Whatever Happens in Texas - Delores Fossen (HQN - Jan 2021)

Series: Lone Star Ridge (Book 3.5)

Being wrong for each other never felt so right.
 
A thriving ranch to call his own, heart-stopping good looks, beautiful women to the edge of Texas and back...Cooper Kendall has everything a guy could want. But what he wants most is the one thing he can't have: a chance to prove to Lila Novak he's a changed man.
 
The memory of the night she spent with Cooper still simmers in the back of Lila's mind—especially now that her sister is marrying his brother. Still, there's no way Lila can fool herself into thinking their scorcher of a one-night stand could ever be anything more to Cooper. What would the former high school hotshot want with the class nerd anyway?
 
Now, with the newlyweds away on their honeymoon, Cooper and Lila are officially on babysitting duty in Lone Star Ridge...under one roof, for three whole days. And when they're faced with a family crisis, their long-buried feelings boil over—until they can't ignore them any longer. Will who they were in the past stand in the way of starting a new future together?
 
Fun little story. Cooper and Lila have a little bit of history between them. Neither one can forget the night they spent together, and the sparks between them still burn two years later. With her sister marrying his brother, they'll be spending more time together, starting now. Cooper and Lila volunteered to watch their teenage niece and nephew while their parents are on their honeymoon.
 
Cooper's reputation as a womanizer works against him. At thirty-four, he's tired of that life and ready to move on. And the one he wants to move on with is Lila. Unfortunately, trying to convince her that he's changed is an uphill battle. It doesn't help that his latest ex refuses to let go. Lila can't deny the attraction between them but doesn't want to be one more in a long line.
 
Babysitting duty starts easy as both Noah and Sophie leave to visit friends. Cooper takes the chance to begin his campaign to change Lila's mind when they are interrupted by a call from the sheriff. Noah has pulled a stupid teenager trick, and Cooper and Lila have to deal with it. I liked how they handled it, though Cooper's campaign now needs to be modified. It doesn't take long to get Lila on the same page.
 
The story was short without much chance for development, but I thought it did pretty well. Cooper and Lila know each other well enough that the rapid progression of their relationship is believable. The teenagers were a nice touch with likely teenage attitudes. I enjoyed the scenes with the ex, who was obnoxious without being over-the-top. The lasagna scene was fun.

Tempting in Texas - Delores Fossen (HQN - Feb 2021)

Series: Lone Star Ridge (Book 4)

He told himself he could never be what she needs. But maybe he's found the only role that really matters…
 
As a kid, Hayes Dalton took a back seat to his sisters' reality show, Little Cowgirls, but to deputy Cait Jameson, her childhood crush was always the main attraction. Now a Hollywood star in his own right, Hayes is back in Lone Star Ridge to attend his sisters' weddings and, while their connection is immediate, Cait finds herself struggling to reconcile the boy from her past with this new celebrity bad boy.
 
Hayes knows he'll return to LA once the "I dos" are over, but until then, getting to know Cait again is the best part about coming home. Being with her is a salve, especially after a personal tragedy turned his world upside down. Can he convince the small-town cop he's falling for that he's still the same guy beneath the image -- and willing to do whatever it takes to see where this no-longer-just-a-fling takes them?
 
Good conclusion to the series. Though Hayes took a supporting cast role in his sisters' Little Cowgirls show when they were kids, he is now the star of his own show. The part of a motorcycle club bad boy is a good fit for him and kept him employed for ten years. Now he returned for his sisters' weddings and spent some time getting himself together after the death of a good friend. He didn't count on getting mixed up with Cait Jameson.
 
Cait stayed in Lone Star Ridge and eventually became a deputy sheriff. She likes her job and the people she protects (most of the time). She remained friends with the Dalton girls, who are about to become her sisters as they marry her three brothers. The only hitch in the situation is keeping her still active crush on Hayes under wraps. That proves to be easier said than done.
 
The story starts with a bang as Cait, in the ER, receives treatment for an injury received during a domestic violence call. She's there when an injured Hayes arrives after being run off the road on his motorcycle. Add in a ditzy stalker and swirling rumors about his friend's death, and it's no wonder Hayes feels a little overwhelmed. He has some ideas on how to deal with all of it, but it's going to take Cait's help to do it.
 
I liked seeing the development of the relationship between Cait and Hayes. Neither one can deny the sparks that light up between them, but both hesitate to do anything about it. Cait knows Hayes returns to California after the weddings creating a good chance of a broken heart on her part. Hayes knows his shortcomings and doesn't want to take a chance on hurting Cait. But as they work together to deal with family crises, Cait and Hayes discover that they have more in common than they realized. I loved watching them grow closer, support each other through family issues, and become each other's refuge when life gets messy. I loved the scene at the end. Hayes' vulnerability shows as he goes after what he wants while fearing it isn't possible. Cait's response was great.
 
