What do you think?
Rate this book
Wyle Away Ranch #1
The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door
She won't lose the ranch without a fight, even if it means fighting him.
Kate Benton has wanted nothing to do with ranchers since she was fifteen and too-hot-for-his-own-good Landon Wyle caught her kissing his little brother during a cattle drive.
Yep, that event pretty much put an end to a lot of things, like her dignity.
But when her grandfather dies, he leaves his ranch to her with one provision: she has to live on Coyote Glen and keep it profitable for a year.
Kate is used to the finer things in life, such as sleeping in past the crack of dawn and fingernails that aren’t broken.
Mucking stables, fixing fences, and avoiding being trampled by angry cows isn’t exactly how she imagined spending the next year, but her family needs the land.
She’s in over her head. However, the man who can best help—Landon—is second in line to inherit if she fails.
And he’s only gotten more handsome. Of course.
Losing the ranch is bad enough, she refuses to fall for the man who wants to take Coyote Glen from her.
Landon’s brothers depend on him to keep their ranch and their family together. To succeed, he’s thrown himself into his work—and ok, maybe he’s avoided relationships. He needs the wells on Coyote Glen to keep his own ranch running and can’t afford to let Kate’s beautiful green eyes distract him.
If he loses his heart to her, he loses everything.
The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door is the first novel of a sweet, feel-good, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy series. If you like heroines with sass and hardworking men who look great in denim, you’ll love this swoon-worthy novel!
We believe in happily ever after, so no cliffhangers are allowed on our ranch.
Kate Benton has wanted nothing to do with ranchers since she was fifteen and too-hot-for-his-own-good Landon Wyle caught her kissing his little brother during a cattle drive.
Yep, that event pretty much put an end to a lot of things, like her dignity.
But when her grandfather dies, he leaves his ranch to her with one provision: she has to live on Coyote Glen and keep it profitable for a year.
Kate is used to the finer things in life, such as sleeping in past the crack of dawn and fingernails that aren’t broken.
Mucking stables, fixing fences, and avoiding being trampled by angry cows isn’t exactly how she imagined spending the next year, but her family needs the land.
She’s in over her head. However, the man who can best help—Landon—is second in line to inherit if she fails.
And he’s only gotten more handsome. Of course.
Losing the ranch is bad enough, she refuses to fall for the man who wants to take Coyote Glen from her.
Landon’s brothers depend on him to keep their ranch and their family together. To succeed, he’s thrown himself into his work—and ok, maybe he’s avoided relationships. He needs the wells on Coyote Glen to keep his own ranch running and can’t afford to let Kate’s beautiful green eyes distract him.
If he loses his heart to her, he loses everything.
The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door is the first novel of a sweet, feel-good, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy series. If you like heroines with sass and hardworking men who look great in denim, you’ll love this swoon-worthy novel!
We believe in happily ever after, so no cliffhangers are allowed on our ranch.
370 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2021
170 people are currently reading
580 people want to read
About the author
Janette Rallison
74 books1,999 followersCheck out my awesome book trailers!
My Unfair Godmother:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AlRg0...
My Fair Godmother: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up1jF8...
Just One Wish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP1Nce...
My Double Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzuswp...
Janette Rallison has five children who keep her well supplied with plot ideas, sometimes even making cameo appearances in her novels. She likes to write romantic comedy because there is enough angst in real life, but theres a drastic shortage on both humor and romance.
Playing the Field was named Society of School Librarians International Best Book Award Honor Book, and both Alls Fair In Love, War, and High School and Love, Life, and the Pursuit of Free Throws were included on YALSAs Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults list. Fame Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List, was just chosen for IRAs YA Choices list for 2007
"
My Unfair Godmother:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AlRg0...
My Fair Godmother: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up1jF8...
Just One Wish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP1Nce...
My Double Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzuswp...
Janette Rallison has five children who keep her well supplied with plot ideas, sometimes even making cameo appearances in her novels. She likes to write romantic comedy because there is enough angst in real life, but theres a drastic shortage on both humor and romance.
Playing the Field was named Society of School Librarians International Best Book Award Honor Book, and both Alls Fair In Love, War, and High School and Love, Life, and the Pursuit of Free Throws were included on YALSAs Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults list. Fame Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List, was just chosen for IRAs YA Choices list for 2007
"
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
May 6, 2021
If I had been paying attention, I probably wouldn't have picked this one up. I mean, I like Janette Rallison in a general kind of way. But she has thrown her net kind of wide, lately, and not always successfully. Also, I didn't notice that this is one of those abominations that puts a romance series together by gathering a bunch of different authors and assigning each a pairing. I'm going to put a note below that you'll want to peruse if you're tempted to give this one a taste, yourself.
I liked Kate from the start. I'm not a fan of someone nursing a hurt for years and years without trying to resolve it at all. It's understandable, mind. Nothing scars a fifteen year-old like a little public trauma and her grandfather, Cal, delivered that in spades. So she had my sympathy, particularly when we get the details. And I loved seeing her rediscover a side of herself that she had suppressed. I loved that she had strength and determination and courage, even if her motives were a bit stupid with regards to her family.
And Landon was all the win in the world. It doesn't hurt that he's precisely my type with that strong, capable thing paired with a need to help and protect those around him. I liked his fundamental decency and honor. And I liked that he struggled with understanding Kate sometimes and that he failed, but didn't let it keep him from trying again.
Anyway, the main couple were outstanding. So it's a bit disappointing that so much of the surrounding story undermined that so thoroughly. I had three problems with the setup and they're pretty much all along the same axis. The first is the veneration of the recently deceased Cal. That guy was a jerk of major proportions and I kept waiting for someone to call that out, even a little. But no, everybody loves the guy (except Kate and her family). Yeah, he helped his neighbors and was generous with his time and resources. But that's a feature of the community (sort of, I mean, unless it's someone they dislike and then they turn bitter and poisonous). I mean, they help each other, so there's a circle of reciprocity going so him being generous to his neighbors is kind of like me being generous with my coworkers—it just makes your work life run more smoothly all around. But your measure of jerk is how you treat the people who can't actually do anything for you. And how he treated the granddaughter that he knew loved and appreciated his lifestyle was atrocious. And since he's the adult, it's on him to fix what he broke. He never did, and instead left a bizarro stipulation in his will that jerks her and her entire family around.
