Was so hard to put down once the emotional roller-coaster adventure began. Highly entertaining, sweetly sexy, laugh out loud fun and action-packed journey filled with witty and engaging charters, heart racing twists and undeniable passion.

This is the second book in this series that I have read and I really struggled with this one. I never felt connected to the characters; I never saw the chemistry between them and I thought they acted just plain silly.

Violet leaves San Antonio to come to another part of Texas for three months to debut her dating app. Yeah, that made no sense to me either. And she came to this location because she had seen Mr July in a firefighter calendar and she knew she had to use him as her spokesmodel. She ends up staying on his ranch to work as a “cowgirl” in exchange for a shorter lease. Yeah, strange. And don’t even get me started on the homing pigeons or their weird infatuation with boxed chocolates.

I just didn’t see much in this book that I like. Usually I can breeze through a good book in one day - two days tops. This book took me 6 or 7 days because I dreaded reading it. It’s a “no go” for me - I’ll skip the rest of the series.

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

It took me a while to get into this one but the story was fun and interesting. i love the fish out of water concept and the hot firefighters didn't hurt!

Even though I was very excited for this book, I just couldn't enjoy it. I was very intrigued by the plot and I don't mind one of the main characters keeping a big secret from the other, as long as there is a good reason. Here... there just wasn't one. Sure, Violet couldn't know that she would fall in love with Kemp, making her lying a real problem for herself, but that's exactly the issue. I didn't get the feeling that Violet had a really qualms about lying to people she didn't know, just for personal gain. Kemp himself seems nice enough, but there's no real substance to him beyond being a hot struggling rancher, that also does fire fighting on the side. It felt like the author just tried to give him as many "hot man qualities" as possible. The storyline itself isn't bad and I don't mind that being secondary to the romance, but in that case I really need to like the main characters and have the feeling that they have some depth to them. Overall I just didn't really get any of the characters and wasn't all that invested in their romance.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

Cowboy Fire is the eighth title in the Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series, and it was a fun, entertaining story. I enjoy Ms. Reford’s writing which was smooth and engaging but I’m afraid that Violet let me down a bit with those lies that came back to bite hard. You cannot claim to be a cowgirl and not know the first thing about how to do any of the many chores around a ranching operation… at all. She had her agenda in tracking down Mr. July and convincing him to be the face of her dating app. Unfortunately, Kemp wants nothing to do with her scheme or her lies – he’s too busy trying to figure out who is attacking his ranch to give her what she desperately wants. But then, there is that chemistry between them that will implode at some point.

I had a good time in Cowboy Fire, met up with some familiar faces, got to watch the perfect love story between an unlikely bovine couple, and a puzzle to put together in discovering who is out to get Kemp and his ranch. The chemistry between Violet and Kemp was off the charts, but given the timeframe of the story the insta-love on Violet’s part wasn’t as believable for me as it can be, but that’s my reaction your’s might be different.

In all, Kemp and Violet, along with some unique friends gave me an entertaining story, a few chuckles, and a perfect happy ending. Hard to ask for more than 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 received this arc for an honest review.

A wonderful fun story, Violet arrives in Texas county looking for Mr. July for her own calendar. Of course everything she does not start off well at all and she really makes her own case worse for a good part of the story.
Kemp the Mr. July wants nothing to do with her idea or plan of a chat site, dating site and really wants her to leave only to discover he is renting a place he watches, now he is stuck with her for weeks and on top of that people he knows are beginning to take a liking to her just as long as he doesn’t he is fine, or so he thinks. A very good story.

Had me a cowboy. Really enjoyed this story. Flowed well and had me hooked in reading it. The first book from this author. Will find more books from them.

3.5 stars

This was my first book from Kim Redford and I really enjoyed it. The blurb sounded cute and I liked the opposites attract and forced proximity tropes it mentioned.

Violet needs Kemp's help for her online dating service and doesn't expect him to say no. Kemp's got his own issues to deal with though, and doesn't need Violet living on his ranch or asking him to be part of the dating service.

The pacing was a little off for me at times, but I still liked the story. Violet and Kemp had lots of chemistry and I liked the development of their relationship as they got to know each other better.

