Cowboy of Interest - Carla Cassidy (HRS #1852 - June 2015)

Series: Cowboys of Holiday Ranch (Book 2)

Determined to see ranch hand Nick Coleman jailed for her sister's murder, Adrienne Bailey introduces herself with a quick jab that leaves him black-eyed and bewildered. Still, the injured cowboy wants to prove his innocence and suggests they work together to find the real killer. Reluctantly, the grieving sister agrees.

As other credible suspects emerge, Adrienne's distrust of Nick turns to a surprising attraction. He's too handsome, and one night of passion awakens unfamiliar emotions for them both. But until they catch the killer plaguing the ranch, neither she nor Nick is safe.

At the end of the previous book, A Real Cowboy, a body and six skeletons were found under the floor of a shed that was being torn down. This made the ranch a crime scene, and each of the cowboys who worked there were persons of interest. When the body was identified as Wendy Bailey, Nick became more of a suspect because he had spent a lot of time with the young woman.

Adrienne Bailey arrived in Bitterroot convinced that Nick was the one who killed her sister. In her conversations and texts with her sister, Nick was a huge part of them. Adrienne is certain that Nick killed her in some sort of lover's quarrel. She confronts him by punching him in the eye, accusing him of murder and then walking away. Nick is stunned by her attack, and upset himself over his friend's death, follows her and tries to tell her that he's innocent. Adrienne is having none of it, certain that she's right. Nick finally convinces her that her best option is to work with him to find the real killer.

I liked Adrienne, though I got a bit frustrated with her tendency to jump to conclusions. It was obvious that she had loved her sister, though the two had had some issues. Their mother died when Adrienne was eighteen, leaving her to raise her younger sister. Adrienne had worried about Wendy's wild tendencies, causing her to be pretty strict, and creating conflict between the two. Now Adrienne is feeling guilty about those issues, and deals with it by focusing on finding the killer. Her distrust of Nick is logical to her because of what she believes, and she is reluctant to give that up, in spite of the number of people who tell her otherwise. When she is attacked by someone who is clearly not Nick, she has to finally admit that he isn't the one. That opens up a new problem, one of the attraction she feels for him.

Nick is one of twelve cowboys who came to Holiday Ranch as troubled teens. He had been abandoned by his mother when he was eight, spent years in foster homes, and was living on the streets when he taken in by Cass. His fellow cowboys are his family, but he keeps his heart well guarded. Besides wanting to clear his name, there is something about Adrienne that is starting to get to him. He feels protective of her after the attacks, and his attraction to her is growing every day. 

Their relationship is an interesting one. It had quite an interesting start, with her attack on him. Once they got past that, they connected through their desire to find the killer and also through the stories they shared about Wendy. I liked the way that Nick was able to ease some of Adrienne's guilt. They tried to fight the attraction between them, because Nick had made it clear that there was no future in it. Even after he tells her about his past, he can't allow himself to let it go. Adrienne realizes her own feelings earlier, but believes that they are unreturned. I liked that she had the courage to tell him how she felt and that she knows he has the capacity to love if he'll just take the chance. Even after he nearly loses her, Nick still resists giving in to his feelings until it's almost too late. I did like the way he came through at the end.

The progression of the mystery was really good. I liked seeing Nick and Adrienne working together. They were a good balance for each other. Adrienne especially needed someone who could rein her in on occasion. She drove me a little nuts with the way she would suddenly decide one person was guilty, and focus on that person until it was proved they were innocent, instead of trying to look at the bigger picture. Her determination helped pull Nick along, even when he thought it was better to back off a little. The attack on her at the hotel, and later on them both outside the bar, had them thinking that they were making the killer nervous with all their questions. There were several suspects that were being investigated, and following the leads kept the suspense intense. I never got a feel that one was more likely than the other, and when the final confrontation came, it had a completely unexpected twist. 

The mystery of who killed Wendy was solved, but the six skeletons are still an unsolved case. The local police chief has nothing to go on, and the arrival of the forensics doctor is adding to his stress. Not much progress is being made on the crime scene analysis. I expect more will be discovered in the next book. Meanwhile, the fate of the ranch is still up in the air as it remains a crime scene, and Cassie is anxious to get back to New York.

