Full review to be published online in late January.

ONE TOUGH COWBOY is the first book in a new series by perennial erotic romance author Lora Leigh, and new-to-me author Veronica Chadwick. Samantha and Hunter are likeable characters that have known each other since they were kids and when reconnecting as adults find out their secret teen infatuation turned into a mature sexual attraction. Although I liked the characters, their past history and the tenderness between them, I really didn’t enjoy this story that much, because it soon became more about descriptive and endless sex, parts I’ve found totally uninteresting, than about developing the emotional dimensions of their reconnecting.

Make no mistake, ONE TOUGH COWBOY IS Romantic Suspense light and erotica heavy; and nowhere near 'Elite Ops' quality. Having sex in the middle of dangerous situations seemed reckless and unprofessional for both a sheriff/former Special Forces and a cop. Perhaps one can think that the sense of danger increases the sex drive, but for me as a reader this kind of narrative options makes the characters seem quite unprofessional. LL really needs to evaluate her writing style. There is nothing wrong with having a strong plotline around the endless sex scenes.

Could have been so much better…
One Tough Cowboy is the first book I have read by this author and it was just an ok read for me. I enjoyed the characters, the plot was interesting – murder, conspiracy, deceit, cover-up, and romance but the overall storyline was just too involved, too much going on all at once with too many people and it was a little confusing, while other parts seemed lacking, with unanswered questions. Samantha and Hunter were both likeable characters, I enjoyed the evolvement of their relationship, and they definitely had chemistry; however, there was just too much endless, unnecessary sex in the story. It seemed to be on almost every page, always on their minds, and happening at inopportune times which made it harder to connect to the characters and made the story less believable. The book seemed to have stopped revolving around the actual plot and just on the sex and it was really distracting. I am all for adding it to a story when it enhances the relationship for the couple but this was just too much. This read had so much potential and would have been great if the author would tone down the sex, so it was just ok.

*I was invited by the publisher – St. Martin’s Press – to review an ARC via NetGalley and am providing my honest review.

Thrills, mystery amd hot hot sex will keep you turning the pages. Hunter and Samantha are on fire together both in bed and out.

Samantha still remembers that at age ten, she followed her friend and "crush", teenage heartthrob, Hunter, who was always irritated by his "pesky pixie"! Time has moved on and Samantha is a beautiful young woman who comes back to her childhood town to find that her crush is now a handsome police chief. Samantha gets involved with Hunter and is working together with him to solve a string of strange murders in town. The situation escalates and Samantha wonders if she made the right move to get involved. This spicy-hot story is a great way to get through the cold, winter months!

One Tough Cowboy by Lora Leigh will be available January 29, 2019 from St. Martin's Paperbacks, an imprint of St. Martin's Press. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I had so many issues with this book.

This first is, this takes place in California, albeit a small town, but the vernacular didn't match how Californians talk or think. Many Southern culture ways kept popping up (e.g. calling someone sugar (when you're not a grandma), referencing Yankees (and not the baseball team)). California played a small role in the Civil War and it was for the Union (it was a free state), so I didn’t get why Hunter kept calling Samantha a Yankee or making it sound like they were in the South.

The whole subplot with Sam’s ex, Tom, was unnecessary and was clearly just there to add drama. You had to really suspend disbelief to buy into that many coincidences that connected what was happening in this small California town to what happened in Detroit.

Every time Hunter and San slept together I cringed. It was super long and drawn out and some of the wording was awkward. Plus they did it at very stupid and inopportune times (like during surveillance). Two professionals would not let their guard down and potentially ruin an investigation just have sex.

SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD

Lastly, the biggest thing for me was the sexual assault/attempted rape scene. It felt so gratuitous and cheap. There was a different way to convey whatever it was they were trying to say (which was what? That Hunter and Sam love each other? That her ex is a bad dude?) And honestly, in an international terrorist ring they aren’t going to let some random guy get his jollies and revenge on an ex when they’re in the middle of an operation that could very well be compromised. This is a delicate situation to write about, and I cannot stand when authors use it frivolously and without regards to the severity of it.

