In The Heart of a Cowboy Jody Hedlund allows us to get to know the second McQuaid brother, Flynn, as well as younger siblings, Ivy and Dylan. Flynn is the perfect cowboy hero – ruggedly handsome, caring for others, brooding at times, and completely captivated by the red-haired beauty he is guarding. Linnea is not only pretty, but strong-willed and intelligent, the best match for Flynn, if he can just figure it out. Their relationship develops over time, not only a fiery romance, but a sweet friendship and respect as well. The secondary characters add to the reality of the story and are just as well written as the main characters. When Jody Hedlund tried her hand at historical cowboy romances, I knew she would do it up right. This series exceeds my expectations. Her balance between historical happenings, an unfolding love story, and exciting adventures is reader perfection. This is a book not to be missed. This book can be read as a stand-alone but reading the first book in the series would add to the understanding of the story and the characters. It’s also a very good book on its own. I was given a copy of this book by the author. All opinions stated are mine alone.

The Heart of a Cowboy, a historical, western romance is the second book in Jody Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboys series. This book can be read as a stand alone although I personally think it’s better if you read the first book, A Cowboy for Keeps. Western is typically a genre that I’m not drawn to but I will read anything by Jody Hedlund and especially after reading the first one I couldn’t wait for this one. It did not disappoint. Jody Hedlund excels at every book she writes no matter what the subject matter is. The characters and scenes are so well developed that you feel like you personally know the everyone and actually are traveling the Santa Fe Trail with Linnea, Flynn and their family. If you are looking for a 5 star book to read look no further. My gratitude to the author and publisher for a complimentary NetGalley copy of the novel. I was not required to post a review and the opinions expressed are my own.