Sweet Summer Sunset - Delores Fossen (HQN - June 2019)

Series: Coldwater, Texas (Book 3)

Coldwater's most-wanted cowboy is just her best friend -- until one sizzling summer kiss changes everything…

Rodeo rider Nico Laramie may not have a squeaky-clean reputation with the women of Coldwater, but there are rules he doesn't break. No bullies. No married women. And definitely not his best friend, Eden Joplin. So what exactly is Nico thinking, kissing Eden in front of her jerk ex-husband? With the proverbial bull out of the pen, Nico is about to get gored -- hard.

Eden has secretly been writing a sex-advice blog called “Naughty Cowgirl,” but her divorce killed all her sexy inspiration. Then, when her gorgeous best friend kisses her in a way that makes her toes curl, suddenly Eden's mojo is back. And the heat isn't going away. Now something deep and long-denied is happening between them. Something that could destroy their friendship…or finally prove that this time it's the real deal.

Good friends to lovers romance. Nico is the youngest of the four Laramie brothers. All four of them survived some horrendous experiences in foster care, leaving them with varying degrees of scars and baggage. They also had some good experiences. Nico recently lost one of the foster mothers that he was close to and is still grieving the loss. In order to be a better influence on his sixteen-year-old foster sister, Nico has sworn off his one-night-stand, casual sex ways. It is suggested that he cultivate a more stable relationship with a woman who has a good reputation, such as Eden Joslin. Eden is one of Nico's best friends and is one of the "good girls" of the town.

Eden is still reeling somewhat from her divorce. She was married to her high school sweetheart until he left her for another woman. She keeps her head high but is getting tired of the pity from the townspeople. What none of them know is that besides working for the local lawyer, Eden also writes a blog called Naughty Cowgirl, where she dispenses spicy sex advice. Unfortunately, she has struggled with it since her divorce. But in one unexpected encounter, everything changes.

I loved seeing Nico and Eden's friendship grow into love. Because she and Damien had been a couple since they were teenagers, Nico had kept Eden firmly in the friend zone. I liked the way that they could always go to each other with their problems. So it wasn't unusual for Nico to help her with her blog, or to go to her when he had trouble. Nico went to Eden with the problem he had regarding his sister, and also to check on her because of a public meltdown over her ex. He was there when Damien arrived, supposedly to check on her. But when Damien started putting her down, including the statement that "no other man wants her," Nico had enough. To prove Damien wrong, Nico kissed her himself. Both of them were blindsided by the heat that flared from that kiss, and neither was quite sure what to do about it. Can they pursue it without ruining their friendship?

Doing something about the attraction proves to be complicated. Both Eden and Nico's lives are filled with enough drama to fuel a soap opera. Nico is dealing with grief over the loss of his former foster mother and trying to help his foster sister, Piper, through her. At the same time, he has to contend with Piper's current foster mother/aunt, a rigid, judgmental woman. Rayelle's interference makes it difficult for Nico to spend time with Piper. Piper has problems with more than just her grief, including the arrival of her ex-boyfriend. Piper has secrets that are going to take both Eden and Nico to help her handle.

I liked seeing Nico and Eden try to squeeze in time to be together, and felt their frustration at the number of times they were interrupted. There are some intense encounters, sometimes fueled by Eden's blog, and some that are just plain sweet. One of the things I liked best was that they were there for each other when the crap would hit the fan, ready to help; however it was needed. The ending was terrific, with an inventive way of confessing their love for each other.

The secondary characters were all well portrayed for their parts in the story. Eden's ex, Damien, was totally oblivious to anything that didn't affect him and made so many things all about himself. I honestly couldn't understand what Eden had seen in him, especially as the book went on. I loved seeing him finally get what was coming to him at the end. Rayelle was very unlikeable at the beginning, but it didn't take long to see that there was more to her than the uptight façade showed. The reasons were revealed in some interesting twists. Piper was the center of much of the drama that occurred during the book. I ached for her and her grief over Brenda's loss. It's complicated by the other things she has going on in her life. Her relationship with her boyfriend felt realistic, as did the drama that went along with it.

Hot Texas Sunrise - Delores Fossen (HQN - Mar 2019)

Series: Coldwater Texas (Book 2)

Love was the last thing on this untamed cowboy's mind…until she stole his heart away.

