Looking for a Cowboy is the fifth book in the Heart of Texas series by Donna Grant. A steamy, suspenseful western romance full of dark secrets that is sure to keep you turning the pages. Grant clearly pulled out all of the stops with her gut-wrenching opening that sends you on a suspenseful journey into the unknown. Cooper knows what he wants with a bit of love, at first sight, when he meets Marlee. Their chemistry is off the charts and makes for one steamy romance full of drama and lots of secrets. Looking for a Cowboy left me wanting more!

More action than romance, this story will keep you up well past your bedtime.

After a very strong yet heartbreaking opening, our story starts ten years later with Marlee, a former cop turned PI investigating black market baby kidnappings, and Cooper, an easy-going cowboy with a solid group of lifelong friends. We got to know a bit about Cooper in the earlier books, and he's as charming and down-to-earth as any girl can hope for. Marlee is haunted by the one case she can't solve, which motivates her to keep pushing against the odds to solve the few she can.

These two have chemistry for days and their romance has nary a hitch, as far as their feelings for each other go. The main snag is keeping at least one step ahead of the killer on her trail, which leads to enough action and suspense to keep the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the book. (Content warning: you will learn enough about black market baby selling to make you lose a few nights sleep pondering how much was fiction and how much is probably true.)

I loved seeing all the familiar faces pulling together to help out a friend in need, and I especially loved getting updates on the HEAs of the couples from earlier books in this series. This book crashes into a heart-pounding HEA of its own, though it does leave a couple unsolved cases in its wake that I wish had been resolved. The writing was superb throughout, making this book truly unputdownable. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Oct 27, 2020

Looking for a Cowboy is a action packed romantic thriller, which is one of my favorite genres. This was my first book by this author and I found this book to be very well written. She had the ability to pull me in and had me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. I found the subject a little hard to deal with, but I do know the world we live in is a evil place at times. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press and was under no obligation to leave aa favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Grant writes romantic suspense better than any one. It starts like a sweet romance with one of my favorite cowboys, Cooper, and somewhere gets a bit exciting. New girl in town, Marlee, is a PI with an intriguing case. When the action starts we all know those boys cannot resist helping when they are needed. I can’t wait for Jace’s story! I received my copy through the author and wrote my review voluntarily.

Looking for a Cowboy is Book 5 in Donna Grant's Heart of Texas series and to me it proves that Ms Grant can write in any genre, be it paranormal or western. I'm more familiar with Ms Grant's works via her highly successful Dark World series, I'm not much of a western/cowboy romance genre reader but I found myself truly invested in this book.

I shall not rehash the blurb as you can read them for yourself, this book has everything to keep reader satisfied. An intriguing storyline, a charismatic handsome Hero, a heroine who (thank goodness) is strong and determined and enough hot chemistry to burn through the book.

Even if you're not a reader of cowboy/western, I still highly recommend you check this book out. With its compelling storyline and engaging dialogue, you will not be bored. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book, do note that the opinions above are all of my own.

Oh I am so sad that this book didn't work for me. I knew that the reviews had trigger warnings, but I thought I wouldn't be as affected. I didn't finish this book because of the risk of bad dreams about stolen babies. It is well written. I felt the heat and connection between the main characters and definitely wanted to know about their relationship, but this topic was too much for my mama's heart.

** spoiler alert ** For 10 years Marlee has searched for the people responsible for the murder of her sister and the kidnapping of her niece. Her search brings her to Cooper and his friends. She works tirelessly to help families either find their missing children or get closure, knowing that she might never get closure herself.

Cooper hasn't really settled on what he wants to do now that he is out of the military. He is content to help out his friends and community, not needing money to keep him afloat. He quickly gets over Marlee thinking his friends might be involved in a kidnapping charge and her trying to use him for information.

They both know they have something special in each other. Both head into danger for each other.

**Spoiler**
Really good story, my only complaint is I feel that there were some loose threads. Stella tells her she will understand when she opens the files why she used her mother's name as the password, but we don't find out why. I was hoping something would lead Marlee to find her niece but really didn't expect there to be.

