She’s a wild-child heiress intent on eluding an arranged marriage. He’s the stoic cowboy tasked with protecting her.

Malika George, a resourceful, happy-go-lucky, and freedom-loving daughter of privilege, is trapped by her billionaire brother in Burning Scrub, a former ghost town now an exclusive Wild West Montana theme park. Malika has plans for her life that don’t include a groom she doesn’t know or like. She’s tried to run away once, but now her brother has her locked down off-the-grid in Montana, so she can’t make it twice.

Full-time rancher and part-time Burning Scrub cowboy Jayce Hanson has his own marital problems. The woman he loves is marrying another man, crushing his happily- ever-after dreams. When he’s tasked with entertaining a VIP’s baby sister during her Wild West theme park adventure, he doesn’t object. He loves children, and it’s not as if he’ll be having his own anytime soon.

Except the client’s baby sister is a headstrong, impulsive, and beautiful woman wilder than the West, and she’s hellbent on escape. Then her fiancé shows up, and Jayce has his hands full—mostly while trying to keep his hands off.

Titles in the Roped in Time series include:  The Cowboy Contract ~ Time’s Up, Cowboy ~

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

Title:  Time’s Up, Cowboy
Series:  Roped in Time #2
Author:  Paula Altenburg
Published:  June 23, 2026
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Time’s Up, Cowboy continues the Roped in Time series with a fun and witty romance between two of the most unlikely people.  Malika is headstrong, stubborn, and determined to escape the marriage her brother has practically hog-tied her into by keeping her off the grid in this ghost-town-turned Wild West theme park.  Jayce isn’t looking for romance, after all the woman he loves has decided to marry someone else, and he’s heartbroken (or so he thinks).  Yeah, definitely an unlikely match… but when was love ever predictable?

I completely enjoyed Time’s Up, Cowboy.  Malika is, to me, justifiably determined to escape the plan her brother has for marrying her off to an older man as his second wife, as is common in their country.  Perhaps her original escape plan was a bit… eccentric, but at least she was putting her own wants first.  Watching Malika adjust to real life and Jayce open his heart to real love was an emotional and, frankly, laugh-out-loud experience.  There are a few twists and surprises that just added to this romance.  I loved the inclusion of familiar faces from the first story in the series, The Cowboy Contract.  Their story is well-written, emotional, and full of shenanigans from not only the townsfolk but also the family.  If you like your romance with a strong sense of humor, then you’d enjoy this one.

*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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