And did I mention that the neighbors were awful? We're told about how caring their community is, but it's nowhere in evidence with regards to Kate. And since we get to see them at church more than a little, it's particularly jarring how they treat her like she's an evil monster despite sitting in the pew next to her every Sunday—some of them literally. And I can't help noticing that when they pulled together to help Kate in a crisis, that all came after they had reason to believe that she had changed in the way they wanted her to. So yeah, self-serving meanness again passed off as somehow noble.
Finally, we have Kate's family. Those people were awful. At least the author didn't try to do anything to make it seem like they weren't (like they did with Cal and the townsfolk). They treated Kate like extensions of themselves, bossing her around, informing her what she wants from her life, and reading the intentions of everybody around her in the worst possible light. Kate is old enough to make her own judgements, so having her bow to their dictates time and again was stupid.
With all that dragging me down, I'm a bit surprised myself that I'm giving it four stars. Rallison is quite talented as an author and I still loved Kate and Landon beyond all reason. Also his brothers and niece were outstanding. And since that's the bulk of the story, by far, it worked out rather well
A note about the series: Not only is this one of those stupid abominations that absolutely ensures that the tone and voice will change for subsequent books, this series is padded out with authors whose assigned story is their first book. Rallison and Oram are the bookends (start and finish), but the three other authors have no other titles to their credit. This does not fill me with any desire to read the other stories, even a little bit. Could they be undiscovered romantic geniuses? Sure. I kind of hope they are because the world needs more romantic genius. But it's not how I'd bet and it's not likely enough that I'm even a little tempted to pick them up.
A note about Chaste: There's enough tribulation visited on these characters by various means that there's not time for them to develop true intimacy. This isn't a bad thing (except that some of it felt a little forced). So this is not only solidly chaste, but it made sense for the characters and their romantic arc. So. Well done (mostly).
I liked Kate from the start. I'm not a fan of someone nursing a hurt for years and years without trying to resolve it at all. It's understandable, mind. Nothing scars a fifteen year-old like a little public trauma and her grandfather, Cal, delivered that in spades. So she had my sympathy, particularly when we get the details. And I loved seeing her rediscover a side of herself that she had suppressed. I loved that she had strength and determination and courage, even if her motives were a bit stupid with regards to her family.
And Landon was all the win in the world. It doesn't hurt that he's precisely my type with that strong, capable thing paired with a need to help and protect those around him. I liked his fundamental decency and honor. And I liked that he struggled with understanding Kate sometimes and that he failed, but didn't let it keep him from trying again.
Anyway, the main couple were outstanding. So it's a bit disappointing that so much of the surrounding story undermined that so thoroughly. I had three problems with the setup and they're pretty much all along the same axis. The first is the veneration of the recently deceased Cal. That guy was a jerk of major proportions and I kept waiting for someone to call that out, even a little. But no, everybody loves the guy (except Kate and her family). Yeah, he helped his neighbors and was generous with his time and resources. But that's a feature of the community (sort of, I mean, unless it's someone they dislike and then they turn bitter and poisonous). I mean, they help each other, so there's a circle of reciprocity going so him being generous to his neighbors is kind of like me being generous with my coworkers—it just makes your work life run more smoothly all around. But your measure of jerk is how you treat the people who can't actually do anything for you. And how he treated the granddaughter that he knew loved and appreciated his lifestyle was atrocious. And since he's the adult, it's on him to fix what he broke. He never did, and instead left a bizarro stipulation in his will that jerks her and her entire family around.
And did I mention that the neighbors were awful? We're told about how caring their community is, but it's nowhere in evidence with regards to Kate. And since we get to see them at church more than a little, it's particularly jarring how they treat her like she's an evil monster despite sitting in the pew next to her every Sunday—some of them literally. And I can't help noticing that when they pulled together to help Kate in a crisis, that all came after they had reason to believe that she had changed in the way they wanted her to. So yeah, self-serving meanness again passed off as somehow noble.
Finally, we have Kate's family. Those people were awful. At least the author didn't try to do anything to make it seem like they weren't (like they did with Cal and the townsfolk). They treated Kate like extensions of themselves, bossing her around, informing her what she wants from her life, and reading the intentions of everybody around her in the worst possible light. Kate is old enough to make her own judgements, so having her bow to their dictates time and again was stupid.
With all that dragging me down, I'm a bit surprised myself that I'm giving it four stars. Rallison is quite talented as an author and I still loved Kate and Landon beyond all reason. Also his brothers and niece were outstanding. And since that's the bulk of the story, by far, it worked out rather well
A note about the series: Not only is this one of those stupid abominations that absolutely ensures that the tone and voice will change for subsequent books, this series is padded out with authors whose assigned story is their first book. Rallison and Oram are the bookends (start and finish), but the three other authors have no other titles to their credit. This does not fill me with any desire to read the other stories, even a little bit. Could they be undiscovered romantic geniuses? Sure. I kind of hope they are because the world needs more romantic genius. But it's not how I'd bet and it's not likely enough that I'm even a little tempted to pick them up.
A note about Chaste: There's enough tribulation visited on these characters by various means that there's not time for them to develop true intimacy. This isn't a bad thing (except that some of it felt a little forced). So this is not only solidly chaste, but it made sense for the characters and their romantic arc. So. Well done (mostly).
May 3, 2021
(4.5 stars) - when winning is losing & losing is winning
While much of the story is pretty classic, it has the added enhancements of Rallison's trademark humor & a not-so-classic happy ending.
