Book Review: Cowboy It's Cold Outside by Maisey Yates 3/5 stars

 Every year in July, I like to read at least one Christmas novel.  It's hot, everything here is miserably humid and just reading about colder weather is very very welcome. 

So when I saw this very cute cover over at NetGalley,  I decided to request it! 

  I'll just say - there is nothing new under the sun in this romance.  That said, it delivers exactly what the cover promises! Generally when I read romance, I'm not looking for a stunning new life revelation, so this was perfect!  We have a FMC, Sheena  who is tough as nails, but also smart, sassy and sexy.  our MMC is Denver, and he's really been living lately mostly to make amends for his Father's mistakes- some of which directly affected Sheena and her family. 

  Sheena decides it's time to call in the favor that he's promised quite some time ago. She wants help starting up a business. Despite skepticism from his family, Denver knows he's going to offer that help.  What he doesn't know is that he's going to fall for Sheena as the season gets chillier! Sheena is just as caught off guard when she realizes she doesn't like seeing Denver with anyone but her! Yates digs into themes of family trauma, guilt, forgiveness and trust. All these complex emotions are of course resolved with a little bit of love, because this is a Happy Ever After ending book!  One kind of disappointment for me is that there isn't a whole lot of ranching being done at Four Corners Ranch, but that also gives the novel a very contemporary feel as there are fewer working ranches these days and more folks in that area branching out into viable business ventures, just like Sheena and Denver are doing.  I admit, I had real expectations of branding cattle, inspecting fence posts on horseback and other "ranchy" activities.  Despite the Holiday cover, I did kind of feel like the Holiday wasn't really the emphasis of the novel and so I did not get my usual Warm fuzzy Jingle Bell feeling from this one, which detracted from my joy, but might be just exactly what someone else wants, less holiday hoopla and more healing and growth! 

This is the ending of the Four Corners Ranch series, and as a newcomer to the series, I can attest that it isn't necessary to have read the other books in order. This comes out in October, and would make a good gift for the romance reader in your life, even if, of course, that romance reader is you! This looks like a perfect gift to top off a stocking! 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press and Maisey Yates for this ARC.

STATS

First Published : Coming October 2025

Pages: 320

Available as an Audio Book :YES planned release on same day at the print novel. 

Trigger Warnings: parental death, drug use (not on page) alcohol,   As always this is likely not a complete list, so please read responsibly.