I totally wasn’t expecting this to be a mystery/killer type book but it was super interesting with all the revelations we got and how involved the main characters were. This was my first book by B.J. Daniels and I’m sure I’m going to want to read some more if there’s any others for this family!

HERO’S RETURN is a nice continuation of THE MONTANA CAHILLS SERIES. The book started off great with the prologue and sucked me right in. I caught up with the Cahills we’ve met before, along with some of the other characters, and it was like I never left Gilt Edge, Montana! The story picked up right where we left off previously, and there are definitely more stories to tell. I was caught up in the action from the first page to the last.

Tucker is the Cahill brother who has been missing for nineteen years. He left with a lot of guilt after a love gone bad just out of high school and never looked back. His family had no idea where he’d gone, and they don’t get many answers upon his return. He’s easy to love, and you can feel the hurt and anger radiating off of him at times since the girl who hurt him, Madeline, is still trying to connect–or is she?–and he doesn’t know who to trust anymore.

When Tucker meets Kate, who has a bone to pick with him over the past, namely his love for Madeline all those years ago (especially given what Kate knows about her,) things go from strange to worse. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the woman and her family, and Kate and Tucker are set on finding out the truth. There are twists and turns to the story, some expected and others not. There is a depth to Tucker that doesn’t get fully realized, but his old friends are pretty shallow.

Kate and Tucker have chemistry but don’t know if it’s real or just because of the circumstances they’re in, trying to solve the mystery together. They definitely come from different worlds, but will that stop them? There is a fragility about Kate that she doesn’t show very often, given her family background and that she’s an investigative reporter.

The story flowed nicely, albeit slowly at times. There was nice closure and a happily-ever-after that was sweetly conveyed and better than I imagined. There were enough loose ends to give us hints of what’s to come in future books in the series.

B.J. Daniels is an author whom I’ve recently found and have added a few of her books to my always growing TBR pile. I can’t wait to be back for more western, hot cowboy, small town romances not only in this series.

He’d never doubted he would return – he just hadn’t expected it to take nineteen years.

No one writes western romantic suspense like B.J. Daniels. She proves it once again with Hero’s Return, the latest installment in her Montana Cahills’ series chronicling Tucker Cahill’s return home after going AWOL nineteen years ago when he was seventeen. No one has heard from or of him since - until human skeletal remains of a young woman are unearthed aside a creek near his family’s ranch. Tucker hears the news and returns home to face the music. He stops first at the Sheriff’s office to fill his brother in on what transpired almost two decades before when he last saw Madeline. Tucker believes that its Madeline’s bones which have been found. He then goes out to where the bones were discovered and finds someone else looking at the scene. She runs when she spots him. A chase ensues….

Hero’s Return is the fifth book in the series if you count the digital novella, Cowboy’s Reckoning, published earlier this year. That said, it absolutely works well as a standalone read, if that is your preference.

The story primarily features two brilliantly written characters, Tucker and Kate. Kate is an investigative reporter who is also in Gilt Edge due to Madeline. I liked them both though I was torn between wishing them to uncover the truth while wanting them to stay safe and leave the sleuthing to the Sheriff. Truly, I envisioned shaking shake Kate a few times as she wouldn’t stop doggedly pursuing the truth about the old crime even as she placed them both in deadly situations. Tucker’s protectiveness was clearly evident as, despite his misgivings, he insisted on accompanying Kate in these endeavors. Please know that while readers are aware that the hero and heroine are having sex, the action is behind closed doors.

The Gilt Edge, Montana setting is the perfect backdrop. Fans of the series will enjoy catching up with previous favorite characters that all make appearances. Oh my! There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes in Gilt Edge! In addition, there’s an interwoven developing secondary mystery with another lovely romance.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Hero’s Return:

If whoever had been working with her thought they could blackmail him… He hoped they would try.
He wasn’t that teenager they’d tricked all those years ago. This cowboy was more than ready for them now.
---

“Anyway,” he said, his gaze lifting to hers. “We’re a team, right?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “That’s us, one of the great detective couples. Like Nick and Nora.”
He mugged a face. “More like Bonnie and Clyde.”
“Emma Peel and John Steed.”
Tucker laughed. “Shaggy and Scooby Doo.”