Sam has returned for her aunt's funeral, and meets up with her old crush Hunter. He is now the sheriff in town, and is also trying to solve the mystery of three recent deaths. I liked the overall premise of the story and the characters, but every time the story started to build up more on the mystery it kept getting sidetracked with the two of them going at it like rabbits. Don't mind sex in a story, but expect it to be a side issue, not the main part. Had enough interest to finish, but would probably not read again.

I enjoyed this first book! Samantha and Hunter give you lots of chemistry and lots of hot sex. I liked that there was some drama but the story line was missing a little something. But I'll definitely read more of this series. I'm a huge Lora Leigh fan.

Well, I couldn't really get into this book so it's only fear to admit that I quit around the 30% mark of the story.
Samantha is back in town after her aunt has died. She was told it was from her taking too much medication, but she believes she was killed. She believes this to be true even more after learning she is the third person to die. All three were close. Hunter is now the town sheriff. The same Hunter that Samantha used to follow and was in love with until he acted like he didn't remember her when she was back one summer.

Great plot so far.
But then the book lost my attention. The writing was well - just didn't hold my attention.
Might be a good read for someone else though.

I enjoyed this book. One Tough Cowboy is a suspense romance. The author did a great job keeping you guessing. I love the two main characters Samantha and Hunter. There was a lot of sexy steamy scenes throughout the story. This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. I would recommend this book. I received an advance copy from Net Galley for my honest opinion.

When Samantha witnesses a murder, she is being guarded by a handsome, hard to get to know man, Hunter, and his beautiful daughter. As danger draws closer and closer to Sam, Hunter, and his daughter, Sam wants to flee to protect the new family she has come to love. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, captivating and thrilling, riveting the reader to the story line, and a must read love story.
I reviewed an ARC through NetGalley.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book when Sheriff Hunter was working with an old friend Samantha to find out who killed their relatives in the small town they grew up in. Unfortunately, it turned into a tangled storyline with corrupt politicians, human trafficking, and terrorists. With such serious crime going on I found it irritating that Hunter and Sam couldn't keep it professional even on a stake-out. I'm all for some red hot romance but this seemed out of control. So -so.

First book in the series and it was an ok read for me. It left me on the fence. Could have gone either way. I thought the plot was good but had trouble with the characters both Hunter and Sam. There are a few secondary threads through the story and suspense of course and some serious sheet burning between Sam and Hunter. Simply, I didn't feel connected or invested in the story. Still it was a good book to read, easy and simple.

arc from NetGalley and publisher for an honest review

It's been a while since I've read a book by Lora Leigh and this will be my last. There were multiple scenes in this book that I have read in past books by Ms. Leigh. Also, very little story and a lot of sex, this book lacks substance in many areas.

One Tough Cowboy is an amazing read. I love the hot cowboy sheriff and the suspense that follows through out this read. You are in for a treat with this one. Hunter and Samantha couldn't be more perfect for each other. They will burn your pages as they work together to solve what is going down in their town. Samantha is one little firecracker. Not only is she a cop but she doesn't take crap from the other men. Hunter what can I say I love his alpha side. I love how just does everything he can to make Samantha his. I for one can't wait for more to come in this series. This is an amazing read that I couldn't put down.

I was looking forward to a new series from Lora Leigh. This was a pretty decent start. I did like both Samantha and Hunter. I liked that they had history, not romantic, though. The one problem that I had was that there seemed to be more emphasis on having a ton of sex during parts of the story that it really wasn’t appropriate (ex. during a stake out). It’s kind of hard to see the characters as professional and committed law enforcement when all they seemed to think about was sex. Now, don’t get me wrong, that’s not a problem with things that I read but I like it in context. I understand that the physical closeness between Sam and Hunter helps foster their relationship and is used to show how it helps build an emotional connection that has always been there. I did like that the bad guys and that their situation weren’t just some foggy distant danger like in some previous writings. I am looking forward to Jacob’s story and to see a resolution to the investigation.