Cleo Delaney will do anything to keep her promise and raise her best friend's sons -- even if it means telling a little white lie to the state to keep them. So Cleo turns to the only person she can trust to help her -- her first love, Judd Laramie. If he fosters the three young brothers in name only, she'll do all the heavy lifting. It's a foolproof plan…but she never imagined that the feelings they once shared would return. With a vengeance.

Texas deputy Judd Laramie is stunned by Cleo's request. Being a dad -- even on paper -- is the last thing this cowboy needs right now. But no one knows better than Judd how flawed the foster system is and how much these brothers need Cleo's protective love. What starts as a simple lie becomes so much more, and soon it's clear Judd needs Cleo and the family they've created as much as they need him. Now he'll do whatever it takes to win Cleo's heart and claim the future they all deserve.

Good second chance romance that is full of love, family, hope, and fear. Cleo's best friend passed away, leaving her three boys to Cleo to raise. Unfortunately, the official paperwork didn't get done before Miranda died, putting the three boys in the custody of their drunken, abusive grandmother. Cleo wants to foster them, but has some strikes against her - mainly that she's had some trouble with the law and owns a bar. To get around the problem, she contacts fellow foster survivor and friend Judd to ask him to go on the record as their foster parent while she does the actual work.

Judd is stunned by Cleo's proposal. While he is empathetic to the boys' plight, having had a truly horrifying experience in the system, he's not ready to take on that responsibility. His memories sent him down a dark path, one he used alcohol to deal with. He's been sober for a year, but every day is a struggle and he doesn't think he can handle the extra stress.

The central theme of this book is getting the boys away from their grandmother and in a loving home. The relationship between Cleo and Judd takes a bit of a backseat, but is bolstered by their joint involvement in protecting the boys. Though I understood his reasons, I was disappointed in Judd's refusal. I thought that he was a lot stronger than he and others believed he was. I liked how oldest brother Kace stepped in to fill the breach and how the rest of the family also became part of the solution. I did like that Judd didn't avoid involvement. There are some heartbreaking scenes of him with the oldest boy, Beckham. Judd sees a lot of himself in Beckham and develops a pretty solid connection with him. The path to saving the boys does not run smoothly. The grandmother is a piece of work. She doesn't want the boys herself, she just wants to be sure that Cleo doesn't get them. There is also a social worker who has an agenda of her own and is not as impartial as she ought to be. I liked seeing the effect that the love of the whole Laramie family had on Beckham, Isaac, and Leo. However, there were still obstacles to overcome, including a chance that they would lose the boys completely. The scene at the end with the social worker was a nail-biter with an ending that had an unexpected twist to it.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Judd and Cleo. The chemistry between them dates back to when they were teenagers and both fostered with Buck. Even though they haven’t seen much of each other in the intervening years, the pull between them is still strong. Judd doesn't do commitment, however, as he has so many issues he doesn't want to inflict on anyone else. As he and Cleo are thrown together more frequently, the more difficult it is to keep their hands off each other, until they finally give in. It's easy to see that their feelings for each other deepen, as each one becomes more concerned with how things affect the other one than in protecting themselves. I felt bad for Cleo, who kept apologizing to Judd for getting him involved, and for Judd, who felt guilty because he felt like he was letting her down. I felt like both of them needed a good shove to get them headed in the right direction. Those shoves came about in unexpected ways, making for a very satisfying ending.

The secondary characters added to the fun and feelings of the story. Beckham, Isaac, and Leo were the most important of these. The misery and pain they endured made my heart ache for them. Little Leo was adorable, and I loved seeing Isaac and his joy at helping Rosy in the kitchen. But my favorite brother was Beckham. He is so intent on protecting his brothers, even though it's clear that he's just as scared as they are. I liked the way that he connected with Judd and began to lose a little of his distrust of adults. I hope to see more of him in the upcoming books. Buck and Rosy were fantastic with their willingness to do whatever needed to help make a home for the boys. I still get a little creeped out by Rosy's taxidermy efforts. Billy the armadillo is still a presence, plus there's a funny scene involving some frogs. I also loved Judd's sponsor. She is quite a character, and I laughed out loud at her safe words and distraction objects. I liked seeing more of Judd's brothers, Kace and Nico, and can't wait to read their stories.