Once A Cowboy (Harlequin American Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Linda Warren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 2007 | Series: Harlequin American Romance (Book 1151)

Brodie Hayes is a former rodeo star, now a rancher--a cowboy, through and through. But when he finds out some shocking news about the circumstances of his birth, he begins to question his identity. Luckily, private investigator Alexandra Donovan is there to help him find the truth about who he is. Along the way, he discovers that even a man who thought he'd be alone for the rest of his life can fall in love.

For Brodie, love was something you did once--and for always. But is Alex the type of woman who can take on a stubborn man like him? Because there's one thing about him that will never change, no matter what they find out about his past--once a cowboy, always a cowboy.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (February 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373751559
• ISBN-13: 978-0373751556
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (156 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #679,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Linda Warren loves happy endings. The Rita® nominated and award winning author has written 26 books for Harlequin, including SuperRomance, American and Everlasting Love. Drawing upon her years of growing up on a farm/ranch in Texas, she writes about sexy heroes, feisty heroines and broken families with an emotional punch all set against the backdrop of Texas. She lives in College Station with her husband and spends her days doing what she loves--creating unforgettable love stories--with happy endings.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good plot, but predictable and April 18, 2009

By Book Lover

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

simple. It's a quick read with enjoyable characters...love Naddy, she rocks! I liked the ending, but I knew how it would end from the first chapter. Not bad for a free book. If you're looking for some easy fluff, this is it. This is one of those books you read after you've just read something really heavy and thought provoking, which this book isn't.

105 of 115 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 Stars - loved the characters February 11, 2007

By Ratmammy VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

ONCE A COWBOY by Linda Warren

February 11, 2007

Rating 3.5 Stars

ONCE A COWBOY is an engaging story of a man who finds out that he's not who he thinks he is. Alexandra Donovan works with her father as a private investigator, but on occasion, she picks up missing persons cases such as this one. A woman, Helen Braxton, approaches her, asking to help verify the identity of a cowboy she thinks is her missing son, Travis. The resemblance of this man to her husband is uncanny. Alexandra knows that these cases usually do not pan out, and the odds of Brodie Hayes being the woman's missing child was near zero. Despite the odds, Alex agrees to take on the case.

Alex decides that she needs to find a way to get a sample of his DNA without him knowing she's investigating him, not wanting to upset him in case he is not Helen's son. She manages to get into his house by pretending to need to use his phone while wandering lost in his neighborhood, and voila - she is able to find a comb with a few of his hairs in his bathroom. When the test results come back positive, that Brodie is indeed the son of George and Helen Braxton, Alex is afraid of the reaction she will get from Brodie, especially when he discovers that she's violated his privacy by stealing his comb to do the DNA testing. She is also worried about tearing apart a family despite the fact that Brodie is really someone else's son.

ONCE A COWBOY deals with Brodie and his need to find himself and his true identity. He also has to deal with a mother, who is not in the best of health, who had lied to him and his now deceased father about the fact that she had taken a baby from another woman. He grapples with this moral dilemma, because despite the fact that all his life he felt he didn't quite fit in with the family, always trying to please them but failing because he had his own life to lead, he still loved the woman that raised him.

Alex has her own issues to deal with. She has never gotten along with her father, who raised her by himself. She never knew what it was like to have a mother, and wishes she and her father were close. At the very least, she would have liked to be able to get along with him. And while her father disapproves of Alex's methods when it comes to her missing persons cases (she gets too emotionally involved), she goes against his advice once again and falls for Brodie.

This reviewer enjoyed the story about a stolen baby who was raised by parents who were not biologically related to him, and the repercussions it held for all involved once the secret was out. However, the chemistry that supposedly was felt between the two main characters didn't seem to exist for this reviewer. However, the characters by themselves were interesting and intriguing enough for the reader to want to finish the book. The story line was in a way complex, in that it dealt with both sets of families that were affected, and it made for one interesting book. However, the romance between Alex and Brodie didn't quite ring true, and it seemed that these two really had no business getting together, nor did it make sense that Brodie would even want to be with a woman who gave him such bad news. ONCE A COWBOY had a great story line about a man's identity, but the romance was not as credible as this reviewer would have liked it to be. - Courtesy of Love romances and More - M. Lofton

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute love story April 2, 2010

By K. Arbuckle

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was a pretty good read, especially since it was free. I live in the Dallas area so it was nice knowing where the towns were in the story. I stopped reading romance books about 5 yrs. ago but since this one was at a very good price (free) I decided I needed a break from my usual serial killer/murder mystery books .
Of course you know they are going to fall in love and live happily ever after, but they do have some emotional obstacles to over come before that happens.