Review: Too Hot to Handle by Victoria Dahl

Money.

Lies.

Deceit.

Merry came to Jackson, Wyoming to work on preserving and restoring the ghost town Providence.

Shane is in town to fight for his inheritance. He got the land, now he wants the money.

Merry and Shane are at odds. He knows this, she doesn’t. She thinks he just a carpenter and hires him to restore Providence. Shane wants information from Merry in order to fight for his money. Money that Merry needs to restore Providence.

Somewhere along the way, it all went wrong. Shane is falling for Merry and Merry is falling for Shane. What will happen when Merry finds out the truth?

Too Hot to Handle is a decent story about finding your way in life. Merry has been looking for her place in life. She looking for where she belongs. She thinks she’s found it in Jackson Wyoming. Shane is looking for a way to get his money from the Historical Society. He’s angry and bitter.

Shane and Merry both learned something about themselves in this story. It was a bit predictable but it was still enjoyable. I could see what was going to happen long before it did. There was only one real surprise in the story, Shane’s dad. Everything else just fell in place like I thought it would.

One of the nice things about this story was Shane. He wasn’t a chest thumping alpha male. Now, I like a good alpha male but sometimes it’s nice to have men in stories that aren’t He-Man types. He was a nice guy and while the sex between Shane and Merry was hot, it wasn’t over the top. It was normal people sex.

I definitely enjoyed the story. Victoria Dahl has managed to weave an enjoyable story about two people finding their place in life.

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Zane (Alluring Indulgences #2) by Nicole Edwards

I hate to say this but…..the McCay boys are no longer my most favorite HOTTIE HOTTIE Cowboys. They now share that distinction with the Walker Boys. Don’t get me wrong, I still love me some McKays, but the Walkers are right there with them. Mmmmm…..Yummy……

Add into that and Zane is just HOTTTIE McHottie! OMG! (just a moment, I need wipe the drool off my face.)

Zane and Vanessa are friends with benefits. When Zane is attacked in front of Vanessa’s house, he ends up fighting for his life. Vanessa feels responsible for the attack on Zane. She starts to fall apart. As a result she pulls away from Zane.

When Zane finally gets out of the hospital he relentlessly pursues Vanessa. He’s determined to help her get over the attack she witnessed while making her fall in love with him.

The scenes between Zane and Vanessa are HOT!! OMG! They were scorching. Then we add in Beau for a little three way action and HOLY HOT HELL BATMAN! Hang on to your panties! There’s a little twist in this threesome that will make you go hmmmm…….

Then tension and suspense of the story is amazing. Zane is the typical alpha male and his inner dom is coming out! I hope we see more of Zane and Vanessa!

The teaser into Travis’s story is intriguing and HOT! I think this whole series is going to be HOT! I’m so looking forward to the other stories. Nicole Edwards has become one of my new Favorite Authors!

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Review: Once Tempted by Laura Moore

Once Tempted is the story of Tess and Ward. Tess is a bonefied city girl from New York. Ward is boot wearing cowboy from California. So, how did they end up together? A little hear break, a little luck, a map and a blindfold!

When Tess’s estranged husband dies, Tess decides to make a change. She and her best friend Anna pin up a map, blindfold Tess and let pin the finger on the map decide where she’s going. That’s how Tess ended up driving across the country to Acacia, California.

Tess and Ward’s first meeting was not love at first sight. In fact, it was more dislike at first sight. But even though they disliked each other, there was a spark. Something was there.

While I definitely enjoyed Once Tempted, I was a bit disappointed with the first half of the book. I was reading about two co-workers who were just that, co-workers. I didn’t feel any passion, any spark between them. I kept waiting for the romance, the looks, the sizzle.

About halfway through the book, I started to see the passion between them. It was sprung on me very quickly. We went from no sizzle, no spark, to full on inferno. Once we reached that point, the story really picked up.  I got into it at that point.

I found Ward completely lovable and kind. Just the kind of man you want! Tess really grew as a person and was very likable. The ending of the book was predictable. I figured out what was going to happen and I was right.

