Cowboy Daddy

by Susan Mallery

From New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery comes a fan-favorite tale about finding the love you never knew you needed…Rancher Jake Masters' adopted daughter is deeply troubled by his wife's death, so when she asks, Jake can’t deny the young girl's anguished plea to meet her birth mother. But granting her wish is damn hard-Jake never asked for this new woman in his life…or for the stunning attraction he feels toward her.Anne Baker has come a long way from the dirt-poor Texas town where she made the toughest decision of her life, but she's never forgotten her child. And nothing is going to keep them apart now, not even the suspicions of the most aggravating-and compelling-man she's ever known…

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Westerns, Harlequin, Childrens

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1994

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.

Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.

Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.

Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

She gave up baby
He adopted then wife died
Daughter wants to meet

Twenty-year-old book
But Mallery had it then
And still has it now

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

<3
Ok read

The electric lust at first sight wasn't my cuppa, love isn't hormones, even if it starts that way.

Not sure about the message. He gets all at the end. She "only" gets the family.

[Jayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 90's Harlequin book is being released as an audiobook.

After Jake's wife dies, his adoptive daughter wants to meet her birth mother. Jake tracks her down.
He finds her attractive, but also can't trust her. Anne always thinks of the daughter born on her eighteenth birthday. She knows giving her up was the right thing, but she also is glad to be in her life now.

This one shows its age- not just in technology, but in theme. Some of the interactions and thoughts were very cringy.

However, I did enjoy this more than a lot of Susan Mallery's later work. While the characters' actions were dated, I enjoyed that there is only one couple and you really get to know them. Her more recent work crams several couples into a single book and I feel you miss the connection.

Overall, not a bad read. But keep in mind when it was written.

Tanya Eby narrates as usual.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Lindy Dierks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew within a few minutes of starting this audiobook that it was going to hit me right in the feels! My instinct was correct. I’m a huge fan of Susan Mallery and this book did not disappoint. It was well written with lots of amazing emotion and an absolutely beautiful story! This book is older, but the story is timeless! The conflict drew me in and hooked me from start to finish.

Anne gave up a daughter for adoption years ago. Her daughter, Laurel, Jake, Laurel’s father, lost his wife two years ago. His daughter has been begging to meet her real mother. Jake is not happy about the whole situation. It makes for a great story.

The audiobook narrator, Tanya Eby, always narrates Susan Mallery’s stories. I love her voice. She does a fantastic job. This copy of Cowboy Daddy was provided by NetGalley and Harlequin audio for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun easy listen but I didn't realize when I got it that it was from the 90's! It was only with the mention of a Walkman that I realized that it must be a re-print of a previous book by Susan Mallery. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the storyline of Anne, her adopted daughter and her daddy Jake and how they come to terms with how they will raise "their" daughter and proceed with their future. I also had a few giggles at how catalogs were used to order things for his home.

Although this did explore adoption and the effects on all affected, it was a fun romance to listen to!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 21 January 2025

[Rosie Trzewik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little flashback to the life in the 90’s but still a sweet story. Jake a widower is granting his daughter a huge favor, allowing her to meet her birth mother. Anne has mixed feelings about giving up her daughter for adoption as a teenager. So when Jake sets up a meeting with her about her getting to know her daughter, she is scared and yet excited. To finally see the daughter she never got a chance to hold. They both have baggage from their past and still someway there is electricity when they touch. Coming to a compromise for the daughter’s sake has also open the doors to passion.
The narrator was so good that I listened to the story in a day. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own. #CowboyDaddy

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

To fulfill the wish of his grieving adopted daughter, rancher Jake agrees to find her birth mother, recruiter Anne. Jake and Anne become unexpectedly drawn to each other, despite the complications their connection brings.

This is a well-written and entertaining cowboy romance. The book focused on the relationship between Jake, Anne, and their daughter—which was well done. The details of Jake’s relationship with his late wife were skimmed over, as were Anne’s career decisions. Overall, it’s an enjoyable book. The audiobook narration by Tanya Eby was a delight as always.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Ron Baumer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not normally a reader of Susan Mallery books, and this was a first time for me. I listened to the book as an audio book and although the book was a re-print from the 90's, I found myself drawn into the story and enjoying the narration. The plot was well-done, and the characters are life-like with real flaws and pettiness. As in real life, there are no perfect people, only ones who try hard.