It is the 8th book in the series, but I didn't feel lost reading it. I am planning on picking up the other books too.

Cowboy Fire definitely took me to the heart of Texas and made me want to throw on my boots! I love small towns and small town romances and Kim Redford had just the right amount of small town camaraderie and work on the ranch in this book.⁠
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Violet leaves her apartment in San Antonio and heads to Wildcat Bluff County to seek out Mr. July of the Cowboy Firefighters calendar. She wants to ask him to be the model for her dating website, Cowboy Heart-to-Heart Corral. She’s made plans to stay in Wildcat Bluff County for three months while working as a cowgirl on Hallelujah Ranch.⁠
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Violet and Kemp were very sweet together, and Kemp becomes quickly protective of her. I did feel like the feelings and emotions ramped up too quickly for both of them - they knew each other for less than a day when Violet was tossing around the “L” word in her head.⁠
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The Buick Brigade was maybe my favorite side character in the book. The way Kemp was uneasy around these women, how they knew everything that was going on, and they were revered by everyone living in Wildcat Bluff County - but still not women to cross. ⁠
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Cowboy Fire is the eighth in the Smoking Hot Cowboys series, but can absolutely be read as a standalone.

What do a charity calendar, a legendary prohibition speak easy, a silver spoon, and a lonely hearts club have in common? They all feature in the story of Violet, a believer in love for others though not herself. Her lonely hearts club is her dream but in this story it may be that dreams can be altered and found anew. A light easy read with some fun twists and turns that keep you involved in this tale of love in Texas. Ps wavhnout for Fernando the wonder bull

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to mevia NetGalley. This book was just amazing. I just lost myself in this story and didn’t want it to end. It was really well written and just drew in you intothese characters lives. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for a complimentary copy of the book for an honest review.



Cowboy Fire by Kim Redford is the story of Cowboy firefighter Kemp Lander and Violet Ashwood. It's a cute and steamy story of two people who are trying to make It out in their world. It has charming scenes where you could bit into it and get cavities. It had other times where you wanted to yell at their stubbornness and laugh at how silly they were.

Still, CF was quite a difficult story for me to finish. At first, I thought it was just the pacing of the story that was getting to me but then realized that the characters weren't likable enough to care. I couldn't enjoy them quite as well as I hoped that I would. I put out there a lot of hope based on the blurb and couldn't find myself happy about it. Even with that said, I give Cowboy Fire a three-star rating because it isn't a bad book or badly written, it just isn't a story written specifically for my enjoyment.

Despite ticking 2 of my romance boxes – cowboy and firefighter - this book didn’t work for me. There wasn’t any drama, angst or action. The story seemed to just chug along without any highs or lows. Kemp was a struggling ranch owner who was also a volunteer firefighter. Yet there didn’t seem to be any scenes showing how Kemp was struggling. For instance, both his house and guest house were immaculate and high end. Maybe hiring a helper for work around the ranch showed he was struggling? But the person he hires, Violet, doesn’t know anything about ranching yet he doesn’t really seem perturbed. Violet was too Pollyanna for me. Nothing seemed to not work for her. There was not really anything here to keep my attention.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own thoughts. What's not to love? A rugged handsome cowboy who is also a firefighter sets the tone for this smoking sexy read. When Violet Ashford comes across a calendar from Wildcat Bluff County, Texas that features its volunteer firefighters, she is enthralled with Mr. July. He would make the perfect face for the new online dating site she is developing. But she has to meet him. She puts her life in San Antonio on hold and responds to an ad to work as a cowgirl in Wildcat Bluff County. This is the perfect opportunity to meet Mr. July and approach him about being her model for the site. What a surprise when she finds it is Mr. July (Kemp Lander) himself who has hired her to work on his ranch. Violet knows nothing about being a cowgirl, but she's a fast learner and determined. The sparks fly between Violet and Kemp but with trespassers digging holes all over Hallelujah Ranch looking for hidden bootlegger gold, and Violet learning how to be a cowgirl, there is no time to explore the sparks. One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the tertiary characters. Bertha, who runs a gourmet chocolate shop, Cousin Lester, The Buick Brigade, Sydney Steele, the other firefighters, the radio DJ and many more helped add layers and dimensions to this story. So, it's not just a romance. It's much deeper. Add Fernando the wonder bull and his love, Daisy Mae, and you've got all the makings of a busy and engaging read. Also, the added layer of the history of the Hallelujah Ranch and the hidden speakeasy along with the mystery of Lady Mauve was fun. So, anyone who is looking for a hot sexy romance with lots of layers will enjoy this story as much as I did!

