This was a pretty good book. The story was well paced. The main characters were really exciting to follow on their journey. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

There's something about seeing the Harlequin logo that has me one-clicking, ready to indulge in a great romance. And this author definitely brought me that. This story really got to me.

Ambush Before Sunrise (Cardwell Ranch: Montana Legacy #3). By B.J. Daniels. 2020. Harlequin Intrigue. (ARC eBook).

Jinx McCallahan’s soon-to-be ex-husband, T.D. Sharp, has been making it impossible for her to keep local ranch hands hired on. But as it becomes necessary to move her cattle to summer range up in the Wyoming mountains, she has no choice but to take on two local wranglers who seem to have ulterior motives. Luckily, further help arrives from Montana in the form of ranching brothers, Angus and Brick Savage, and their cousin Ella Cardwell. The idea that Jinx might be successful in her cattle drive, despite T.D.’s efforts, spurs him on into a plot of twisted revenge.

An entertaining and action-oriented plot, the tough and determined heroes of Ambush Before Sunrise are embroiled in impending danger when faced off against those who are more obsessive, persistent, and violent than first suspected. The romance is sidelined but I did not doubt the validity of Jinx and Angus coming together. There is though, no shortage of foolish people drinking the fool water in this small Wyoming ranching community. More unbalanced than evil masterminds, the troublemakers’ bad decisions keep snowballing out of control, but the narration explaining their motives felt repetitive at times. All in all, a nice quick read. It’s not my favorite by by Daniels, but I am interested in seeing what happens with both Brick and Ella.

The Good
* The writing and plot flows well which makes this an easy read. Great for a lazy afternoon.
* I thought Daniels did a good job with the world building. I liked the atmosphere of the mountains and the great outdoors. That part of this book came alive for me.
* The last quarter of the book was fast paced and exciting.

The Not so Bad
* There were just too many POVs. I didn't need to know what everyone was thinking all the time. There were at least 6 voices in this where was too much. It seemed to swap from one to another every other page and it left the book feeling fragmented.
* The characters were lacking in personality. Their voices didn't seem all that different and I just struggled to care about them at all.
* Very unrealistic. No one seems to have vaguely normal instincts.

The Ugly
* The whole book is built around the big action show down at the end of the book but I just didn't feel the anticipation like I should have. It was all a bit dull.
* The romance was an after thought and it lacked any character or feeling. (view spoiler)

I do enjoy a good western romance and BJ Daniels brings it to us in AMBUSH BEFORE SUNRISE. In it, we meet wrangler Angus Savage, who has come to Wyoming to help Jinx McCallahan get her cattle to high country. He’s known Jinx since they were kids and he’s keen to reconnect with the woman she’s become, not expecting her to be so head-strong, but kind of digging it just the same.

Likes: I’m a sucker for a western, always have been. Add in elements of suspense and I’m with you the whole way. I really liked Angus, whose name belies his character, and Jinx is definitely in a hard spot dealing with the death of her father and trying to keep the business afloat. The plot progresses at an even pace and I was thoroughly engaged in the story. Dislikes: Admittedly, I had just finished reading a story that was closer to erotica than romance, so found this one a bit light on the romance and heavier on the storytelling, which is fine. Really, but I was hoping for a bit more heat.

AMBUSH BEFORE SUNRISE is book 3 in the Cardwell Ranch: Montana Legacy but is a standalone.
Original review posted by me on The Romance Reviews

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Just loved this book and recommend it to everyone.

Complementary copy given for honest review and opinion from Netgalley.
I just love BJ Daniels. Her writing style is captivating and suspenseful with enough romance to keep you swooning.

Whenever I spot a Harlequin Intrigue book written by BJ Daniels I just know it will be an enthralling, action packed romance that will keep me on the edge of my seat . . . and this is another example of just such a story!

When Dana Savage learns that Jinx McCallahan, the now orphaned daughter of her best friend, is struggling to get help she enlists her twin sons, Angus and Brick, and their cousin, Ella, to go to help out on a cattle drive. None of them realised just what danger Jinx is in as her soon-to-be-ex-husband, T.D. Sharp, is determined to either win her back or kill her…. Even before the cattle drive begins, T.D. shows up to threaten Jinx and once the drive is in progress he’s shadowing them with some friends to help him. Can they get the cattle to the summer pastures safely or will this drive prove to be the death of them?

This is a real page-turner, full of suspense and packed with characters who seem to be real, with all the angst, turmoil and love brilliantly portrayed. The focus of the story is the intrigue but there’s also a side helping of romance between Angus and Jinx is one they initially resist but is nevertheless moving. I really enjoyed escaping into this story and can’t wait to read what happens to both Ella and Brick in future books in this series – I hope they each get their own book!