This was a good read however, with a pregnancy in the family, it was difficult subject matter for me.

Donna Grant has way of making her readers fall instantly in love with her amazing characters, and Copper is no exception. A proud and honourable soul, Cooper is smitten the moment he lays eyes on Marlee and determined to win her heart, whatever it takes. And who doesn’t swoon when a man is all in and willing to prove he’s worth the risk to your heart?

With Marlee’s background, and in her line of work, she’s jaded and resistant to believe that anyone could be as good as Cooper appears. Throw in the fact that she is investigating his supposed friends, and her hope that he’s as upstanding as he claims, is bound to result in disappointment.

I’m totally addicted to this series and have devoured every book to date, so throwing myself into Looking for a Cowboy was no hardship at all. There’s drama, assumptions, deceit and past heartache that all play a significant role in this fabulous story. The add the plausible character development, an intriguing and suspense-filled plot and the appearance of many of the previous cast, and you have an entertaining and enjoyable read. Now I’m hoping that the next book isn’t too far away.

Looking for a Cowboy by Donna Grant is another in the series about the Harper family and their friends. This time Cooper Owens meets a beautiful young woman, Marlee Frampton, who he knows is hiding secrets when he meets her. Just what those secrets are he's not sure about, but he wants to find out because he's very attracted to her.

Marlee is a PI who is looking into a kidnapping ring, who took her sister's unborn baby from her womb and killed her years before. Upon finding out that the Harper family may be involved in adopting a baby that may have been abducted in a similar manner a few days before, she has come to town to see if she can find more information. What she didn't count on was meeting an attractive cowboy and being inexplicably drawn to him. But can he help her find who is running this baby stealing/murder ring? And are his friends involved?

Looking for a Cowboy was one of the best in this series. It was hard-hitting and kept me interested to the end. Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I really got into this book from the beginning. It opens with a prologue that is pretty dark. It tells the backstory on how Marlee got to be where and what she is. Marlee used to be a cop but the murder and abduction on her sisters baby changed her life and she became a PI to hunt her sisters killer and find her niece. Ten years later she's in Texas hunting for another missing baby. Cooper is well of financially but can't find what makes him happy and then he meets Marlee. The two click and Cooper and his extended family join the hunt for the baby snatchers/murderers. I enjoyed this book up until about 80-85% when things start winding down. It just seems all over the place and at time unbelievable. Several moments where I thought no way. I felt a little let down. Jace was the one of the bright spots and a time or two stole my attention. OK but definitely not my favorite. Will stick with the series to see what happens with Jace.

This book is a great addition to the Heart of Texas series. There's romance & suspense that will keep you turning the page & not want to put it down. Marlee has a heartbreaking backstory that led her to her current profession. This leads her to Clearview, Texas where she meets Cooper. I highly recommend reading this book to see how others in the Heart of Texas series are doing & what happens with Marlee & Cooper.

Looking for a Cowboy is the fifth book in Donna Grant's Heart of Texas series, and it's the fourth book in the series I've read. While I commend the author for tackling such a dark yet all too real subject, and while I found it a very readable romantic suspense novel with characters I very much liked, it fell somewhat short on the romance side of romantic suspense, which is why I'm giving it a 4-star rating.

Marlee, the heroine, was born with a twin sister, with whom she shared a small house, worked as a police officer and enjoyed her job--until one night when she came home to discover that her sister, Macey, who was 8 months pregnant, was missing. It didn't take long for her to learn that her sister went out for a walk, someone cut the fetus from her body, abducted it, and slit her sister's throat. Marlee changes career paths, becomes a private investigator, and her mission in life becomes not only trying to find her sister's stolen child and stop these all too frequent murders and child abductions from happening but to return these children to their families and to put those responsible for these horrible crimes in prison. Additionally, I found the title of this novel misleading, as it's missing children the heroine is after--she's looking for them, not a cowboy.