As in the previous books, family dynamics play a significant part in the story. The Daltons' mother, Sunshine, is up to her old tricks of trying to cash in on her kids' fame. She wants to film the weddings and sell it to the tabloids, and Hayes and his sisters want nothing to do with it. Sunshine uses threats and blackmail to push her demands, putting Hayes in the difficult position of protecting his sisters or dealing with some personal fallout. I loved seeing how the Daltons support each other through the crisis, along with the capable backup of the Jameson clan. On the Jameson side, family patriarch Marty's irresponsibility comes home to roost again. This time it's a previously unknown grandson who shows up in need of a place to stay. Cait reads Marty the riot act, inadvertently revealing the effects of his actions on her. I finally have some hope for Marty's redemption as some of her complaints hit home. Not only does he come through for his family at the end, but he also helps solve the Daltons' problem with Sunshine. 

 

Hot Summer in Texas - Delores Fossen (HQN - Sept 2020)

Series: Lone Star Ridge (Book 2.5)

Lana Watley would do anything for her lovable, troublemaking grandfather. Except marry her ex, Marco Becker—that's just too big an ask, even to safeguard the family ranch. Sure, Grandpa Benji isn't wrong that there are still feelings between her and the gorgeous cowboy. Lust, for one. But also the kind of deep hurt that not even toe-curling chemistry can eclipse.
 
For once, Marco agrees with Lana. She crushed his heart when she walked away a decade ago. Yet after everything Benji has done for him, he hates to see the old man lose his ranch. Perhaps if Marco and Lana work together, they can solve this problem another way. If only every encounter didn't leave him wishing this red-hot reunion could last forever.
 
Good second chance story. Lana hasn't spent much time back in Lone Star Ridge since she left a decade earlier. There are too many uncomfortable memories. But when she gets a call that her beloved grandfather, Benji, is in jail, she rushes to him, only to find it was all a ruse. Benji needs heart surgery and feels his mortality creeping up on him. A deathbed promise to his father means the ranch must be left to a male heir, but Lana is all he has. He tells Lana he wants her to marry neighboring rancher Marco.
 
Lana and Marco have a history. They were high school sweethearts with plans until a tragic event caused Lana to leave everything behind, including Marco. Seeing Marco again stirs up the old feelings, but Lana feels too much guilt over the past to think that she deserves another chance. Marco agrees that marriage isn't the answer to Benji's problem. Risking his heart with her again is not something he wants to do.
 
The heat between Marco and Lana is as intense as ever and flares hotter whenever they are near each other. Lurking under the attraction are the feelings that never died and come boiling up to the surface as they try to find a solution. It was a little frustrating to see them both fight against what they wanted until Lana finally told Marco why she left. I loved his response and that they seemed to be headed in the right direction. An unwelcome intrusion helped clarify their feelings, aided by Benji coming up with a workable solution to the inheritance problem.

Wild Nights in Texas - Delores Fossen (HQN - Oct 2020)

Series: Lone Star Ridge (Book 3)

She can make Lone Star Ridge's sheriff break every rule…

Former child star "Badly" Hadley Dalton can't shake the nickname she got on Little Cowgirls, the reality show that made her famous. Another thing she can't shake: her attraction to hometown heartthrob Leyton Jameson. After their teen make-out session was televised, Leyton ended their relationship, and Hadley left town. But when she learns her beloved Granny Em has gone missing, Hadley returns home and immediately lands in hot water…

Leyton has wanted Hadley since he first knew what desire was. Searching for Em together makes all that heat -- and all their differences -- impossible to ignore. Hadley's past is riddled with bad decisions -- ones that are suddenly rearing their ugly head. Believing she's too much trouble for a good-guy cop, Hadley doesn't think Leyton can ever overlook her faults. But Leyton will sign up for a lifetime of trouble if it means this wild ride never ends…

Good second chance romance. Hadley is the third sister in the trio that starred in the reality show Little Cowgirls. While her two sisters were the sunny-natured, good girls, Hadley got stuck with the nickname "Badly Hadley." Never one to resist a challenge, Hadley did her best to live up to the name, especially as she got older. When an overzealous cameraman caught Hadley making out with her boyfriend, Leyton and the producers televised it, Leyton broke off their relationship. The show was canceled soon after, and eventually, Hadley left town. She became a successful costume designer until a customer's reaction to a wardrobe malfunction tanked Hadley's business. Combined with a strange call from her grandmother, Hadley rushed home to Texas.