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after thoroughly enjoying reading it!

Ambush Before Sunrise is a gripping, chilling and captivating tale from one of romantic suspense’s brightest shining stars: BJ Daniels.

Jinx McCallahan bitterly regrets the day she didn’t heed her father’s warnings and married her ex-husband who now seems hellbent on ruining her life. The ink hadn’t even dried on their marriage certificate before Jinx saw what her husband was really like. Even though she had thrown him out and even got a restraining order against him, Jinx’s ex-husband is not about to let her go without a fight. Not only does he never lose an opportunity to try and scare her, but he is also now jeopardizing her business and putting her livelihood in danger. While she usually has no problem finding wranglers to help her out during the season, nobody seems to want to help Jinx this time round, but help is at hand when Angus Savage Cardwell turns up with his twin brother and cousin ready and willing to get Jinx’s cattle to high country.

When Angus had heard that Jinx needed help, he didn’t hesitate to leave his life behind to assist the woman he knew a long time ago when they were just kids. Aware that Jinx has an ex keen to make trouble for her, Angus vows to stay alert and to protect Jinx – even though she certainly knows how to look after herself!

With danger round every corner, Jinx stands to lose everything which she has worked so hard for. But the one thing she never imagined was finding herself losing her heart to the brooding wrangler who has managed to breach the walls she had built around her heart. But with everything to lose, will this second chance at happiness end up slipping through Jinx’s fingers? Or will she and Angus manage to triumph over all the obstacles standing in their way?

A fabulous tale of high stakes, heart-pounding action, tender emotion and powerful romance, Ambush Before Sunrise is classic BJ Daniels. A master at keeping her readers absolutely glued to the page, in Ambush Before Sunrise BJ Daniels has penned a chilling, dramatic and captivating tale of nail-biting intrigue and sizzling passion that continues to cement her standing as the queen of Western romantic suspense.

Ambush before Sunrise by BJ Daniels was devoured in one night. I am always so excited to read BJ Daniels’ books. I have found that the novels read quickly and always hold all my attention.

Jinx was in trouble. Her cattle needed moving to the summer pasture, but she did not have any ranch hands. Her father died leaving the ranch to her, telling her to sell it. Her husband, soon to be ex, wanted half the ranch and money she had. Never mind the fact that he continued to harass her, even with a restraining order. Then help arrived. Perhaps with the three Savage cowboys and the two shifty ones from town, she can make it.

Angus, Brick (his twin) and Ella ( their cousin) are sent by their mother down to help Jinx. They have been hired out in a lot of ranches, but they have driven far to help Jinx, and after meeting her ex, T.D. are not leaving. Jinx was determined to move the herd with them and then make big decisions. Bears, broken chuckwagon wheels and sleeping on the job were only the beginning problems on the cattle drive.

There are some interesting twists and turns with girlfriends, best friends, and nefarious characters. I enjoyed the adventure, and budding love story. I really find that the books move right along and there aren’t a lot of long passages filled with angst. Ambush Before Sunrise by BJ Daniels is a great read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ambush Before Sunrise makes me think of those spaghetti Westerns we used to watch on Saturday afternoon. And there I go, dating myself again. Anyway, my point is it's easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys. If I closed my eyes, I could practically see the good guys in their white hats and the black-hatted baddies lurking and scheming nearby. We even have a gray hat or two in there to keep things interesting.
Knowing who the bad guys were didn't diminish the fun at all. The pacing is spot on for a Western. There's plenty of action and danger and lots of intrigue as TD connives while Patty manipulates. The way that relationship works and lengths they're both willing to go certainly keep the pages turning. And of course, there's a romance in there too with a swoony cowboy and a strong heroine who doesn't exactly need saving, but she could use a little help.
From what I've seen, the Savage brothers come from another story written by BJ Daniels, but if I missed something, I didn't notice it. The characters are developed, the story is engaging, and the intrigue was everything it should be.

It should be just another cattle drive for JoRay "Jinx" McCallahan. Not only does Jinx need a couple more hands for the drive, she must contend with her soon-to-be ex-husband T.D.Sharp. Not only is Jinx divorcing T.D., she has a restraining order on him. Well, as far as he is concerned, that is just another piece of paper. Jinx is his and he has no problem trying to prove that to her.

There is a small part of him that wants the money that would come his way if he got the ranch that Jinx owns, but the bigger part of him wants her back. He still loves her and wants her to give him another chance. Meanwhile there is a love triangle of sorts. Patty Conroe is in love with T.D. and Jinx is in the way. To extend this story of unrequited love, there is Wyatt Hanson, T.D.'s best friend, and he is in love with Patty.

