Rating: 4.5 Stars

Delores Fossen can always be relied on to deliver high quality romantic suspense and her latest novel, Sheriff in the Saddle, is a high-octane action-packed page-turner I couldn’t bear to put down.

Sheriff Leigh Mercer has got a lot to prove. With her father being the town’s former sheriff, she is perpetually in his shadow and she needs to show all those who doubt her that she is more than worthy of wearing the badge. Leigh is used to tough cases and doesn’t balk from a challenge, but her latest case could be her toughest one yet. A dead body has been found at the Triple R Ranch, the home of her former boyfriend Cullen Brodie. Worse, the finger of suspicion is pointing squarely in his direction. Is Cullen a murderer? And can Leigh keep her personal and professional life separate in the most important case of her career?

Cullen has got a lot to deal with. Not only has he been left reeling from the discovery of a dead body on his ranch, but he also finds himself in very close proximity to his ex, Leigh. The two of them might have split up, but the chemistry between them still sizzles. With this investigation thrusting the two of them together, resisting temptation quickly proves impossible, but with a killer on the loose, Leigh and Cullen must watch their backs and stay focused because there is a dangerous criminal out there willing to do whatever it takes to keep them from getting to the truth.

With their lives in danger and the stakes at an all-time high, will Leigh and Cullen manage to put the murderer behind bars and give their relationship another try? Or will this investigation end up costing them everything?

Delores Fossen’s Sheriff in the Saddle is an exciting, enjoyable and engrossing romantic suspense novel that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. An expert when it comes to blending a powerful love story with a tantalizing nail-biting mystery, Delores Fossen has outdone herself with this fast-paced, intensely passionate and brilliantly paced romantic suspense novel.

Delores Fossen gets it right every single time and she has penned another winner with her latest novel, Sheriff in the Saddle.

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

Sheriff Leigh refuses to believe that her former boyfriend Cullen is behind a murder even when it happened in his house. Everyone is ready to blame him without a thought but Leigh believes there is something more especially since the more they look into it the more daring the suspect is.

I enjoyed this book there was so much going on. I love when a book can keep me actively guessing and this book was perfect for that. There was plenty of encounters with the person behind the murder and clearly that person doesn't want to get caught trying to take Leigh and Cullen out and I loved seeing each moment and how it ended up turning out. I enjoyed the romance between the two. I pretty much enjoyed everything about this book was such a fun ride.

Attention grabbing from start to finish! The kick off to The Law in Lubbock County series is an intense reunion of former loves in the middle of a crime scene. The pace is fast, the drama is high and the storyline is addictive. I highly enjoyed their reconnection!

Leigh is the new sheriff of Lubbock County and watching her step into leadership is refreshing. She has a lot going against her in the form of her former sheriff father who won't back off, her deputy who still acts like her dad is the boss and an ex taking center stage in her newest and most difficult crime scene.

Cullen is goodhearted and sincere and watching him try to get to the bottom of the murder that has occurred on his ranch while reconnecting with the one that got away is satisfying.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a drama filled bit of intrigue as danger is lurking around the corner when they least expect it.

Wow - this is action packed from the start to the end,
With Sheriff Leigh Mercer attending a murder at the home of her former boyfriend!
The victim is his latest ex, and for others he's an immediate suspect
But this Sheriff follows the evidence and that she needs to collect.

The pace never slackens at any point in this book
It has you on edge as at each page you look.
There are so many suspects, just who can they trust?
No matter the rumours, find the true killer she must.

Their fathers hate each other and want them apart
Should they follow their wishes or follow their heart?
With so much danger, both their lives are at stake
Staying together, protecting each other, is this a mistake?

A Romeo and Juliet kind of romantic suspense
With constant peril, the atmosphere is tense.
Can these two thwarted lovers find love once more
Or will the killer succeed in adding them to his score?

A great read that kept me enthralled all the way
I couldn't put it down till I'd finished it today!
For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

The book just proves why this author is one of my all-time favorites. The e-reader was smokin' hot with the speed in which I was turning the pages. The plot was fast and smooth. It kept me guessing the entire time. The chemistry between Leigh and Cullen was there but both knew that the identity of the killer was pivotal to getting things between them settled.

I had many guesses as to who, what and why. Of course, Ms. Fossen knows how to write a fantastic story that weaves it's web over me the reader. The only disappointment, the end of course!