--

He breathed in the mesmerizing scent, knowing that if he touched her, if he turned her to face him, if he looked into those bottomless green eyes, he would be lost forever.

Hero’s Return is a page-turning suspenseful whodunit teeming with betrayals, twists and turns and sexual tension with a dash of humor. The intricate plot grabs you from the very first page and doesn’t loosen its grip until the last. The pacing is perfect, the writing is genius and the ending is thrilling. I can’t wait to return to Gilt Edge with B.J. as two Cahill brothers remain unattached. If you enjoy western romantic suspense, I highly recommend that you pick up Hero’s Return!

I received an ARC copy via NetGalley and the Publisher for an honest review. I then went to Wal-Mart upon release and purchased the paperback.

This is not the first, nor will it be the last B.J. Daniels book I read or purchase. Her stories filled with angst. Heros who are regular people doing the right thing, but somehow get caught in the middle and heroines who have big hearts.

This book is not any different. It will keep you guessing from beginning to the very end. But of course, those of you who know me have already commented, but you can't play clue Angela. This is true. I suck at it. But I love romantic suspense and I love trying to guess what happens next. I can't wait for the next Cahill installment from Daniels to be released.

This series just keeps on getting better and better, and Hero's Return is my favorite so far. I'm a fan of romantic suspense and Ms. Daniels added quite a murder mystery to the mix with this novel, with the return of the prodigal Cahill son, Tucker, and it gets 4.5 stars from this reader.

Where do I even begin to describe this novel without giving any spoilers? Well, here goes. Tucker Cahill, a 17-year old high school senior disappeared from the Cahill Ranch one night and no one has heard from him since or has a clue as to his whereabouts. Nineteen years later, shortly after the bones of a young woman are found, buried under leaves and twigs alongside the creek, he walks into his brother Flint's office at the police station in Gilt Edge, Montana, to confess to her murder. How's that for starters?

Did he kill her or didn't he? At first glance, it appears that the woman drowned, but the cause of death is about to change, and Ms. Daniels weaves an enthralling mystery as to the woman's identity, how she died, why she was where they found her, who she really is, why Tucker blames himself for her death, and why he left town for almost two decades. Into this intricately plotted mystery add a new character, Kate Rothschild, award-winning investigative reporter, and the daughter of a Washington senator, who has her own reasons for wanting to know how this young woman was killed, who killed her, and why. Then add Tucker's attraction to Kate, and, oh, by the way, there are even more subplots to come, and they keep on coming, drawing the reader deeper and deeper into this web of lies, mistaken identities, murder, suicide, attempts to frame Tucker, and just when you think this whodunit has been solved, think again, because the plot twists make this novel virtually impossible to put down.

There was only one thing that was a bit of a miss for me, and that was the romance part of this romantic suspense novel. Although Kate and Tucker are engaging characters and attracted to one another, there's not much of a romance to be found here, and there's little chance for it to occur as these two characters are hot on the trail in search of the truth about what happened 19 years ago. Aside from that small issue, I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed this novel, stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it, and I highly recommend it.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

I do love a romance with a bit of a suspense and I adore when characters who don't know each other at the beginning of the book form a team to solve a mystery. Why don't I ever end up on a team of people solving a mystery? It sounds like a lot of fun - well except for the emotional issues the past trauma would have of course.

Characters with "big secrets" very rarely live up to all the hype. The secret is rarely big enough to have done the damage and caused all the after shock that it tends to do. However, I completely bought Tucker's story. Not only was it dramatic and with lots of emotions but he was only 17/just turned 18 at the time so I can see why he reacted in the way that he did though it was a bit over the top. In the same way I believe Kate's reasons for becoming involved in the story. She has both personal and professional reasons for becoming involved and I did liked that she knew how to successfully run an investigation but at the same time her emotions got in the way. Because of the teamwork, the time spent together and all the emotions running amok I could even believe in the relationship which can be a bit iffy in this kind of book. I liked that it wasn't insta-love but it was insta-attraction that grew in stages from allies, to friends and then to more.

Of course one of the best things about a contemporary romance series based around a family is getting a bit more of those family dynamics and this was no different! I was so glad to see the rest of the Cahills and catch up with them - especially Flint and Maggie. While this is 3 books into the series you can jump in right here no problems. And if you start here I have a feeling you'll be wanting to go back and read the previous two books.

