Cowboy Becket Weston likes women, plural, and has a reputation for breaking hearts. His bad-boy behavior masks a deeper need to atone for past mistakes. His side-hustle—using a pseudonym and posting comic drawings of ranch life on social media—lets him explore life, love, and grief without being exposed. He even has a following! But no amount of introspection can explain his fascination with Eleanor Campbell—Main Street, Marietta’s newest shopkeeper. She’s definitely not his type, so why does she keep turning up in his drawings?

Ellie Campbell isn’t one for staying long in any one place, but when she inherits money from her grandmother and decides to open a yarn store in small-town Marietta, it feels like she’s putting down roots. She’s not looking for a relationship after one too many hard knocks, literally, but Becket Weston gets under her skin like no other, igniting passion that’s impossible to ignore.

He’s a bad boy, playboy, and everyone knows it, but there’s something about him that just doesn’t add up. Does Ellie have the courage to stick around and find a way into his heart?

Titles in The Westons of Montana series include: A Family with the Cowboy ~ Reckless with the Cowboy ~ What the Cowboy Wants ~ The Rancher’s Christmas Bride ~

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Reckless with the Cowboy
Series:  The Westons of Montana #2
Author:  Elsa Winckler
Published:  May 27, 2025
My Rating:  4.5

Reckless with the Cowboy is the second title in The Westons of Montana series and brings us Ellie’s and Becket’s passionate romance, which, unfortunately, is filled with assumptions on Ellie’s part. It’s understandable in some ways, because Becket loves women, but has no plans ever to marry. His survival guilt is a constant companion; his work on the family ranch, and his true talent (and passion) of creating comic art featuring his three loyal dogs and life on the ranch keep him extremely busy (and tired). His heart may not be on the ranch, but he has self-made obligations that hold him back from all that life could offer him if he were to simply tell his siblings how he feels.

Ellie left an abusive relationship and settled in Marietta, Montana, to see what this small town that her grandmother spoke so lovingly about could offer her. She’s opened a yarn shop and is making friends, yet she has no plans to stay long-term. She’s fine for now, but she lives her life with the thought of being able to pick up and move on at any moment.

Two very stubborn (and passionate) people are about to cross paths, and the emotions that follow are on fire. I loved Ellie and Becket from the start, both individually and as a couple. They just fit, even if it seems they have one foot out the door on this relationship. The new gossip queen in town will fuel Ellie’s doubts to the point where I often wanted to reach into the story and shake some sense into this woman, who truly cannot see herself as Becket does.

I adored Becket’s family; they are somewhat unusual in some ways (no, you get to figure that out on your own), but their love (and meddling) go deep. If you love a well-written romance with some issues to be dealt with, a small town you’ll fall in love with (Marietta, Montana, is my favorite fictional town), and a couple that really needs to get out of their own way for that happy ending to take place, then you need to pick up this one soon!  I loved Reckless with the Cowboy by Elsa Winckler, and I believe you will, too.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Do you love anything (any story) that’s even slightly connected to Marietta, Montana?  Yeah, me too.  Be sure to visit our Marietta, Montana pages (this link to where this series is located – there are three pages :)) to catch up on the series that you might have missed over time.  It’s quite an amazing and diverse community, with happily ever after endings guaranteed.

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)