The Rugged Cowboy by Lora Leigh (contemporary, St. Martins, December 2017)
The Rugged Cowboy is a reprinted edition of two of Lora Leigh’s older erotic romances published by Ellora’s Cave: The Cowboy and the Captive and The Cowboy and the Thief. Both are classic Lora Leigh stories with alpha men and the women who fall for them. In The Cowboy and the Captive, Luc Jardin kidnaps a woman who has caused him trouble. Unfortunately, he ends up kidnapping her twin sister Melina instead. The story is highly convoluted and there is an overly dramatic plot surrounding Melina, her evil twin and her family’s inability to actually love their not-evil daughter that will take some suspension of disbelief to follow. However, this story has lots of hot sexy times packed into it.

The Cowboy and the Thief is the story of Jack (who helps Luc kidnap Melina in the first story) and Angel, and Irish lass who is determined to get her family’s torque back. Angel is the thief who breaks into Jack’s home to retrieve the torque - and is caught red-handed. The torque, of course, has mystical powers and is set to work its magic on Jack and Angel. This is my favorite of the two stories and is also highly erotic. Both stories are a bit dated as they were published over ten years ago, but they are great examples of Lora Leigh’s early erotic romance storytelling.

To read Rugged Texas Cowboy is to double the pleasure because both of the stories is this book by Lora Leigh are scorching!

In the Cowboy and the Captive, Melina and Jardin heat up the pages with some sizzling chemistry and a very turbulent and emotional romance. The reader is kept on the edge of their seat as their relationship is full of secrets, miscommunication and mistaken identity which keeps this couple fighting their desires throughout.

In the Cowboy and the Thief, Angel and Jack’s relationship starts off on a very rocky path and continues to keep readers entertained throughout as their electric chemistry, stubborn personalities and blistering hot passion peppers their relationship. The clashes between the couple are amusing while keeping the happily ever after in suspense until the very end.

Lora Leigh is one my favorite authors and I always highly entertained by her fabulous characters and sensual worlds that always grab my attention and hold on tight. The two stories in Rugged Texas Cowboy are no different and I can’t wait to read another Cowboy and Captive romance.

Note: these stories are re-releases from the Ellora's Cave publishing house. But don't let that dissuade you. Both of the stories in this book are funny, sexy and romantic. Add some drama and action, and you have 2 stories that will quickly make you sweat. Book 1: Cowboy and the Captive. Impersonation should be a crime. But Melina is just doing what she can to help out her sister. Unfortunately this happens more often than she likes. But when she is held hostage by a man whom Maria had dealt with in the past, can it actually turn out to be her saving grace? Book 2: Cowboy and the Thief. Can an heirloom lead to the man of your dreams? For Angel, her belief is put to the test when discovering that the one item she wants most has been sold. Can her detective skills find the heirloom before she resigns herself to her single state?

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

I voluntarily read an advanced review copy of this book

Malina has spent her life paying for her sisters mistakes. Although her parents put the pressure on her she decides that enough is enough she will no longer take the blame for Maria again.

Jardin has suffered at the hands of Maria and is ready for pay back. His plan? Kidnap Maria... his mistake? Grabbing the wrong sister!

I loved book one in this series and wish that it was longer. Lora Leigh did a great job with this story. It was packed with tons of emotion and heat. Book 2 did not do it as much for me but hey, for the overall book to still get 4 stars that tells you how good book one was.

Usually I am a huge Lora Leigh fan, but I just couldn't get into these. The characters in the both stories lacked development and there were multiple plot holes. In the first I couldn't see the chemistry between the two characters. I believe these short stories were released first on Ellora's Cave, where all the stories are erotica, so if your looking for stories that fit that genre these are those short stories. Just don't count on character or plot development.

This book has two shorter stories included in it, Cowboy and the Captive and Cowboy and the Thief.

In Cowboy and the Captive, Luc Jardin is ready to seek revenge on Miss Maria Catarina Angeles after the stunt she pulled that almost got his best friend, Jack Riley killed. Maria's brother, Joe ends up meeting Luc and together they decide that Luc will kidnap Maria and have her work off her debt. What Luc doesn't realize is that he is actually kidnapping Maria's twin, Melina. Of course Luc doesn't believe Melina when she tries telling him that she isn't Maria. That's when the fun begins. I really enjoyed the way these two pushed and pulled with each other. They didn't want to like the other but then you don't always get what you want! ;) I really enjoyed these characters and this story line.

In Cowboy and the Thief, Jack Riley is in Ireland visiting his friend, Joseph Manning. What he didn't expect was to be captivated by his daughter, Angel. After some fun sparring back and forth, the sparks begin to fly. Joe thinks Jack just might be the one to bring the fire back into his daughter. When Joe ends up selling Jack the Irish torque, Angel is furious, but Jack refuses to give it back. Angel decides that she is going to steal the torque back from Jack once he's back in Texas. Too bad he was waiting for her! I really enjoyed the sparring between these two and it was interesting how the Irish history came into play.