This book manages to do a good job representing multiple subgenres. It's got a fantastic ranch-y/cowboy feel, a wonderful loving family, and a convincing suspense plot all rolled into one! This is one I thoroughly enjoyed and kept me reading well past my bedtime!

Favorite Quotes:

“We’re a team, right?” She couldn’t help but smile. “That’s us, one of the great detective couples. Like Nick and Nora.” He mugged a face. “More like Bonnie and Clyde.”

I swear, when it comes to women, Tucker doesn’t have the good sense of a rock.

My Review:

This book was 90% mystery/suspense and 10% slow building romance as the couple didn’t lock lips until 60% into the book and only indulged in one sizzling sensual encounter of knocking the boots at 80%. So my elderly mother could very well read this one if she knew where to “skip the naughty bit,” and wouldn’t require much use of her trusty sharpie to censor out much “language.” Sigh… We rarely read the same books but she would enjoy the several confounding and complicated mysteries involving several murders over nineteen years, family drama, disappearances, extortion, kidnapping, lust, betrayal, and paternity issues. I took note that the one mystery that I had assumed would be the easiest to crack was only partially resolved by the conclusion of the tale. Oh what an intricate plot this scribe has penned. While I didn’t care for the main character of Kate for the longest time as she was playing games and being manipulative, and her actions had been cruel and thoughtless, I adored the engaging Cahills and their knotty family tree of complex issues and personalities. B. J. Daniels has been a recent find and while I may be a city dweller, I do enjoy her small-town tales and well-seasoned cowboys for a chance of pace.

2.5 stars Hero's Return is the fifth book in the Cahill Ranch series. In this one the missing brother, Tucker, has finally come bask to town after almost twenty years. The skeleton of a woman has been found in the creek and Tucker may have the answer to the identity of the woman.

The book was an OK read for me. I think I had the same issues as I did with the other two from the series that I have read. After this third book,I can see that this author's books just aren't my cup of tea. The mystery was kind of interesting but I just wasn't sucked in right away. I was a bit disappointed at the reason for Tucker being gone for so long. His reasons for running away were a bit underwhelming and could have been solved if he had stuck around and talked to the police. I also thought his family kind of took him back a bit too quickly.

This one is more of a mystery as the romance isn't the dominate part of the book. In the end, I didn't like the romance aspect and felt it was kind of forced. I didn't feel the chemistry between the couple. I think if you go into the book expecting more of a police procedural, then you'll like it more.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

The prodigal Cahill is back—and ready to confess, but I just have a feeling that there is going to be someone who really, really doesn't like that idea. I've always liked a good prodigal returns tale, but this plot was thin and made of swiss cheese.

Tucker Cahill disappeared from Gilt Edge, Montana, right after graduating from high school nineteen years ago. His family hasn't heard from him since, and they didn't really understand why he left. Now a young woman’s remains have been found in the creek bed near his family’s ranch and Tuck has returned. He is back to face what happened on that awful night nineteen years ago, but he isn't the only one who has come to Guilt Edge who has an has an interest in those old bones.

Kate Rothschild has come to Guilt Edge looking for answers and hoping for vengeance. Her brother committed suicide and she thinks that Tucker Cahill may be part of the reason why. But Tucker is a lot more than she expected and Kate finds herself drawn to him and the tortured secrets that surround him. As the mystery of the bones is slowly uncovered, someone is not willing to let the secrets be revealed and murder is most definitely an option to keep these secrets buried.

Will post at Romance Reviews Today in a few days.
http://romrevtoday.com/index.htm

HERO’S RETURN – B.J. Daniels
The Montana Cahills, Book 4
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-01330-9
April 2018
Contemporary Romance

Gilt Edge, Montana – Present Day

Tucker Cahill mysteriously disappeared nineteen years ago, leaving his father and siblings to wonder if he was dead or alive. Shortly after skeletal remains are pulled from a creek located near the Cahill family ranch, Tucker returns. He didn’t know about the remains being discovered, but he tells his brother, Flint, the county sheriff, who they probably belong to: Madeline Dunn. The night Tucker disappeared, Madeline had met him at the creek and jumped into the water and disappeared. Distraught over the probable death of a woman he loved and regret over being unable to stop her, he left town.

