Cowboy SEAL Christmas by Nicole Helm

Three former Navy SEALs
Injured in the line of duty
Desperate for a new beginning...
Searching for a place to call their own.

Single mom and Revival Ranch's on-site therapist Monica Finley has dedicated her life to helping brave servicemen and women, but former Navy SEAL Gabe Cortez is the one man whose shell she just can't crack. Yet with the holidays fast approaching, she may finally have a plan. In a bid to get Gabe to open up, she'll ask for as much help as possible—cutting down the Christmas tree, stringing lights, the whole nine yards.

Who could possibly be a Grinch with so much holiday cheer in the air?

Gabe has always hated Christmas—the holiday never fails to remind him just how alone he truly is. But the more time he spends with Monica and her young son, the more he finds himself drawn to their cozy little family... and the more he begins to realize his long-suppressed Christmas dreams may finally be coming true.

Book 3
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Romance

This is Gabe and Monica's story. I have enjoyed each of the stories and was really looking forward to this one.

Monica is the therapist on the ranch. She moved with her young son and now is hoping to help other soldiers with their traumas. She has been successful at helping two of the three initial men, but Gabe is kind of an enigma for her. Figuring him out is somewhat of a challenge.

Gabe is a tough SEAL. He knows that what he and his buddies are doing is important, but he also knows that he is hiding something. Love isn't in the cards for him and hasn't been since he was a young boy. While he is happy for his friends, he can't help but feel a little jealous that they were able to overcome their issues.

This book was a lot of talking. While Gabe and Monica did have some chemistry, it wasn't as strong as the chemistry between the other two couples. I did enjoy the friendships that were developed in this book. I felt that the women, especially, were able to really get to know each other.

Overall, while this is a sweet story, it was less about the romance than it could have been. I think it would have been better had there been more romance and less about their pasts. But you also needed to know where they had come from and what they wanted.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series, but the first I have read – I wanted a Christmas in summer fix, and this was perfect! I think that I would have understood some of the intensity of the men and their mission to set up the Revival ranch, but it was still an excellent story.

Gabe may have been with his friends when their SEAL careers ended, but he is not suffering from the PTSD that they are. He has plenty of other ghosts in his past though, so when resident therapist Monica talks to him, he can only clam up. He can't help but be attracted to her, but that is irrelevant, and he also is forming a good relationship with her young son. But his past has him unable or unwilling to accept the attraction or the potential.

Monica has had to restart her life after her husband died. Her plans to help veterans at Revival ranch are taking a hit because she just cannot get into Gabe's head – and doesn't want to admit to wanting to get into his clothes. Having her son around is useful as a chaperone!

I really enjoyed the head games that these two play, the intensity with which they consider every step, and the risks they are unwilling to consider due to past pain. And how, deep down, they recognise the attraction and the potential for love, even if it is utterly unacceptable. I love it when an author gets inside someone's head yet manages not to make it a long-winded inner monologue – a difficult skill, but definitely worked well here for me.

Also Available in the Navy SEAL Cowboys Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Cowboy SEAL Homecoming post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Cowboy SEAL Redemption post.

Nicole Helm writes down-to-earth contemporary romance specializing in people who don’t live close enough to neighbors for them to be a problem. When she’s not writing, she spends her time dreaming about someday owning a barn. She lives with her husband and two young sons in O’Fallon, Missouri.

Connect with Nicole

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Cowboy SEAL Christmas (Navy SEAL Cowboys #3) by Nicole Helm to read and review.

Cowboy SEAL Redemption by Nicole Helm

Three former Navy SEALs
Injured in the line of duty
Desperate for a new beginning...
Searching for a place to call their own.

Jack Armstrong's been slowly piecing his life back together after a career-ending injury bounced him from the SEALs. The only trouble is, his family's on their way to his new haven in Montana...and Jack refuses to let them know he's still hurting. Desperate, he makes a deal with local bad girl Rose Rogers: in exchange for some extra security, she'll play the perfect loving girlfriend.

Rose doesn't trust any man, much less some tough-as-nails former SEAL. But the more they settle into their ruse, the more things start to feel real, and the more Rose's true fear surfaces―that she'll never be good enough for love. But Jack isn't about to lose Rose. He's done running when things get tough, and he's determined to prove―once and for all―that even the most troubled hearts can find their way to redemption.

Book 2
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Jack is struggling on the farm that he and his buddies are trying to get ready for other soldiers to come and heal. None of them are too keen on therapy, but that's exactly what they need. Jack came home from the SEAL team that he was on a very different man. He was injured and saw men who were his brothers perish. There was no getting over that and just running home. Plus, his home life was less than stellar.

Rose is hiding. She's existing, but not truly living. She believes that if she can protect her sisters form their abusive parents, then she will be atoning for letting them down when they were younger. In order to do that, she enlists Jack's help – watch out for one man and his truck at her bar and let her know if he sees them. It was a simple request, but Jack had his own request – pretend to be his girlfriend while his family comes and visits.

