Can an untamed cowboy make a proper father?

Cooper Fortune Maloney is the next best brother—and he knows it.

But when Alana Searle wins him in the Chatelaine, Texas, bachelor auction, he doesn’t mind being second choice.

The flirty ranch hand has a few tricks up his denim sleeve he’s sure will win her over.

The surprise is on Coop, however, when he learns what lovely Alana is hiding—and what she seeks!

Titles in The Fortunes of Texas: Hitting the Jackpot continuity series include —  A Fortune’s Windfall by Michelle Major —♥— Fortune’s Dream House by Nina Crespo —♥— Winning Her Fortune by Heatherly Bell —♥— Fortune’s Fatherhood Dare by Makenna Lee —♥— Fortune’s Runaway Bride by Allison Leigh —♥— Self-Made Fortune by Judy Duarte —♥—

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

Title:  Winning Her Fortune
Series:  The Fortunes of Texas: Hitting the Jackpot #3
Author:  Nina Crespo
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published: February 21, 2023
Publisher:  Harlequin Special Edition
My Rating:  4.5

Winning Her Fortune is the third title in the multi-author The Fortunes of Texas: Hitting the Jackpot series, and this time around we have a couple that really is just right for each other, but they have a few bumps to navigate before they’re willing to see that reality.  I loved Coop and Alana together, sometimes the best fit has been right in front of you all along, and that certainly held true for this unexpected couple.

We first met Alana early on in this series, so we know a little bit more about her situation than Coop does.  Oh, they’ve known each other but haven’t been in the same circles all that much.  This night Alana decided to toss all of her birthday money on one last fantastic date, one last memory before everything changes for her.  At the Valentine’s Bachelor Auction, she’d set her eye on one Fortune brother but was outbid; surprisingly she won the bid for a date with Coop and so begins a friendship that will turn into so much more if these two can take a few risks and get their act together.

Let’s be frank here.  Coop is absolutely adorable if a bit clueless when it comes to understanding the female of the species.  He gave me some of the best laugh-out-loud moments in a romance in a long time.  He’s trying so hard to show Alana how good they could be as a couple, and he’s in love with a woman who is second-guessing his every action.  I loved watching their attraction move into something more; even when Alana hesitated she wanted what Coop offered but was afraid to reach out and grab a future with this good man given her circumstances.  And town gossip.  Coop made one of the best grand gestures ever seen in a romance, and I admittedly both rolled my eyes and cheered him on at the same moment.  It was just so Coop.

One jerk walked away from the woman; the future Coop wanted so badly, he wasn’t going to make that same mistake. Seeing Alana finally accept that she’s worthy of being loved, of being put first, and of the possibilities a lifetime could offer them both was such a warm, fuzzy, emotional journey.

I love a story that makes me smile.  Winning Her Fortune did that and then a whole lot more.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in print or for your favorite e-reader