I’ll be frank and say that I’m torn on ONE TOUGH COWBOY by Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick. Really torn. When I’m in the mood for a sexy romance I turn to Lora Leigh – I’m obsessed with her Breeds series and have re-read it several times now. Yet what I can accept in that series (because of the premise of it) feels uncomfortable to me in this story.

On the surface ONE TOUGH COWBOY is an intriguing, suspenseful romance between two strong people who have a connection from their past and their present. There is a mystery to be solved, one that grabbed my attention. It would be an interesting romance between Samantha and Hunter if the explicit sex scenes were cut in half — yes, I really did say that there is more sex in this story than anything else. Now I love a sizzling, sexy encounter as much as the next reader but there were times when having sex was just… the wrong timing, at the very least. I wish this had been a story driven, character driven romance instead of a sexual encounter driven one… in my opinion. Yet, I read what the authors have delivered and go from there.

There are possible triggers in this story for some people such as an attempted rape. Just be aware of that is all I’m saying.

I want to say that I’ll continue this series because there are secondary characters that I want to know what their story is… but I just don’t know at this moment. ONE TOUGH COWBOY is a good story, please don’t misunderstand that, I simply felt that the sex overtook the story and I wish that wasn’t the case for me. Perhaps I just need to stick to the series (Breeds) that I do enjoy and leave it at that.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

I grabbed this title thinking it would be a romantic suspense with a western/cowboy element.

What I got started out nice - Sam returns to the town where she grew up and reunites with her crush to solve a crime. After that, things kind of went off the rails for me.

This is a dual author book and it’s one that felt half done. There was minimal character development and some of the plot points seemed to come out of no where. There were several pieces of information that popped up at one point and then went away, like they were never connected to the story.

The big disappointment for me was also the way the story was set up. When I think romantic suspense, I think a plot/characters driven story with a side of sexy time. This was sexy time broken up by bits of police work with something so far fetched it didn’t really make sense.

I got the impression that each of the co authors wrote their assigned pieces of the book then they were shoved together vs working as a cohesive unit to ensure that everything flowed well together. This is disappointing because the premise of the story is one that I felt had potential.

DNF: this book was filled with poor editing, excevive sex when it was not relative as if they were just filling in the gaps. It did not flow well and I didn’t feel the two Author’s were on the same page to write this together. I’m sorry it just wasn’t well written.
I will not post this anywhere but here.

Holy hell this book moves! From car chases to orgasms, you will not be disappointed. If you like some mystery with your storyline then you've come to the right place. Sam and Hunter do not do things the normal way. From the time they were kids to their combustible chemistry as adults. Just be prepared for some uncomfortable parts as this does deal with sensitive topic and gets graphic a bit.

This book was exactly what I needed to curl up with. It was not long before I was caught up in all the suspense and drama that this story held. I have not even mentioned the hot chemistry between these two characters. Samantha had loved Hunter since she was a young girl. He was her personal hero that saved her from all the outrageous stunts she pulled to get his attention. Years later, Samantha has returned to their small town and discovered that her feelings were still as strong as before. Hunter is not immune to her charms but they both work tirelessly to fight their feelings. Silly book characters. That never works. This book was fun from the start. The story was well written and easy to follow. It had all the elements of a great story and it delivered on all points.

First off, let me say that I am a fan of Lora Leigh. Yes, she writes steamy sex scenes in her books. This one was no exception. It starts off with three suspicious deaths and Hunter (the cowboy in this, but he really is the sheriff) who is connected to one of the victims, investigating on the sly what really happened. Throw in some shady deputies, mayor and a host of other sly characters and you have the setting for a mystery. Then along comes the Pixie Pest (better known as Samantha) whose aunt was also one of the victims. Oh, did I mention that she is also a police officer in Detroit? Yes, she is. So she wants to be involved. Sparks fly, then steam comes off of them whenever they are within a few feet of each other. It's a wonder that people in the same area aren't burned by this heat.
While I liked the story, there were a few problems to me. Dearhaven, California is NOT the south. The southern accents threw me. I also wasn't sure about the title, One Tough Cowboy. I was expecting a cowboy, not a sheriff/law officer. Hunter personality wasn't what I thought a cowboy's would be. Did he own horses? Well, yes he did, but they played a very small role in the story. In fact, his ranch played a very small role.
Overall, I did enjoy the story and yest, I am curious to find out what happens with Jacob and some of the characters mentioned in the story.
I was provided an arc of this book by NetGalley to given an honest opinion.

