As an ARC reader, you have to depend solely on the description given for a book (and maybe a bit on the “reputation” - per se - of the author). And for One Tough Cowboy, the description/synopsis given is not what I was expecting - which was maybe a second-chance romance, or maybe an unrequited love story. Both of which are totally my jam. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

Hunter and Samantha were not childhood sweethearts - Hunter is eight years older, and Sam left town when she was 12. They briefly saw each other again five years later, when she was 17, and he was with his fiancee. Now it’s 10 years after that, and Samantha has returned back to their small town to deal with the death of her aunt. When she arrives back in town, Samantha (quickly) gets reacquainted with Hunter, and discovers her aunt’s death is most likely related to something very sinister going on in town and requires them to work together to solve the mystery of why the mayor’s wife, Hunter’s uncle, and Samantha’s aunt have all been murdered - even though the deaths all looked liked accidents. (Does NO ONE ELSE in this town think something suspicious is going on that these three friends all met untimely deaths within months of each other!?!?)

Anyway...

Mostly, I found this book to be a hot mess. I am a huge fan of romantic suspense, but you gottta give me an equal amount of both romance AND suspense. I could probably be okay with 60/40. But this one was probably closer to an 85/15 split. The only thing that didn’t move at a glacial pace in this book was the sex. And between the sex, all the hero and heroine did was think about the other. Good grief, how do they expect to solve the mystery of who is murdering everyone if all they think about is sex?! I was expecting a second-chance love story - which didn’t happen because Sam was too young and Hunter never thought about her that way. I was expecting suspense. But instead got lots of “romance” but very little suspense. Seriously, once the hero and heroine were reacquainted I doubt the book went two pages without mentioning something about sex. I want a book that has equal parts of both.

And for the suspense part, too many contrived situations made me roll my eyes. All of Hunter’s friends had connections he needed - an off-the-grid cabin, worked for the California Highway Patrol, etc; the mayor wants the heroine hired - without an interview; a brother-in-law who happens to know people in Detroit (when they are from a small town in California), they are dealing with not only human trafficking but terrorist, too! And the granddaddy of them all - the same bad people who are in their small hometown in the mountains of California are also involved doing the same bad things in the Detroit town where Sam was a police officer. It took until 70 percent for the action to pick up. But even then, they keep experiencing life threatening situations and all they can think about is how hawt the other is.

As for the characters, I would have bought the heroine as a badass female police officer if every thought about being a badass wasn’t followed up with how hawt the hero was. Same for the hero. Seriously, they’re supposed to be on a stakeout watching for the bad guys and a big bad thing going down, and instead they’re having multiple rounds of sex in a cave and then going at it again in a river. These are terrible, incompetent officers of the law!

Veronica Chadwick is a new author to me, but I’ve read Lora Leigh before. So I knew going in there would most likely be an abundance of steamy times. But I was expecting more than a modicum of plot outside of the hero and heroine banging each other at every turn. My bad for having expectations…

If lots of steamy is what you’re looking for, this is your book! However, if you’re wanting a story that is more substantive on the suspense side, you will probably want to look elsewhere.

* thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This one is so full of passion, excitement, and tension as the two main characters work together to weed out corruption in their small town. They have known each other their whole lives, but when her family moves away 10-15 years ago, Hunter never expected to see the little kid he had nicknamed Pixie Pest all grown up and back in town to seek answers for her aunt's death. She knows her aunt's death was not a suicide and she won’t rest until she gets justice. She doesn’t expect to find Hunter, the guy she had a crush on, as the sheriff and just as hot as he was when she saw him years past. She hasn’t come back for him, but she can’t help noticing that he flirts with her and her interest is rekindled as they work together to stop the corruption in her home town. Passions flair fast and hot between these two and the plot and conflict were great. A nice mix of adventure, action, suspense, and passion. I liked this one a lot.

When I saw the cover to this One Tough Cowboy it made me smile. I love a good cowboy romance, a sweet hometown girl, small town sheriff whose a gentleman but loves fiercely. I even like when behind close doors the good boy gets dirty. But this book had none of those things.

The book was 75 percent sex scenes. I read some heavy sex romance books and this even put some of them to shame, with its non-stop sex scene after sex scene. On top of that, some of the word choices during said sex scenes to describe the act was completely off-putting.

Now lets talk about the lack of a plot line. The little plot that there is is over the top, rushed and unrealistic.

I guess I just went into One Tough Cowboy expecting one thing and got something completely different that I just honestly didn't enjoy.

Cheese and rice Hunter, get the hell off of Sam! There’s a story here for the first 40%, then it just goes down the sex hole after that. I love me some hot sexy times, I most certainly do. But holy hell there was sooo much, and at really inappropriate times too. I started skimming through them at one point and then I finally had to pack it in because I was done with the craziness of it all.

A great beginning to a new series. Sam returns to town when her aunt dies. She learns that Hunter is now the sheriff and he is just as hot as she remembers him. Hunter realizes that the girl he once considered a pest is now incredibly hot and he intends to have her. They can't keep their hands off each other. Along with their steaming chemistry they also have to solve three mysterious deaths which stem from human trafficking, corruption and terrorists. There will be long reaching results in solving these crimes. Looking forward to the next story involving Jacob -- a very interesting character!

