Desperate to escape the spotlight after her mother’s tragic death, Princess Isabella “Izzy” Rochevelle flees to a Wyoming ranch, owned by relatives she’s never met. Hoping to heal in peace, her plan goes awry when her bodyguard is injured, and she’s placed in the care of a grumpy horse trainer.

Former Army Ranger Warrant Officer Gage Buchanan seeks to leave the past behind, living a quiet existence training horses on the Starry Sky Ranch. But his new life splinters when he must unexpectedly step up to babysit a seemingly perfect princess bent on experiencing her first rodeo incognito.

Despite her disguise, the paparazzi discover her whereabouts. To guard her privacy, Gage takes her deep into the Grand Teton wilderness, where the simmering attraction between the beautiful royal and the former soldier tempts them both. But they are from vastly different worlds. Will Izzy and Gage decide that love is worth the risk of yet another heartbreak?

Titles in the Starry Sky Ranch series include:  The Cowboy and The Princess ~ The Cowboy and The Rodeo Queen ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

Title:  The Cowboy and the Princess
Series:  Starry Sky Ranch #1
Author:  Leah Vale
Published:  July 23, 2026 
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Cowboy and the Princess begins the Starry Sky Ranch series with the tumultuous romance between Isabella (Izzy), a true-life princess escaping a recent tragedy, and Gage, a former Ranger, now a horse trainer at Starry Sky Ranch.  Two entirely opposite worlds are about to collide, and hopefully, love wins in the end.

Gage doesn’t talk about his past, his time in the military, as he is very deep into survivor’s guilt after several of his team members were killed on a mission.  His work with horses, the wide open space of Wyoming, calms a piece of his soul he thought long lost.  Izzy blames herself for her mother’s death since she’d asked to attend a friend’s bachelorette party while her mother would fill in for her at an event.  Her mom was killed in an accident while attending that event, and Izzy is emotionally spinning between grief and guilt.  Coming to America to visit with distant relatives was supposed to help her deal with life’s sudden turns… and it does, but it also opened up a new emotional minefield when she and Gage acknowledge the fierce attraction between them.

Izzy and Gage were such a lovely couple.  Opposites in many ways, sure, but at their core they each possessed a quality that the other needed so badly… leading to a love to last a lifetime.  Their story is well-written, emotional, and dealt with sensitive subjects with grace and understanding.  I’m so looking forward to the next visit to this ranch.  If that sounds like your kind of romance, then you’d love The Cowboy and the Princess.

*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.*

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