The characters are very well developed & things happen in a way that's easy to believe. Initially I worried that it was going to be a cookie cutter romance, but the author put her own unique & entertaining spin on it, and by the denouement, had totally won me over
*Romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic
While much of the story is pretty classic, it has the added enhancements of Rallison's trademark humor & a not-so-classic happy ending.
The characters are very well developed & things happen in a way that's easy to believe. Initially I worried that it was going to be a cookie cutter romance, but the author put her own unique & entertaining spin on it, and by the denouement, had totally won me over
*Romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic
January 22, 2023
WOW! This was my first time reading a western, and it did not disappoint! I won this book in a giveaway, and at first, I thought I would just read it since I already had it and that would be the end, but noooo, this book was sooo good!
I know Janette Rallison has only written fantasy and rom-coms in the past, but I believe she is one of a few truly versatile authors who can do well in any genre. So don't let her background discourage you from trying The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door!
Note that this is a contemporary Western romance, and the content is completely clean as far as I can remember.
I know Janette Rallison has only written fantasy and rom-coms in the past, but I believe she is one of a few truly versatile authors who can do well in any genre. So don't let her background discourage you from trying The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door!
Note that this is a contemporary Western romance, and the content is completely clean as far as I can remember.
April 23, 2021
"'Well, it's like the Good Book says. We need to love our neighbors.' He intended to work on that very seriously. Some commandments were easier to keep than others."
This book was a fast-paced contemporary Western romance, with a variety of well developed characters. I loved the wistfulness, practicality, and romantic tension in this book. And I adored the underlying wit of the characters that caused me to laugh out loud often. I will be reading the rest of this series as soon as the books are available because I feel very invested in this family. I definitely recommend this clean, Western romance.
This book was a fast-paced contemporary Western romance, with a variety of well developed characters. I loved the wistfulness, practicality, and romantic tension in this book. And I adored the underlying wit of the characters that caused me to laugh out loud often. I will be reading the rest of this series as soon as the books are available because I feel very invested in this family. I definitely recommend this clean, Western romance.
May 4, 2021
An Impossible Situation
When Jannette Rallison published a book, I drop everything and read it! The only problem at that point is going to sleep at a decent hour.
Kate (Kitty) inherits her Grandfather’s ranch, while her parents want to sell it and develop the land. Her neighbor, Landon, depends on her ranch for the Wells her grandfather had been letting her use. To make things more complicated, if Kitty doesn’t keep the ranch successful for a year, Landon inherits it.
Landon is a good man! I was impressed by his honesty, his desire to help Kitty even though it hurt his own chances. Kitty was lovable in her own ways. The poor woman had so many embarrassing moments, but persevered. I loved her sense of humor. She and Landon were adorable together and the chemistry was sizzling.
I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. I want more!
Content: clean (kissing, mild innuendo, mild violence, no language)
When Jannette Rallison published a book, I drop everything and read it! The only problem at that point is going to sleep at a decent hour.
Kate (Kitty) inherits her Grandfather’s ranch, while her parents want to sell it and develop the land. Her neighbor, Landon, depends on her ranch for the Wells her grandfather had been letting her use. To make things more complicated, if Kitty doesn’t keep the ranch successful for a year, Landon inherits it.
Landon is a good man! I was impressed by his honesty, his desire to help Kitty even though it hurt his own chances. Kitty was lovable in her own ways. The poor woman had so many embarrassing moments, but persevered. I loved her sense of humor. She and Landon were adorable together and the chemistry was sizzling.
I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. I want more!
Content: clean (kissing, mild innuendo, mild violence, no language)
May 7, 2021
This was a cute read. A little too much drama for me, but a good weekend read. I like Rallison's style. I feel like a lot of these series don't showcase authors well. I think they get lost in trying to follow a story line or characters other created before them. Light and sweet, good for teens and adults.
May 6, 2021
Great Story !
I enjoyed reading this book by Janette Rallison .
I have read a lot of her books , so I am always excited to read more .
This story is about Kate and Landon there were several surprises I didn't expect but I loved it and how clean and funny and romantic it was .
Landon's brothers were hilarious ! I am looking forward to reading more about them in the other books , I just wished they were all by the same
awesome author.
I enjoyed reading this book by Janette Rallison .
I have read a lot of her books , so I am always excited to read more .
This story is about Kate and Landon there were several surprises I didn't expect but I loved it and how clean and funny and romantic it was .
Landon's brothers were hilarious ! I am looking forward to reading more about them in the other books , I just wished they were all by the same
awesome author.
May 27, 2021
4.5 stars rounded up.
It had been far too long since I'd read one of Janette Rallison's romances, so when I got an email asking if I was interested in reading this book I squeezed it in even though I already had a lot of books due the end of April/beginning of May. I'm glad I got the chance to read this book that kicks off the Wyle Away Ranch series, these brothers are something else.
Kate (Kitty) Benton is back in Arizona for her grandfather's funeral and reading of the will, then she's back to her job in Seattle as an interior designer. That was the plan until the family found out Cal Benton left the ranch to Kate, but she has to live on it and make it profitable for a year! If she leaves the property to live somewhere else or the ranch is in the red for 3 months it will go to Landon Wyle! Landon and his family's ranch (The Wyle Away Ranch) is next door to the Benton's Coyote Glen ranch. It's no secret the Wyles wanted to buy Coyote Glen after Cal Benton died, so the Bentons are none too happy about the contents of the will.
I really liked Landon. The brothers banded together to keep their ranch going after the unexpected death of their parents, and continued working together, although most of the hands on ranch work fell to Landon. He'd known Kate/Kitty from years before when she would spend the summers with her grandparents, although he hadn't seen her in 6 years.
