The chemistry between is Hunter and Sam is on fire! What's not to love about the Sheriff in this town. I did enjoy this book overall. I would have liked to have read more about the investigation part of this book. About half way through the book Hunter and Sam pretty much go at it like rabbits and the investigation is kind of forgotten about in this book. I also think the relationship between Hunter and Sam is rushed. I know they knew each other as children but even by the end of the book Hunter still hasn't told Sam everything about his past in adulthood. Putting all that aside the book was still good and steamy. I would like to see what Jacob's story is.


*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

I enjoyed this STEAMY, murder mystery. There is enough suspense to keep to turning the pages, wanting to see what was going to happen. There is a ton of steamy sex scenes, almost to the point of overshadowing the storyline. I enjoyed their fun banter.

When everything picked up and the suspense really kicked in, I was on the edge of my seat, anxious to see what would happen next.

I enjoyed meeting the secondary characters as well and look forward to books with their stories.

**I requested and received an advanced copy, provided by NetGalley and the publisher, and I am voluntarily providing an honest review**

One Tough Cowboy 2 stars POST in JANUARY
For as long as Samantha can remember, Hunter—a man as strong as steel, with a heart of gold—has been her hero. It came as no surprise to Samantha when she found out that the ranch-hardened cowboy who always protected her from bullies went on to become the town’s sheriff. What does surprise her is how incredibly hot he still is. And how much she still wants him…
Overall this book was well written and I really liked the characters. However, there were several glaring things that bothered me. The first being that Sam was pretty young when they moved away, too young (IMO) to establish pre-existing romantic feelings on her part and DEFINITELY too young on his part. Another is that the book takes place in only a few days and, with the flow of the book (and my previous statement about pre-existing feelings) it didn’t work for me for some reason. Also, a slight peeve, they emphasized on it being Southern and it takes place in California, which is NOT in the South. I’m been a fan of Lora Leigh’s for years. She has a template to her books that I usually really like, but it just didn’t work for me here.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

ONE TOUGH COWBOY by Lora Leigh & Veronica Chadwick has danger, murder, and plenty of saucy scenes to get you hot under the collar!

Samantha didn't realise how much she missed her childhood home until she arrived back. It is just a shame that it is for her beloved Aunt's funeral. Working as a cop in the city, Samantha knows a suspicious crime when she sees one and she knows for a fact that her Aunt's death was no accident. Determined to use her skills to uncover the truth, there is only one other person in town that she can trust. But the sizzling chemistry between them could cause more trouble than its worth ...

With a string of sudden deaths, including that of his Uncle, Hunter will do whatever it takes as Sheriff to find out what exactly is going on in his town. But he doesn't need Samantha running around on her own, getting herself into danger. Even though she is a cop, he cannot help but feel protective towards her like he used to be when she was a kid. But as they work closely together, Hunter cannot help the feelings that are developing between them. If only he can get her to trust him with her heart as well as the investigation ...

I enjoyed the overall plot of this story and there was plenty of secrecy, danger, and lies to unravel to keep me interested from start to finish. There are a lot of hot and spicy scenes in this book but I have to admit that some of the descriptions didn't always work for me and were a little over the top at times. But the relationship between Sam and Hunter was a delight to watch as they skirted around their feelings and the future.

ONE TOUGH COWBOY by Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick is sure to please romance fans around the world and is an easy, enjoyable read.

I have read multiple books written by Lora Leigh and I especially enjoyed her Elite Ops series. It was pretty damn HOT.. if I do say so myself. Now as much as I love my military men...there is one thing that gets me even hotter that...Cowboys. They are my Kryptonite !!! So I figured with this author and this title...I could not go wrong. 

I was a bit misled here though. The title made me think full-on cowboy story...but Hunter, our hero is the sheriff, and Sam, the heroine...is a cop. It's a good thing I also love crimefighters and suspense, but still...cowboys would have been better, just saying ;) 

Samantha and Hunter reconnect when Samantha goes back to her home town after the death of her aunt. The boy, she once had a huge crush on, is now the town sheriff. 

