Secret Nights with a Cowboy by Caitlin Crews
Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on December 1, 2020
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Western
Pages: 320
Format: eBook
Source: Amazon
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A passionate second chance romance set in the stunning landscape of Cold River, Colorado - where love burns bright under the Western sky.

Secret Nights with a Cowboy, the first installment in USA Today bestseller Caitlin Crews' new Kittredge Ranch series, is an emotional tale of a man holding on and a woman letting go.

Riley Kittredge has always known exactly what he wanted - his land, his horses, and his woman. He met and married Rae Trujillo far too young, and their young love combusted right after they said their vows. Yet, their passion has never managed to burn itself out. When Rae shows up this time, it's not a night of pleasure she demands, but a divorce.

Rae knows she and Riley just don't work, despite their undeniable chemistry. She wants a new life, complete with a baby. But when her husband offers to be a father and give her the family she's always secretly desired, Rae and Riley must face the demons from their past—and choose love over fear at last.

"Loaded with charming characters [and] wit....will win the heart of any romance fan."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A True Cowboy Christmas

This was such a fun start to a new cowboy romance series! Secret Nights with a Cowboy introduces us to the Kittredge Ranch, and right away I was pulled in by the emotional tension and the chemistry between the leads. I’m a sucker for second-chance romances, and this one hit all the right notes for me.

I loved that the story wasn’t just about passion (though there’s plenty of that!) but about whether these two could overcome the mistakes of the past. The emotional push and pull felt real—messy at times, heartbreaking at others, but always believable. That’s what made the romance so satisfying for me: it wasn’t about perfect people finding love, but about imperfect people figuring out how to make it work.

The small-town setting worked really well too. It gave the book that cozy, slightly claustrophobic atmosphere where everyone knows everyone else’s business, which only heightened the drama. Add in the ranch backdrop and you’ve got a setting that feels vivid and alive.

Caitlin Crews did a great job balancing the sweetness and the spice. The romance has tender moments and plenty of passion, but it also digs into the harder questions of trust, forgiveness, and what it means to really commit. By the end, I was rooting for the characters to get their happily-ever-after, and the setup for future books in the series has me excited to continue.

🔥 Steamometer: 4/5 – Bold and passionate, with a real emotional punch.