Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

Lauren was a widow and just came back home for her aunts care. Lauren needs a new start and has a four year old daughter Hannah. Lauren has been away for thirteen years. Lauren runs into her first love Kent who is a rancher and volunteer firefighter. Lauren and Kent start to see each other again. Lauren also becomes a volunteer firefighter. Lauren and Kent had broke up when Lauren’s parents moved. There is an arsonist around setting fires.
There was something in this book that didn’t strike me right in this book. Maybe reading the word gal more times than I can can count. Or being told Lauren and Kent were reverting back to the way they used to be. I don't like it was an instalove/lust Lauren had been married and hopefully she had loved her husband so she had to have let go of her love for Kent. It also felt rushed to me. This just wasn’t for me.

Blazing Hot Cowboy is not a rip-roaring action story. It’s an emotional, introspective story played out in a unique community with realistic characters much like people one might find in a ranching community that holds on to old traditions and values. It has vivid descriptions of the story’s setting.

A big high-five to Kim Redford for creating a captivating love story with family and community stories entwined; and she does it without using crude or vulgar words. She skillfully reveals the hopes, fears and needs hidden deep in the hearts of the main characters. Four-year-old Hannah and seventy-year-old Hedy bring both humor and tears to the story.

A diverse cast of secondary characters help propel the story along with conflicts and fun mixed in.

Thirteen years ago, Kent and Lauren, little more than children and so in love, were separated when her family moved from Wildcat Bluff in north Texas to Connecticut. Lauren, now a physical therapist, returns to Wildcat Bluff, hoping the community that nurtured her in her childhood will help her little daughter heal from the sudden loss of her father.

When Lauren sees Kent the sparks fly. They don’t start over but seem to just pick up where they left off thirteen years earlier. They both have a past to deal with, but in spite of issues, an amazingly sweet love unfolds in a unique place in Texas with lots of history, but also a place that looks toward the future with determined people who help each other.

Blazing Hot Cowboy is a gentle, beautiful coming-home love story.

I was truly looking forward to reading this novel, the second in the Smokin' Hot Cowboys series, as I gave Ms. Redford's first novel in the series a 5-star rating, but I found Blazing Hot Cowboy rather a disappointing follow-up and could only give it 2.5 stars and here are some of the reasons why.

The novel opens with Lauren Sheridan returning to her hometown of Wildcat Bluff after a 13 year absence, with her 4-year-old daughter, Hannah, in tow. She's been widowed, but from the very beginning, we learn that her late husband was not the love of her life and that she was close to filing for divorce when his small plane crashed and he died. Although her daughter took his death hard, Lauren no longer trusts her judgement when it comes to men, and she's also worried about her Aunt Hedy, who is still living in Wildcat Bluff but who seems to have lost some of her zest for life, and Lauren wants to find out what's going on and find a way help her.

The first person Lauren encounters is her old high school sweetheart, Kent Duval, who's at the firehouse when she pulls her car in looking for her aunt, and there he is, freshly showered and shirtless, and although she's been telling herself she doesn't want any men in her life, the sparks are still there, although she continues trying to convince herself they're not. The next thing you know, there's an alarm about a fire in the next town, and Lauren accompanies Kent to the fire, they learn that there have been quite a few suspicious fires recently, and that's just for starters, because this turns out to be one heck of an action-packed single day in Wildcat Bluff--in fact, this one day comprises the first 50% of the novel, which moves forward at a snail's pace, with the occasional make-out session, food discussion, and cute yet uncomfortable moments when Lauren's daughter meets Kent and immediately calls him "Cowboy Daddy".