I liked Kate--she's got a lot of spunk, and was determined to learn everything she needed to so she could run the ranch for a year. If she hadn't listened to her parents it would've probably been easier. Speaking of her parents, it seems they cared more about the money they'd get when they sold the ranch than they did about their daughter. She's a grown woman, but they didn't let her make some of the important decisions even she points out their decisions weren't great, and cost her money.
I liked Kate and Landon together. They had great chemistry and worked well together. If only she'd let go of the past and trusted him sooner. There was a lot of great dialogue between these two, and an ending I wouldn't have imagined. I liked the other Wyle brothers and Landon's little niece is adorable. This was one of those books that I didn't want to put down--I wanted to see how it was going to end.
I received a complimentary copy to review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
It had been far too long since I'd read one of Janette Rallison's romances, so when I got an email asking if I was interested in reading this book I squeezed it in even though I already had a lot of books due the end of April/beginning of May. I'm glad I got the chance to read this book that kicks off the Wyle Away Ranch series, these brothers are something else.
Kate (Kitty) Benton is back in Arizona for her grandfather's funeral and reading of the will, then she's back to her job in Seattle as an interior designer. That was the plan until the family found out Cal Benton left the ranch to Kate, but she has to live on it and make it profitable for a year! If she leaves the property to live somewhere else or the ranch is in the red for 3 months it will go to Landon Wyle! Landon and his family's ranch (The Wyle Away Ranch) is next door to the Benton's Coyote Glen ranch. It's no secret the Wyles wanted to buy Coyote Glen after Cal Benton died, so the Bentons are none too happy about the contents of the will.
I really liked Landon. The brothers banded together to keep their ranch going after the unexpected death of their parents, and continued working together, although most of the hands on ranch work fell to Landon. He'd known Kate/Kitty from years before when she would spend the summers with her grandparents, although he hadn't seen her in 6 years.
I liked Kate--she's got a lot of spunk, and was determined to learn everything she needed to so she could run the ranch for a year. If she hadn't listened to her parents it would've probably been easier. Speaking of her parents, it seems they cared more about the money they'd get when they sold the ranch than they did about their daughter. She's a grown woman, but they didn't let her make some of the important decisions even she points out their decisions weren't great, and cost her money.
I liked Kate and Landon together. They had great chemistry and worked well together. If only she'd let go of the past and trusted him sooner. There was a lot of great dialogue between these two, and an ending I wouldn't have imagined. I liked the other Wyle brothers and Landon's little niece is adorable. This was one of those books that I didn't want to put down--I wanted to see how it was going to end.
I received a complimentary copy to review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
August 5, 2021
Fun Cowboy Romance
This is a fun cowboy romance. There were lots of great ranch details to make it feel legit. The Arizona setting made me miss being there.
This is a fun cowboy romance. There were lots of great ranch details to make it feel legit. The Arizona setting made me miss being there.
August 8, 2025
The only way to describe is - very, very dry.
^^me trying to find the chemistry between the characters in this wretched desert 😂
It was very bland and while I have nothing else to criticize, this is enough for me not to love it 😂
Both Landon and Kitty seemed like decent enough people, and yet I never cared about what happened to them. Especially because the middle part dragged on too much. It was almost as if the author didn't know what to put there and how to make some sort of conflict so she just made Kitty go through the worst - everything that could go wrong on the ranch, goes wrong. Of course, Landon is always there to save her from her misery and fixes every problem in the most perfect way....Bleh...
Kitty's supposed to be this capable woman but in the end, she made so many poor choices and constantly depended on Landon. I truly wish I liked this because I'm in the mood for some cowboy romance stories, but this one didn't work for me.
^^me trying to find the chemistry between the characters in this wretched desert 😂
It was very bland and while I have nothing else to criticize, this is enough for me not to love it 😂
Both Landon and Kitty seemed like decent enough people, and yet I never cared about what happened to them. Especially because the middle part dragged on too much. It was almost as if the author didn't know what to put there and how to make some sort of conflict so she just made Kitty go through the worst - everything that could go wrong on the ranch, goes wrong. Of course, Landon is always there to save her from her misery and fixes every problem in the most perfect way....Bleh...
Kitty's supposed to be this capable woman but in the end, she made so many poor choices and constantly depended on Landon. I truly wish I liked this because I'm in the mood for some cowboy romance stories, but this one didn't work for me.
November 5, 2023
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I started this but it turned out to be very Heartland-esque (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!). I really liked Landon, and I was definitely rooting for Kate to succeed in her ranching endeavors. Unfortunately I didn’t really buy the whole “we need to take a break” and the switching to “we should get married.” Not a dealbreaker, but also not my fave plot points.
Overall I really did enjoy this book! I left you like hallmark movies this book is definitely for you!
Overall I really did enjoy this book! I left you like hallmark movies this book is definitely for you!
July 24, 2025
2.5 stars. Between “okay” and “good.”
Plot- Interesting premise kept my attention well enough. But it was obviously not even close to “gripping” because we went on vacation when I was at 81% and I completely forgot about it. I happened to see the unfinished audiobook when I opened my Hoopla app over a week later and decided to finish it. Sure, why not? *shrugs*
Writing - Good.
Characters- I liked both of the main characters. The MMC was really sweet and caring. The FMC was kind and hard working. She balanced being respectful to her parents while also learning to stand on her own two feet.
Romance- low chemistry, but very sweet.
Content-
Language- no swears
Spice- clean. Fine for a teen/tween.
Substance abuse- not really; a ranch employee drank too much but there was no blow-up or drunken scene.
Violence- no
Cover- cute. I like it.
POV- dual POV
Cliffhanger- no
Format- audio via Hoopla
Narration- both the female and male voices were fine.
Plot- Interesting premise kept my attention well enough. But it was obviously not even close to “gripping” because we went on vacation when I was at 81% and I completely forgot about it. I happened to see the unfinished audiobook when I opened my Hoopla app over a week later and decided to finish it. Sure, why not? *shrugs*
Writing - Good.