Complementary copy given for my honest opinion and review by NetGalley.
Another great book in this series. Kim Redford builds up her stories with a large amount of details. If you do not like pages upon pages of details, this might not be the book for you.

Sadly this didn't work for me. I thought the title was a bit off I'm still not sure what Cowboy Fire is means
Parts of the book worked but there was too much going on with the main characters. He was a cowboy, fireman , who was also a vet when the vet was gone. In addition to this he's also model. This was all in the first chapter.
Her faking it in his world was a bit too much.

I received a copy of this book for a honest review.

DNF 29%

After reading the blurb I found myself intrigued by the premise and jumped at the chance to read this story. However, it wasn't my for me.

Upon meeting Violet on the first chapter, I knew I wouldn't like her. IDK, I felt like she would do anything to get what she wanted, which is not a necessarily a bad thing. But when you lie and deceive to get your way without regards to the person you're deceiving, then I won't think very highly of you. Then she finally meets up with Kemp and the other fire-fighters and it was downhill from there. I didn't do my homework and didn't realize that this is the 8th book a series, which didn't help me much when all these characters appear. Mind you, I didn't make far and these characters are mentioned and I can't keep them straight.

But what really turned-off completely from continuing to read was the fact that at the 20% mark Violet states that "she'd fallen head-over-heels in love with Mr. July." *confused* Wait, WHAT?!! How? She's spent less than a day with the guy! I'm sorry. No, I couldn't continue, which was a shame because I was really starting to like Kemp. And then came the pregnant cow and the bull and...no.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆
This is the eighth book in the series, and I have read a number of them and enjoyed them. I find the writing to be very descriptive, and to veer off the point regularly, but at the same time, that style actually fits the storylines and the kind of larger than life people that we meet along the way!

Amazingly, the first third of the book takes place on a single day, and through the inner voices of both Kemp and Violet, we know just how struck they are with each other. Violet may have come to find Mr. July to front her dating app, but she has also found Kemp, a man with whom she has great chemistry. It is a lot of fun watching her follow him around, learning about his life as she takes on the chores that came with the tenancy. And supporting him as more damage is caused to his ranch.

There are some very amusing snippets of extra characters, such as Storm and her in love bull and now pregnant cow; the homing pigeons, Bonny and Clyde, delivering messages from Destiny; and many, sexy firefighter cowboys. Crazy, but very easy, enjoyable, and romantic reading!

So, a book that features a cowboy, who’s also a firefighter should be right up my alley. Add in interesting characters like Violet and Kemp and I’m sure to love their story. But there was something either missing for me or not clicking on all cylinders, because I just didn’t love it. The writing was good, I’ve read Kim Redford books before and liked them, so it’s definitely not an author issue. I guess it’s just a case of this reader not feeling a connection to the characters enough for their story to make an impact. It’s a 3.5 star read for me.

What’s not to love about this great story?!?! There’s hot firefighters who also happen to be hot cowboys, chemistry, steamy, and a HEA, of course!!

Kemp has his hands full with his newly acquired ranch he’s trying to get up and running. Not to mention his volunteer activity as a firefighter and EMT for the entire county. So when, Violet shows up wanting his help, he’s not in the mood.

Violet saw Mr. July in the benefit calendar for the all-volunteer Wildcat Bluff Fire-Rescue. As soon as she saw him, she knew he’d be the perfect person to help her launch her new dating site. With her pie in the sky idea, she’s off to proposition Mr. July.

The writing was so descriptive and detailed that you could picture the ranch and town so easily. I loved the chemistry between Kemp and Violet. The play on history, love and the interwoven history of the town and its people was outstanding.

I received a gifted copy of this title in exchange for a honest review.