However, even knowing how things were going to turn out, I still enjoyed the story. Sometimes having something predictable is nice. I’m looking forward to the next story in this series. I wonder who it will be about, Reid or Quinn? Either one would be great! They were fantastic secondary characters in this story and I can’t wait to read their stories!

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Review: Cowboy Cop by Rita Herron

Miles McGregor is a detective working on a serial killer case. The mother of his son is one of the victims and his son saw the entire thing! Now they’re at the BBL Ranch to help Timmy deal with what he saw. While there they meet Jordan. Jordan works with the kids and wants to help Timmy heal as well as his dad, Miles.

This was a decent enough suspenseful story. I would have liked a bit more suspense build up to the actual kidnapping. I really like to get the inside thoughts and actions of the killer. We got a little bit of that in the story but more would have made it better!

There wasn’t much romance between Jordan and Miles. There was some attraction during the story but nothing overt. Towards the end, they actually started acknowledging their feelings for each other. However, the actions bothered me a bit. They’re racing through Mexico to try to save Mile’s son, Timmy, yet he’s pulling her clothes off. That didn’t really work for me.

Overall it was a decent enough story. I would have liked more romance and a bit more suspense build up.

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Review: Rancher's Deadly Risk by Rachel Lee

Rancher’s Deadly Risk is a sweet romance between two teachers. Cassie is new to town and an “outsider”. Linc grew up here and while he teaches and coaches football, he also runs a ranch. That doesn’t leave him with a whole lot of free time. When Cassie steps in to stop some kids from bullying another kid, she starts getting threats. Cassie and Linc team up to start an anti-bullying program at the school and Linc does all he can to protect Cassie from the threats.

The romance between Cassie and Linc was sweet and pretty straightforward. I got frustrated with the one step forward and two steps back in the romance. It was very frustrating to watch them come together only to pull back so many times.

The threats against Cassie provided a bit of suspense and gave Linc a reason to keep Cassie close. I was disappointed in the reason behind the threats. It didn’t seem plausible to me. It was just too far of a stretch for me.

I was also a bit put off by all the talk of how bad bullying is. I felt like I was reading an anti-bullying campaign and not a romance. I understand how important anti-bullying programs are. I’m a former schoolteacher and I have three children in school. However, I felt it was heavy handed in the book.

Overall a sweet romance and I’m glad I read it.

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ARC Review: One Night with a Cowboy by Cat Johnson

What’s hotter than a cowboy? A cowboy who’s a soldier! Mmmmm….. Men in Uniform are my weakness. Cowboy butts in Wranglers are yet another. Put them together and OMG! I just died went to heaven! *swoon* Now, for the cherry on top, Tucker is a bull rider, oh yeah…..

BRING. IT. ON.

Meet Tucker 

Hottie Cowboy

Bull Rider

Soldier

Cat Johnson has written a beautiful story about a Cowboy/Soldier and his “one night stand” with a NYC City Girl. This one was fun and it was hot!

Dr. Becca Hart has had a rough day. She lost her job as a university professor at Vassar due to “cutbacks” and when she gets home, she finds her boyfriend of 2 years secretly moving out. Weeks later she finds herself at a job interview at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. A far cry from Vassar and NYC.

While there for her interview, Becca and her sister head out to the rodeo to absorb some local culture. While there Becca meets Tucker Jenkins and her sister meets his friend. I was really hoping for a romance between Becca’s sister and Tucker’s friend, and apparently there is, just not the friend I thought! There’s more coming in this series and OMG! I can’t wait!  Squee!!!

Becca and Tucker set out to have a one-night stand. And OMG! They have a make-out session in the cab of Tucker’s truck that will make you wish for Inspiration Point and a HOT cowboy.

Of course, things are never what they seem. Before long Tucker and Becca find out they are both working for OSU. Sparks fly and so do their tempers. It was awesome to watch and hotter than hell!

This was a great story and I LOVED it! We have showers, honey, a kitchen counter, the library, the cab of a truck, and the list goes on. Not only is the sex burning up the sheets between them, the romance is sweet. Tucker is the kind of guy every girl wants to find. He’s a gentleman, he’s hot, he great in bed, and above all else, he puts the girl first.

Remember ladies...

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy!!