I picked up Kansas City Cowboy as a standalone, though it’s the second book in a series and part of the Harlequin Intrigue line. The premise—a small-town sheriff and a forensic psychologist teaming up to catch a serial killer—sounded intriguing, but I found the setting and cultural context too unfamiliar to fully connect with the story, even the small-town American backdrop felt distant and hard to relate to.

I didn’t get far before setting it aside, but I can see why this book is popular with fans of romantic suspense. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.