I requested an ARC of this novel because I so enjoyed the heartwarming nature of the previous one, but I found this novel to be extremely bloated and bogged down with so much extraneous history, endless passages of detailed descriptions of both Wildcat Bluff, it's neighboring town of Sure Shot, the ceiling at their favorite barbecue joint, the resident cats at each of the stores in town and even a lengthy discussion of the use of the color pink at Kent's ranch house that harkens back to Mamie Eisenhower's love of that color, that any attempt at moving the story forward ceased entirely. I also couldn't understand why Lauren, who is supposedly so concerned about her daughter, felt the need to tag along with Kent on every fire call, leaving her daughter to be entertained by Rose, someone the child just met, who runs the local B&B. It simply made no sense, especially since Lauren attends two such suspicious fires on the same day.

The quality of the writing was merely okay because it was quite often so repetitive and banal at times that I wanted to whip out a blue pencil and start making my own editorial revisions. All in all, this was a barely a passable read for me, with characters who weren't as well-drawn as was the setting, and I hope that Ms. Redford gets over whatever caused this book to be such a let-down, and so lacking in momentum and plot and returns us to the Wildcat Bluff I so loved in her first novel in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this novel.

Smoking hot cowboys and firefighters to boot! What more could a reader ask for? Kim Redford's latest book, Blazing Hot Cowboy certainly hits the spot for readers looking for some heat and a great second chance love story. Redford's North Texas setting is vivid and detailed. She know's her cowboys and they way they interact with the world. This one has a little something for everyone from the firebugs to the cat lovers.

What I liked:

It is easy to tell that this author has some experience with Texas. Redford's use of setting shows her careful attention to detail. Readers will easily be able to feel the authenticity of this author's connection to the land and those who live there. The town of Wildcat Bluff comes to life with a vividly drawn past and a cast of characters that make the reader believe in community and unity. This is the kind of place I always dreamed existed in the West and Redford does a wonderful job of making readers want to come back for more.

I'll have to say that the idea of a cowboy firefighter really drew me to this one. I liked the idea of that for some reason. It was intriguing to see another aspect of the lives of these ranchers. It wasn't all about ranch and home. It was about community and being a part of something bigger. I thought the author did a great job of making the fire fighting scenes believable and essential to the plot of the book. It didn't have that secondary feel or something that was just thrown in to draw a bigger audience. It was realistic and thoughtfully handled.

Lauren is a spunky lady. She's been through a lot in the 13 years she spent away from Wildcat Bluff. With her return she brings her daughter and a different perspective on love and family. I liked the fact that Lauren was a physical therapist. The use of horses in therapy for disabled patients has always been an interest of mine and I enjoyed the way the author used this in her writing. It gave Lauren a more layered personality and worked with within the confines of the story.

Kent was exactly what I expected in a rancher/firefighter hero. He was strong and courageous and was a deeply caring man. He had some issues when it came to his love life, but don't we all? lol I thought he complimented Lauren well and he certainly pulled off the second chance romance vibe I think the author was going for. His interactions with Hannah, Lauren's daughter were believable and heartfelt. A very nice hero!

What I didn't like:

Everybody knows your first love never really dies. You always have this place in your heart reserved for that person, that idea of what love was in the beginning. The author relies pretty heavily on the idea that, that feeling never really goes away. When Lauren and Kent meet again their past becomes the catalyst to their future. I'm not against that idea at all, but it was one of those stories that maybe needed a little something more. Insta-love isn't really my thing in romances. Even with a shared past they needed to get to know each other again and build on that. But these two just kind of pick up where they left off and the reader is denied that process of falling in love which often makes the book. I wanted a little more for these two. Both had, had some bad experiences you don't often jump back into the fray without being a bit gun shy.

My other issue is probably a little petty. They didn't use condom's in this story. The author gave them reasons to not use them but I wasn't quite buying that. In this day and age, even in the west, and even with someone you knew for years gone by, a little bit of safety wouldn't hurt. She just lost her husband and even though she might have wanted to have a child with Kent in the past, maybe a little time should have passed before they went that route. Just saying.