I was not a huge fan of this book. I found the book really predictable, I felt like there wasn't much story going on a little here and a little there until the end. I will say if you are sensitive to human trafficking, sex or rape this book may not be for you. This book does have a lot of chemistry jumping off the pages, it sure didn't lack at all. I did like how Sam was this strong women who did not take crap from anyone she was a complete strong willed women who had no problem taking on just about anything. I also liked that Hunter tested her and pushed her boundaries, he was annoying sometimes. I want to say Jacob and Shane where some of my favorite they seemed to have to a strong but silent types in the book.

Will appear at Romance Reviews Today soon: http://romrevtoday.com/

ONE TOUGH COWBOY – Lora Leigh & Veronica Chadwick

Moving Violations, Book 1

St. Martin’s

ISBN: 978-1-250-30948-8

January 29, 2019

Contemporary Romance



Deerhaven, California – Present Day



Three suspicious deaths has Sheriff Hunter Steele wondering if those people were murdered. And if so, by whom and why? The latest death of a longtime resident has the woman’s only niece, Samantha “Sami Jo” Ryder, returning to arrange the funeral and settle the estate. Hunter vividly remembers the last time he saw Sami Jo. She was seventeen and the then twenty-five-year-old Hunter suddenly had lustful thoughts about her. He figures she’s now married with children. To Hunter’s surprise, Sami Jo is not only unmarried, but she’s also a cop and sexy as heck. She’s also determined to get to the bottom of what happened to her Aunt Dottie.



It doesn’t take long in ONE TOUGH COWBOY before Sami Jo and Hunter are exchanging hot kisses and tangling their bodies between the bedsheets. They also join forces to find out who is behind the murders in the county. Sami Jo knows her aunt didn’t willingly overdose on pain meds and intends to find out the truth. She inserts herself into the investigation, even when Hunter warns her to back off because Deerhaven is his turf. He has some suspicions who might be behind it, but he has to be careful or he could be killed. He just can’t let his lust for Sami Jo distract him, even if she is hot.



In ONE TOUGH COWBOY, the storyline of Hunter and Sami Jo searching for clues behind the killings is interrupted numerous times as they have sex. The passion between them is scorching and insatiable as they can’t get enough of each other. All those years ago when they last encountered one another, it turned out they both had feelings for the other. Will they get a chance to make those feelings turn into something more? Readers will get a good clue as to who the bad guys are, but what exactly is going on and why were these people killed? Once the mystery is solved, will Sami Jo remain in Deerhaven? Can Hunter promise her anything more than a good time in bed?



ONE TOUGH COWBOY has plenty of action in both the suspense and sex. If you love a sizzling hot romance between two cops, then ONE TOUGH COWBOY should be put on your to-buy list.



Patti Fischer

For as long as Samantha Ryder can remember, Hunter Steele has been her hero. It came as no surprise to Samantha when she found out that the ranch-hardened cowboy who always protected her from bullies went on to become the town’s sheriff. Lo and behold, Hunter still has feelings for Samantha. The long-smouldering heat of their innocent flirtation has grown into a full-raging fire.
Samantha & her parents moved away several years ago but she returns for her Aunt’s funeral.
Hunter & Sam had always been attracted to each other even when she was being a pest, now she's all grown up & sparks fly. I love a mystery within a romance & was engrossed in why three elderly inhabitants of the town had died in unusual circumstances & then there was the Mayor’s behaviour. I liked both Hunter & Sam, their banter was entertaining & the sex was hot. I hope Jacob & the twins have their stories. I thoroughly enjoyed 95% of the book but felt the final encounter in the mountains was not needed & for me detracted from the story.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I received an arc from net gallery and am voluntarily reviewing the book.

Hunter and Sam have always had a slightly complicated relationship and when investigating murders of family members stumble across a trafficking / terrorist ring in their little town. The story was fun the plot slightly predictable but overall a good read and very hot when it came to the sexy cowboy.

I appreciate NetGalley giving me the opportunity to read this eARC.

I've read some of Lora Leigh's other titles, so I was looking forward to this latest -- a collaboration between her and Veronica Chadwick, whose work I am not familiar with, to be honest. One Tough Cowboy features a stunningly handsome and charming sheriff, Hunter, and a turn-heads gorgeous Detroit cop, Samantha. Sam returns to her childhood hometown due to a suspicious death in the family, but something's not adding up about her aunt's death. It feels to similar to how Hunter's uncle passed away a few months prior. Sam and Hunter know something nefarious is going on in their town and are determined to bring those responsible to justice.

I really liked the premise of One Tough Cowboy, and romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres. But honestly, this plot was hampered by an innumerable amount of sex scenes that the actual plot was incredibly rushed and left full of holes. I thought the authors went a bit over the top with the sex scenes, and while Sam and Hunter definitely had chemistry there was very little interaction besides work and sex. It would've been nice to have a few scenes where they spend time together either without having sex or without talking about it.
It got a bit ridiculous at times and I found myself wishing for more plot. All in all, it was an interesting premise that held much promise, but was rushed and left with too many plot holes.