Now if there is one thing this book does not lack...it is sexy times. This was one hell of a steamy read...Yowza ;)

To be completely honest.. I could have done with a bit less steam. I can't believe I am saying this but...sometimes a bit less is more :P 

I would like to warn those with triggers that this book deals with an attempted rape. What bothered me most about that part, is the fact that it was followed by yet more sex !!

I did enjoy the background story and suspense and I do recommend this one if you are a fan of small-town romance, suspense, and very steamy reads.

An ARC was kindly provided to me, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

My review has been posted on WendysWyckedWords

‘One Tough Cowboy’ is the first book in a new series, and we meet Samantha and Hunter. Samantha has had a major crush on Hunter ever since she was a little girl. And back then she wasn’t afraid to show it. Samantha is a couple of years younger then Hunter, and was always trying to scare away Hunter’s dates. Hunter always thought it was cute, that the younger ‘wild’ girl always seemed so smitten with him. But Samantha and her parents moved away years ago and they haven’t been back since. Now Samantha is back and Hunter is shocked to find Sam being even more beautiful, sweet and stubborn than he remembered.

This book was definitely a lot of fun to read. I loved Samantha and Hunter. What I loved most about them was the way they grew up together. It made there story even more intense and I loved every minute of it. The chemistry between Sam and Hunter is great and definitely addicting to read about. I found myself being hooked to the pages from the very beginning.

Although I loved the romance between these two characters, there were a little too many sex scenes is you ask me. I don’t hate reading those scenes, but there were times in this book where I just wished they would keep there clothes on. For example when there would be a very suspenseful scene, I just didn’t think the whole sex bit fitted at that moment.

The suspense in this book is also very good. Samantha and Hunter suspect there is a killer on the loose in their little town. But the more they seem to figure out, the more they get in danger and before you know it they are both fighting to keep safe. And this definitely kept me sitting on the edge of my seat.

Throughout this book we also meet several other characters. And I found myself being intrigued by those characters and what their story would be. Especially Hunter’s friend Jacob. He really seemed like an interesting character to read about.

Overall this book made me desperate for more books in the series.

Sizzle & Suspense! There’s drama, suspense, intrigue, danger, murder, scorching chemistry, and wicked bedroom scenes in this sizzling hot cowboy romance. This is my first Lora Leigh story that I have read and I definitely need to get busy and read some more.
Sheriff Hunter Steele is a charming hero who is sexy as sin. He was appointed sheriff eight months ago and in that time there has been three murders, at least that is how he sees it. Not accidents. But with still no evidence to point to a killer he needed help.
Samantha Ryder “Pixie Pest” has taken a two week leave from her position at the Detroit Police Department. But, she wasn’t leaving until she ripped the cover off the whole disgusting mess and revealed everyone involved in her Aunt’s death. She had lived here in Deerhaven, California as a child. Sheriff Steele although he was eight years older, had been a part of her life as her protector as a child. Keeping all the bully’s away from her even when she caused the problems.
But now these two would need to work together to get these murders solved. And that wouldn’t be easy with their all consuming lust, hunger, and desire that they had for each other, even after all these years. Neither one could ignore the sizzling chemistry that thrummed between them. But the sex scene are not the only thing that is intense, these two are in for some close calls, and action as the danger mounts. Will they find what is behind all these Accidents? Hold on to your seats as the action and the sex will blow you away.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have a number of books by Lora Leigh in my TBR file. I heard they were racy. I love racy. So this one sounded just perfect to me. Who can resist a hot cowboy sheriff and a strong female cop? Not I. I jumped right in.

Hunter Steele was a sheriff in a small town where mysterious "accidents" were occurring and folks were acting mighty shady. Samantha returns home to that town after her beloved aunt dies; she believes there is no way her aunt had an accidental overdose. She is reunited with Hunter, who was her hero when she was a kid. Well, Sam is no longer a child. Sam is a cop back in Detroit, so she teams up with Hunter to investigate.