Somewhere in the facade that they are putting on, Jack realizes that he really enjoys Rose's company. He knows that she has been hurt in the past and knows he has to tread carefully. Rose sees the potential that she could have with Jack, but also knows that her past actions were something she was not proud of. When she sees how good and pure Jack's heart is and how his family treats him, she stands up for him and his buddies' farm and what they are building.

Life gets in the way for Jack and Rose, but overall, the secondary characters help move the story along. I can't wait to see who gets the next story – they all deserve it and I really hope that we get to see how Rose and Jack's story has continued.

Also Available in the Navy SEAL Cowboys Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Cowboy SEAL Homecoming post.

Nicole Helm writes down-to-earth contemporary romance specializing in people who don’t live close enough to neighbors for them to be a problem. When she’s not writing, she spends her time dreaming about someday owning a barn. She lives with her husband and two young sons in O’Fallon, Missouri.

Connect with Nicole

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Cowboy SEAL Redemption (Navy SEAL Cowboys #2) by Nicole Helm to read and review.

Cowboy SEAL Homecoming by Nicole Helm

Three former Navy SEALs
Injured in the line of duty
Desperate for a new beginning...
Searching for a place to call their own.

Alex Maguire never thought he'd go home again. The perfect soldier, the perfect leader, he's spent his whole life running away from Blue Valley, Montana―but when a tragic accident bounces him and two of his men out of the SEALs, there's nowhere left to turn but the ranch he used to call his own...and the confusing, innocently beguiling woman who now lives there.

Becca Denton's like nothing he could have imagined. She's far too tempting for her own good, but when she offers to help turn the ranch into a haven for injured veterans, he can't exactly say no. He'll just need to keep his distance. But something in her big green eyes makes Alex want to set aside the mantle of the perfect soldier and discover the man he could have been...safe and whole within the shelter of her arms.

The Prodigal SEAL has come home.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Becca is the stepsister to Alex. They never truly knew each other growing up because Alex left when his father remarried Becca's mom. When his father dies and leaves half of his ranch to Becca and half to Alex, that is when they both reconnect.

I found this story somewhat confusing. I liked the premise of the SEALS coming home and wanting to put a ranch together to help other veterans reintegrate back in to society, however, I felt cheated because you never got to see the end result. Throughout the story they are all working their butts off for this end result, but I felt that despite the premise, the romance overtook the rest of the story.

Also, the idea that the SEALS were the only characters needing therapy was not quite true. Becca was so sheltered that she didn't really know how to function outside of her ranch.

I do want to see what happens with Alex's friends; however, I also hope that their stories have more than just romance. The overall romance was just semi-successful for me. Becca was too sheltered, and Alex was too timid too. It was just hard to believe.

Nicole Helm writes down-to-earth contemporary romance specializing in people who don’t live close enough to neighbors for them to be a problem. When she’s not writing, she spends her time dreaming about someday owning a barn. She lives with her husband and two young sons in O’Fallon, Missouri.

Connect with Nicole

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Cowboy SEAL Homecoming (Navy SEAL Cowboys #1) by Nicole Helm to read and review.

Outlaw Cowboy by Nicole Helm

BIG SKY TROUBLE

Ever since his father's accident, Caleb Shaw vowed he'd mend his wild ways, and he means to keep his word. He's a changed man. A better man. And he knows he should want absolutely nothing to do with his crazy old life...or the maddening temptation that is Delia Rogers.

Because Delia? Is nothing but trouble.

Delia's been stealing her sisters away from their violent father ever since she was old enough to fight back. But now with the police on her trail and all her bridges burned, there's nowhere left to run but back into the arms of the one cowboy she knows she shouldn't need. Caleb has always been too good for her, no matter how bad he claimed to be. Yet when close quarters turn into something more, Delia and Caleb are forced to decide what really matters: mending their reputations or healing their wary hearts...

Book 2
Buy Links

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Jacki – ☆☆☆
This was a relatively quick and easy read for me. I will say that I did not read the first book, so I did miss a little bit starting from the second. I didn't get the entire back story behind Caleb's sister, Summer, or know what had happened with his dad.

I wouldn't consider Caleb an outlaw. He's more of a bad boy trying to keep straight and narrow. He's in a tight spot and trying to make things run smoothly when his old friend, Delia, pops quietly, but not so smoothly, back into his life.

Delia is in trouble. She knows she can get Caleb to help her, but she isn't sure she can pull everything that she's trying to do off and she doesn't want to get Caleb hurt in the process.
Neither is prepared for the flare of attraction between them, and it hits like a tornado, threatening to tear everything apart. Can they survive it?

Overall, this was nice read. It was more overcoming struggle than romance, but the romance was harsh, hot, and heavy, giving the reader plenty of frustrated satisfaction. I would recommend this to romance fans and suggest reading the first book before the second.

Nicole Helm writes down-to-earth contemporary romance specializing in people who don’t live close enough to neighbors for them to be a problem. When she’s not writing, or taking care of her two rambunctious boys, she spends her time dreaming about someday owning a barn.

Connect with Nicole

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Blog

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Outlaw Cowboy (Big Sky Cowboys #2) by Nicole Helm to read and review.