Two fairly short stories, that are both fabulous in every way. Sexy, romantic, insta lust, strong characters, did I say sexy? Both couples are just so damn likeable, the men are so up front with their emotions, which is a pleasant surprise, the women too are strong, intelligent and I can imagine them becoming good friends (the male characters are friends).
Overall, I would recommend this 2 novella book if you enjoy insta lust with an actual story too.

Rugged Texas Cowboy by Lora Leigh is like hitting the jackpot, you get two book in one. Both books are well-written and populated with amazing characters. The first book, Cowboy And The Captive is Luc and Melina's story of mistaken identity. This is my favorite of the two books. There's plenty of drama, action, humor and sizzlin' sexy bits. The second book, Cowboy And The Thief is Jack and Angel's story. Their tale is loaded with drama, humor and yes, enough heat to start a bonfire. I enjoyed reading Rugged Texas Cowboy and look forward to reading more from Lora Leigh in the future. Both of the stories in this book are complete, no cliff-hangers.

I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this book that I received from NetGalley.

Full review to be published online in late November.

RUGGED TEXAS COWBOY is a duology of previously released stories repackaged into one book. In 'Cowboy and the Captive', Melina has been coerced by her parents to take the fall and go to jail instead of twin sister Maria; where she is almost raped and severely beaten. Then Melina is kidnapped by the man who fills her dreams.

Luc is obsessed with thought of revenge; payback for the close encounter with death Maria dealt him and his best friend. He has planned for this abduction and now everything is ready to be set in motion. But the woman he thinks is Maria doesn’t react as he thinks a drug addict should. Slowly it dawns on him that the woman really is Melina as she claims. Steamy and sexy story, if rather short.


In ‘Cowboy and the Thief', Angel Manning is in Ireland, where she meets the ruggedly handsome Jack Riley. Jack is spending time at the estate owned by Angel's father. During this time, he purchases a Celtic tourque necklace from Angel's father, which belongs by birth-right to Angel. Angel travels to Texas to steal the torque back; but she gets caught, not just her but her heart too. Jack doesn't believe love exists, but finds himself changing his mind and heart when he falls for Angel. A cute short story, but not nearly as enjoyable as the first one.

These stories are enjoyable enough if rather dated, and probably best appreciated by fans of Lora Leigh's erotic stories more than those of us who read her for her “Breeds” series.