When her leads take her to a small town in Texas she meets Cooper, a tall, handsome cowboy who is as taken by Marlee's beauty as she is with his handsomeness. She doesn't announce her reason for being there, ten years of trailing kidnappers and murderers have taught her to be cautious, but the attraction is undeniable and when Cooper and his lifelong friends offer their assistance in Marlee's search, she reluctantly agrees to let them help her. While I found the lust at first sight and the insta-love far too rushed in too short a time, I was pleased that the main focus of the novel returned to the hunt for the bad guys, following false leads, trying to discover why they kept happening and why Marlee got so close to finding the culprits only to have them evade capture by minutes, and finally Marlee's admirable dedication to her mission, and her willingness to put her feelings for Cooper on the back burner because of her dedication, made for a very good, very suspenseful read, and I'm happy to recommend it.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.

A tragic and heartbreaking subject to read and write about, but handled in an extremely sensitive manner by the author. Former police officer Marlee Frampton continues to search for the person who murdered her twin, Macey, and stole her baby. It has been ten years and Marlee is now a private investigator on the trail of an adoption agency that may be obtaining babies in an unlawful manner and selling them to desperate, childless couples. Arriving in Clearview and in search of a possible missing baby, she meets Cooper Owens. Cooper’s friends have recently adopted a baby from an agency. Will they agree to a DNA test to make sure that this is not the missing baby? The attraction between Cooper and Marlee grows stronger as she realizes that she may be getting close to the possible ring leaders. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

I had two minds about this whole book. It definitely touches on a very real, very horrifying subject. On one hand, I wanted Marlee to succeed so badly. But on the other hand, if she does, it could mean so much more heartache. So, with that in mind, Cooper and Marlee’s story was so well written that I couldn’t put it down!
Worthy of the 5 stars I’m giving it!!!

Looking for a Cowboy
Book 5 in the "Heart of Texas" series
Rating: 4 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC provided through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Looking for a Cowboy is a contemporary romance that has two people falling in love while trying to uncover the truth about who's responsible for the deaths of many women who were pregnant and had their babies taken. Cooper and Marlee have an intense chemistry that takes off very early on in the story. Their romance was instant and they didn't waste time getting to know each other before they got intimate. They realized pretty soon that they are what each other need. All of this was happening at the same time that Marlee is investigating her latest case. Cooper and friends decide to help her out which leads them on a mission full of danger and intrigue.
I would say it was not an easy read because of the topic and it's a little descriptive of what occurs to the women so please be warned.

LOOKING FOR A COWBOY will grab a hold of you and not let go until the very end. Author Donna Grant brings readers a darker read than normal with this terribly frightening twist on kidnapped babies and the black market. Throughout LOOKING FOR A COWBOY, she brings readers characters that you will love and mix in some very bad guys that you could never understand or like.

Annetta Sweetko, reviewer for Fresh Fiction

Complete review: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=72041

I really enjoyed this book. Marlee and Cooper are both really great people. They have instant chemistry.There are some twists and turns to unravel. I really liked the dynamic of all of Cooper’s friends. This kept me captivated for a few days. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This wasn’t for me.

I love Donna Grant and her paranormal/supernatural romances but this contemporary/romantic suspense piece, which is the first I have read from this author, wasn’t doing much for me.

That spark that typically pulls me to her novels was missing, the characters were dull, the murdering mothers and kidnapping infants subplot wasn’t intriguing enough, and overall I was bored. Really really bored.

‘A Cowboy Like You’ was an unexpected and unfortunate drop, and just to be safe, I think I'll stick with her PRs for right now.

WOW! This book had me hooked and I did not want to put it down. It begins with a horrific crime. An unborn child ripped from its mother, then the mother left for dead. The mother's twin is a cop...
This crime drives Marlee to seek justice. 10 years later she is a PI and had made it her mission to solve these types of crimes, find the children, take the bad guys down. I cried, not going to deny that. Have tissues handy because you will need them.
Cooper is drawn to Marlee like he has never been drawn to any other He also knows that there is more to Marlee than it appears and that she is hiding something.
This book has so many twist, turns, moments that make you cry, moments that make you scream, and moments that leave you on the edge of your seat. It has everything.