Bottom Line:

This was a good book. I learned a new word: covergasm! Yeah this book definitely had a good cover. Loved the setting and the characters. Lauren was spunky and liked what she liked and Kent came across as a very good man with morals and a code. I loved little Hannah and Lauren's aunt adds some color and comedy to the story. I enjoyed the banter between the hero and the heroine but I had to suspend a lot of believablity when it came to them falling back in love in an instant. Don't get me wrong love at first sight does exist. I've seen it but it's rare and often not quite as instant as you'd think.

Blazing Hot Cowboy is the second novel in author Kim Redford's contemporary western romance series, Smokin' Hot Cowboys. Still set in the small town of Wildcat Bluff, Texas, book two is a second chance love story between thirty-one-year-old cowboy and volunteer firefighter Kent Duval and twenty-nine-year-old single mother and physical therapist Lauren Sheridan. They were very much in love when he was eighteen and she was sixteen, there teenage worlds revolving exclusively around each other. When Lauren moved to Stamford, Connecticut with her parents, they were forced to lead separate lives, each one finding someone new--Lauren a husband who she later had a daughter named Hannah with and Kent a fiancée. But Lauren's marriage was already over by the time her husband died in an airplane crash, and Kent's engagement was no more when it was clear his country life wasn't at par with his fiancée's city upbringing and lifestyle. When Lauren decides to head back to Wildcat Bluff to start over with Hannah, Kent welcomes her back with open arms, but are they prepared to re-open their battered hearts?

Unlike a lot of second chance romances, Kent and Lauren's story doesn't involve any of the usual betrayal or leaving without saying goodbye scenarios. They were young and in love but an employment opportunity for Lauren's father led her family to a different state, and both of them down paths they had never planned for themselves. Kent and Lauren as individuals were clearly good people who loved their respective families and their hometown of Wildcat Bluff County. As a couple, they definitely had their sweet and sexy moments, but their romantic reunion--them as a couple, not as friends--was rushed, almost as if they were making up for the thirteen years apart on double fast forward. Hannah's reaction towards Kent was endearing, but it was weird that he seemed at such a loss as to what to do with her yet he had women's ovaries everywhere clenching earlier with how he was with his cousin's young daughter. The end to the mystery regarding the fires around town was rather anti-climactic, but overall, Blazing Hot Cowboy was an okay read, just not at par with the series starter. 3.5 stars. ♥

A firefighting Texas cowboy? Whew! Now that’s some sizzling heat there. Now fan that flame with his high school sweetheart come home at last and a second chance? That I just could not pass up. This was my first encounter with the author or her books and I was hoping to give Blazing Hot Cowboy some reader love.

This was the second book in the Smoking Hot Cowboys series and yes, I grabbed it out of order (too mesmerized by the title and blurb to pay attention). Thankfully, I didn’t have trouble reading it standalone or out of order.

Blazing Hot Cowboy opens with Lauren Sheridan’s return to Wildcat Bluff after many years away. A widow with a little girl and job cuts at the hospital to her physical therapy department leave her cut loose and now open to a return to her small childhood hometown. Nobody needs to know that her marriage was almost over when her husband died and now she is determined to not make another mistake with a man again simply by staying away from men. This is a new start for her and her little girl. Her resolve about men shatters almost immediately when she encounters high school sweetheart, Kent Duval, at the firehouse while looking for her Aunt Hetty.

Kent works the family ranch and also the volunteer fire department in Wildcat Bluff. He enjoys his life just as it is though he would eventually like to have a family of his own. His one big attempt toward matrimony had him left by his bride at the altar when she left him for a bigger prize. He’s determined to be more cautious the next go around and that go around unexpectedly arrives in the form of his first love. They settle in right where they left off in many ways, but also have separate pasts that leave them both wary. Meanwhile, a firebug is on the loose and there is something going on with Lauren’s Aunt Hetty that has the whole town concerned.

Alright, this book had some good stuff going for it and I was ready to love it. I enjoyed the small town folk, the author’s descriptive setting of north Texas ranch country and the history of the land and settlers. I even enjoyed much about the primary characters particularly Kent. I was amused by his old beat-up truck and his Mamie Eisenhower pink front door. The town cats and other town characters were also fun times.