Tucker goes to the scene where the remains were found and discovers a mysterious woman also poking around. He ends up cornering her and learns she is Kate Rothschild, a newspaper reporter and part of a prominent Montana family. She is also interested in Madeline because nineteen years ago her brother killed himself over Madeline. Was the now dead woman running a scam to extort money from young men? Kate and Tucker decide to work together in investigating Madeline because there are too many unanswered questions. Was someone helping Madeline? Turns out, the coroner’s report shows she was shot, but it wasn’t Tucker who fired the gun. Kate and Tucker soon realize they’ve struck a nerve when someone shoots at them.

B.J. Daniels knows how to create a suspenseful tale and HERO’S RETURN is no exception. Tucker left home without telling anyone and all these years his family wondered if he was dead. Then suddenly he shows up at Flint’s office wanting to reunite. But that very day a package had arrived for him, which Flint hands to him. Inside is a reminder of Tucker’s romance with Madeline. Is it a coincidence that her remains were just found? He doesn’t think so, which leads him back to the scene of the crime, where Kate is checking it out too. She intrigues him, but he has nothing to offer her, especially with his shadowy past.

Kate is after revenge for what Madeline did to her brother. Madeline made her brother want her so bad, that when he couldn’t get the money together from his parents, he killed himself. As Kate and Tucker team together, they head to a small town nearby, where they learn that Madeline was one of a set of triplets and that the family was very strange, moving out suddenly one night. Also, one of the triplets, Misty, committed suicide shortly after Madeline disappeared into the creek. What happens to Kate and Tucker after this will pull readers into not wanting to stop reading HERO’S RETURN.

There are plenty of twists and turns in HERO’S RETURN as Kate and Tucker chase after leads. Just when they think they might be going in the right direction, it either comes to a dead-end, or it brings up another intriguing twist in the story. Meanwhile, partners Tucker and Kate are discovering a mutual attraction. Will they consummate their attraction? Once they find out the answers surrounding the death of Madeline, will they be able to explore a possible future together?

HERO’S RETURN is the fourth book in The Montana Cahills series by Ms. Daniels about the Cahill siblings. There are still two more brothers to go and I can’t wait to see them find a woman to fall in love with. Each tale can be read, however, as a standalone, as the focus is on the couple and their story. If you love a cowboy hero who is honorable and not afraid to go after what he wants, including the woman who has won his heart, then you’ll surely love HERO’S RETURN.

Patti Fischer

Hero’s Return by B.J. Daniels
The Cahills #4

Tucker Cahill is finally home after over 19 years away. Leaving home after high school he is final lyready to return and face whatever may happen. Bones were found in the creek and he is pretty sure he knows who’s they are. When he arrives there is a package waiting for him…and a woman. Yes, Kate Rothschild wants answers to questions related to her brother’s suicide that happened about the time Tucker left home and she believes Tucker might have them. The two have a mystery and murder to solve and they work together to find the truth. The solution is not easy, friends may not be friends after all, what happened 19 years ago is a whole lot more than Tucker and Kate realized and the end might not be pretty.

This had some evil twisted characters that were more than balanced by the Cahill family and their unwavering support of one another. There was a side story that may show up later in another book – I hope – because I would like to find out just who Billie Dee’s daughter is ;)

I came into this series on this book and had no trouble following the story. The Cahill brood seems a nice group so reading the other books that came before this one would prove no hardship.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

Tucker has one heck of a secret that made him jet from his hometown for a for nineteen years. When a woman's remains is found, he comes back to his hometown to confess his secret. Kate Rothschild's brother commited suicide and shes looking to avenge her brothers death and to find the women who might also have a connection to the Tucker. As they dig deeper to solve a mytersey it looks like the killer might still be out there and doesn't want them to find out what's really going on.



I loved this book. But there's a side book going on in this, that as nice as it was, it was distracting af. It should've been a novella on the side not where is alternated between the main story and that side story. It really didn't have much of a place in this book. Aside from that I loved the mystery that surrounded the whole book and learning more and more about what was really going on as I delve deeper into this book. I loved the connection between Tucker and Kate. I loved that this was a clean romance which I really appreciate. There was never a dull moment when it came to this book it was pretty great I really enjoyed it. Highly Recommend!

