Description
Another stunning cowboy novel from New York Times bestseller Donna Grant, That Cowboy of Mine!

Is he an enemy?

Dillon Young is proud that she inherited her aunt’s ranch. The problem: someone is trying to run her off and is willing to do whatever it takes. Strange, dangerous things keep happening. Dillion suspects her no-good neighbor and fellow wealthy rancher Hank Stephens. Never a man to get his hands dirty, he sends others to get the job done. So, when the irresistible Cal Bennett is found passed out drunk on her property, Dillion is on high alert. Until someone takes a shot at her and Cal springs to her rescue. When the hard-bodied, no-nonsense-talking cowboy points out that she may need some help, Dillion is inclined to reluctantly agree.

Or a lover?

Waking up on a stranger’s property with a shotgun in his face is not Cal Bennett’s idea of a good time. Never mind that the person on the other end of the barrel is one of the most fiercely beautiful women he has ever seen. Things get more interesting when he finds himself shielding her from flying bullets. It’s clear that this smart, savvy woman could use a hand and Cal is all too happy to lend any part of his body she requires. His proposal: pose as lovers until they find out who is after her ranch. As the danger rises and secrets are revealed, the passion explodes between them and there is no turning back.

Publisher: St.Martin's Press, St.Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date:26 Apr 2022
9781250820280, 1250820286

Pre-Order/Purchase Link

My thoughts:

It's always a pleasure to read a Donna Grant book and this newest release isn't an exception:  the plot is full of passion and danger, the characters are strong and passionate, and the pace is great. If anything, this book is even more streamlined than Gran't previous romantic suspense Home for A Cowboy Christmas. This one is all about trust. Trust, loyalty, dreams, passion, and love, of course.

Cal Bennett wakes up with a shotgun aiming at hime and it is clear that Dillon Young means business. Someone stole her prized stallion Legacy and it happened while Cal was having his drink-induced nap on her land. Unfortunately, this rodeo champion doesn't remember anything from the night before, Then someone shoots at Dillon and Cal who yanks her out of the bullet's way at the very last moment. Dillon is torn between two contrasting feelings. Can she trust Cal who had an opportunity to sabotage her business? Can she not trust him after he saved her life? She has been burnt before and decided it was better to shut her feelings and focus on the ranch she inherited unexpectedly from her aunt Dolly. Dillon has been alone for too long and this charmer of a cowboy is only happy to help out at the ranch. A bit of insta-love/lust? perhaps, but wait till you read how comfortable they are with each other.
 
The protagonists are both people of great integrity and the more you read, the better you will understand where they are coming from. Not only is Dillon strong and independent, she also shows a lot of courage in face of danger. Cal also has his own backstory of following in his father's footsteps and perhaps never stopping long enough to work out what his own dreams are. Well, not until he meets Dillon.

The mystery/suspense element seems a bit stronger in this book, although do expect at leasy one hot and steamy scene. We find out who wants to harm Dillon and get her ranch by all means early on. Again, there are a few unexpected twists thrown in by master-storyteller Donna Grant who knows how to keep her reader engaged. The book was action-packed with a great pace from the beginning to its nailbiting climax and sweet epilogue. My only complaint was that the villains and their motivations seemed to be a bit one-dimensional. Having said that, the book was gripping and well-balanced.

A quick and enjoyable read for anyone who loves a good romantic suspense story. Can't wait to read Donna Grant's next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

About the author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant has penned ninety novels, novelettes, novellas, and short stories spanning multiple genres of romance including the exhilarating Dark King and Reaper paranormal series, the romantic suspense Sons of Texas series, the historical paranormal Kindred series, and the contemporary Heart of Texas series. She lives with her two children, a dog, and three cats in Texas.

Synopsis:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh comes Her Renegade Cowboy, the final book in the Moving Violations trilogy…

He will risk his life…

The oh-so-proper school teacher, Lily Donovan has learned, the hard way, that men are not to be trusted. Period. Until Levi Roberts, the new cowboy working at her cousin's ranch, tempts her carefully-built resolve and awakens an all-consuming passion she thought lay dormant. But when she discovers his deadly secret, and her own secrets come to light, Lily unwittingly joins the lethal cat and mouse race between Levi and the man he’s been hunting for weeks.

To save her heart…

Former Ranger Levi Roberts has seen his fair share of deadly trouble during his years as a tough-as-nails operative. The ultimate expert in undercover investigations, he’s been tasked to find a man with a dangerous agenda in town. Routine work has been boring…until he runs into Lily, the prickly school teacher who tempts him like no other. Getting under her skin has been deliciously satisfying for his red-hot desire, but when Lily lands in the hands of the very man he’s been investigating, Levi will have to fight with every ounce of his heart and soul to save her—and to heal the heart he broke.


Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: September 28th, 2021
ISBN 9781250252012

My thoughts:
First of all, I love this cover and think it's a perfect representation of the protagonist of the book   Levi Roberts-  strong, confident and totally swoon-worthy....
I didn't realise that this was the third book in the series. If you are planning to read the previous ones, I think it is better to do it in order, as there are some spoilers for Book 2 Strong, Silent Cowboy. Having said that, it works perfectly fine as a standalone.

Schoolteacher Lily Donovan is hiding a big secret from anyone in her town apart from her sister Shay and her cousin's wife Sallie. While she was a student at college she was almost killed by one of her professors. Lily found strength to testify, but later refused to go into the Witness Protection Program as that would mean giving up everything and everyone she loves. She returned to her home town of Deer Haven, finished her degree online and started teaching, trying to move on with her life. When she gets a call from US Marshals Service Bureau informing her that her tormentor Graham Brisbee escaped from prison,Lily's nightmares return.