So glad I took a chance on this new to me author.... A Sweetly sexy, emotionally thrilling and intriguingly gripping adventure rock this small town romance filled with danger and passion... This second chance at forever is a very exciting and highly entertaining read. Loved it!

3.5 stars-ONE TOUGH COWBOY is the first instalment in the contemporary, adult, erotic, romantic suspense series MOVING VIOLATIONS co-authored by Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick. This is Deerhaven, California Sheriff Hunter Steele, and Detroit police officer Samantha Ryder’s story line.

NOTE: ONE TOUGH COWBOY contains scenes of sexual violence that may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Samantha and Hunter) ONE TOUGH COWBOY follows the building relationship between Deerhaven, California Sheriff Hunter Steele, and Detroit police officer Samantha Ryder. Samantha Ryder left Deerhaven close to ten years earlier but never expected to come back to bury her beloved aunt Dottie, a woman who’s death mystifies our story line heroine. Sheriff Hunter Steele suspects the three recent deaths in Deerhaven are connected, although each death has been ruled accidental or by natural causes. Reconnecting with Samantha Ryder stirs something deep within our story line hero, something Hunter is hoping to pursue, as he tries to convince Samantha to move back to town. As Samantha and Hunter begin to dig a little deeper into the strange happenings and mysterious deaths of three elderly but tight-knit friends, our couple will be targeted for what they know, and who they are. What ensues is the rekindling friendship and building relationship between Sam and Hunter, and the potential fall-out as our couple discover the truth about what has been happening in Deerhaven, California.

Samantha Ryder has a successful career in the Detroit Police Department but sins from the past followed our heroine to Deerhaven California, sins that demand retribution and vengeance in more ways than one. Hunter Steele has been burned in the past but rekindling his friendship with Samantha meant the possibility of a happily ever after –once the danger in town has been put to rest.

The relationship between Sam and Hunter is one of mutual attraction; a palpable sexual energy that does not go unnoticed by the people of Deerhaven, some of the people who are willing to destroy our story line couple. The $ex scenes are numerous, intimate, erotic and intense but I dislike the use of a certain four-letter word…and $ex while on stake-out seems a little bit risky under the circumstances ;)

The world building focuses on the small town of Deerhaven California: the people, the gossip, the power and control. We are introduced to several law –enforcement types including a few CHiP officers, and Jacob Donovan, a man who may or may not be former Special Forces; and the local politicians who are desperate to keep secret their illegal activities.

ONE TOUGH COWBOY is a story of betrayal, greed, power and control. There are a few disconnected plot-points and inconsistencies that need to be addressed- I doubt we will see anything resolved in forthcoming story lines; and the cowboy premise is limited. The premise is entertaining; the romance is passionate; the characters are charismatic and energetic.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

THE READING CAFÉ: http://www.thereadingcafe.com/one-tough-cowboy-moving-violations-1-by-lora-leigh-and-veronica-chadwick-review-excerpt-giveaway/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2586268676


AMAZON.COM: https://www.amazon.com/review/R27BCGJ4AG4STK/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07GDD8JF8


BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1383366809


B&N (Sandy_thereadingcafe) posted

CHAPTERS/INDIGO (Sandy_At_the_Reading_Cafe) posted

GOOGLE PLAY (Sandy S) posted

Ibooks (Sandy Sch) posted

I think I went into this book with my expectations to high and was disappointed when they didn't hold up to what I had expected. Don't get me wrong, this is a good story but for me it just fell short. I loved the aspect of Hunter taking the Sheriff's position after his uncle's death and doing some undercover work to see what was really going on in his small town with the few "accidents" that had occurred knowing that they were in fact murder and not an accident at all. The latest "accident" is what brings Samantha back home, the pixie pest hasn't been home in ten years and, well now she is all grown up and Hunter is available so she may just have to do something about that crush she always had on him.