Characters- I liked both of the main characters. The MMC was really sweet and caring. The FMC was kind and hard working. She balanced being respectful to her parents while also learning to stand on her own two feet.
Romance- low chemistry, but very sweet.
Content-
Language- no swears
Spice- clean. Fine for a teen/tween.
Substance abuse- not really; a ranch employee drank too much but there was no blow-up or drunken scene.
Violence- no
Cover- cute. I like it.
POV- dual POV
Cliffhanger- no
Format- audio via Hoopla
Narration- both the female and male voices were fine.
May 13, 2021
Great story felt unfinished
I would give this book 3.5 stars. I got it on kindle unlimited and really appreciated that it was a clean story without any bedroom scenes. I didn’t notice any typos or grammatical errors. I felt like there was plenty of detail and character development but things were left unfinished. I don’t know if they’ll be addressed later as each book in the series will be about a different brother. I’ll try not to leave any spoilers but maybe don’t finish reading this just in case that’ll bother you.
1. I wish we could have understood the grandpa’s reasoning for the way he acted more with maybe a letter in the will or something.
2. Landon mentions thinking Kate was special when she was younger but there wasn’t any hint of that
3. Her parents made me so mad and they came across as selfish I wish she would have stood up to them even if they didn’t respond well
4. The townspeople weren’t nice and only helped out in the end to help Landon which is fine small towns are hard. But why would she want to stay in a town that treated her like that with no friends. She says she’s going to be an interior decorator but how? They just get together and she’s making all the sacrifices. Not cool
5. I would have liked to see the last 3 months of the year play out even if she lost the farm. Even just to see them working the farm together
I will try the next in the series and see if I like it better
I would give this book 3.5 stars. I got it on kindle unlimited and really appreciated that it was a clean story without any bedroom scenes. I didn’t notice any typos or grammatical errors. I felt like there was plenty of detail and character development but things were left unfinished. I don’t know if they’ll be addressed later as each book in the series will be about a different brother. I’ll try not to leave any spoilers but maybe don’t finish reading this just in case that’ll bother you.
1. I wish we could have understood the grandpa’s reasoning for the way he acted more with maybe a letter in the will or something.
2. Landon mentions thinking Kate was special when she was younger but there wasn’t any hint of that
3. Her parents made me so mad and they came across as selfish I wish she would have stood up to them even if they didn’t respond well
4. The townspeople weren’t nice and only helped out in the end to help Landon which is fine small towns are hard. But why would she want to stay in a town that treated her like that with no friends. She says she’s going to be an interior decorator but how? They just get together and she’s making all the sacrifices. Not cool
5. I would have liked to see the last 3 months of the year play out even if she lost the farm. Even just to see them working the farm together
I will try the next in the series and see if I like it better
May 5, 2021
I was very frustrated with this book. It took me until the half way point to finally feel invested and really interested in the story. Kitty and her parents drove me insane from the start. I know this was the intention but I couldn't get passed how upset Kitty was with her grandfather over what happened when she was 15.
The end of the book didn't feel like an end to me at all. I felt like all the big problems were left wholly unanswered. Some sort of epilogue was needed to close things off.
The end of the book didn't feel like an end to me at all. I felt like all the big problems were left wholly unanswered. Some sort of epilogue was needed to close things off.
Want to read
May 5, 2021Nominated for a 2021 Swoony Award, to vote click here: https://tinyurl.com/y593ce67
February 14, 2022
I loved reading this book! The author did such a great job with her characters, setting and plot. I didn’t want to stop reading the book!
I loved Kate. She is a strong woman, not afraid to work hard. And that’s exactly what she had to do when her grandfather left her his ranch. She even had to work against her parents, who were disappointed that he hadn’t left it to them. There were so many things against her, time, her parents, all the work, and the whole town. But she didn’t let that worry her.
I liked Landon too. He knew that he was next in line for the ranch, if things didn’t work out for Kate. But he still went out of his way to help her. It was really fun to see these two characters together. They just fit.
I loved Landon’s family. They made me laugh. Especially his niece. I really need to read more of this series! All of his brothers need their own stories!
I loved Kate. She is a strong woman, not afraid to work hard. And that’s exactly what she had to do when her grandfather left her his ranch. She even had to work against her parents, who were disappointed that he hadn’t left it to them. There were so many things against her, time, her parents, all the work, and the whole town. But she didn’t let that worry her.
I liked Landon too. He knew that he was next in line for the ranch, if things didn’t work out for Kate. But he still went out of his way to help her. It was really fun to see these two characters together. They just fit.
I loved Landon’s family. They made me laugh. Especially his niece. I really need to read more of this series! All of his brothers need their own stories!
April 30, 2021
3.75 stars, rounding to 4
Landon and Kate's story pulled me in; I enjoyed the fact that they had a history between them that colored her reactions to him but it wasn't *romantic* history, so it really wasn't a "second chance"-type romance. Having facets of Kate's family history unfold over the course of the book really added to the story, too: I appreciated seeing how things she learned shaped her understanding of her grandfather and her interactions with her parents.
The worldbuilding was immersive, and I definitely learned some interesting things about cattle ranching in Arizona! I'm eager to experience more through the stories of the other Wyle brothers; meeting most of them in this book was a treat, especially Jason. The Wyle brothers and Kate all bring wit, warmth, and heart to the setting in a way that I really enjoyed.
Janette Rallison does a great job of depicting Kate as being 22: she still shows a degree of immaturity, and her parents certainly don't see her as an autonomous adult. I do wish we'd seen her grow to a point of being able to have a calm conversation telling them what she's going to do and then doing it, choosing not to listen when they tried to undermine her confidence in her decisions, instead of continuing to sneak around and keep hiding things from them.