Not and steamingly sexy with characters that you can't wait to see get a happy ending but love to go with them on there journey!!

What an Edge of your seat story! There is so much intrigue, action and romance in this story you will not be able to put it down. The story will just pull you into the intense action.
The characters were perfect for the story.
I highly recommend this book to be one you don't pass over. Written very well and the story flowed perfectly. Definitely looking forward to reading more about the characters in this book.

3 1/2 Star Review......

Lora Leigh has long been a favourite author of mine and One Tough Cowboy definitely is right up there on the SCORCHING HOT scale! I also love Cowboys, so reading this story and a no-brainer for me. That said, there were a bloody lot of sex scenes and I felt this detracted a little from the overall storyline, and didn’t really allow readers to delve far enough into the suspense.

Hunter and Samantha have history, and their coming together after many years, has only ignited the underlying current of attraction that simmered in the past. Their struggle to deal with an unbridled sexual attraction in the workplace was entertaining to witness, and some scenes actually made me laugh out loud. This isn’t necessarily one of Ms Leigh’s best works, but it was an enjoyable read.

One Tough Cowboy was an enjoyable story. Although, not the one I was expecting, but I was very pleasantly surprised by it nonetheless. Especially with the mystery element. Which did draw me in and with pockets of action, plenty of heat and likable characters there was plenty to keep me interested.
And the story itself was certainly well paced. Yet, if I'm being honest, I would of liked a bit more of the mystery and a little less of the romance.. Only because the mystery element had so much potential and caught my interest more than the romance did.
But this was a great start to a new series, and it's one I'm definitely going to read more from. Especially as the next book features the mysterious and intriguing Jacob. And I would recommend this story to others, particularly if you are a fan of these two authors.

Lots of action with a touch of romance and a happily ever after. When a tragic event brings you home the last thing you expect is to be in the middle of a dangerous situation. Lucky for Samantha Sheriff Steele is set on protecting her no matter what. I received an ARC of this and volunteered to review it.

This the first book I’ve read by Veronica Chadwick and as far as Lora Leigh I can’t even remember how many I’ve read, since the list is so long. I was really excited and looking forward to reading this book. The plot was good two old friends reuniting after they both lost love ones under suspicious circumstances. Hunter being the sheriff in charge and Sam all grown up and a police officer from Detroit. Sam isn’t leaving until she finds her aunts killer and Hunter wants to solve his uncles and the others who were falsely declared suicides. The two work hand and hand in a conspiracy that is so much bigger than they ever thought. Can these two friends with feelings growing so out of control handle all of this? This plot goes way beyond the murders of fellow family and friends in their quiet little town. It was full of sex, mystery, intrigue and I’m glad I got the chance to read it. I’m looking forward to the next story since I’m sure there is more going on. I received an ARC from St Martin Press/ Netgalley and this is my honest review.

Wow! What an absolutely gripping story! I was on the edge of my seat towards the end. I couldn’t put it down.
Not only do Sam and Hunter burn up the pages but there’s all that seedy underground crime going on. Truly worth 5 stars!!!

****TRIGGER WARNING*****

This book started out well, a girl has a crush on a boy but moves away before anything happens. When her Aunt mysterious passes away she comes back to town to handle the funeral. There are other mysterious deaths and Hunter, the now Sheriff is investigating. They find they have chemistry and he decides he doesn't want her to leave before they figure out if they can make it work. She just so happens to be a police officer and he courts her to come to work for him.

That is pretty much when it goes horribly wrong. There is a lot of sex and trust me I like smut with the best of 'em but when on stakeout they have multiple bouts of sex. There is also a point where they get captured and there is an unnecessary assault. It does NOTHING to push the story forward and didn't need to be taken that far. Also it immediately goes into another story of sex once she is rescued as a way to "wash the bad away" *insert eye roll*. Horribly insensitive and unnecessary.

Sheriff Hunter Steele is now more convinced that something is terribly wrong in the small town of Deerhaven, California. When another of the residents turn up dead under suspicious circumstances. But that's not all he must deal with. The little waif of a pixie from his past is back in town and he isn't about to let her go again.

Samantha Ryder moved away when she was younger and had to leave behind many people she loved. Including the man who helped protect her from all the trouble she used to get into. But she is back now and can take care of herself. She plans to solve who murdered her Aunt Dottie.

As both look into the corruption going on in their hometown, they both become increasingly close together.

"One Tough Cowboy" by Lara Leigh; Veronica Chadwick
2-stars = way too much detailed sex, otherwise this story has the potential to be developed into a really good full length 5-star read. But, as is, when you take out the sex scenes... it is a rather short story not that well put together.
update: I updated my 3-stars to the Bookbub star rating:
1=bad; 2=disappointing; 3=okay; 4=good; 5=excellent
I was truly disappointed in this work. Hope when you read this book you will not be disappointed, too!