The sex was constant, I don't think I have ever said that a book had to much sex in it but I think this book may have been a better read for me if it cut a couple of scenes out and added to the drama that was unfolding in the town of Deerhaven, California. Explain more about the bad guys and how things were going on in the town that no one knew about, don't have Hunter and Sam having sex during a steak-out to me that was just needless and really far fetched, yes the sex scene was HOT, they all were, but that's not the point, for me it took away from the story because it was as if them constantly having sex was the story.

Like I said for me it just fell short, I will read the next book in the series because I am intrigued enough by the characters to see what happens but I will be honest and say that if I find it just ok again I will probably stop with that book.

I always recommend readers giving a book a chance on their own, don't let my review turn you away there are a lot of people that rated this four and even five stars so give it a try for yourself. I hope you enjoy the read. Happy Reading!!!

As a quick, easy romance with plenty of steam, One Tough Cowboy is the perfect book if you're looking to kill a couple of hours. There are a fair number of outlandish moments that made me raise my eyebrows in a "Really?!" kind of way, but that's not exactly unexpected. The dramatic climax at the end was a little too much for me though - I basically skipped over the whole scene, despite it being the culmination of the whole book.

I read the word cowboy and thought yes sign me up! One Tough Cowboy is actually about the town sheriff. It’s set in Deerhaven, California. Hunters family run the well-known Steele Spur Ranch, but Hunter’s career is in the police force. In the past eight month, 3 suspicious deaths have occurred and the most resent brings an old friend back to town.

Samantha moved to Detroit with her family. She also joined the police force, but is used to the busy city. When her Aunt dies she finds herself back in her hometown. She believes Aunt Dottie’s death was murder and she’s not leaving town until she finds out what happened to her. The town has changed in someways but Hunter Steele is still smoking hot. He’s five years older than her and always looked out for her as a kid. Sam was a bit of a troublemaker in her younger days and Hunter had his hands full with her. Now they are older the attraction is obvious. Their relationship is heated, the town is corrupt and the police work is dangerous. This book is intended for an adult audience.

4 stars out of 5. *I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you’ve ever read a Lora Leigh book then you know your going to get some seriously steamy sexy times and One Tough Cowboy is no exception! A fast-paced Cowboy suspense with lots of intrigue and steam is a great way to start a new series!
Samantha, a Detroit police officer, returns home for a funeral and ends up finding danger and love with the boy who’s always kept her and her heart safe.
This was only my second Lora Leigh book and my Veronica Chadwick, but I definitely will be back for Jacob’s story!

So, just to get this settled, One Tough Cowboy isn’t really a cowboy book. It is, however, a pretty damn hot and suspenseful read! So stick around a bit...

Samantha and Hunter have a history. A bit of a distant love story, sorta. Samantha and Hunter grew up in the same small town, but Samantha is about eight years younger that Hunter, so they were definitely moving in different social circles. But what neither knew was that the other was wildly infatuated with them. Yep. Serious unrequited romance going on behind the scenes. So when Samantha is back in town to help settle her aunt’s estate. Sparks fly between these two. Hunter let Samantha get away all those years ago, but he’s not going to let it happen again.

And in addition to sparks flying, there’s bullets too. Guess it’s a good thing Hunter is the sheriff and Samantha is a cop. And they both need to apply all they know to figure out what’s just going on in their supposed mild mannered, quaint town. All is not as it appears!

I have to admit it took a bit for me to warm up to Hunter and Samantha’s romance. I was a bit skeptical over Hunter’s intensity, but he won me over in the end! Another bit of skepticism crept in about the craziness that was happening in town—how the sheriff missed the clues, because there certainly were some big ones!