That's the main reason why I'm only giving the book 3.75 stars; after the progress Kate seemed to finally be making, the decision they made at the end of the book felt like someone threw the brakes on hard. I know this is the first book in a multi-author series so it's possible that it was necessary for someone else's plot, but... It left me shaking my head. If you're not mature enough to handle the consequences of doing a thing, you shouldn't do it. I was honestly surprised that Landon agreed to it.
That said, I did enjoy the book enough that I plan to keep an eye out for the rest of the series.
I received an ARC of The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door via Book Sirens; all opinions are my own.
Landon and Kate's story pulled me in; I enjoyed the fact that they had a history between them that colored her reactions to him but it wasn't *romantic* history, so it really wasn't a "second chance"-type romance. Having facets of Kate's family history unfold over the course of the book really added to the story, too: I appreciated seeing how things she learned shaped her understanding of her grandfather and her interactions with her parents.
The worldbuilding was immersive, and I definitely learned some interesting things about cattle ranching in Arizona! I'm eager to experience more through the stories of the other Wyle brothers; meeting most of them in this book was a treat, especially Jason. The Wyle brothers and Kate all bring wit, warmth, and heart to the setting in a way that I really enjoyed.
Janette Rallison does a great job of depicting Kate as being 22: she still shows a degree of immaturity, and her parents certainly don't see her as an autonomous adult. I do wish we'd seen her grow to a point of being able to have a calm conversation telling them what she's going to do and then doing it, choosing not to listen when they tried to undermine her confidence in her decisions, instead of continuing to sneak around and keep hiding things from them.
That's the main reason why I'm only giving the book 3.75 stars; after the progress Kate seemed to finally be making, the decision they made at the end of the book felt like someone threw the brakes on hard. I know this is the first book in a multi-author series so it's possible that it was necessary for someone else's plot, but... It left me shaking my head. If you're not mature enough to handle the consequences of doing a thing, you shouldn't do it. I was honestly surprised that Landon agreed to it.
That said, I did enjoy the book enough that I plan to keep an eye out for the rest of the series.
I received an ARC of The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door via Book Sirens; all opinions are my own.
May 22, 2021
Reluctantly loving Cowboys
I’m a city girl whose first marriage (to a man who would have LOVED to own a ranch) made her a little gun-shy about cowboys. Why anyone would want to live so far from proper civilization, I still have no idea, but Janette’s story of a city girl who took on a ranch is vivid enough to have even me imagining myself living a country life. Especially if the neighbors are this attractive.
I’m a city girl whose first marriage (to a man who would have LOVED to own a ranch) made her a little gun-shy about cowboys. Why anyone would want to live so far from proper civilization, I still have no idea, but Janette’s story of a city girl who took on a ranch is vivid enough to have even me imagining myself living a country life. Especially if the neighbors are this attractive.
May 6, 2021
The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door ~ Bk1 Wyle Away Ranch by Janette Rallison.
New author to me and a start of a new series. There are 5 books to this series that follow the Wyle brothers at Wyle Away Ranch. Each book is written by a different author.
This first book follows Landon and Kate Benton, who inherits her grandfather's ranch Coyote Glen on provision she lives there and keeps it profitable for a year.
I found The Cowboy and the Girl Next door very enjoyable, easy to read and I did have a laugh-out-loud moment. Beautifully written and I found that I was drawn into the story and loved every part of the story. I hope that book two is just as good as this one, and I also hope to see both Landon and Kate there and what happens after...
Not telling, don't want to spoil the story, you will need to purchase the book to find out:)
I received an advance review copy for free, from Booksirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
New author to me and a start of a new series. There are 5 books to this series that follow the Wyle brothers at Wyle Away Ranch. Each book is written by a different author.
This first book follows Landon and Kate Benton, who inherits her grandfather's ranch Coyote Glen on provision she lives there and keeps it profitable for a year.
I found The Cowboy and the Girl Next door very enjoyable, easy to read and I did have a laugh-out-loud moment. Beautifully written and I found that I was drawn into the story and loved every part of the story. I hope that book two is just as good as this one, and I also hope to see both Landon and Kate there and what happens after...
Not telling, don't want to spoil the story, you will need to purchase the book to find out:)
I received an advance review copy for free, from Booksirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 2, 2021
I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for this book, and it is the cutest! If you like sweet romance with a romcom vibe, this is for you.
Janette is a great writer. You will be laughing and swooning, I guarantee it—and my guess is that you will learn a little something about how to run a ranch as well. Kitty is a determined character in a difficult predicament, and Landon is sometimes her biggest obstacle, and other times her perfect knight in shining armor. (Or is he the perfect cowboy in shining spurs?) I love their relationship, and
I love the story. This book is the first in a series, but can also be enjoyed alone.
Of course, who doesn't want to read about the rest of his hot cowboy brothers? You know you are going to want to finish the series.
And can we take just a minute to appreciate that cover??
Janette is a great writer. You will be laughing and swooning, I guarantee it—and my guess is that you will learn a little something about how to run a ranch as well. Kitty is a determined character in a difficult predicament, and Landon is sometimes her biggest obstacle, and other times her perfect knight in shining armor. (Or is he the perfect cowboy in shining spurs?) I love their relationship, and
I love the story. This book is the first in a series, but can also be enjoyed alone.
Of course, who doesn't want to read about the rest of his hot cowboy brothers? You know you are going to want to finish the series.
And can we take just a minute to appreciate that cover??
May 8, 2021
What can I say, Janette is awesome
Seriously love when a book is released by this author! It literally makes my day, or a few, depending on how long it takes me to read it. I have never been disappointed by Janette's books! And just because she said I could, I will also say, that yes, her assessment on Henry Cavill was correct. Women come. They hither.
Seriously love when a book is released by this author! It literally makes my day, or a few, depending on how long it takes me to read it. I have never been disappointed by Janette's books! And just because she said I could, I will also say, that yes, her assessment on Henry Cavill was correct. Women come. They hither.