I don't know how to review this book. This book had great potential. The plot of the tracking down the murders in the town really had me engaged. The romance between Samantha and Hunter had me engaged. But....somehow the two together didn't work, and the book got bogged down with sex. Either this book needs to be an erotic romance (which by the way this has a LOT of sex in it, so much so I started to skip the sex parts) or a more contemporary romance with more story and less sex.

When I was reading this book, I personally wanted more of the story, not pages upon pages (not exaggerating) of descriptive sex. Don't get me wrong, I love a good erotic story, but not mixed in with my suspense. The suspense could of been good, it was almost there....until it wasn't. I mean, Hunter and Sam are about to do a stakeout on a rest stop and they have time for hours of endless sex in a cave? This is Sheriff and his subordinate police officer. This isn't smart, professional, or anything. How about a conversation, discussing the future, talking about your plan when the bad guys get there, anything besides your private parts.

At that point I just couldn't anymore. There were things I let slide but that was the last straw. I love strong hero's and heroine's and these two were almost there, but I need them to be smart and I didn't feel that the MCs in this book were smart, even for a erotic novel. They just continued to make terrible choices and think with their private parts and not their heads. This book wasn't for me. I needed something more.

Crikey moses this was a lot sexier than i had anticipated. The sex scenes are scorching and the story was really good.

Never really read anything by this author before but after reading this i will be keeping an eye out for other titles.

2* Well, there are no tough cowboys in this, and Lora Leigh is still writing this kind of tired tale? Really?

I used to devour this author's books when she was leaving Ellora's Cave to set up as a more respectable, mainstream author, with her early Breeds tales being some of her best. Yes, they're all sex-heavy/plot lite, but somehow I'd hoped that she'd gone for a more intelligent read with this one. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

This tale has very little plot, too many characters who make an appearance, get bigged up as baddies and then fade away. It seems that when this author isn't writing about Breeds, she's writing about small town USA and their bad guys: militia types, drug smugglers, bad cops, bad mayor, etc.; her formula doesn't change, unfortunately, which makes the non-Breeds tales entirely interchangeable. And it has far too much sex. There's no real plot to this, other than some filler around some really, really, really unrealistic and repetitive sex. And there's not even one tough cowboy, not even if you count Jacob, who was clearly being bigged up for a book of his own.

I kind of feel that this author comes across as a bit disrespectful to women these days - pack a book full of sex because women will read it, because that's what they want/need in their tales, right? Wrong! At least with this woman who respects her eyes and brain and values her time. And, the tale feels really, really dated, because it's essentially an update, with a new title, of an Ellora's Cave book from 10+ years back. It's tired and it's boring and it makes me think I don't want to read this author any more.

There's a totally WTF??? scene in this, with a character called Tom Novak, the mayor and the lead of this book. I mean, it was utterly, utterly ridiculous and totally debunkable by at least 2 different sources, even if you discount mobile phone records, and I wonder why the authors and the publishers didn't consider rewriting this scene. It was basically a load of tosh and didn't wash at all. And you know, a supposedly kickbutt, cop female dropping panties whilst in a place of work, doors unlocked, sexy does not make. An airhead controlled by her constantly gushing girl parts is what it makes. Really, did the new publishers even look at this book?

We need strong males, strong females in MF contemp tales, not ones who think with their nether regions and who seem to constantly be gushing fluids. It was sort of OK in erotica/romantica when LL cornered the market with her EC books, but come on, things have moved on and women need and want more. Except, I don't think that LL has moved on, or can do much more than cut and paste.

ARC courtesy of St Martin's Press and NetGalley, for my reading (dis)pleasure.

If you are looking for or in the mood for a totally racy book, this is the one for you! I think there are more sexy scenes than actual time devoted to the story and the sizzling chemistry between Sheriff Hunter Steele and Samantha Ryder is off the charts. Personally, I did not anticipate all the lusty scenes when I started the book and was thrown by almost every chapter containing a heady scene. If this is what floats your boat, get this book!

The story of Samantha and Hunter. She knew him when she was a child, before she left town. Now she is back and all grown up. Although I liked the story between the two main characters, the end of the book was disappointing to me.