However, I could not fully connect with this story. I felt pulled in two directions and had some minor niggles. A small thing was that I felt that their early time together was forced. Lauren insists on heading out with each of his fire calls (first time it happened it worked for me, but after that, no). It doesn’t make sense for her to tagalong particularly when her part in the firefighting is ornamental and she’s not trained save a few basics from back in high school. It was odd to me that a fire is blazing away and they stand there with the others doing the ‘hey howzits and nicetomeetyous’ before getting around to the barn fire that could catch the dry brush and take out more property.

The big thing was the rapidity of the relationship. I get that attraction would flare up right away, but I needed to see a longer time frame before the deeper and permanent feelings and decisions happened especially since they’d both been burned before. I saw a relationship relying on the distant past instead of what there was in the present. They are attached at the hips and doing the token “I really shouldn’t, but…” thing. And beyond that, her little girl was cute, but I also felt her presence just accentuated why the romance should have taken it slower even while the girl herself acted as an accelerate the way she latched onto Kent.

So, this was okay. I want to take another go at the author’s books and see if a different situation will make the difference since I enjoyed the descriptions of the town and setting and somewhat about the characters. It might just be my tastes and expectations so I’m going to recommend it to others who enjoy smalltown and cowboy romance stories.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

this is a sweet romantic second chance love story. This is the second book in the series but the first ive read by this author. I will definitely be looking out for more from them. This book has very likeable characters that you will fall in love with from the very first page. The story around the characters is well written and flows really well. I cant wait to read more from this author in the future.

Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book

Lauren Sheridan left town thirteen years ago and never looked back, which makes returning home now a little hard, she left loved ones behind and now she must face them and hope they'll let her back into their lives. After unexpectedly losing her husband, she didn't really have a reason to stay and keep up with the life they created, so she decided home might be the best place for her and her daughter to start over. And once their are there things start falling right back into place, even her friendship with the man she left behind...

Thirteen years ago Kent Duval watched the love of his young life walk away and never look back, and through the years he's dated others, but she's always seems to find a way back into his thoughts. He's often wondered about her, wondered what they could have been if she stayed, but that's all in the past right?

The minute I started this charming little read I was hooked and craving more, these two endearing characters pulled me into their world and commanded my attention. I was completely won over by their witty one liners, quirky southern charm, down to earth personalities, and passion fueled banter. I highly recommend you give this read a try, it is one of those reads that will have you blushing one moment and laughing out loud the next, and is certain to leave you with an overall feeling complete literary satisfaction!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

Blazing Hot Cowboy is a story I expected to love… but I didn’t. It’s a good story, I was definitely entertained yet there were quirks that I simply could not get past in the acceptance department. Heck, I can stretch my imagination pretty far, after all my favorite genre of all is Paranormal Romance – you cannot stretch much more than that. In some PNR, especially Shifter Romance, I can accept and almost expect instant love, it’s programmed into the species in many respects. So even though Lauren and Kent have a history, I could not buy into it for them given their previous declarations about their hurts in the love department and the length of time they’d been apart. Instant attraction. Even instant lust. Those I could get behind, but I needed the love to grow, mature from what it once was… and it didn’t. It was almost pick up where they left off years ago. People change, love changes too so I was expecting something different than what I was given.

Every situation this couple found themselves in simply felt rushed to me. And, by the way… since when do civilians go on fire calls? Really? Okay, I’m not going to go any further into the believable factors – I’m simply going to stop and say it’s a good book, I’m certain there are many readers who will love it. I was entertained, and sometimes that has to be enough.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this novel. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this story.*

Struggling to give 3 stars, more like 2.5. Lots of repetition and old-fashioned terms, such as gal. Lots of cliches as well. Several plot lines did not make much sense. I always hate to give a less than postitive review, so I'll end this with Hannah is a true delight. Happy reading!