I really enjoyed the mystery and investigation. Then Sam and Hunter have sex. Again. And again. And again. Get the picture? Don't get me wrong; I love hot sexy times in my romance books. However, it got to the point that it started to get old. They were like manic bunnies! The investigation and mystery were totally overshadowed by the physical activities. The descriptions of bodily fluids got to be a bit much. Sometimes less is more. Hopefully the next book in the series will be heavier on plot and romance instead of sex.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

I wanted to love this one so much, and I did, up until near the end, which blindsided me a bit. I don't want to spoil anything but I will say some things that happen to the heroine toward the end of the book didn't sit right with me and knocked this from 3.5/4 Stars down to 3 Stars. Though I was stunned and saddened at the turn of events, it does still have an HEA, which saved it, in my opinion.

Hunter Steele is a small town sheriff in his home town in California. He took over the job from his uncle, who died under mysterious circumstances. He knows there are people in this town that don't want him there, and others who are actively involved in his uncle's, and a couple of others', deaths. He only has 1 deputy out of 3 that he can trust, the mayor is involved in the corruption up to his eyeballs, and Hunter's not sure how to continue his investigation. Things get even more complicated when another good friend of his uncle dies from a supposed accidental overdose, and it brings her niece back to town to settle her estate. He wasn't prepared to see her again after all these years, and she takes his breath away.

Samantha Ryder was still just a girl when she was forced by her father's new job to move out of her hometown, and into the big city of Detroit, Michigan. She grew up, and became a Detroit cop, but she never forgot her small hometown of Deerhaven, California, or her girlhood crush, Hunter Steele. When she has to return to town to settle her aunt's affairs, she lets Hunter know she's not buying the bizarre circumstances surrounding her aunt's "accidental overdose", and she's sticking around to get to the bottom of her aunt's murder. She's shocked by her still visceral attraction to the sexy sheriff and even more shocked when he seems to reciprocate it. But she's not a kid anymore, and she won't let him get away with distracting her, or trying to keep her away from her aunt's case. No matter how hot he is.

Sam and Hunter had a ton of red hot chemistry and they just couldn't keep away from each other. They were constantly falling into each other, even when it was an inopportune time or place. I enjoyed their passion for each other, and it helped to deepen their relationship more quickly. When Sam agrees to become a Deerhaven deputy and work for Hunter, she's afraid they'll have to leave their connection behind, but Hunter isn't having it. As they dig deeper into the conspiracy that is surrounding their town, they put themselves in even greater danger.

The suspense plot was decent, and it had me very intrigued, until a connection from Sam's past in Detroit became a part of it. That was a little too strange and coincidental to me. Also, what the bad guys were doing seemed to be a little disjointed. A lot of different elements with too many variables caused it to become pretty convoluted. Also, I feel I must give a trigger warning for sexual violence, most of which I felt was unnecessary, and over the top.

There seemed to be a lot of dropped threads in the story that bothered me as well. We didn't really get to see all the bad guys wrapped up to my satisfaction. It seemed rushed towards the end. Also, Hunter never did talk to Sam about his ex, or any of the circumstances involved in his divorce, even though she had heard some of it from people in town. Mostly, they hardly talked, even when they should, because they got distracted with their physical connection. It started to be a little much for me, when I felt they should finally be baring their souls to each other, but instead they just bared their bodies, AGAIN.

Overall, I enjoyed the story most of the book, until close to the end, and that just makes me sad. There was an epilogue, which did resurrect some of my good feelings about the story, but it was mostly a case of too little, too late. I typically enjoy this author, though I seem to enjoy her paranormal titles more than her contemporary romantic suspense ones.

