Rescued by the Colton Cowboy is the seventh book in the Coltons of Grave Gulch. This was a new-to-me author and series, but I had no trouble reading it as a stand-alone. It was fast-paced, intense, and full of action. My attention was grabbed in the beginning, and I didn’t want to put it down. I loved watching Palmer’s character grow and his decision of never getting married or having children change. His relationship with his adopted family was wonderful and he was committed to helping other children in foster care. This was a heartbreaking story and full of emotions. I enjoyed reading the book and recommend it.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There’s nothing like a page-turning Romantic Suspense story that keeps you up past your bedtime. RESCUED BY THE COLTON COWBOY is that kind of story! Prolific writer, Deborah Fletcher Mello utilizes her writing talents to contribute to an eleven book series, The Coltons of Grave Gulch. The Coltons, who live in or near Grave Gulch, Michigan are a close-knit family. This story highlights Palmer Colton, an adoptee into the family and owner of a thriving ranch on the outskirts of the town. The heroine is Soledad de la Vega, owner of a popular bakery in downtown Grave Gulch. This laid back setting quickly turns into a nightmare for Soledad whose life takes a left turn and lands her on Palmer’s ranch.
This story has all the elements of a good suspense. There is empathy and concern for Soledad and her situation, impending danger from a no good villain, and escalating tension as Soledad hides out at Palmer’s ranch. The romance is good too! There is a slow but steady build up of heat between Palmer and Soledad until it can’t be denied. I like their chemistry.
RESCUED BY THE COLTON COWBOY is an engaging and tension-filled story that is infused with romance. Although it is part of a series, I read it as a stand-alone with no problem. I recommend it for your reading pleasure.

Rescued by the Colton Cowboy is a great book that will keep you guessing throughout. Soledad and Palmer's story is heartwarming and includes elements of friendship, adoption, romance, foster care and suspense..

I included Rescued by the Colton Cowboy by Deborah Fletcher Mello in my monthly roundup of new releases on my Black Fiction Addiction blog, which I shared on all my social media platforms.

Soledad is on the run after she witnesses her bestfriends husband murder her and off to make sure that her bestfriends child is safe. When she manages to find a barn to keep out of sight it happens to be owned by Palmer Colton who has had his eyes on her but didn't know how to say it now he will do everything he can to protect her and the child.

I loved that there was enough mystery to keep the readers guess when and if the father would strike and how. Thats one of the thing I love about the mystery. With this book you also get some deep and flawed characters with a history and a bit of romance to keep things interesting. I loved watching at the two fall for eachother and how such a cute little family they seemed to be getting into as they wait for everything to blow over. Overall this book kept me on my toes and guessing and I really enjoyed it.

This is a Romance Suspense, and this is the 7th book in the Coltons of Grave Gulch series. The beginning of this book starts out with a ton a action, and it pulls you into the storyline very fast. This storyline is all about a woman trying to leave her husband that is hurting her. She gets her best friend to help her escape. I have to say I really love the characters in this book. I think this book has way more suspense and action then romance. There is a little romance in this book, but there is more suspense in this book. Normally, it bothers me when there is more suspense then romance in a Romantic Suspense book, but in this book it did not bother me. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Romantic Suspense) or author (Deborah Fletcher Mello) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Good book. The story opens as Soledad prepares to help her best friend escape her abusive husband. Just when they think they've gotten away, Gavin appears behind Soledad's car and starts shooting, then rams the car with his SUV. Annie makes Soledad promise to take care of baby Lyra and keep her safe from Gavin if something happens to her - a prophetic request, as Annie dies of a gunshot wound. Desperate to escape, Soledad takes Lyra and runs into the woods, eventually hiding in a barn.

Palmer Colton is one of the few Grave Gulch Coltons not involved in law enforcement. He owns an 800-acre ranch where he raises cattle, sheep, and chickens. When he heads to the barn to check on a sick horse, he finds Soledad and Lyra and barely gets her story before Gavin shows up. Gavin pretends to be a cop with the GGPD, immediately making Palmer suspicious. I loved Palmer's immediate protectiveness and determination to keep the two safe.

I loved watching Palmer jump right into caring for Soledad and Lyra, something highly unusual for him. Palmer cherishes his solitude and rarely has anyone other than family in his home. After listening to Soledad's story and reasons for avoiding the police, he insists that he is their best option for staying safe.

I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Palmer and Soledad. Her sister is engaged to his cousin (Colton Bullseye), and Palmer has had a crush on Soledad for months. However, he is more than a little shy and never got up the courage to ask her out. Soledad noticed his interest at the engagement party and is equally interested in him. The main drawback for Palmer is that he has no intention of ever marrying or having kids, and he overheard Soledad talking about both.