I can't wait for the next installment to this series!

Terrific blend of suspense and second-chance romance. Leigh and Cullen were high school sweethearts pulled apart by a family feud. They are brought together by a murder on his ranch.

Leigh was recently elected sheriff, replacing her retired father. But Jeb has trouble letting go and constantly sticks his nose into what is no longer his business. She also has problems with one of her deputies, who thinks he should be sheriff. When she's called to Cullen's ranch because of a murder, she faces her biggest challenge so far - solving the murder and resisting her attraction to Cullen.

Despite the presence of an ex-girlfriend's body in his home, Cullen remained outwardly cool and calm. The tension increases when Leigh arrives. He knows it looks suspicious to have Alexa's body there. He can't deny his attraction to Leigh, but he can't do anything about it until the murderer is caught.

The suspense kept me hooked from the beginning. There's a dead body and an injured ranch hand, and Cullen is the most logical suspect. But Leigh doesn't fall for the obvious, and instinct tells her that Cullen is innocent. The action starts immediately when they are attacked on the road back to town, and the assailant gets away. Delving deeper into Alexa's actions before her death leads them to some unexpected suspects. Whenever I thought I had figured out whodunit, something would happen to make me question my decision. I didn't figure it out until right before the final confrontation. It was a nail-biter and kept me glued to the pages until it was over.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Leigh and Cullen develop. They are older and less inclined to be influenced by their fathers' feud. That feud is evident when Cullen's father, Bowen, accuses Leigh of planning to railroad his son for the murder. Then Leigh's father harangues her for not arresting Cullen on the spot. I liked that Leigh stood up to them and made up her own mind. Part of that is her instinct telling her that Cullen is innocent, though she worries slightly that her attraction to him might affect her judgment. Instead, she recruits Cullen to help her get to the truth.

I liked seeing Leigh and Cullen work together. That time allowed them to get to know each other as adults and build the trust they needed to survive. The sparks of attraction are evident, as are their growing feelings. I liked that Cullen respected Leigh's abilities as sheriff, while at the same time, his protectiveness was unmistakable. I liked that because the book spans just a few days, there's no rush to a marriage proposal, just a request for a first (then second, third, and fourth) date. I laughed at the two fathers' comments and their effect on Cullen and Leigh.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

This is a Romantic Suspense, and this is the first book in the Law in Lubbock County series. This book is filled with action and suspense, and I did not guess who was behind the murders until right before the reveal. I loved the characters in this book, and the two main characters fit together as well. This book had me wanting to keep reading because all the drama and action had me really wanting to see how it ended. There were a lot of hospital visits in this book. I can wait until the next book in this series to come out. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Intrigue) or author (Delores Fossen) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Will Leigh and Cullen live to see their second chance?

This is part murder mystery, part killer-on-the-loose, and part second-chance romance. In this author's capable hands, all the parts work beautifully together to create an exciting, edge-of-your-seat thriller filled with compelling characters and plenty of flying bullets.

The mystery was on point throughout, with exquisite pacing, a thorough investigation that left no stone unturned, and a family feud that runs deep. I really loved the interactions between Leigh and Cullen, especially the way they worked together right from the start. At the worst moments, their barely-tangible trust was the only thing keeping them alive and it was that inherent trust that solidified the foundation for their romance.

All the secondary characters were vividly portrayed, and the identity of the killer was saved for the very last possible moment. Justice prevails on the way to a very satisfying HEA. My only complaint - and it's admittedly tiny - is that other than the title, there's nary a saddle in sight and not one character at any point is on horseback. Sheriff yes, saddle no.

Once I started reading this, I couldn't put it down. If you love a romance soaked in intrigue, this is the book for you. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Fossen knows how to write about Texas and law officers. Sheriff in the Saddle offers a bunch formsmunresder looking for a good romance that also includes murder, mystery, and years of undercurrents of tensions.
The villain was too hard to discern after several chapters, although the author tries to throw readers off the scent. The chapters are short and the action never ending. The heat between Cullen and Leigh, part of the signature of a Harlequin book.
See how justice is served in Dark River.

Family feuds in the twenty first century, amazing how these things have a life of their own. Generationally you’d think it would peter out but anger and mistrust have the ability to keep on simmering. So in SHERIFF IN THE SADDLE Delores Fossen reminds us that the younger generation is definitely affected by these feuds.