Samantha was always the trouble making littler kid, who found herself fascinated by the older, protective Hunter. She wasn't surprised when she returns home to find Hunter a law man. But Samantha is also a police officer and very suspicious of her the circumstances surrounding her aunt's death. She doesn't know who she can trust.

Hunter knows that his home town is filled with corruption. He is doing everything in his power to dig it out and the last thing he needs is to put the hot little Samantha in harms way. But Samantha isn't going to be side lined.

One Touch Cowboy supplies a strong mystery with lots of hot and steamy. I have to admit, I was more for the story and less for the steam, finding myself skimming over the pages after pages of sex to get back to the heart of the mystery.

I received this copy of One Tough Cowboy from St. Martin's Press. This is my honest and voluntary review. One Tough Cowboy is set for publication Jan. 29, 2019.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Lora Leigh and
Series: Moving Violations
Sequence in Series: Book 1
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: January 29, 2019
ISBN-10: 1250309484
ISBN-13: 978-1250309488
Genre: Contemporary Romance Western

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Ok, y'all know I have been a fan of Lora's writing for years, of course, I snagged this one once I had a chance and I'm so glad I did. This is a second chance romance and apparently, it's the start of a new series?? Heeyyyyy!!!

Let's look at the setup, Sam returned home to the small town that captured her heart. She's also back for the man she has idolized since she was younger. A veteran police officer in her adopted city she's visiting to put her grandmother to rest, and to carry out her will. I absolutely loved that Hutner and Sam had a history but were always 1 to 2 steps away from each other. Just a little out of sync. One of my fave lines was "Sam, we're in a cornfield right now". I cackled for a good fifteen minutes. They had good chemistry and flowed together well.

I was intrigued by the mystery of the town and wondering what the mayor was up to. I loved how the mystery behind the town drew Sam in and put her in the position of wondering if she should move back home. This also put her back in Hunter's crosshairs as they hadn't synced before and yet here they are now, she's grown and capable and they have the opportunity that they never had before.

I was horrified at the end during the woods scene because like Hunter I knew it would have broken Sam. The idea that people would be so careless and greedy is always so shocking (and yet if we only look to the news now we can tell this is something that really happens) . I have to say as the story unfolded and the villains became known, I had to wonder at people's motivations. I especially had to wonder about the people in each of their lives, like her ex showing up and putting himself in the mix of things and expecting her to be happy about it. UGhhh.

I want to know more about Hunter's mystery friend and his team especially the woman that gave Hunter the peep show. Cackling at that scene by the way.

A few cons I noted was each time that Sam started to show some skill as a police officer, to question things, Hunter shut her down by seducing her. Now I don't know if he meant to do that each time, but whenever they were alone and should be working on the case they just ended up having sex. It was erotic and steamy but at times I was like Right now?? You think right now is the time for this??

As erotica, it flowed well and was very erotic and kept you turning the pages to get to those scenes, however as erotica that's supposed to have a mystery suspense angle they spent way too much tie having sex (I Know shock I said that. Lmao). Lora herself has written the Breed series which balances this at times good and sometimes they end up like this where the story kind of gets buried beneath the romance and erotica aspects. I felt like necessary scenes were either too short or kind of rushed so that we could get back to the romance, and I wanted more of a balance. Don't get me wrong I still enjoyed the story and can't wait to see more from Hunter's friend, but I'm hoping there is more of a balance from the second novel.

Have you read it?? Let me know what you think in the comments down below.

★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

Sierra Cartwright's Danger Zone ( Contemporary- Military)
Lauren Dane's Undercover (Sci-Fi Erotica)
Kaitlyn O'Connor's Clone Wars: Armageddon (Sci Fi Erotica)
Forbidden Pleasure by Lora Leigh ( Contemporary Erotica-- Romantic Suspense)
Jory Strong's Inked Magic (Paranormal Suspense~~ Menage)

