Born to be a Cowboy is a sweet, feel-good romance between lawyer Finn Monroe (who also works at his family’s ranch) and accountant Jessica Blair. Jessie’s aunt has disappeared after marrying a mysterious cowboy, and while the aunt is supposedly just enjoying an extended honeymoon, the lack of communication makes Jessie suspicious. Unable to get local law enforcement to take her seriously, Jessie investigates her aunt’s new husband on her own, which then leads her to Finn’s office.

The mystery itself is a bit cheesy. When the villain is revealed and the action ratchets up, one can almost picture him in a TV show like Dallas, twirling a gargantuan moustache while grinning evilly at the camera. The events that lead to the climactic confrontation are due to Jessie making a really stupid decision. She does redeem herself somewhat in that she wasn’t fully a damsel in distress, but she shouldn’t have placed herself in that situation in the first place.

Still, I love the dynamic between Finn and Jessie, and I love how well they worked together. Finn was protective without being annoying about it, and apart from that one stupid decision, Jessie was overall a very smart and capable heroine. I love that she’s an accountant, and that her finance skills turn out to be useful at the ranch.

I also love the family element. I haven’t read the earlier books in this series, but I love the way Finn, his brothers and their adoptive parents are so affectionate and loyal with each other. They’re the type to show up when someone in the family needs help, and I love how they all banded together to help Finn and Jessie. I also like how warm and welcoming they were to Jessie when she arrived — even though she was supposedly just a client to Finn, they immediately treated her as a daughter / sister and made her feel at home. Finally, I love the fierce bond between Jessie and her aunt. Part of Jessie’s reluctance to fall in love herself is that she’s worried that her aunt would be lonely without her, and I found that really sweet.

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Thank you to Forever Romance for an egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.