So we have Leigh now sheriff of her small close-knit town, having taken over her dad’s position when he retired. Leigh and Connor have a brief interrupted history. Ill-fated romance torn apart by the bitter hatred of their fathers. But somehow that flame still simmers, not full extinguished by their respective dad’s animosity.

But that’s not really the central tales of SHERIFF IN THE SADDLE. Seems there has been a murder committed in Connor’s house during a party. And as the story unfolds, page after page, the list of guilty parties grows exponentially. Pretty soon you begin to question your early choices as the possible murderer. So many folks with opportunity, but the question of motive remains murky.
SHERIFF IN THE SADDLE is a great exercise for those that consider themselves armchair detectives. My choice kept changing. Continually challenged by something new development. So many characters were in danger, but then you begin to question their credibility. Who is lying and who is being truthful? Won’t find out any time soon. But fun to watch Leigh team up with Connor to try to ferret out the criminal while staying alive.

Delores Fossen had to dig deep to create a race against time with so many folks in jeopardy. And at the same time, in the periphery working through some breath-taking scenes. Family dynamics is also faced head on. Delores Fossen flexed her literary muscles on this tale. SHERIFF IN THE SADDLE is a great exercise in solving a crime. Great book for on the beach this summer.

The first book in a new series by Delores Fossen was non-stop action and mystery. There's quite a cast of characters and enough angst between them all that the killer was not obvious

Fast paced with a bit of romance . A fun and quick read.

I received an ARC from Net Galley and I am voluntarily submitting a review.

This book is a super beginning to this new series by Delores Fossen. The characters are very likable. The bad guys are perfect foils for the good guys. The tension and suspense kept be turning the pages until the end. Just the way I like a suspense book to be. I loved all the action. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

So glad I had the cast of characters to help me with this one. I loved the intrigue, but the romance was a bit slim. Leigh was a great sheriff forced into this murder investigation. Cullen was her high school ex. I guess the chemistry never faded.

Sheriff in the Saddle was a fun, fast-paced Intrigue that starts out with a bang, or maybe I should say a thud. There's a dead body, and sheriff Leigh is thrown into her past lover's lair to figure out the whodunit.

Leigh is trying to separate herself from the legacy of her father, the prior sheriff, and she's finding it difficult to get everyone, including her deputies, to see her as the sheriff. When she's faced with her former lover, the ex-boyfriend of the victim, she refuses to arrest him. He wasn't guilty, but someone was, and she was going to need his help to figure out who.

Cullen was calm, cool, and collected, even knowing his ex was dead in his bathroom, until Leigh walked through the halls of his home again. She was the one who got away, but their family feud had kept them apart, and nothing had changed there. What had changed was Leigh. She was no longer a girl from his high school. She was all woman, and a woman he wouldn't mind making part of his future. First, he had to clear his name.

Things get ugly when they discover another injury on Cullen's ranch, followed by an attempt on their lives on the road. Deception and affairs lead Leigh and Cullen to suspects they'd never expect, and they'll need help to solve this mystery.

One thing the author did extremely well in this intrigue was spread the suspicion out evenly over all the suspects, and that's very difficult to do. No one stood out as the guilty party until the very end because it could have been any of them. It's not fiction if you don't have to suspend some reality, though. 'A windshield so darkly tinted you couldn't see the driver' is certainly going to require some suspension of reality, but in the end, the book was well-written and perfectly paced for a small-town sheriff romance. I am certainly looking forward to the next one!

It takes a lot to gain respect as a small-town sheriff, but when your father was the previous sheriff you had to work even harder. Leigh Mercer may have won the election, but not everyone is satisfied with the results. Things get even tense when a rich bachelor's ex-girlfriend is found dead in his bathroom. Everybody wants Cullen Brodie arrested for the murder, but things don't add up. Now Leigh has to figure out who the killer is before he kills both Leigh and Cullen.

A good suspenseful mystery that will have you guessing who the killer is all the way to the end.

Sheriff in the Saddle by Dolores Fossen is a murder mystery rife with suspense and misdirection from start to finish. With equal measure the second chance at romance for Cullen and Leigh lent the story a softer edge. The cast of characters was varied and superb, the action fast and furious, and the passion burning. An excellent story to loose yourself in as at the very end the culprit comes as a shock.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.