This is actually two stories in one read. The first is the Cowboy and the Captive, Luc plans to take his revenge only he kidnaps the wrong twin sister. The second is Cowboy and the Thief, Angel plans on getting her family treasure back from Jack but it won’t be easy. These are fast paced reads with interesting characters, plenty of drama and steam. I liked them.

I've been hooked on Lora Leigh for years, her books at just so potent and these two books don't disappoint. We follow the cowboys through two books.

The Cowboy and the Captive
Melina isn't the twin he's looking for, but Jardin wants his pound of flesh from the one who almost got him killed. She's used to seeing into her sister Maria's shoes, but after a near death escape age refuses to do it anymore. Despite the mistaken identity Jardin and Melina are scorching.

The Cowboy and the Theif
Angel is anything but, she's hot tempered and doesn't expect her father to let go of the ancient family heirloom. Jack isn't looking to settle for just one woman and he doesn't allow anyone to steal from him. Teaching Angel a lesson might be the best thing he's ever done.

This is the wrong time for Melina to be mistaken for her sister! Melina has always been the good girl, expected to keep her sister out of trouble and where necessary take the punishment for her! But her sisters slippery slide into drugs meant poor Melina spent a week in jail and was almost raped, all to keep her parents happy!

Jardin had a brush with the evil half of this set of twins,Maria. He hatches a plan to get payback and kidnaps the woman. But when she insists she is actually her twin, he doesn't believe her! Even when his own good sense kicks in and others point out the possibility could be true, he refuses to believe he is in the wrong!

Part 2
Jack, Jardins friend from book 1 is on holiday in Ireland. He is visiting one of the men he has done business with in the past. But when he meets Joe's daughter, Angel, he is hooked. But the frosty woman is all business...well up until Jack buys an heirloom meant for her.

When he returns to America, he realises that he may have went to far in his efforts to rile Angel but sets some traps in case she decides to make good on her threat to steal the gem back. Angel may be frosty on the inside but she has a temper as hot as lava and Jack may have bitten off more than he can chew!

Great compilation. I loved that the characters are sparky and feisty, even Melina in her own way. Whilst the girls may have been kept against their will, they are not abused or mistreated in any way and are certainly never "tampered with". I loved the wee twist in book 2 with pagans and magical gems, etc.

Would definitely read more from this series!

This is two books in one. The first book is Cowboy and the Captive. This is a really interesting book. It starts with Maria wanting Luc and Jack to transport her and a crate of supplies back home from South America. They were suspicious but needed the money for their transport company to survive. Well, were they in for a big surprise when they end up almost getting killed. This book has a strange twist in it when Luc and Maria (or is it Maria?) meet up again. There’s all kinds of twists and turns in here and you will be surprised at all the exciting things that happen. It was really good and kept you hanging on tight to your seat.
Then we get to the 2nd book, Cowboy and the Thief. This book is about Jack from book 1. He’s gone to visit a friend in Ireland where he meets Joe’s daughter, Angel. Well, things don’t start off very good with them but it does heat up fast. There’s a lot of heat between them but it comes and goes. Then Joe sells Jack a torque that had been in the family for centuries. That doesn’t sit well with Angel who decides she’s going to America and get it back. It belonged to her mother and should have been given to her when her mother passed away. And it shouldn’t have been sold for any reason. There’s a bit of a story about this torque but you need to read the book to find out what the story means to Angel and her family. These are 2 very good books with some very exciting things happening in them. I always love to read books written by this author. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book that I received from Netgalley.

I usually love Lora Leigh's books but this one just didn't grab my attention. The cowboy title can't understand that one completely. The book is actually to two in one book so I thought I was getting a real treat.
Cowboy & the captive: Has been done before twins one good the other evil nothing new there. Melina & Maria are completely different, Melina has always come off second best and Maria always wins at the end of the day. Melina gets kidnapped by Luc, he wants payback but he is in for a shock. He took the wrong sister and they are about to find out that their darkest fantasies are about to come true.
Cowboy & the thief:
The better of the two stories. Angel seems to always pick the wrong men and her heart gets broken each time. She has never found the one that makes her burn. Jack wants to taste her and to take her somewhere that she has never been before. But Angel isn't too interested but he takes something that is very important to her family and she has no choice but to find it. Now that Jack has her what will he do with her? Will he be able to make her burn and want no other?
I wish that I could have loved the stories but I was just let down. I received a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review wish could have been better.