Leyton stayed in Lone Star Ridge and eventually became the sheriff. He has a reputation for maintaining a cool head in a crisis, as shown in this series's previous books. That cool head will come in handy when Hadley's arrival in town blindsides him. To complicate matters further, Granny Em has disappeared, and no one knows where she is. It's up to Hadley and Leyton to find her.

I loved watching the rekindling of the relationship between Hadley and Leyton. Truthfully, there wasn't much rekindling to do. The attraction that burned between them back then is still there and growing fast. From the moment they saw each other again, they couldn't deny the sparks. Leyton was all for seeing where it would take them, but Hadley was much warier. She made so many bad decisions in her past that she can't stand the idea of her reputation damaging Leyton's, especially when some of those decisions come back to haunt her now.

One of the first things on their plate is finding Granny Em and making sure she isn't in danger. Em is an interesting woman and sometimes claimed that she used to be the girlfriend of a mobster. When Leyton and Hadley find out that she really was, their worries for her increase. It was quite the eye-opener for both of them when they tracked Em down and found her with her former boyfriend (now fiancé). Finding out that Tony's brother is out of prison and looking for them sends Leyton and Hadley into protective mode as they take the two lovebirds back to Lone Star Ridge.

To protect Tony and Em, Leyton and Hadley spend a lot of time together. Leyton uses the time to show Hadley how good they could be together. Every chance he gets, he emphasizes that her past doesn't need to dictate her future. I loved his patience as Leyton shows her time and again that she is a good person who has made some mistakes. Hadley wants to believe him until another piece of her past shows up.

The TV show's former producer wants to do a reunion show, and neither the girls nor their brother are interested. In fact, they flat-out refuse to even think about it. This time, the producer brings along his partner, a former cameraman, to up the pressure. He doesn't know that Hadley and the man have a history, and Dempsey has a little blackmail in mind to get his way. I ached for Hadley because of the guilt she felt and loved the support she got from her family and Leyton. I also liked Leyton's protectiveness and the points he made in a private chat with Dempsey.

The end gets a little intense when Tony's brother, Marco, shows up. There was an interesting twist to that situation that I did not expect, and it threw a different light on the issue. After a somewhat humorous beginning, the final resolution was good but left Leyton with a bunch of paperwork to do. I loved how Leyton surprised Hadley and himself by telling her how he felt before having to leave her. Unfortunately, that confession scared the heck out of Hadley because she was sure that loving her would come back to bite him. She planned to put some distance between them by leaving Lone Star Ridge, even though everyone tried to tell her it was a mistake to go. I loved seeing Leyton chase her down and how he convinced her to stay. The epilogue was a sweet wrap-up to the story.

That Night in Texas - Delores Fossen (HQN - May 2020)

Series: Lone Star Ridge (Book 1.5)

Few things can shake a tough, bull-ridin' cowboy quite like finding an abandoned pregnancy test, and Harley Garrett is definitely shakin' in his saddle. Someone's knocked up at Rustler's Ridge ranch, but who? Little does Harley know that Amelia Wade—his longtime, sexy friend with benefits—has kind of a secret she needs to tell him…

Amelia has always had a thing for Harley—and wanted more. He's a delicious combination of strong, silent cowboy and Viking sex god, so how could she resist? Only now Amelia might be pregnant, and their "uncomplicated" relationship just landed in the "complicated as all heck" zone. But when Harley decides to cowboy up, almost anything can—and will—happen…

Super short (50 pages) side story in the Lone Star Ridge series. It opens with Harley in a panic, trying to figure out who at the ranch might be pregnant. His sister? His mom? A random guest? Then his friend-with-benefits, Amelia, arrives looking for her mother. Her parents are fighting over her mom's indiscretion (i.e., one-night-stand) with a guest at the ranch, and Amelia wants to get to the bottom of it. She also needs to talk to Harley.

There are all kinds of shenanigans going on. Amelia's mother, Nadine, wants Harley to leave Amelia alone and isn't above trying to involve Harley's mom. Nadine has also been hanging out with ranch guest Marty Jameson, a country music star with a reputation for not keeping his zipper zipped. In the midst of Amelia's conversation with her mother, her dad arrives to join the fray. I had to laugh at the sight of the two men taking swings at each other, then have to deal with the sheriff. I loved Leyton and his ability to bring calm out of chaos.

Then there were Amelia and Harley. Harley is stunned when Amelia tells him she might be pregnant. He may not have had plans to marry, but there's no way he'll walk away. Harley and Amelia have had a satisfactory arrangement for years, and he has no idea that Amelia wanted more. I liked watching Harley's thought processes as he comes to grips with the idea of being a father and husband. It doesn't take him long to realize that the concept doesn't scare him. Amelia doesn't want him out of obligation, and it takes some work for him to convince her that his feelings are real. There's an unexpected twist at the end, but Harley sticks to his guns.