The narration was an added bonus. The narrator does an outstanding job relating the story and enhances the experience. I would love to hear additional stories performed by her.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Katerina Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tough one for me...I have read a handful of other Susan Mallery books. Usually I read the books she's written that are set on beaches and I really enjoy those. I've also recently fallen in love with cowboy romance so when I saw this on NetGalley I jumped! (Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin audio for a copy of the audiobook!!!!) While I still really enjoyed Mallery's writing style, the accidental pregnancy trope of this book was just not it for me. Normally, when this trope pops up, I immediately DNF a book but I really wanted to give this a shot and finish it. This book just kind of left me with a feeling of "meh". It felt like Jake got everything and Anne gave up everything after working so hard. I wanted to like this so much more than I did. Regardless, I will 100% be picking up one of Mallery's 2024 releases "The Summer Book Club". Overall, Cowboy Daddy gets 2.5 stars from me.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Mallery has again given her readers a great story that is one that is going to be enjoyed by everyone. The emotions jumped out of the story as I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tanya Eby. This narrator always does a great job of making the story real.
This is a story that had cowboy romance, and it had the emotion, and the ending was exactly what a reader expects from a Susan Mallery book.
Thank you NetGalley, Susan Mallery and Harlequin Audio for the audiobook of Cowboy Daddy.
This is my personal review.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook for this one. While the audiobook was not my favorite audiobook, I did have a really good time listening to this story. I've been on a mission to find easy listening type audiobooks for work. This one definitely fits into that category.

The story itself is not complex and the plot is pretty predictable, but the way that we get there is pretty intriguing. This felt like more of an old school take on cowboy romances. I definitely felt myself swooning at several parts of the book.

Thank you to HTP's The Hive for providing me with a review copy of the audiobook!

[Meagan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disgustingly patriarchal. The man hates the woman who gave birth to his adopted daughter for years before meeting her and then angrily calls her names like slut for months after they meet. Very Biblical in that Eve is the cause of all sin in the world.

I did not finish the book as any woman who loved this man has no respect for herself.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Single parent is one of me favorite tropes. Susan Mallery is one of my favorite authors. This should’ve worked even though it’s one of her older books. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. Better luck next time.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read from Susan Mallery. It had characters that you liked with the expected happy ever after ending. It was an earlier release for the author but the story was still very enjoyable. An easy listen with a good narrator.

[Kiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, I normally really enjoy Susan Mallery, but man...this was not it! Jake was sooo mean and distrustful to Anne, on top of treating her like an afterthought. Laurel was a bit of a brat. This def was not a warm and fuzzy love story. I wanted better for Anne.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

What a beautiful book!! ❤️

[BookOwl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn’t for me. Even the ending is soooooo not for me.

[Linda McCune · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet romance.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s alright.. a bit of hallmark.

[James E Fritz Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Read

Loved The Fools Gold books and this is another great read! Keep up the good work!
Looking forward to the next p

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one so much! It was such a pleasant surprise. Anne gave her daughter away for adoption over a decade ago, so imagine her surprise when grump rancher Jake shows up telling her that his wife has passed and her daughter would like to meet Anne. Even more surprising? The absolutely lightening Anne feels any time Jake touches her. Suddenly the line for hate to love grows all too thin and Anne has to decide once again between love and the career of her dreams in this contemporary, cowboy romance.

Thank you Net Galley, the Hive, and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to listen to this one.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cowboy Daddy by Susan Mallery and narrated by Tanya Eby. I did enjoy the audible version of this book. My only complaint would be how negative he was towards Annie but the chemistry couldn’t be denied. I would have decked him if he was talking to me like that. Overall, it is a good beach read. I like her newer novels better. Thank you to #NetGalley and #Harlequin Audio for this Arc. This is my honest review.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't typically read romance novels so this was kind of an odd book for me. There actually was a semi-interesting plot and some genuine emotion. I thought the portrayal of a teenager and some of the ramifications of adoption were very decently covered. However I was very distracted by the romance aspects of the book and the ludicrous and constant descriptions of things like the male character's taut stomach and bulging jeans. I think I may just not be cut out for romance novels.

[Teon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I turned to Susan Mallery for a "love wins" kind of story and that is what I got. Jake is the adoptive father to a tweenage girl. His wife died and now his daughter wants to see her "birth mom." Poor guy has pain everywhere he turns. This book is so well written you get his pain, you know the bratty behavior of a tweenage girl going through some of the worst stressors anyone should have to deal w/ at that age. Anne, the birth mom, handles it all w/ dignity and love.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different kind of love

Susan Mallery came up with a different story line that worked. Anne gave up her baby when she was seventeen and never really got over it. Jake and Ellen adopted the baby because of their inability to have their own child. After Ellen's death, Jake promised his daughter that she could meet her real mother. That is where this story begins. Good easy read.

[Sandi Bedell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cowboy Daddy

Good plot with well crafted characters. Always things to make you think. Mallery takes the accepted path of adoption and has the reader question its value for each person who is affected.

[Elliebit · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Dorothy Morawsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book...

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, a little dated and the characters weren't the most likable.

[Jemi Fraser]

A fun story! Jake and Annie are great characters. i enjoyed the plot twists and Laurel adds tons of spark to the story!