May 7, 2021
I LOVED this book! I laughed, I cried, I lay in bed all day reading it. It actually made being sick feel like a delightful experience...until I got up to write this review. Thank you, Ms. Rallison, for your charming characters that always stay with me. This was a fantastic read! :) :) :)
May 6, 2021
Fun romance
I enjoyed reading this book. The characters are fun. I loved all of them--especially little Audrey. The setting feels realistic and I enjoyed how the ranching details were worked into the story.
I enjoyed reading this book. The characters are fun. I loved all of them--especially little Audrey. The setting feels realistic and I enjoyed how the ranching details were worked into the story.
May 4, 2021
I absolutely loved this book! Janette has a way with words, and I have loved every one of her books that I have read. This book is full of tough decisions, suspenseful love, family struggles, and personal development. The characters are interesting, their stories and lives are believable, and you just can’t say no to a hot cowboy with strong morals and a life-long love.
June 4, 2021
So cute!!!
July 10, 2021
Didn’t really feel it, there was no emotion from hero or heroine, they were just one-dimensional
August 10, 2021
This story was quite a ride. Interesting necklace mention. Hard learned life lesson for her in this ranching book. I do Iove the love story though.
January 23, 2024
Couldn’t get into this book till the 70% mark, didn’t feel the chemistry between the main characters and I felt the end was rushed.
July 29, 2021
Landon Wyle runs the Wyle Away Ranch in Southern Arizona, with his younger brother Jaxon, Jaxon's 6-year-old daughter, and their high-school-age brother Preston. An older brother left the ranch, but that's very vague. There is also Jaxon's twin brother Dillon, who works as a banker in the city. The neighbor ranch, Coyote Glen, was owned by Cal, who passes away just before the start of the story. He leaves the ranch to his granddaughter Kate (Kitty), because he knows that his son doesn't want to be a rancher. In fact, his son wants to sell it to a developer and make it into a western-themed golf resort community. The restrictions, however, come as even more of a surprise: she has to stay at the ranch for one year and make it profitable, otherwise the ranch will go to Landon.
Due to Kitty's parents being jerks (they don't trust Landon at all), she has an even harder time than she should, losing money, having cattle stolen and a few other issues. The people in the area are cold to her because they think she wants to make it into a golf course. At first she doesn't really care what happens to the ranch, she just wants to finish the year so she can sell and go back to her interior design job in Seattle. Gradually she realizes that she does actually love the ranch and then she and Landon fall in love (are we surprised?).
A lot of the story involves her complicated relationship with her grandfather, Cal. She got in trouble for kissing Jaxon when she was 15 & he was 17. Her grandfather yelled at her and sent her home from the cattle drive. She was totally humiliated and never came back to the ranch, feeling like her grandfather didn't really love her. She sees her grandfather through different eyes, and as she learns about ranching, she begins to understand him better. And Landon, too. But there is tension between Landon and Kitty because if she isn't successful with the ranch, then she'll lose her inheritance to Landon. Plus her parents are spewing poison in her ears all along.
I did enjoy the funny parts. For example, everyone thinks Landon has commitment issues because he has never had a girlfriend for long. He hasn't seen Kitty in a while (they are taking a "break" because of issues/bad feelings related to her parents and the will), and then he sees her in a wedding dress at the farm and kind of freaks out, thinking she already found someone else. Turns out it's just a photo shoot for her trying to turn the ranch into a wedding venue. Later he's talking to his brothers:
“The next time she wears that dress, I want her to be walking down an aisle toward me. Can’t stop thinking about it, in fact. And that means, despite what everyone thinks, I don’t have commitment issues. At least not since Kitty moved back.”
Jaxon wiped his hands on his jeans. “That would be good news if the two of you were actually dating, and her parents didn’t hate you, and she wanted to stay in Arizona.” He headed over to help with the pipe. “But congratulations on getting over your commitment issues.”
Overall, the writing is pretty good. The story is maybe a bit predictable, but I did like the characters: the brothers, Jaxon's daughter, the "gossip-lady" and the "disapproving-lady" were great. Towards the end, her felonious foreman that her father had hired and who was stealing her cows, left her stuck with 40 "bottle calves", newborn calves that need constant attention. She's ready to have a nervous breakdown because she knows she can't keep them all alive by herself. Landon calls "a few friends" who come and divvy up the calves to raise. This includes the gossip-lady and the disapproving-lady; they all come to her rescue after hearing what happened with the foreman.
I'm a little annoyed with the habit of so many authors who end a story when the two lovers come together. I wasn't convinced they needed to keep their marriage a secret, nor did I like that we don't get the enjoyment of her parents freaking out over the marriage. Oh, yeah, I didn't mention the snobby veterinarian (channeling Miss Bingley from Pride & Prejudice) who wants to get her claws into Landon - I'd like to see her reaction when she finds out that all the poison about Kitty that she was whispering to his ears turned out useless.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Due to Kitty's parents being jerks (they don't trust Landon at all), she has an even harder time than she should, losing money, having cattle stolen and a few other issues. The people in the area are cold to her because they think she wants to make it into a golf course. At first she doesn't really care what happens to the ranch, she just wants to finish the year so she can sell and go back to her interior design job in Seattle. Gradually she realizes that she does actually love the ranch and then she and Landon fall in love (are we surprised?).
A lot of the story involves her complicated relationship with her grandfather, Cal. She got in trouble for kissing Jaxon when she was 15 & he was 17. Her grandfather yelled at her and sent her home from the cattle drive. She was totally humiliated and never came back to the ranch, feeling like her grandfather didn't really love her. She sees her grandfather through different eyes, and as she learns about ranching, she begins to understand him better. And Landon, too. But there is tension between Landon and Kitty because if she isn't successful with the ranch, then she'll lose her inheritance to Landon. Plus her parents are spewing poison in her ears all along.