Happy Reading my loves,

One Tough Cowboy has the potential to be a romantic suspense that is both gritty and gripping. Add in a sexy, alpha male cowboy and this one should sizzle. Sadly, it doesn't. The story starts off well-enough with a handful of suspicious deaths, an old flame rekindled, and corruption in town government, but quickly snowballs into something else. The mystery is still there, but it's overrun by one long sex scene after another once Hunter and Samantha get together. I can understand a strong attraction, but considering the personal stake they each have in this case and that they're both law enforcement, I would've expected them to be able to focus on that at least some of the time. Instead, they act like teenagers who can't control their hormones. The steamy fun certainly has its place, and the authors certainly know their stuff in writing detailed, scorching hot scenes, but it just got to be too much. If only that talent for details had been applied to the actual story, this could've been a terrific read. We do get some moments with terrific banter, and I loved one particular part with Hunter solving a set of riddles, but there are just too many inconsistencies in the story. One such inconsistency lies in the setting. It is supposed to be a small town in California, but the vernacular and several descriptions just don't fit. So much so that I turned back through the book to make sure I remembered the setting correctly. It should also be noted that there is a particularly disturbing scene toward the end that could have and should have been handled much better. The list goes on, but suffice it to say that the cons far outweigh the pros here, at least for me.

Review: ONE TOUGH COWBOY by Lora Leigh & Veronica Chadwick https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-b0D
Publication Date: January 29, 2019
Genre: Western/ Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 4 Stars

This was a fast-paced story of intrigue and mystery, making you wonder who friend or foe was. Even when you knew who the bad guys were, it kept you reading to see how it played out. Hunter and Samantha were easy to get to know and had me invested in their future right away. Granted, Hunter got a bit smarmy later in the book with all his sexual innuendo. It seemed a bit excessive and out of character to me. As for the romance – it was red-hot sizzling. It’s a wonder they got any police work done. I think this book revolved more around their relationship than the dangerous mystery. I enjoyed it, but wish they spent more time on their non-bedroom working relationship. I look forward to the next installment in this new series.



*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

~*~*~*~
Kindle https://amzn.to/2CTU6tB

Samantha loved living in Deerhaven, California - not least because of her childhood crush, Hunter. She was the rebel who he seemed to be constantly saving. But she is all grown up now and after her aunt dies, she returns to Deerhaven and once again her heart lights up at Hunter. But she is a Detroit cop and he is the local sheriff - talk about match meet accelerant!

Hunter is wary of his little towns soaring murder rate - 3 murders in less than a year! When Sam crashes back into his life, he realises that the cute kid has morphed into a gorgeous woman. But he may be a little too long in the tooth for her. But with age comes experience - and well, let's just say this man has endurance!!!!

Unwelcome childhood memories, suspense, action, passion off the charts and all in all this was a great book. Please note that there may be a trigger for some readers #attempted sexual assault. Other than that the characters felt really fleshed out and the snarkiness between Hunter and Sam was fab! Hope there is not a huge wait for book 2!

One Tough Cowboy

***received an ARC in exchange for an honest review***

3 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I really wanted to like this book but it was a struggle for me to get through. The plot of the book was good and that’s what got me through it but i felt like i was continually missing important things. And when the two main characters got together it was fast and it seemed like it was hurried and not part of the flow of the book.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The chemistry between Hunter and Sam was there right from the beginning and I really loved their interactions together. But the storyline, just wasn't flowing for me as well as I wanted it to. I didn't like it that Sam was kind of a pushover - telling Hunter that she wanted to go slow, but then in the next scene they're having sex together. The sex scenes were super hot, but some of them happened at the weirdest times (also Hunter watching another couple having sex - kind of creepy). So overall I think it was a decent book, but it didn't really blow me away. **ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own**

Love the story setting. Love the story plot. Love the hero of the story, Hunter and his deputy, Shane. Love the state troopers and Hunter’s military buddy Jacob. The rest fell flat.