Levi Roberts is a new cowboy at her cousin Jacob's ranchand notonly is he gorgeous, it is also clear that he is interested in Lily despite her feisty reputation. Lily knows Jacob would never hire anyone without checking their background thoroughly, so he must be trustworthy despite his overconfident, cocky attitude, but she has been lied and manipulated before, can she really trust him enough to have more than a one-night stand?

To be honest, at the beginning I felt things were developing a bit too fast (lust at first sight?)and judgy me felt it was wrong of Levi to start anything with Lily given the vulnerability of her situation and his job.

 Levi is definitely a generous lover, although he guards his secrets a bit too well from one person he should have confided in. So, if you aren't looking for clean and wholesome, but rather the opposite, you're going to appreciate the physical attraction they are feeling for each other. Still, their secrets are just too big and too important for their identity to hide behind the physical side which gives them an illusion of closeness.

 The second part of the book proved that Levi's conflict of interests was the main point of the book- he knew that he was putting his job on line, but the desire to protect her was stronger than any common sense, professional experience or even the code of conduct he must have signed at some point in the past. The pace picked up and suddenly I was so engrossed in these action-packed final chapters that I couldn't put the book down for the life of me!

Recommended to any reader who likes romantic suspense with alpha male, protective characters,  small town setting, danger, pursuit, and lots of steamy scenes.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Pressforthe ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

If you play with fire...

One of the most notorious cowboys in Cold River, Jensen Kittredge always has willing women with sweet smiles vying for a place in his bed. So when the prissy high school librarian sidles up to him in the most disreputable bar in town with a scowl on her face, he has no idea what to make of it. Much less the attraction he feels toward the bespectacled creature who wants something from him... but not that.
Yet.

Someone gets burned...

Harriett Barnett doesn't care for dens of iniquity-- or the insolent cowboy she certainly shouldn't find attractive. But one of her students needs her help, and if she needs to corral the infamous Jensen to save him, she will. Trouble is, the town's favorite Kittredge brother is a lot more than she bargained for. Harriett's happy little life is orderly and neat, just how she likes it--until Jensen blows it all apart with his particular brand of addictive passion. Can a modern-day schoolmarm really tame the wildest cowboy in town? Or is Harriet headed for a terrible fall?
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(From the bookblurb)

Publisher: St.Martin's 
Publication Date: August 24th
Genre: Fiction / Romance / Western     
ISBN 9781250750006, 1250750008                            

My thoughts:

First of all, I am a big fan of Caitlin Crews/Megan Crane's writing and her cowboy stories set in Cold River, Colorado. There's always a bit more to them than just an enjoyable story for die-hard romantics.
This one made me think a lot about being pigeonholed not only by  other people, but also yourself and then feeling you have tolive in a certain way to conform to the set expectations.

Meet Jensen Kittredge- a charming jock in high school, a ladies' man who never parks his truck anywherefor longer than a few hours (not even one night stand), cheerful guy who knows how to diffuse any conflict or any serious talk by cracking a joke or two. People have very low expectations of him and it works for Jensen. Until Miss Harriet Bartlett, a newcomer in Cold River (why, she's only been living there for three years), announces she won a date with Jensen and would like to claim it. Not that she wants this date to be of a romantic kind-she needs a hero! or rather a role model, to be more precise, for an inspirational talk as a part of her summer school remedial program. Everyone laughs at her, including Jensen, who jumps from planes to fight fires in summer months and is taking care of the business side of the K-Bar (the Kittredge Ranch) and yet cannot believe anyone would see him as more than a barfly or the town clown. Who is this odd catlady-librarian wearing shapeless, frumpy outfits and why is Jensen suddenly thinking about her blue eyes nobody notices behind her huge glasses?

Is there a better gift than helping another person discover a hidden part of themselves which is pure good?  Jensen needs to process and address some issues from his past, while Harriet is about to discover that her singledom wasn't due to her 'oddness' or her refusal to lower her expectation of being treated with respect, but more to the simple fact that she hadn't met her match. It is difficult to say who goes through more growth in the story.
There's also a secondary character-a teenager Harriet is heping to get back on track academically. Aiden comes from a family which has produced too many delinquents and he cannot shake off the weight of this reputation, while Jensen is a Kittredge and can rightly be proud of his hard-working, honest family. Both Jensen and Aiden want a second chance, but are afraid of trying and failing. Clearly, they can help each other, however incredible it may sound to the town.

Harriet ismy favourite character in the story. How could I not love this strong-willed, independent, selfless librarian who believes in informing, educating, neverkeeping knowledge or skills to herself, but sharing them in a kind and considerate way? all that and practical skirts with pockets. A woman after my heart.
Yes, there is also love and passion and quite a lot of steam, but there are also strong emotions that need to be recognised and managed. Once again, Caitlin Crews gives us an entertaining, swoonworthy story with fascinating characters! Can't wait for the next story in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press forthe review copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

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About the author:

Caitlin Crews discovered her first romance novel at the age of twelve, in a bargain bin at the local five and dime. It involved swashbuckling pirates, grand adventures, a heroine with rustling skirts and a mind of her own, and a seriously mouthwatering and masterful hero. The book (the title of which remains lost in the mists of time) made a serious impression. Caitlin was immediately smitten with romances and romance heroes, to the detriment of her middle school social life. And so began her life-long love affair with romance novels, many of which she insists on keeping near her at all times, thus creating a fire hazard of love wherever she lives.

Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.

She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals. 
(From Goodreads)

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