Dry Creek Ranch #2, Jace, Cash, and Sawyer are still trying to figure out how they can keep their ranch in one piece and still have enough to pay the taxes which are coming up and on top of all that Jace is up for re-election as Sheriff and this time he has competition. Jace also needs a new babysitter for his boys, even though the oldest, Travis, is old enough to watch Grady they don't always play nice. Charlotte is on the run from her fiance with the help of an organization that specializes in her situation she's trying to get as far away from him and San Francisco as possible she only made it as far as Dry Creek. Charlotte's former fiance cost her everything and now she has to start over. When Jace earns her trust enough for her to confide in him he talks her into staying at least for a little bit and file a restraining order. Charlotte helps around the house, watches the boys when they need it, helps out with the re-election campaign, and she start to find something to help her make money, refurbish and upcycle stuff she found at an old barn. She is well on her way to falling in love with the town, the boys, and Jace now she only needs to stop worrying about what her ex-fiance is going to do when he finds her.

Overall, it was another fabulous read from Stacy Finz. Wonderful characters love Charlotte heartbroken but resilient, Jace hesitant to start a relationship with a woman who has up until now been a city girl and one who might leave him and his boys and they have been through that before he can't do it again. This a a wonderful romance, Stacy Finz has a way with words, she pulls you in and makes you feel like your part of their family. I am really looking forward to Sawyer's book and finding out about what happened to Angie. 

One Tough Cowboy 2 stars  POST in JANUARY

For as long as Samantha can remember, Hunter—a man as strong as steel, with a heart of gold—has been her hero. It came as no surprise to Samantha when she found out that the ranch-hardened cowboy who always protected her from bullies went on to become the town’s sheriff. What does surprise her is how incredibly hot he still is. And how much she still wants him…

Overall this book was well written and I really liked the characters. However, there were several glaring things that bothered me. The first being that Sam was pretty young when they moved away, too young (IMO) to establish pre-existing romantic feelings on her part and DEFINITELY too young on his part. Another is that the book takes place in only a few days and, with the flow of the book (and my previous statement about pre-existing feelings) it didn’t work for me for some reason. Also, a slight peeve, they emphasized on it being Southern and it takes place in California, which is NOT in the South. I’m been a fan of Lora Leigh’s for years. She has a template to her books that I usually really like, but it just didn’t work for me here.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

One Tough Cowboy has the potential to be a romantic suspense that is both gritty and gripping. Add in a sexy, alpha male cowboy and this one should sizzle. Sadly, it doesn't. The story starts off well-enough with a handful of suspicious deaths, an old flame rekindled, and corruption in town government, but quickly snowballs into something else. The mystery is still there, but it's overrun by one long sex scene after another once Hunter and Samantha get together. I can understand a strong attraction, but considering the personal stake they each have in this case and that they're both law enforcement, I would've expected them to be able to focus on that at least some of the time. Instead, they act like teenagers who can't control their hormones. The steamy fun certainly has its place, and the authors certainly know their stuff in writing detailed, scorching hot scenes, but it just got to be too much. If only that talent for details had been applied to the actual story, this could've been a terrific read. We do get some moments with terrific banter, and I loved one particular part with Hunter solving a set of riddles, but there are just too many inconsistencies in the story. One such inconsistency lies in the setting. It is supposed to be a small town in California, but the vernacular and several descriptions just don't fit. So much so that I turned back through the book to make sure I remembered the setting correctly. It should also be noted that there is a particularly disturbing scene toward the end that could have and should have been handled much better. The list goes on, but suffice it to say that the cons far outweigh the pros here, at least for me. 

This one is so full of passion, excitement, and tension as the two main characters work together to weed out corruption in their small town. They have known each other their whole lives, but when her family moves away 10-15 years ago, Hunter never expected to see the little kid he had nicknamed Pixie Pest all grown up and back in town to seek answers for her aunt's death. She knows her aunt's death was not a suicide and she won’t rest until she gets justice. She doesn’t expect to find Hunter, the guy she had a crush on, as the sheriff and just as hot as he was when she saw him years past. She hasn’t come back for him, but she can’t help noticing that he flirts with her and her interest is rekindled as they work together to stop the corruption in her home town. Passions flair fast and hot between these two and the plot and conflict were great. A nice mix of adventure, action, suspense, and passion. I liked this one a lot.