COWBOY AND THE CAPTIVE
3 stars
This one left me a bit confuzzled… I liked Luc and I like Melina but there are somethings I can't unread/forget... [

The story is about cowboy Luc and too naïve Melina. FYI things get a bit wacky right from the start with this one but if you don’t mind stretching the boundaries a bit (like me) it won’t distract you from enjoy the story too much :- /

So long story short, Melina is an identical twin. She is all light and fluff and goodness while her evil twin is vindictive, shallow, narcissistic and deranged. Her whole life, Melina has been made to feel like second best. With her twin always getting into trouble and her parents always giving in and making excuses for her, Melina gets thrown in as the scrape goat. Meaning whenever Maria (evil twin) got into trouble, Melina would step in and pretend to be her to get her off the hook. Things started innocently enough, with school and social faux pas but Maria plays fast and loose with a drug cartel and not only endangers herself but she almost gets two innocent bystanders killed.

Melina is guilt tripped by her crap parents into again impersonating her sister, all the while being promises a lawyer and basically guaranteed a slap on the wrist. What actually ends up happening is that Maria/Melina gets jail time and Melina serves time because her parent’s lawyer never showed and her parents were conveniently “out of the country.” Melina suffers sexual assault in jail by a crazy fellow inmate and is physically and emotionally traumatized by this. But it also opens her eyes to her parents and sister’s little regard for her.

Fast forward a two years later and Maria is once again in more legal trouble and Melina finally says no to her parents when they again approach her to step in for her evil twin. Knowing their parent’s won’t take no for an answer, her other brother has Melina kidnapped for her own good.

Only the guy who kidnaps her is Luc, the cowboy Maria almost got killed a year ago and the same guy who made sure Maria/Melina served time in jail for her crimes.

He thinks he is kidnapping a changed-for-the-better Maria whose family desperately wants her to sober up and get clean. The plan is to keep her on the ranch, teach her to be less snobby and more independent and off any drugs she’s on. It’s a bonus for Luc to see Maria brought down since he’s still chaffing over her reckless behavior last year.

What I liked:
Luc and Melina were great together. That’s why this left me confuzzled… I liked both Luc and Melina. Luc was kind of a douche in the beginning because he though he was dealing with Maria. But when he starts seeing Melina for who she really is and not who he’s been told she is, he became a decent guy. Melina also grew on me even though normally a naïve h like her would have driven me up the wall. She did a lot of growing up, asserting herself with Luc and changing him rather than meekly accepting his commands. The story was both sweet and heated and was an entertaining read (even with all the crazy going on.) It’s the safety trigger that leaves me confuzzled. On one side, I liked Luc and Melina together, they were a cute couple with banter and chemistry. On the other, the safety trigger firmly puts this in a “eww’ shelf for me.

Would I recommend?
Even with my mixed feeling on this one, I would recommended for those not as squimish as me. For some, my safety trigger won’t be a deal breaker and for those readers, definitely give this one a try. It’s a bit nuts but still a good read.

COWBOY AND THE THIEF
4 Stars
Jack and Angel fed my love/hate addiction. Yes it was cliche and outrageous but I loved it all the same.[

No-strings ladies man, Jack gets ensnared by prickly Irish beauty, Angel. From first glance these two had some major chemistry but Angel’s been burned by a ladies man in the past and she sees Jack as just another heartbreaker. She instantly dislikes him but the spark that flares between them are just too irresistible.

But when a misunderstanding makes Angel push Jack away again, Jack – with his fair share of male pride – strikes back. Buying her family’s treasure, a necklace said to pair only true soul mates together, Jack taunts Angel with it and forces her out of her safe haven. Traveling to retrieve it from Jack by force if needed, Angel sets out to get back what’s rightfully hers.
A not so subtle matchmaker in the form of Angel’s well meaning father, has these two opposites awakening desires and forbidden pleasures within each other that neither imagined.

What I loved about it:
This is a sizzling hot erotic read and I loved the back and forth, love/hate vibe that added spice to the story. Jack and Angel were funny and entertaining but also managed to develop a real relationship in a short amount of time. The necklace that was passed down to each daughter in Angel’s family was a nice whimsical twist that added some sweetness to an otherwise heavily sensual read.

Memorable Moments:
I like being surprised and Angel matching Jack kink for kink, was definitely a surprise. It fit her feisty character like a second skin and she really sold it.
The most memorable scene has to be Angel attempting to steal back the necklace and getting busted by Jack.

Would I recommend?
Yes, fans of Lora Leigh will love this duo. Admittedly Jack and Angel were my favorite couple but Luc and Melina’s story had it’s own brand of spice.

COWBOY AND THE CAPTIVE
Melina is one of two gorgeous twin daughters, the clever and considerate one who always spared her parents the humiliation of what her sister Maria had wrought. But now, Melina is finally ready to stand up for herself and seize control of her life—until she is kidnapped by a cowboy, named Jardin, who is dead-set on settling the score with her family. There’s only one catch: In capturing Melina, this tough, rough, hunk of a man has actually found a way to unleash her greatest fantasies, body and soul. . .