Rating: 4.5/5

This is an enthralling romantic suspense, one where the focus is possibly more on the suspense than the romance, though both have significant roles to play in the story. Whilst it is the fifth book in a series, I believe it works well as a standalone.

When he was seventeen, Tucker Cahill left his home and family and hasn’t been home or in contact with any of them since then, which is more than eighteen years ago . When the body of a young woman turns up near a creek by his family’s ranch the publicity means he hears about it and returns home, stopping first at the local Sheriff’s office to suggest who the body might be.

When he goes out to near where the body was discovered, someone else is looking at the scene and runs when she spots him. She is Kate Rothschild, an investigative journalist with a personal interest in the remains, an interest she’s determined to follow up on. As these two connect, there’s mutual attraction between them but also so many secrets! As they endeavour to discover just who the body was and what happened to her they’ll face the past and uncover more secrets in the process as well as being placed in potentially deadly situations.

This plot is so full of twists and turns, the reader is never quite sure what will be revealed next! It keeps you figuratively on the edge of your seat and there’s never a dull moment. Secrets of other characters are also revealed, babies are born and families reunited, making this a highly entertaining read and great addition to the series.

I requested and received a copy of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review after choosing to read it.

Two for the price of one, you can't get better in one story, both a romance and a mystery this story will keep you guessing every step of the way. Also add in suspense and you have a book you won't be able to put down.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Tucker Cahill is back. Before Hero's Return he has just been missing for 18 years and we all wondered if we would ever find out why and where he went. We do find out why but not where. A decades old mystery comes into the light and Tucker is part of both the mystery and the solution. Along the way he meets Kate Rothschild whose brother is also part of the mystery. They have a very complicated route before finally solving what really happened and who was responsible. This was a nice way to finally meet Tucker and bring him back into the family life of the Cahill's.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest Review.

BJ Daniels brings us back to Montana and the Cahill family. We’ve known that the Cahill son and brother Tucker has been missing from the picture for twenty years and now in HEROES RETURN we get the scoop on where he went and why. Tuckers return is not without consequences. As it turns out BJ Daniels has quite a crime story in her bag of tricks. Be prepared to get swept away into the mess created so many years ago. HEROES RETURN by BJ Daniels is a compelling page turner.

When dealing with a review of a crime novel posing as romantic tale there is an inherent dilemma. Never give too much info but at the same time say enough to whet a reader’s appetite to know more and want to read the book. BJ Daniels crafts her book ingeniously drawing you into the story page by page, enlightening you with new facts and suspicions and then zap throwing another odd fact in your face. So you think you solved it – not so fast buddy. BJ Daniels is still fiddling around with you.

HEROES RETURN is chock full of those got-cha moments and every one of them is a doozy.

Kate and Tucker team up – for very different reasons – to get closure on what happened so many years ago. Tucker needs to alleviate and assuage his guilt about not saving woman he loved even though there were many issues and questions about what their relationship had honestly been. Kate needs to get more facts about the mysterious woman who brought about her beloved brothers demise. In order to do any of this Kate and Tucker have to sift through layers and layers of uncovered details about the Dunn’s who by all accounts was a very odd, strange and scary family group.

The Dunn’s are definitely the core of this blooming investigation. Around each corner the details seem to get murkier – while Kate and Tucker are searching for clarity. Can’t do better than this. HEROES RETURN by BJ Daniels is a creative masterpiece.

A great addition to the Cahill saga. I have been looking forward to Tucker's story and I was not disappointed. Great story line. Personable and engaging characters. I enjoyed it very much.

Great book that crosses a few romance related genres.: romance, suspense, mystery...BJ Daniels is a master crafter and I love her books. This is an author who knows how to write a great cowboy romance and I would totally recommend Hero's Return to any reader.~

This is a thriller with a love story on the back, but it is more a police novel than a love story. That said, I found the story pretty good and a page turner.

Questo é piú un giallo che una storia d'amore, anzi la lovestory é proprio relegata nello sfondo, peró questo non significa che il libro sia brutto, anzi, l'ho letto tutto d'un fiato.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!