The relationship between Sam and Hunter should work. They had delightful, often hilarious, banter. Their interactions as children is an interesting back story. I just never felt the chemistry. Being as this is the first in a series I don’t want to straight out say there are holes in this story. There’s a slim chance certain things will become more clear in future books, but it’s doubtful since they are things very specific to the main characters of this story. The authors made the reason Sam’s family moved away from Deerhaven seem a bit mysterious, yet that was never any elaboration made on that subject. Things like that meant the story lost depth for me.

I also cannot say with 100% surety that neither author is from the Detroit area, but there’s quite a strong possibility that they’ve never even been there. I’ll be honest, I really didn’t understand why they used Detroit as the other city in this one until way later in the book. Trust me, it does end up making sense. But most of the thoughts of Detroit in this book are way off base. We do not, for the most part, dress up in more than nice jeans to go to a bar. We do not have, in any way, a proper or well-cultured voice. (In fact, we’re known for the way we drop sounds and turning two words into one such as yoosta = used to and we actually say Detroit with barely pronouncing that last T.) And it’s definitely very humid here in the summer. Having live in both California and Michigan, I can guarantee the humidity in the California mountains would have been a non-issue for Sam after years in Michigan. Can you tell this was a bone of contention for me?

I’m sure there Detroit stuff won’t bother anyone not from the Detroit area the way it bothers me. If this was my only issue, this story would get a higher rating from me. I’m nitpicky, but I’m not unreasonable. The lack of chemistry keeps me from making my rating any higher, though.

To be fair, the last couple of chapters of this story are intense. Once the suspenseful stuff starts happening, the authors really had me hooked into the story. I was on the edge of my seat. If there would have been more of that through the rest of the story, this would be rated higher. I must also say there is a HUGE trigger scene in this book and proceed with caution if that will be an issue for you. But it’s written with great skill. I’m not sure if I’ll look for the next book. Like I said in the beginning of this review, I love Shane, Jacob, and the troopers. While I’m curious for their stories, the lack of chemistry in this one gives me pause.

This one is a decent scorching hot read. I felt there were parts that didn't flow as easily as they could have and while I do enjoy sexy times in my stories there were times in this one that it just seemed odd that they would pick that moment to get busy. That said there is a lot of action and suspense to help pick up the story and keep it interesting. I enjoyed the characters and the relationship between Hunter and Samantha felt real and natural. One question I did have is about the title. What cowboy?? Still I'd recommend.

*I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Synopsis:
Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick have come together to create this action-packed tale of the Sheriff Hunter Steele and his childhood pestie sweetheart, Sam Ryder, as they work together to uncover the dangers that are threatening their small town. While the secrets unfold around them, they must keep their heads in the game and their hands off each other in order to come through this alive. But with years of unspent passion sparking tension, they might just have to mix business with pleasure.

My Thoughts:
Hands down, this is one of the hottest, badass cowboy romances I’ve ever read. The characters and the plot worked well together to create this amazing action-packed romance that had me on the edge of my seat (with my toes often curled with the heat between the two leading characters). Sheriff Hunter Steele will forever be a book boyfriend in my mind. A protector, a caregiver, and a sexual god, no wonder little Samantha Ryder started crushing at a young age.

While the ending may just be a slight offensive for some ( I’ve never given spoilers and I’m not about to now, so go ask someone else), I was in awe by how my heart raced in that final scene. I may not have been in tears by the time the “I love you”‘s came out, but it was the cutest damn end to this fantastic and wild ride.

Would I Recommend?:
Hell yes! Erotic, romantic, and badass action at every turn, how could I not?

One Tough Cowboy by Lora Leigh; Veronica Chadwick is the First book in the Moving Violations Series. This is the story of Samantha and Hunter. Hunter used to look out for her and protect her when she was younger. So it was no surprise when learned he had become the sheriff of their town. But she was taken back by her feelings that still linger their for him and how attractive he has become. Hunter too is drawn back to Sam and the feelings of protectiveness that he has...along with other growing feelings. Besides the hot love story there is a underline suspense story.
Enjoyed their story!