All in all, I did enjoy One Tough Cowboy in the end. The rest of the side characters are intriguing enough that I would definitely read more in this series. 3.5 stars

Sheriff Hunter Steele knows that things aren’t right in his town. There have been three mysterious deaths in the last eight months and he’s determined to find out who’s behind the crimes. Samantha Jolene Ryder came back to the town where she grew up when she hears about the death of her aunt. She loved her and wants to find the truth. Hunter needs help and Sam is a perfect partner. She works for Detroit PD. Who is the killer in their midst? Hunter is a strong dominant character. He and Sam have known each other for years. Their chemistry is powerful. I liked Hunter. He protects his own. He met his match in Sam. She’s just as strong minded as he is. Watching them together made me smile, but the Mayor’s dirty dealing made me mad. I was glad that these two won’t back down. I wanted the bad guys caught. I found Jacob Donovan interesting. I want to know his story. The plot is suspenseful and has plenty of action. The setting is perfect and the dialogue is edgy. The romance between Hunter and Sam is very sensual. When you combine these elements you have a powerful story which I enjoyed. One Tough Cowboy is a good start to a new series. I’m looking forward to the next book.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.

I really liked this fun and entertaining read, a great start to a new series. Hunter and Samantha grew up together and she had a crush on him. Then her family moved away. Now she is back and Hunter is taking notice. Fun characters, great chemistry and an entertaining story. I really liked it.

One Tough Cowboy was smoking hot with some government corruption on the side. The story starts with 3 deaths-the mayor's wife, the sheriff, and an elderly woman in the town. This last death brings Samantha back to Deerhaven, CA. Hunter, the new sheriff knows these deaths are suspicious and he knows the mayor is up to something dirty. When Sam comes back to town, sparks fly and they jump right into a very sexual relationship. But, Hunter wants Samantha to move back to Deerhaven permanently and be a deputy.

Samantha was a pretty good character. She is smart and independent. She grew up a tomboy and now she is a tomboy who looks smoking hot. Hunter was the older boy Samantha had a crush on, but now they are both grown up and feeling the attraction. The book was good, but there were things that just kept it from being great. First, they all talk about southern manners and yankees and such. But, they are in California. Are there parts of California where people have southern accents and mock 'yankees'? Second, I wish the mystery aspect of the story had more punch. There were entire chapters dedicated to hot sex between Samantha and Hunter and the rest of the story felt like a side plot. I think that if the story was going to be a sexy contemporary romance, that would have been fine and the mystery could have been a simple plot device. But, because it does play a larger roll it should have gotten more 'time'. Finally, the characters were okay, but they felt like stereotypes of characters-the shmarmy mayor, the domineering ex, the dumbass deputies, the uber mysterious ex special forces buddy....its just all felt hokey at times.

Gracias a NetGalley y a la editorial por facilitarme una copia a cambio de una reseña.

Samantha Ryder vivió en Deerhaven hace varios años. Era una chiquilla inquieta que se metía en problemas a cada rato. Pero tenía un guardián que siempre la sacaba de problemas: Hunter Steele. Ella se mudó con sus padres cuando tenía 11 años pero nunca olvidó a su héroe.

Ahora Hunter es sheriff del condado y Sam ha regresado después de la misteriosa muerte de su tía. Ella está segura de que la tía Dottie fue asesinada y está comprometida a encontrar a los culpables.

El año pasado leí varias novelas con vaqueros como personajes principales y admito que la caballerosidad y la pasión que generalmente los caracteriza me ha gustado bastante (tengo otro libro en línea para leer el próximo mes). Desafortunadamente hubo cosas que no me gustaron del libro (hasta me tenían haciendo muecas de desagrado) y todo tenía que ver precisamente con la actitud chauvinista del vaquero de la historia. Admito que no soy muy fijada con este tipo de conducta en libros de romance porque el hombre tiende a ser protector y esto casi siempre se ve como que él anda atrás de ella cuidándola y protegiéndola de todos los males. No es algo que me moleste de sobremanera sobre todo cuando la protagonista femenina termina probando que puede defenderse a sí misma.