The catalyst in all of these "love" feelings - Jinx She is in the way with T.D. and Patty, and Wyatt is there to catch Patty should T.D. get out of the way. Sound confusing? It really isn't, as characters and motives becomes all too clear in the first two chapters. These chapters lay the groundwork for jealousy, deviousness, revenge and danger.

Meanwhile Angus Savage is a wrangler hired by Jinx for the cattle drive. They knew one another as kids, and Angus is more than drawn to Jinx now. The drive is full of peril, but it soon becomes apparent that Jinx and Angus are drawn to one another. This comes as a surprise to Jinx after all she is dealing with when it comes to T.D.

What a fast-paced story! Not because it is less than 300 pages, but due to the intensity when it comes to T.D.'s dark side and Patty's manipulative plans when it comes to Jinx. B.J. Daniels is a name I see quite often so I rather surprised myself after realizing this is the first book I've read by her. When another of her books came to NetGalley I snatched that one up as I loved this book and the crafty style of writing Daniels employed. I don't read westerns often, but this book, with romance and suspense, proved to be a fantastic read.

Many thanks to Harlequin Intrigue and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I thought this is going to be a sweet cowboy romance read, but I was wrong and I'm glad I was wrong, this is a suspenseful full of actions cowboy romance, an intense thrill from beginning to the end. Once I read there's no stopping, always expecting bad things in every chapter, my heart racing all the time waiting for the bad guys to make a move, head to head with the bag guys in the mountain, where no law enforcement to back you up, no signal to call for help and with everyone has their own agenda, it definitely has a complicated and captivating story and definitely a wild crazy ride and with romance to spice things up, this book becoming a MUST-READ for suspense cowboy romance lovers.

If you love cowboy, read this book. If you love suspense, read this book. If you love romance read packed with suspense and action, read this book. Just read it!

There is nothing that Jinx would like more than to finalize her divorce from her cheating ex however that is easier said than done as he isn’t prepared to walk away without what he deems is his half of her family’s ranch. Not only isn’t he willing to walk away but he is willing to do whatever is necessary to provide her the incentive to sell by force if necessary. As a result, she has been unable to find anyone to help her with her cattle drive until some people from her past come to her aid.

When Angus finds out that Jinx needs help he is not only willing to help his childhood friend but brings along his twin brother Brick and his cousin Ella as well. He has always held a special spot in his heart for her and now that she is a woman rather than a girl he is about to find out that it has only intensified. The only thing standing in their way is her ex who will do whatever is necessary to thwart her plans.

The characters are compelling, the action and intrigue are the main part of the novel with the romance coming secondary. It is always fun to revisit the Cardwell family and this is no exception.

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

This is a really great tale of obsession and twisted revenge. I really like B.J. Daniels, she is one of the best because she writes a wonderful suspense plot with a very good romance element and doesn't feel the need to pad her page count with repetition and excessive narration. It was also wonderful to see Crime Scene At Cardwell Ranch's Hud and Dana's twins all grown up.

Jinx McCallahan has kicked her no good, drunken husband to the curb. All that is left before the divorce is final is the property settlement and Jinx is determined not to give that loser any part of her ranch. The ex, T.D. has other ideas and so does his girlfriend, Patty. He has made it impossible for her to hire ranch hands to drive her cattle to the high country pasture. So, she has advertised out of state for hands to hire.

Angus Cardwell Savage and his two cousins answer the ad. Angus knew a little red-haired, spitfire of a girl and wonders who she grew up to be. What he finds takes his heart away and even though she doesn't need a relationship at this time, Angus can wait. As they drive the herd up the mountain, they know that T.D. and his friends are sure to follow and anything can happen.

AMBUSH BEFORE SUNRISE is the third book in the CARDWELL RANCH: MONTANA LEGACY series and it’s full of action, adventure, love gone wrong, and cowboys. This is Jinx’s story. She’s the new owner of the Flying J Bar MC Ranch in Wyoming, after the death of her father. Her soon-to-be ex-husband is doing everything to put fear into her. He doesn’t want a divorce, but what does he want besides scaring Jinx at every turn?

When she finally gets a few cowhands to help her get her cattle to the summer range, things take a turn for the worse. In the dark of night, things seem to be going wrong. Not everyone is who they seem, but luckily the Cardwell twins, Angus and Brick, and their cousin Ella are some of the good guys.