I loved how Palmer did everything he could to make Soledad and Lyra comfortable in his home. The shopping scene was hilarious as he bought everything a baby could need while feeling entirely out of his element. Matters got a little tricky when he ran into his brother, Detective Troy Colton, while doing it and had to do some fast talking about who it was for. For a man who claims no interest in a family of his own, Palmer is fantastic with little Lyra. There are some awesomely sweet scenes between the two of them. The longer Soledad and Lyra remain in his home, the more Palmer starts to rethink his views on family.

Soledad could see herself falling for Palmer despite his views on a family of his own. With every day she stayed there, she lost a little more of her heart to him. She couldn't understand his resistance to a family since she could see how much he already cared for Lyra. While their feelings for each other grew, so did the sparks of attraction. Though she knew it could lead to a broken heart, Soledad couldn't resist giving in to the heat that burned between them. I liked watching each of them come to terms with their feelings and open up to each other about them. I felt terrible for Palmer when his date-night plans were so rudely interrupted, but he made up for it in the end.

The suspense of the story was good. It began with intensity as Soledad tried to rescue her friend Annie and then ran for her life to protect herself and Lyra. There were a couple of more intense moments early on as Gavin tried to get to Soledad. Then it became a waiting game as Gavin disappeared and the GGPD searched for him. There was a constant feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop, wondering if he would show up at the ranch again. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as Soledad struggled to get Lyra to safety, and Palmer raced to be in time to save them.

One of my favorite characters was Palmer's dog, Jack. From the very beginning, he appointed himself Lyra's bodyguard and best friend. I can't count the number of times the two of them made me laugh at their antics. Jack also played a part in bringing down the bad guy at the end.

I also liked how the Coltons continue to support each other through everything that happens. Palmer doesn't fool anyone when he denies that Soledad and Lyra are with him, but they go along with it because she should be safe with him. I ached for Chief Melissa Colton, who has to deal with the fallout from the tampered evidence scandal, and for the rest of the GGPD, who work to regain the town's trust. I can feel everyone's frustration as both the escaped serial killer and the corrupt CSI chief remain at large.

I enjoyed this book that is the continuation of the Colton's of Grave Gulch series. Deborah has a way of getting her readers engrossed with the lives of the characters that makes them feel as if they are right there with them. This will not be the last book I read from her.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
This is a pretty engaging romantic suspense story, with equal parts action and stakes and romantic tension. Soledad and Palmer bond while she’s on the run from a killer, and I feel like it really heightened things emotionally.
I was quite troubled by the way Palmer’s decision to not have kids was handled. Soledad takes it as a huge offense and as if there’s something wrong with him. It cancelled out any chemistry they had because they have such different worldviews on kids, and neither has to change for the other, they’re just not compatible in the long run, and it’s not one of those cases where one (especially him) has to bend for the other’s preferences just for them to be together.

Rescued By The Colton Cowboy (Mills & Boon Heroes) (The Coltons of Grave Gulch, Book 7)
by Deborah Fletcher Mello
This is my first book by this author and it will not be the last. The is Palmer Colton and Soledad de la Vega's story - they are both strong H and h with a few hang ups. We can not forget Jack and Lyra. There are also friends and family. There is murder, evil, oppression, deceit, angst, love, laughter, tears and steam to get us to a HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Great world building Twisted Romantic Easy-to-read Funny Happily Ever After Tragic Steamy Unpredictable Scary Page-turner Tear-jerker Action-packed Entertaining Wonderful characters

I received Rescued by the Colton Cowboy as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

Soledad de la Vega is witness to her best friend's murder at the hands of her abusive husband. Now on the run with her friend's infant daughter, she finds herself hiding in the barn of Palmer Colton, a solitary cowboy who has sworn off the idea of a family. Despite his reticence, Palmer can't deny help to Soledad and baby Lyra, and as their cautious household begins to relax into a routine, the pair begin to worm their way into Colton's closed heart. But a murderer is on the loose, and in a small town, there are only so many places one can hide...

So, I really loved the story of this one, and I thought the leads had great chemistry, both sexual and romantic--I was tethered to the page (or rather, my Kindle) and was happy to see them get their happy ending. But oof, there were some philosophical things I just couldn't get on board with. First, Soledad's belief that there was something inherently wrong with Palmer's decision not to have children. Parenthood isn't for everyone, and believing that someone is broken or wrong just because they don't want that particular journey is disgusting. Second, there seems to be this rah rah back the blue "not all cops" mentality put forth in the book that, personally, is kind of grating to me after this past year. Again, they're issues that I have intense personal feelings about that other readers may not care about, but they did raise some warning bells for me.

The premise of the book starts off well enough. Soledad is plotting to help her best friend and her baby escape an abusive situation. There is a requisite chase scene and attack from the abusive husband which leaves Soledad running with the baby after witnessing her friend's murder. After that, the story just kind of goes along with nothing really to drive it. The story doesn't feel fully developed and just kind of falls flat.