Pero en One Tough Cowboy Hunter y su postura machista me cayeron muy mal. No respetaba lo que Samantha decía, incluso cuando decpia "NO", no la respetaba como detective y creo que abusaba de su poder. Como por ejemplo en un momento Hunter quería llevarla a cenar y ella quería ir a casa a descansar. Él la obligó a que dejara las llaves de su auto o la acusaba de conducir ebria. Tal vez lo decían de broma pero al final ella dejó sus llaves. Y por si todo esto fuera poco, Hunter aún veía a Samantha como una chiquilla de 9 años y en varias ocasiones sentí que era condescendiente con ella y su arrogancia me desesperó y molestó muchísimo.

Por su lado, Samantha me agradó un poco más. Siempre trató de pelear la actitud autocrática de Hunter y sabía lo que tenía que hacer para proteger a los demás, pero siempre se dejaba llevar por las hormonas. Yo quería que se enfocaran en el caso porque sí era interesante pero ellos se la pasaban deseándose uno al otro y se nos iba la mitad de cada página en solo pensamientos calenturientos.

No le huyo a los libros eróticos pero no disfruto mucho una historia cuando los personajes solo se la pasan en la cama (o cualquier superficie horizontal) así que comencé a saltarme pedazos, ¡Se aventaban dos capítulos enteros teniendo relaciones! Yo quería que avanzara la trama y descubrir lo que estaba pasando pero incluso después de que le habían disparado a alguien y se consideraba un momento serio, Hunter no podía controlar su libido.

Creo que este libro no fue para mi. y desafortunadamente no voy a continuar con la serie.

I just don't know. I wanted to like this story and yet, I really didn't like it. It is more of a 2.5 star rating. I have read many books by Lora Leigh, and this one had elements of her writing, but did not really work for me. I really did not like the main characters, nor did I feel they had much chemistry. Sex, yes, chemistry, no. So many things did not make sense to me about this story.

Why was everyone talking in a southern drawl and they lived in California? They were talking about those Yankees and throwing y'all's around like crazy. They are in California. California is not the deep south. What is up with this? It was very jarring, and pulled me out every time.

That gratuitous voyeur scene. What was that about? Why was it even in there? Why? ugh.

And one of the very last scenes in the book was just horrifying and graphically unnecessary. It was uncomfortable and awful and just so wrong. Oh, but how about within 12 hours after being horrifically sexually abused let's just have a bunch of sex. No, I think not.

And cowboy the lead male character was a cop. Good grief.

There were way too many issues with this story.

Received as an ARC from Netgalley.

FAN-freaking-tastic...this suspense-filled Cowboy book is right up there with some of Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick's best work. The story of Hunter Steele and Samantha Ryder is intriguing and sexy, romantic and page turning. You won't be disappointed.

Hunter is a small town cop whose becoming suspicious after a few deaths that there is some inside job with people he may work with that might play a part of a drug and human trafficking ring that might also smuggling in some terrorist. Samantha is a cop who is back in her home town after the death of a family member when she comes across an item that could have a connection to what Hunter is working on solving. Both Hunter and Samantha knew eachother when they were younger and now they are all grown up. Samantha seems to be getting closer to something much bigger then expected and Hunter will do everything he can to protect her.

I love a good mystery suspense novel and this book seems to be quite heavy heat. I loved the connection Hunter and Samantha had and seeing them work together at some points. I loved that there was so much going on to keep me as a reader hooked till the very end. If there wasn't that romance and steamy scenes of the two there that mystery of what happened to the death of Samantha's loved one and her trying to solve what happens. Then there was the few twists and turns that attempts on life that'll keep the readers wanting more. Overall pretty great book look forward to seeing whats in store for the next book!