Last of the Red-Hot Cowboys was a fun read, but at the same time a little confusing. The story line was great, I just got a little lost at times. While reading the book you definitely are going to want your own Trace in your life!! Even though I was a little confused, it was a great novel and cant wait to read more in the series.

Good book, though a little confusing at times. Mayor Judy of Hell, Texas, has big plans for her little town. It is heavy on the male side of the equation and hide-bound in its traditions. So, she hires three young women to be her "team" - train to be bullfighters and be the stars of the rodeo she wants the town to host. She plans to get the men of the Outlaw Training Center to train the women, but Trace, Saint, and Declan prove to be more resistant to the idea than she planned.

Ava has dreams of becoming a bullfighter. The only girl with five brothers, she was devastated when her brother Liam was injured because a bullfighter didn't do his job. She intends to do her best so that no other sister would suffer the same pain. She arrives in Hell with her teammates Harper and Cameron, only to discover that Judy has somewhat misled them.

Trace and his former SEAL brothers came home after their time in the military, looking forward to the peace of doing the work they love. They enjoy their free, bachelor ways and do their best to stay clear of Mayor Judy's hair-brained ideas. The arrival of the Hell Belles blindsides all three. Trace is the leader who considers all the risks before making a decision and refuses to consider training the team. There is a lot of push and pull between Trace, the mayor, and the team, as each tries to get their way.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Trace and Ava develop. The sparks between them are out of control from the very beginning. Trace is old-fashioned and believes there is an uncrossable line between men and women regarding rodeo. He is also very protective, which comes out when he thinks about Ava in the ring with bulls. Neither Trace nor Ava is looking for a relationship. Trace keeps his interactions superficial, while Ava is too focused on her goals to want the distraction. But keeping their hands off each other is nearly impossible and reconciling their attraction with their goals is an ongoing battle. Both Trace and Ava are stubborn to a fault, and admitting their feelings is something neither is willing to do.

When push comes to shove, Trace can't give in to Ava's desire for training or admit that he needs her. Ava gives up on getting through to him and goes elsewhere for her training, believing there is no future for them. Trace earned every bit of the misery he felt after she left town. It took drastic action by Saint and Declan to finally get through his thick head. I liked the ending and seeing them finally get what they both wanted.

There is lots of other stuff going on in Hell also. Judy has an ongoing feud with another woman, and Judy's man Steele, the sheriff, often gets caught in the middle. It also becomes evident that Judy has more than rodeo on her mind as she sets her matchmaking plans in motion. The other two Belles are intended for Saint and Declan, and it is interesting to see the beginnings of their relationships. The Outlaws' rivals, the Horsemen, also play a significant role in the book, most notably as the ones who should not be training anyone. In one scene, the Horsemen pull a dangerous trick that could have gone horribly wrong and feel no remorse over it. I cheered at Trace's reaction and what he did. It will be interesting to see how things play out in the following books.

This cowboy story is set in Hell, Texas and centers around a headstrong mayor, Judy, trying to change her town’s gender ratio, wanting to make it more of a family town. Now, with the ratio of 5 males to 1 female, she knows bringing sexy, attractive women to her town’s men will be the only way to achieve this goal. By bringing in this trio of ladies, her “Hell’s Belles” – (Ava, Cameron, and Harper) to be trained by the Outlaws – a group of retired military friends from the same platoon that vowed to return to the “normalcy” of Hell while in combat – will be the only way to achieve this. These women know their way around horses, and poor Trace, Saint and Declan know it and have no hope against her plans.

The constant pull and tug between Ava and Trace, for who will be dominant in every situation between them, keeps the readers constantly on their toes. **Possible Spoiler** The steam when these two get together is oh so undeniable, and the times when they don’t fight the attraction drawing them to each other is oh so steamy!! With lots of action constantly going on in Hell, the book keeps the readers wanting to turn the page. This book shows it is definitely hot in Hell and will keep the reader wanting more!

Last of the Red Hot Cowboys is the first book in the Hell’s Outlaw series. It is also the first book I have read by Tia Louise and I am glad I finally read it after grabbing it in 2014. Each book is about one of the brothers in arms that own a Riding Training Center in Hell, TX. A small town of only two-hundred with a mayor who wants to put them on the map.

Ava needed this. To be part of a team of women riders that were going to be bullfighting. Something that hasn’t been done before and it would give her a chance to spread her wings and help her family back in Virginia. This was her chance to do something big. She was on this team called Hell Belles with two other women who needed a chance to prove that bullfighting wasn’t just for men. With the help of the team leader, Mayor Judy this could be epic. But first, they needed to convince Hell’s Outlaws to train them. Soon. She figured out that was going to be the hard part.

There was no way Trace, Declan, and Saint were going to train women. The sport was too dangerous and they didn’t have the first clue on how to train them. Even if they were tough as nails. They still saw them as riders. Event hostesses. Show stoppers but not bullfighters. Especially when Trace was in lust with the petite brunette who looked at him as if she wanted to strangle him on the spot. He couldn’t stand to watch her get hurt. She was too soft. The other two Cameron and Harper were different. They were a bit crazy. Still...he didn’t like this ridiculous idea that his mayor cooked up. And he had a feeling it wasn’t all about putting Hell on the map. Bringing a rodeo to this tiny town. There was something else going on in her blonde little head.

Saint and Ava’s relationship is full of ups and downs. Sideways and backwards. It’s frustrating at times. Crazy at others. Hot at many. These two have to get on the same page. They are both stubborn. They don’t see things the same way. What they do know is that they can’t keep their hands off each other but they need more than that. Can they ever get on the same page or even read the same book?

Overall...I enjoyed it. It was a wonderful start to a new series. I do love my cowboys and there are three hot ones to choose from.

Quotes:

“Hey,” she said, pulling away. “Mind your manners, cowboy.”

“How do you know they’re citronella?”
“Because,” Steel said patiently, “she said she was shopping for citronella candles, and they’re all sitting around in bikinis—”
“I’ll be right there,” Trace said, hanging up his phone. “I’m out of here, fellows,” he called to Declan and Saint.

“What do you mean?”
“We see how you look at Ava,” Declan said. “You look like a starving man at a high-class buffet.”

If you like a steamy romance than this is for you.