 2021 · Sold by Forever

About this ebook

Can this wandering cowboy convince his first love that he deserves a second chance in a charming contemporary romance for fans of New York Times bestselling authors Jennifer Ryan and Maisey Yates—with a bonus novella by Carolyn Brown!
Leila Valentino will do anything to keep her grandparents’ Colorado winery afloat. Even partner with August Harding, the first—and last—man to break her heart. Fifteen years ago, August left Silverado Lake, and Leila, far behind. Now the cowboy’s back with an offer that could save her family’s business. But to keep her grandparents from worrying over the vineyard’s finances, Leila insists August give a different reason for his return: her.

August Harding is one step away from a huge promotion. All he has to do is ensure that his company acquires Valentino Bellas Vineyards. And if pretending he and Leila are back together is the cost . . . well, he can’t say no. Leila has never forgiven him for the way he ended things, but the longer they pretend to be a couple, the more he begins to wonder if a second chance isn’t impossible after all. But can he convince Leila that this time he’s not walking away?

Includes the bonus novella Sunrise Ranch by Carolyn Brown!

Ratings and reviews

Sweet second-chance romance August is finally back in town, but only because his boss has assigned him to assist in the takeover of Leila's family winery. He left her behind years ago after his father died and he was drowning in his grief. Now, he has to decide if he wants a second chance, and if he will help her keep her family business at the expense of his job. Leila rightfully hesitates to trust August, though their fake engagement does force the issue to the forefront more than either had anticipated. There's nothing unpredictable in this plot, but the story definitely benefits from a heartfelt execution with endearing characters and a strong sense of family ties. As the third in the series, we get to see more of Jane and Toby as well as Wes and Thea and all their kids. The sense of community was compelling throughout, and the HEA was nicely done. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

In Last Dance with a Cowboy, we return to Silverado Lake and we finally get August's story. I enjoy a good second chance love story, so I was all in on reading this book. Leila Valentino has found herself in a predicament. She's trying to help keep her grandparent's winery afloat and in order to do so, she enters into a partnership to get the help she needs. The only problem is she has a certain amount of time to make things better or she's going to end up losing everything. August Harding has been working hard over the years to move up in the company he's been working for since college. He's given the opportunity to nab the promotion following his next assignment, which happens to be overseeing what is happening with Valentino Bellas Vineyard. The biggest issue with this assignment is that he's going to have to work with the woman he walked away from years before. The woman he thought he'd spend the rest of his life with. When Leila realizes she's going to have to work with August, it's the last thing she wants to do. She doesn't trust him and doesn't want to have to rely on him for anything. He's able to convince her that if they work together, they can get to the point where she's going to reach the goals she needs to in order to keep the majority shares. In order to make it work though, they have to pretend to be back together given her grandparents know nothing about the business agreement she made. As the two work together, it becomes more and more difficult to keep their emotions out of it. Will they be able to find their way back to one another or will his job end up causing them another chance at love? I enjoyed this one, but it didn't have quite the same spark for me that the first two books in this series did. It was still really good, but there was just a little something missing. I did expect a little more "cowboy" given the title. Overall, it was still enjoyable and worth the read. I look forward to what Sara Richardson offers next.

In this latest book in the series, we get the story of Leila Valentino and August/Auggie Harding. These two were HS sweethearts that had promised each other a life together. But fifteen years ago, August left behind Leila , the town and his family with a promise to return and he never did. Nowadays, when Leila realizes she needs help or the family winery will not survive, she makes a deal with the devil, Forrest Kingston. A man that has been purchasing wineries up and down the west coast. The man doing all the work is August, and this time Forrest sends him to Silverado to start the takeover. Once August sees Leila, he knows that he will go against Forrest’s will and do everything he can to help Leila. As the story proceeds, they make up a fake engagement, to please her grandparents. But when feelings get involved, it all gets very messy. What happens when Leila realizes the real reason Auggie returned? Will the winery survive? Will the hope of a second chance burn up in flames? Though not my favorite in the series, it was still an entertaining and sweet story with good characters. I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Forever. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

About the author

Sara Richardson grew up chasing adventure in Colorado's rugged mountains. She's climbed to the top of a 14,000 foot peak at midnight, swum through Class IV rapids, completed her wilderness first-aid certification, and spent seven days at a time tromping through the wilderness with a thirty-pound backpack strapped to her shoulders.

Eventually Sara did the responsible thing and got an education in writing and journalism. After a brief stint in the corporate writing world, she stopped ignoring the voices in her head and started writing fiction. Now she uses her experience as a mountain adventure guide to write stories that incorporate adventure with romance. Sara lives and plays in Colorado, still indulging her adventurous spirit, with her saint of a husband and two young sons.