The danger is clear, with shootouts, injuries and, even death. Angus and Jinx have an attraction and a past, though that’s a little foggy to Jinx. This romantic suspense has a few unexpected plot twists. There is a nice flow to the story and well fleshed-out characters. I haven’t read the first two books in the series but didn’t feel lost, as most blanks were filled in. And the story wraps up nicely.

Ms. Daniels is an author I enjoy reading for her small towns and strong families, stronger women and hot cowboys.

This one will have to be another addition to the good, the bad, and the ugly. There were things I enjoyed about this story, for sure. Unfortunately, there were quite a few things that drove me nuts. The first being that, although I initially believed this to be a standalone story, I could tell almost right away it was somehow connected to a series. And boy is it! There seems to be a few series by this author that deal with the Cardwell family. Do you need to read them to read this? Nope. I understood what was happening perfectly. But I did feel that I was missing out on some of the deeper emotions and/or meaning with those from the Cardwell family that came to help Jinx.

One of the things I loved was the sweetness between Jinx and Angus. While I didn’t feel high chemistry, there was definitely an attraction and, more importantly, a respect for one another. They both felt the pull but knew it wasn’t the time or place to act on those feelings. Yet, when they were alone together, they were so open and honest and it gave me hope for their future.

Now, I’m going to admit that the biggest thing that drove me nuts may be something others will greatly enjoy. I have no issues with multiple points of view, especially in romance. I love seeing things from both angles…or more than 2 if there are more than 2 people in the relationship. But there are six points of view in this story. SIX! And only two of them are falling in love. The depth into which the author goes into the minds of Jinx’s ex-husband, his girlfriend, and the man in love with his girlfriend was just too much for me. I don’t mind knowing the motivation of the bad guy in a suspense, but it almost seemed like there as also a justification for their actions. Like the reader would somehow find forgiveness for the awful things these characters were doing if we could just understand where they were coming from. Ugh! No! Too much for me.

Which reminds me, I wanted to give a trigger warning on this one. Jinx’s ex, T.D., is truly a terrible human and is very aggressive with women. Not only physically, but also sexually and in verbal ways. Because the author did an amazing job writing these scenes, it could prove to be too intense for some readers.

I look back on that last paragraph I wrote and realize that I do think this author is a great writer. She is able to paint a picture with her words and that’s a beautiful talent to have. But, until the end of this story, I didn’t feel the suspense. I knew Jinx’s group was in danger intellectually, but didn’t feel the danger like I would have liked. Now, like I said, the ending did have that feeling for me. But I expected it more throughout.

Will I try out another of this author’s works? Probably. Most likely something from the beginning of her writing of the Caldwell family. I know others who greatly enjoyed this story, feeling as though they were revisiting old friends. So who know? It’s surely a decent read, it just didn’t hook me as I had hoped it would.

Another adventure is just the ticket for how you can leave home without the hassle of actually leaving. You get all that with this one that will give you thrills as the characters go on a drive. Angus and Jinx are not driving cars but cattle with many pitfalls that come along the way. This is also a chance for a second chance if fate allows. As they go along it will not just be nature that could get in their way but human form that could spell more than danger. The suspense will be the fuel that keeps those pages flipping at times. Satisfied the craving for the romance and suspense together top notch.

Jinx is in the middle of a messy divorce and its clear her ex just can't seem to cut ties. Working a ranch she news a few hands to help her out and Angus Savage and a couple others are willing to help move her cattle. Problem is her ex seems to want to stir up trouble that can end up deadly.

Great book. From the moment I started this book I couldn't help but be sucked into this story. Clearly he ex was no good and possessive af and couldn't just leave things alone. I loved that with this story we got his point of view which made things all the more interesting. There were bits and pieces of his point of view so you get kinda his mind set and dastardly plans but hes unreliable so this plans can go sideways or more then expected. Then there was the attraction between Jinx and Angus which I enjoyed seeing but all the better it didn't over power this book, its not a romance. I loved that there was enough suspense wondering when things would turn sour and I enjoyed seeing how everything played out.

Jinx knows when she meets Angus that there's something familiar, but she can't out her finger on why. There's a scar on his face that seems familiar, but the reason is just beyond her memiry. He's come along with his twin brother Brick and their cousin Ella to help Jinx move her cattle. The thing is she's involved in a nasty divorce with her soon to be ex. There's a restraining order, but that means nothing to him. He's forcing Jinx to share 1/2 the proceeds from a sale of her family ranch.

Her mother and Bruck/Angus' mom were best friends and she visited the Savage ranch as a child. At the end of their desperate trek to move cattle and deal with her angry ex, she and Angus will each have a scar that will strengthen their relationship.

A great story, that although part of a series, can be read as a standalone story. I recommend you read it and am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did!

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.