I would have liked the story to be a little longer and more depth given to the characters.

Chasing Trouble in Texas - Delores Fossen (HQN - June 2020)

Series: Lone Star Ridge (Book 2)

They've got each other -- and a whole lot of trouble.

Austin Jameson's life is complicated enough. With twin girls he adores and a ranch he's dedicated to, the widower and cowboy is more than busy. But when his former flame arrives in his hometown, his world is thrown off balance.

Former child star McCall Dalton wants to run away -- from her image and the scandal that has engulfed her. Brokenhearted and humiliated, she's come back home to Texas to escape.

Austin doesn't find peace and McCall doesn't get refuge -- instead they rediscover every delicious inch of one another. Before long, their budding romance must face a custody battle with Austin's in-laws and yet another scandal. Determined not to let each other go a second time, they set out to prove that it's true what they say: love really does conquer all.

Good second chance love story, with lots of love, laughter, and family drama. McCall is one of a set of triplets who spent from the age of three to fifteen as one of the stars of a reality show. It all ended when her sister Hadley got in trouble for joy-riding, and the show was canceled. All three sisters, Sunny (Tangled Up in Texas), McCall, and Hadley, as well as their brother, Hayden, were happy to see the end of it. Their parents - not so much, and ended up creating all kinds of trouble for years. McCall, who was known as the good sister, went on to get a degree in counseling and recently started a charitable foundation with her boyfriend.

Though the relationship with Cody ended, they pretended it was still on to protect their latest fundraiser. That comes to a screeching and humiliating end when McCall catches Cody knocking boots with Miss Watermelon during the fundraiser. After making her displeasure known, McCall heads home to Lone Star Ridge to regroup and avoid the media. Not wanting to worry her grandmother, McCall stops at her old friend Austin's ranch for help in calming down before seeing Granny Em.

Austin is the widowed father of three-year-old twins Gracie and Avery. He still struggles with grief over his wife's death two years earlier. His girls are the center of his world. They and his horse ranch keep him hopping, but he wouldn't have it any other way. His biggest problem is his nosy, manipulative mother-in-law, Edith, who regularly threatens to sue for custody of the girls.

The first chapter was a hilarious start to the book. Austin opens his front door (in a pink tutu and tiara) to find a strange man (Cody) demanding to see McCall, who isn't there - yet. Cody's demands and whining steadily increase until McCall makes an appearance. McCall isn't happy to see him and threatens a particularly sensitive portion of his anatomy with her pointy-toed shoes. Matters become more complicated with the arrival of reporters and a cop determined to arrest Cody, bringing Sheriff Leyton Jameson, Austin's brother, into the mix. The icing on the cake is Edith's arrival and blatant disapproval of the whole ruckus.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Austin and McCall. They have a history together. Austin was an extra on the tv show, brought in to play a teenage McCall's crush. That wasn't too hard, as each was unknowingly crushing on the other. McCall's crush continued into high school, where she competed with her friend Zoey for Austin's attention. Dice may have been involved 😉, and Zoey came out the winner and ultimately married him. Years later, proximity brings back the old feelings with added intensity.

Austin quickly realizes he wants to spend more time with McCall. She the first woman to break through his grief, and he likes how he feels around her. McCall feels the same way, but she has some secrets that could make things more difficult for him. There are some wonderful scenes between them as their feelings strengthen, and Austin does his best to convince her to take a chance. There are some sweet scenes with Avery, Gracie, and their "fairy lady" as McCall falls just as hard for the girls as she does for their father.

Meanwhile, McCall's secrets do come out, causing a series of twists and turns and hilarious and emotional situations. I loved Austin's support as McCall faces varying levels of repercussions. It all comes to a head when Edith makes good on her threat, and McCall has to decide whether to run or fight. The ending was great as love finds a way.

The secondary characters were wonderful. Avery and Gracie top the list out of sheer adorableness. I loved their enthusiasm for just about everything they encounter. It was fun to see them playing "cops and bobbers" with their aunt Cait (a deputy) and "nukle" Leyton, and "fairy tale rules" with McCall. I ached for them at the end when "cussody" became an issue. Edith was a piece of work. Her judgmental attitude was uncalled for because Austin was a wonderful dad. McCall's assistant Mo was great. I loved her background, her support for McCall, and her snarky sense of humor. Granny Em was a hoot, and I loved her reverse strip poker games with Mo. Hadley made a brief appearance, and I can't wait to get to her book.