COWBOY AND THE THIEF
Beautiful, spirited Angel Manning has always longed to experience the power of her ancestors’ most precious heirloom. Her mother once told her that the legendary Irish torque would lead Angel to the one man worthy of possessing her heart. But when Angel learns that her father, now a widower, has sold the torque to the notorious two-timer Jack Riley, she is furious. Of course she plans to take back what is rightfully hers, by whatever means necessary. But the fate of the ancient Druids works in mysterious ways. . .Could it be that this slick, smooth-talking cowboy was destined to satisfy Angel’s deepest desires all along?

Review:

First, I will start out by saying these are reissues of previous works. That being said, I thought I had read them already, but either the stories were totally redone or I had not read them.

Another thing there are two stories included in this book. They are linked that the stories involve two friends and the women they claim. These are both about Alpha Cowboys who use their sexy ways to tame their filly’s (I know bad pun). If you have Lora Leigh’s contemporary romances before you can expect the same writing style and sexy content and more sexiness.

They were both quick reads and I finished them within a few hours. I think I liked Cowboy and the Captive best, but I liked the slight supernatural aspect of the Cowboy and Thief too.

A must read for any Lora Leigh fans and I was glad she re-released these stories.

4Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this provided by the publisher.*

This is a compilation of two of her earlier released books, The Cowboy and the Captive and The Cowboy and the Thief. Both stories have very sexy love scenes. They are great stories where the characters intertwine between the two novels. They characters are well developed and lovable. The pace is very good and the books are hard to put down.

TRIGGER WARNING: The first book in this series contains multiple triggers due to explanation of rape situations, abuse of power, and kidnapping.

This first book did not sit well with me. I liked the alpha male, he was strong and was caring in many ways however the situation was not okay with me, and how it was depicted. Very twisted and ended abruptly.

The second book was much better and the only redeeming part of this series. Both characters were strong and stubborn. The give and take of each side was entertaining and enjoyed their story.

Although I enjoy the stories. I just feel the short stories didn't allow for enough depth of characters to really get where they were coming from. The first story did a little better job at this. The second one I had trouble liking either of them. Just wasn't believable enough for me. The stories were unique, just needed a little more details.

I absolutely adore Lora Leigh books and this one did not disappoint. Her cowboys are just as swoonworthy as her military men. I loved the passion and the storyline in this book as well as the character build!

Cowboy and the Captive

Luc Jardin knew that Maria Catarina Angeles would be trouble the moment he laid eyes on her, but he never thought that she would be a drug addicted criminal. When she nearly gets him and Jack, his friend/business partner killed, Luc vows to teach the spoiled brat a lesson. With the help of her older brother Joe, he decides to kidnap her and get her treated while teaching her a lesson. What he doesn't know is that Maria has an identical twin sister Milena. A woman who may look identical to the devious woman, but who couldn't be more different.

Milena fell in love with Luc the moment she saw him at her parent's mansion when he came to confront them about their criminal daughter two years ago. What made it worse was the fact that he thought that she was her sister. The story of her life!!! She is sick and tired of being confused with her evil twin and the fact that her parents have always been on Maria's side makes it even worse. And even though she isn't complaining that much about the fact that the object of her infatuation has kidnapped her and she is somewhere remote, she just can't stomach the fact that he thinks that she is Maria and won't believe her.

It doesn't take a lot for this spark to ignite and we are left with a scorching romance that will literally leave you breathless! A perfect Lora Leigh romance!

Cowboy and the Thief

Angel Manning has grown up listening to the legend of the torque that has been passed from mother to daughter in her family. A torque with a wolf figure that will lead the women of her family to their destined mates and gift them a life of wedded bliss and happiness. She has lost hope in the power of the torque and doesn't believe that she will ever have a happy marriage like the one her parents had. So when the cocky American cowboy who has come to visit her father and stay at their manor buys the priceless heirloom, she is infuriated. She believes him to be unworthy of the torque and can't stand the idea of a playboy owning it. She is determined to get it back - even if she has to go after him to Texas and steal it.

Jack Riley spends his days travelling from one destination to another flying his cargo plane. He is a rancher who has no intention of being tied down so why does he feel like he can't live without the violet eyed Irish beauty? He has never met a woman who has so much spirit and even though he keeps on telling himself that he doesn't want commitment, he is finding it increasingly difficult to convince himself.

This story is like a cowboy romance with a highland flare. Though instead of a Scottish lass we have an Irish one who has a spirit of a fighter and a determination as strong as steel.

This second story is about Luc Jardin's best friend and business partner Jack Riley. These two men are exactly the kind of cowboys that women fantasise about ;) The only problem I have with this novel is that I wish that they were two long novels. I just couldn't get enough!!