A Real Cowboy - Carla Cassidy (HRS #1839 - Mar 2015)

Series: Cowboys of Holiday Ranch (Book 1)

"I ride alone," cowboy Lucas Taylor warns New Yorker Nicolette Kendall. But when she and her son, Sammy, settle into Holiday Ranch, things are about to change for the sexy straight-shooting loner. After a frightening kidnapping attempt, Lucas becomes six-year-old Sammy's beloved bodyguard...while trying--in vain--to resist white-hot sparks between him and the boy's gorgeous city-slicker mom.

Nicolette can't deny the attraction either. But she's been heartbroken once too often and won't hitch her star to a cowboy interested only in a fling. Until there's a real danger to her own life...and heart Then will she trade her high heels for cowboy boots?

Good start to the series and nice mixture of romance and suspense. Nicolette and her son Sammy have arrived at Holiday Ranch along with her friend Cassie who inherited it when her aunt died in a tornado. The first person they meet is Lucas, one of the twelve cowboys who work the ranch. Sammy is immediately taken with "Cowboy Lucas". 

Lucas came to the ranch when he was seventeen, after living on the streets of Oklahoma City for two years after his mother abandoned him. The owner of the ranch, Cass Holiday, staffed her ranch with young men she rescued, who she could train after her husband died. Cass and the other cowboys became Lucas's family. But as close as he was to them, he swore he would never open his heart to the risk of loss again.

Nicolette is also wary of involvement. She had married Sammy's father, then discovered that she had given her love to a man who didn't deserve it. Since their divorce he had never once expressed an interest in his son. For Nicolette, Sammy is her whole world, and she will do anything for him.

When they arrive on the ranch, Nicolette doesn't know what to expect. She's a little worried about Sammy's immediate attachment to Lucas, but it doesn't take her long to realize that he can be trusted. More worrisome to her is the attraction she feels for him, but since they aren't planning to stay too long, she hopes she can resist. When a masked stranger tries to kidnap Sammy, Lucas steps in to become his protector.

I loved Lucas. He is the epitome of the cowboy, honorable, considerate, kind and caring. Though he insists to Nicolette that he "rides alone" you can see that Sammy has become very important to him. I loved seeing Lucas give Sammy all the attention the little boy could possibly want from his hero. Lucas is also very protective of Nicolette, though he keeps insisting that it's only because it's the right thing to do. He admits his attraction to her, but that it's only physical. The problem is that he finds himself dreaming of a future he's too scared to go after.

I also loved Nicolette. She was a woman who had the strength of will to get herself and her son out of a bad situation. She's doing her best to give Sammy the best life she can. She's cautious when they get to Oklahoma, but it doesn't take her long to see all the benefits of their stay on the ranch. She's worried about her attraction to Lucas, because she sees how easy it would be for her to fall for him. When he saves Sammy from the kidnapper it pretty much seals the deal of her feelings for him, but she won't settle for just a fling. Especially when she has Sammy's feelings to worry about too. I really enjoyed seeing her change from city slicker to country girl and make some important decisions about what she wants from her life.

I loved the way that the relationship between them grew out of their mutual care and protection of Sammy. Being together as much as they were because of them gave them a chance to get to know each other pretty well. They become good friends and partners, even as they tried to resist their attraction. I liked the way that Nicolette saw Lucas's fear and understood it, but also knew that he was the only one who could overcome it. 

The suspense of wondering who was after Sammy and why was really good. I could feel Nicolette's fear when the kidnap attempts were made, and Lucas's desperation to catch the kidnapper before he could get away. The obvious person didn't seem too likely because of his attitude, but couldn't be completely disregarded either. The end was very intense as the culprit finally made his move, but not the way I expected.

There was also the secondary story of Cassie's arrival on the ranch and her plans for it. She doesn't tell anyone on the ranch of her plans to sell for fear they will leave before it can be repaired. She is very much a city girl and can't wait to get back to New York. But in order to carry out her plans, she has to take the time to learn about the ranch, and the foreman Adam is the one to do it. You can see that there are hints that there may be something developing between them, but she has her mind set. As the last part of the repairs are prepped to begin, something happens that puts her plans on indefinite hold. I'm looking forward to the next book to see what happens with that. I have my suspicions of who might be involved with that particular problem, but only time will tell.

I also really liked the other cowboys who worked on the ranch. All of them were Cass's rescues. I loved seeing how each of them made Sammy feel so special, and how determined all of them were to keep him safe. With twelve cowboys on Holiday Ranch, I have high hopes that each will get his own story.