I did enjoy the funny parts. For example, everyone thinks Landon has commitment issues because he has never had a girlfriend for long. He hasn't seen Kitty in a while (they are taking a "break" because of issues/bad feelings related to her parents and the will), and then he sees her in a wedding dress at the farm and kind of freaks out, thinking she already found someone else. Turns out it's just a photo shoot for her trying to turn the ranch into a wedding venue. Later he's talking to his brothers:
“The next time she wears that dress, I want her to be walking down an aisle toward me. Can’t stop thinking about it, in fact. And that means, despite what everyone thinks, I don’t have commitment issues. At least not since Kitty moved back.”
Jaxon wiped his hands on his jeans. “That would be good news if the two of you were actually dating, and her parents didn’t hate you, and she wanted to stay in Arizona.” He headed over to help with the pipe. “But congratulations on getting over your commitment issues.”
Overall, the writing is pretty good. The story is maybe a bit predictable, but I did like the characters: the brothers, Jaxon's daughter, the "gossip-lady" and the "disapproving-lady" were great. Towards the end, her felonious foreman that her father had hired and who was stealing her cows, left her stuck with 40 "bottle calves", newborn calves that need constant attention. She's ready to have a nervous breakdown because she knows she can't keep them all alive by herself. Landon calls "a few friends" who come and divvy up the calves to raise. This includes the gossip-lady and the disapproving-lady; they all come to her rescue after hearing what happened with the foreman.
I'm a little annoyed with the habit of so many authors who end a story when the two lovers come together. I wasn't convinced they needed to keep their marriage a secret, nor did I like that we don't get the enjoyment of her parents freaking out over the marriage. Oh, yeah, I didn't mention the snobby veterinarian (channeling Miss Bingley from Pride & Prejudice) who wants to get her claws into Landon - I'd like to see her reaction when she finds out that all the poison about Kitty that she was whispering to his ears turned out useless.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 14, 2021
“The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door” is the first book in the ‘Wyle Away Ranch’ series by Janette Rallison. The main characters in the story are Kate and Landon.
Kate’s grandfather was a rancher, and the ranch next door was owned by the Wyle family. For half her life, Kate happily spends every summer at the ranch owned by her grandparents. Kate is 15 when she and the 17-year-old Wyle brother are spotted by his older brother, Landon, while in a compromising position. After an embarrassing scene with Landon, and then her grandfather, Kate gets her parents to fly her back home and doesn’t return to the ranch until she has to years later after the death of her grandfather. At that point, she’s 22. I’m not revealing anything not divulged in the book blurb when I write that her grandfather leaves Kate his ranch, with the provision that she has to live on it and keep it profitable for a year – otherwise it goes to Landon instead. Kate doesn’t want the ranch but her parents want her to have it so they can get their hands on it for their own purposes. Landon desperately wants it because of several valid reasons, but he tries to help Kate anyway.
I wish I would’ve had a better understanding about why Kate’s grandfather acted the way he did. There’s some explanation of his reason for overreacting when she’s caught in the awkward situation when she’s 15, but I don’t feel like I ever understood enough about his motivations for the way he set up his will and such. Kate’s parents were horrible. She eventually manages to stand up to somebody connected with them, but I wish she would’ve had a stronger moment asserting herself with them. I liked Landon’s character a lot; he was really a good guy. I wasn’t as much of a fan of Kate because she was so immature, but she became more appealing as she dealt with running the ranch and growing up through trial by fire.
I thought the secondary characters were interesting. A lot of the townspeople at first seem cold and even unkind, but when you saw them with a more balanced perspective their behavior was more understandable. Landon’s brothers are highly entertaining characters. I enjoyed the dialogue in this book. The other books in this series will be written by other authors. I’ve read several multi-author series where some characters are slightly interconnected. This series could be particularly challenging because personalities are already created. I’ll definitely be reading the next book and will see how it goes because I like the world that’s been created. Hopefully there will also be an update of some type about Landon and Kate.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Kate’s grandfather was a rancher, and the ranch next door was owned by the Wyle family. For half her life, Kate happily spends every summer at the ranch owned by her grandparents. Kate is 15 when she and the 17-year-old Wyle brother are spotted by his older brother, Landon, while in a compromising position. After an embarrassing scene with Landon, and then her grandfather, Kate gets her parents to fly her back home and doesn’t return to the ranch until she has to years later after the death of her grandfather. At that point, she’s 22. I’m not revealing anything not divulged in the book blurb when I write that her grandfather leaves Kate his ranch, with the provision that she has to live on it and keep it profitable for a year – otherwise it goes to Landon instead. Kate doesn’t want the ranch but her parents want her to have it so they can get their hands on it for their own purposes. Landon desperately wants it because of several valid reasons, but he tries to help Kate anyway.
I wish I would’ve had a better understanding about why Kate’s grandfather acted the way he did. There’s some explanation of his reason for overreacting when she’s caught in the awkward situation when she’s 15, but I don’t feel like I ever understood enough about his motivations for the way he set up his will and such. Kate’s parents were horrible. She eventually manages to stand up to somebody connected with them, but I wish she would’ve had a stronger moment asserting herself with them. I liked Landon’s character a lot; he was really a good guy. I wasn’t as much of a fan of Kate because she was so immature, but she became more appealing as she dealt with running the ranch and growing up through trial by fire.
I thought the secondary characters were interesting. A lot of the townspeople at first seem cold and even unkind, but when you saw them with a more balanced perspective their behavior was more understandable. Landon’s brothers are highly entertaining characters. I enjoyed the dialogue in this book. The other books in this series will be written by other authors. I’ve read several multi-author series where some characters are slightly interconnected. This series could be particularly challenging because personalities are already created. I’ll definitely be reading the next book and will see how it goes because I like the world that’s been created. Hopefully there will also be an update of some type about Landon and Kate.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews