Sandy M’s review of Strong, Silent Type (Rough Riders, Book 6.5) by Lorelei James
Contemporary Western Romance short story ebook released by Samhain 5 May 09

It’s going to be a sad day when Ms. James decides to end this series. She has a huge host of die-hard fans for her McKay/West series. Her characters are always so engaging, the stories always show the characters’ growth and always have this family show love and support for one another no matter what, and love scenes are some of the hottest and most sizzling to be had. Oh, and the cowboys are a huge plus too. Ms. James is one of the best at making those men walk the walk, talk the talk, and jump right off the page.

In this short story we get to see a couple of the family who have been together for a number of years. They were high school sweethearts and have been inseparable ever since. Until recently, that is. Quinn McKay and his wife Libby are separated as the story opens, both at a loss at how to fix their problems. Quinn thought he could leave Libby alone for a bit and she’d come to her senses. But it’s brought home to him that he’s going to have to make the first move, he wasn’t exactly blameless in the weeks and months before their separation. He loves his wife and wants her back.

Libby is ready to move on with her own life, even though it will kill her to do it without Quinn. She thought making changes to both herself and their home would help matters, but her husband seemed more distant when all was said and done. So not wanting to be married to a man who no longer loves her, Libby does the one thing she never dreamed would happen, and breaking her heart in the process – she signs divorce papers.

Once Quinn decides to man up and grab the bull by the horns, things start to go better for this couple. They begin to talk, something Quinn has never been good at and something Libby let slide over the years. They put everything on the table, admit their part in the hiccup in their marriage, learn things about one another they never knew, and finally share their sexual fantasies with each other, which gives another jump start to their reconciliation, but still not knowing if it’s all going to work out for them.

I enjoyed this little rocky slice of the McKay family, different from the stories before when the hero and heroine meet for the first time and learn their way through the relationship. Quinn and Libby end up having to learn a whole different side of their relationship, and by laying everything on the line, their life together is better than ever.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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Wyoming rancher Quinn McKay thought he’d only have to bide time until his levelheaded wife came to her senses and called a halt to this “trial separation”. He never believed the marital rough patch would drag on for a coon’s age.
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Libby McKay knew when she married the gruff, laid-back cowboy that he wasn’t prone to blathering about his feelings. But three months have passed and her stubborn-as-a-mule husband is still living by himself in the horse trailer. It seems he’d rather hold onto his pride than hold onto her.
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Quinn realizes Libby is determined to move on if he doesn’t loosen his tongue and he’ll lose the only woman he’s ever loved. In a last-ditch effort to keep her in his life, he offers her one weekend of uninterrupted sexual decadence.
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Reigniting the passion is easy. The hard part comes after the sheets have cooled and they find out if what remains is strong enough to survive past mistakes.
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

The Ducks are chatting once again. Welcome!

Today erotic author Lorelei James joins us to talk about her hot and sexy cowboys that her fans adore. If you love reading about cowboys, you should be reading this series. You’ll never look at those Levi-wearin’, bronc-bustin’ men the same way again. Lorelei lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota, so all things western are in her blood. She portrays a very authentic cowboys in speech as well as deed, and she writes them steamin’ hot like nobody’s business.

The sixth book in the series was just released and already those adoring fans are looking ahead to the next book. Long Hard Ride started it all just a little more than a year ago and the Rough Riders series, featuring the McKay family, was born. Just seven months later, Rode Hard, Put Up Wet followed and Lorelei’s books here a hit. A year later, to the day, Cowgirl Up and Ride hit the shelves, followed by Tied Up, Tied Down, Rough, Raw and Ready, and just last week Branded as Trouble. In between all this, her Wild West Boys, sexy cousins to the McKays, saw the beginning of their series in Mistress Christmas. On top of all this, Lorelei also writes contemporary romances which she talks about in the interview. She’s one busy lady, but she’s taken a few minutes to chew the fat with us today.  Lorelei will drop in to say hello throughout the day, so drop her a hi or a question or any comment you’d like, because she’s giving away a download for any book from her backlist and a Rough Riders T-shirt.

Be sure to check out my review of Branded as Trouble!

So let’s chat!

Duck Chat: I discovered your books late 2007 and have enjoyed every one released since then. What I didn’t know if all this time and just found out is you write mysteries under your real name of Lori G. Armstrong. Yes, I’m behind the times. Tell our readers about the mystery books you’ve written.

Lorelei James: Since 2005 I’ve written four books in mass market paperback for Medallion Press in the Julie Collins series, Blood Ties, Hallowed Ground, Shallow Grave, and Snow Blind. These “medium-boiled” contemporary mysteries are set in western South Dakota. My female lead is a private investigator, a real tough chick who smokes too much, drinks too much, and has lousy taste in men. She’s still grieving over the unsolved death of her Lakota half-brother, and righting that wrong is part of what drives her to right other wrongs, personally and professionally. Despite her tough outer shell, Julie is way more vulnerable than she wants to admit. These books are pretty much “pure” mystery, not romantic suspense, although a shady male love interest is introduced in book two. The series has been well received (Shamus nominations for Blood Ties and Hallowed Ground, a Willa Cather Literary Award for Hallowed Ground and a nomination for Shallow Grave, a High Plains Literary Award nomination for Shallow Grave, and Daphne du Maurier Award nominations for Hallowed Ground and Shallow Grave). Julie was a great character to write, but Snow Blind is the last book in the series. I have the first book in a new mystery series coming out in hardcover from Touchstone/Fireside (Simon & Schuster) in January 2010, entitled No Mercy.

DC: What made you decide to become an erotic author?

LJ: I love to read erotic romance. There’s just something about taking the sexual relationship to the edge that appeals to me.

DC: And why use a different name for your erotic romances?

LJ: Honestly? Because of shelving issues in bookstores and libraries. Since I’ve always written both romance and mystery, I decided whichever genre published me first would get my “real” name. There might be a misconception I took a different name because I’m hiding something or embarrassed about penning naughty tales. Not true. I’m very open and proud about what I write in both genres, but I’m also aware of the dividing line in genre readership: the steamy sex scenes in the Lorelei James books aren’t appealing to most mystery readers, and there isn’t enough romance/sex in the mysteries for erotic romance readers…although, I do get more crossover readership than I ever believed possible!

DC: If you could retire any question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

LJ: Where do I get my ideas from? Easy. I buy them at Wal-Mart.

DC: Your cowboys in your McKay/West family series are some hot and smokin’ men, but they’re also sensitive and loving. How did the idea for the series come about?

LJ: I’ve always loved western romances, but I grew frustrated at the lack of erotic contemporary single title western romances. And if I did find a contemporary western, it never had enough sex in it to satisfy the erotic reader in me. So I decided to write my own story, an old-fashioned saga with a new twist, featuring a family of hot cowboys and the women who love them. Instead of the wink wink, nudge nudge closing the bedroom door at the pivotal moment, I kicked that sucker wide open…and it seems to have struck a chord with those readers like me who were looking for a little more kink to their modern day westerns. Although, John Wayne probably would have run my guys out of town on a rail for their wild behavior!

I love writing contemporary erotic westerns, but I also love writing just contemporary romances, as I’ve done with my non-series books, Dirty Deeds, Wicked Garden, and Babe in the Woods. That’s where the idea for the Wild West Boys series, the West family—the McKay cousins—came about. Not everyone stays in their hometown, especially out here. In fact, most people can’t wait to move away so I wanted to write stories about men who have roots here but aren’t necessarily cowboys. Mistress Christmas is the first book in that series, and my hero, Nick West is a detective in Denver. Miss Firecracker, out in July, features Blake West, who is filling in as a bartender for his buddy, and it is set in Nebraska. Hopefully there will be more.

DC: The sixth book in the series, Branded as Trouble, was just released this last week. Would you introduce us those characters and tell us a little about them?

LJ: This is my first friends-to-lovers story.

Colt McKay has had some issues in previous books. Drinking. Drugging. Sleeping around. Pissing off his family. Shirking his duties at the family ranch. Colt sobered up (with help) at the tail end of Cowgirl Up and Ride, and he’s stayed sober for three years. He’s the black sheep of his family, and, even though it appears he’s got a handle on his substance abuse issues, his family seems to be waiting for the other boot to drop and for him to revert to his bad boy ways. India Ellison, Colt’s best friend, has been clean for eight years, and they met through A.A. Not only is India pierced, heavily tattooed, and the type to openly speak her mind, she owns a tattoo shop, which makes her a bit of an anomaly in Sundance, WY. The theme of the story is two black sheep falling in love, because, really, who to better understand you and accept who you are now? Instead of who you used to be? And it was great fun finding redeemable qualities in characters who at first glance may seem beyond redemption.

Excerpt from BaT:

Early the next morning, Colt stumbled out of his room. Despite his intent to crawl in his truck and head home, a shower was a necessity.

As he crossed the living area, he noticed India’s bedroom door was ajar. He peered through the crack and saw India sprawled in the middle of the bed. Alone. Alone and apparently buck-assed nekkid. Red satin sheets were twisted around her long legs and long arms, covering her torso, but hinting at the curves beneath.

Colt didn’t gawk at her body to see if she was, in fact, pierced everywhere she’d hinted at being pierced. A man could only stand so much temptation. He backtracked to the bathroom.

The hot water lasted all of five minutes. And did the woman own every blasted lotion and potion known to mankind? He counted fourteen different health and beauty product bottles—after he’d knocked them all into the tub. Twice.

Still, he felt a million times better after an ice shower. His injury itched, so he took that as a sign of recovery.

He needed his caffeine fix and didn’t want to stop at the Conoco and chance running into a member of his family. He plugged in India’s fancy coffeemaker and dumped a capful of coffee beans into the grinder. While that machine whirred, he washed the glass coffee pot and the plastic filter basket. It took four cupboards before he found where India had moved the box of paper coffee filters. He filled the water reservoir, reassembled the various parts and hit start.

Colt picked up the trash in his prison room while he waited for the coffee to brew. When he returned to the kitchen, India stormed out of her bedroom.

Pity she’d put on a robe.

“The one day I get to sleep in and you’re up at the butt crack of dawn making enough noise to wake the dead?”

“Oh, I see. It’s different when you’re disturbed out of your beauty sleep. Sucks, huh?”

“Funny.”

“Besides, all I did was make coffee.”

“Then explain what you were doing in the shower? ’Cause it sure as hell sounded like you were throwing rocks.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think your poor head was hurtin’ and it was a hangover talkin’.” Colt clucked his tongue. “Maybe you oughta get to bed earlier if you’re so cranky in the mornin’.”

“How do you know what time I went to bed?”

“I dunno, maybe it was the slamming door at midnight that tipped me off. Or maybe it was your headboard banging against my wall until the wee hours. I got tired of it around one a.m. and listened to my iPod.”

“But Blake finished—”

“Huh-uh. I don’t wanna know about Blake’s big finish because I had enough of the pre-game.” Colt sidestepped her.

“You think I slept with him.”

He shrugged, determined not to let it show how much her horizontal mattress mambo with his cousin bothered him.

“Hey.” Her hand circled his wrist and India yanked him around to face her.

Colt looked into her angry eyes. “What?”

“You are a judgmental jerk, Colt McKay.”

“Me? I didn’t pass judgment. I just pointed out the obvious.”

“Obvious?”

“Hell, I didn’t even mention the candles and soft music and the laughter that preceded all the bedroom noises.”

“Magnanimous of you.”

“I thought so.”

“Hah! You thought wrong.” India’s finger drilled him in the chest. “And it pisses me off that you think so…lowly of me.”

“What else am I supposed to think?”

“That there’s a logical explanation.”

He laughed. “For havin’ a man in your bedroom? After midnight? With the bed slamming against the wall? Sugar, sex isn’t the logical answer, it’s the only answer.”

“Not all men have sex on the brain twenty-four hours a day.”

Tired of her baiting him, Colt crowded her. “Any man with half a fucking brain, who is lucky enough to be in your bedroom at any time, ain’t thinkin’ about nothin’ but how perfect it’d feel to have your hot little body under his. Or on top of his. Or in front of his. Over and over. And if it’d been me? Twenty-four hours would be the minimum amount of time I’d keep you in my bed.”

India stared at him. “Is that what you were thinking about, Colt? Us having sex?”

Yes. Goddammit, that was all he could think about. Why in the hell couldn’t she see it?

DC: How many more books are planned in the series?

LJ: ONE BILLION. Seriously…I don’t know. There’s a whole branch of the McKays I’ve scarcely mentioned, yet some characters’ storylines aren’t conducive to a full-length novel. I’m working through ideas for both the West and McKay cousins. I’ll probably keep writing them as long as my editor and readers are buying!

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions or that dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

LJ: I think it’d get boring if everything I envisioned for a character/storyline came to pass exactly the way I’d planned it. Sometimes I veer completely off the synopsis. It’s what makes writing exciting for me; my best laid plans oftentimes are shot all to hell—and usually for the better.

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

LJ: Yes. The characters almost always win. If I’m trying to force a character to do or be something and it isn’t working, most times it stops my writing flow. So I’ve learned to listen and let them take me where they want to go–sounds crazy to non-writers I’m sure, as we’re not talking about real people but figments of my imagination.

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

LJ: Usually if I have a really great book I’m dying to read.

DC: Does your husband read your hot and steamy books? How’s he feel about them? Has he been some inspiration for writing your heroes?

JL: Yes, he reads them, but not until they’re available for sale. He is NOT my critique partner. He’s proud of me, and the books, and always says he’s the luckiest man in the world. He’s an inspiration in my real life, rather than in my fictional world.

DC: Do you think you write differently now than you did when you started?

LJ: God, I hope so. I hope I’m getting better with every book. It’s scary to contemplate that readers will always compare your most recent book to the one that got them reading you in the first place—and somehow find it lacking.

DC: When you have the time, what genre do you normally read?

LJ: Paranormal romance because it seems like the only genre I’m not writing in, so it’s purely fun. I keep up with mystery and erotic romance too.

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled in your writing but would like to try?

LJ: Young adult. I’ve been kicking around an idea for a couple of years, every once in a while I’ll bring it up with my daughters…it’s the only time I ask their advice on what they’d like to read in a book.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

LJ: Study harder. Knowing how to tap a keg really won’t get you very far in life.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

LJ: Probably still working in my husband’s family’s firearms business, where I toiled for a decade as the bookkeeper before I got back into writing.

DC: Favorite author:

LJ: Mystery: Sue Grafton; Romance: J.D. Robb

DC: Favorite book:

LJ: Of all time? Gone With the Wind

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?
milk
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?
smooth
- heels or flats?
flats
- coffee or tea?
Coffee in the morning, iced tea in the afternoon
- summer or winter?
summer
- mountains or beach?
I love the beach, but I live in the mountains
- mustard or mayonnaise?
mayonnaise
- flowers or candy?
Is this a trick question? Flowers…unless the candy is chocolate
- pockets or purse?
Purse, a huge purse that carries everything
- Pepsi or Coke?
Diet Pepsi
ebook or print?
Both – the Sprint “whispernet” feature for amazon kindle isn’t available out here in the Wild West, hence, I returned my Kindle…but I know if I had one, my cyber TBR piles would be catching up with the piles of books in my library. I have an ebookwise that I use, but getting the titles in their preferred format is a pain…and limited without converting the files…which is a pain.

And just for some extra fun:

1. What is your favorite word?
*see answer #7
2. What is your least favorite word?
Grimace or padded
3. What turns you on creatively?
Depends on the day. What I have for deadlines and/or family commitments is usually the deciding factor of what I work on–for me there is no waiting for the muse. I put my butt in the chair and get to work even if I don’t feel like it
4. What turns you off creatively?
Sometimes what turns you off personally is great for inspiring creativity
5. What sound or noise do you love?
The bell ringing on the front door when my kids and my husband come home
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
The new neighbors’ stupid barking dogs and the wild turkeys constant gobbling, clucking and screeching during mating season—which is right now
7. What is your favorite curse word?
*Fuck. It can be a verb, a noun, an adjective, an adverb when used properly (or improperly?) I get in trouble for using it too much in real life…and sometimes in fiction
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
As long as we’re pretending…I’d love to be an international spy like Sydney Bristow on “Alias”—cool disguises, hot men, and that air of mystery
9. What profession would you not like to do?
I wouldn’t like to be the person from the state highway department who has to pick up dead animal carcasses from the roads and ditches. Lots of dead critters on the roads here in South Dakota, and in the summertime, I can’t imagine the smell
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you
arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Wow. We must’ve really lowered our standards.”

Thanks so much, Lorelei, for being with us today!

Sandy M’s review of Branded as Trouble (Rough Riders, Book 6) by Lorelei James
Contemporary Western Erotic Romance eBook released by Samhain 3 Mar 09

I know the big draw to the Rough Riders series for Lorelei James fans is the erotic.  Her heroes and heroines steam up the pages something fierce. Ms. James never runs out of ideas for her love scenes. That’s a big draw for me too, but what I like just as much is the sense of family that has run throughout this series. It’s secondary to the romance and the sizzle, of course, but it’s there in every book and sometimes just as powerful as all that lovin’ that’s goin’ on.

Colt McKay has been sober for three and a half years, a huge milestone for him considering his wild and crazy days of booze and sex that went on for a good eighteen months before he realized he needed help. But no one even acknowledges his sobriety or the effort it takes to maintain it. His brothers are just waiting for him to fall off the wagon. Then he finds out his parents feel the same. Colt keeps right on plugging along, however, enduring Sunday supper with his family, doing his work on the ranch and other community activities his family knows nothing about.

The only one who can even come close to understanding him and really knowing him is India Ellison, sister to his cousin’s wife and a fellow AA member. Indy always feels the outsider with her body tattoos and piercings, though she does a steady business in her tattoo shop. She’s been Colt’s sponsor for the time he’s been attending meetings, but lately she’s been wanting something more with him. They have so much in common thanks to their pasts. She’s not sure if they have a future, but she’d definitely like to find out.

Little does India know that Colt’s been in love with her for the past three years. When they decide to take their relationship to the next level, it’s Colt who wants to take it slow. Though he can’t remember much during his year-and-a-half bender, he knows none of it was good. So he wants to date India, show her his gentlemanly side. So they take it easy and nearly drive each other nuts with wanting before their two-week deadline is up. And though things sizzled between them with all the sexual teasing, the world shakes, rattles, and rolls when they finally let loose. Their love scenes are intense, demanding, and oh-so-hot.

In between all this, Colt is still struggling with his family. It’s his youngest brother Cam who gives the family what-for, how they’re not helping Colt by doubting his every move and expecting him to return to his former ways. That was a terrific scene and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. Ms. James took her sweet time getting there!  She made me wait a while, but it was worth it. Colt’s brothers come to him, hat in hand, to apologize for their behavior and to let Colt know they’re behind him.  And while that was a nice scene, it’s the scene with his father later that tore at my heart. The McKay men don’t cry, but they do tear up as Colt does when talking to his father. I was hoping for a tad more emotion between them, a quick hug at the least, but what’s there works wonderfully.

India and Colt have their misunderstandings along the way, but I really enjoyed how they went to each other and talked things out. They may have yelled and thrown things, but in the end they did the right thing to make sure their relationship worked. They are both so tortured by the past, and the present and future give them fits too, push them to take another drink, waiting to see how they’ll survive. They may be branded as trouble because of their past, the future is bright for them, even if they have to work extra hard for it. That just makes it all the sweeter.

Grade: A

Summary:
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It’s hard to trust the future when you’ve been branded by the past
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As a walking advertisement for the tattoo shop she’s set up in a small Wyoming town, India Ellison is well acquainted with preconceived notions. Despite the odd looks and off-color comments about her off-color hair, life is good. She’s clean and sober, dotes on her sister’s kids and, best of all, spends most of her free time with her best buddy, cowboy Colt McKay.
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Reformed bad boy Colt never expected three years of sobriety to lead to three years of abstinence. Curbing his craving for booze and random sexual encounters is nothing compared to the ever-increasing craving for his hot-tempered, hot-bodied best friend, India. Too bad she’s his A.A. sponsor. Too bad she hasn’t a clue that Colt’s been head-over-bootheels in love with her from day one.
.
After an unexpected, steamy interlude, all India can think about is riding the sexy cowboy instead of her motorcycle, even when Colt is determined to show her a slower ride is worth the wait.
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Or are they risking their friendship for a fling that could burn them both?
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series (print releases linked below, go here for eBook releases):

Sandy M’s review of Rough, Raw and Ready (Rough Riders, Book 5) by Lorelei James
Contemporary Erotic Romance eBook released by Samhain 4 Nov 08

I’m amazed at how Ms. James can keep the stories in this series fresh as fast as she writes them.  But with each book we get a closer look into this circle of family she’s created, a much closer look into their lives, tragedies, loves, and their good times in life.  In this latest book is the update her fans have been waiting for, the past and present loves of one man collide, which puts the future of everyone involved in jeopardy.

Trevor and Chassie have been married for a year, barely eking out a living on her family ranch, but they’re at least happy in their new life together, both away from the families that made them into people they didn’t like and left with nothing and no one but themselves to depend on. Then with the appearance of a man who Trevor thought to never see again, their lives take on a decidedly different turn.

Edgar Mancuso was Trev’s roping partner when they were both on the rodeo circuit.  They became more to one another after a couple of years together, Trevor giving into the confusing desire he felt for the man.  Theirs was a tempestuous relationship even while being a fierce and loving one.  It all came to an end several years ago when Ed headed back to Brazil after realizing the man he loved would never acknowledge that love, neither with a loving gesture in public nor the words.  Things have not gone well for him in those intervening years and he’s back on U.S. soil to see if there’s any chance at all Trevor would want to pick up where they left off.  His wife may have something to say about that, however.

Trevor is both elated and scared to death at Edgar’s sudden presence in his life again.  The same feelings that took him by surprise the first time around are still there, but now he has a wife he loves more than anyone and won’t do anything to compromise what they have together, even though his heart wants Ed in his life again.  Chassie is thrown for a loop when she finds her husband kissing another man, and when she learns the whole truth that Trevor never told her about, she’s afraid he’ll want Edgar over her.  Deciding to do anything at all to keep him in her life, she decides to finally learn about those sexual goings-on she’d always heard about on the rodeo circuit.

What she never thought would happen is finding she’s developing feelings for Ed.  The fact she’s having the time of her life with two sexy cowboys in her bed should muddy the waters, but instead it only tells her what she knows her husband wants from her ever since Edgar walked back into his, and now her, life. It didn’t all go as smoothly as this makes it sound, they each have their moments of doubt and vulnerability during the getting to know each other process.  Having Trevor and Edgar come together again also didn’t go all that smoothly.  I like how everyday things get in the way to go along with their mind’s and heart’s uneasiness at times.

And, as I say in each of my reviews of these books, the family factor in these stories is one of the main attractions for me.  This time, however, though we do see a lot of the McKay family, it’s Trevor’s family that rear’s an ugly head to remind him of what he should be grateful for.  There’s also little teases thrown in for the next couple of books.  I’m waiting for Cam’s story myself.  The beginning of his storyline caught me off guard in this book and it has the makings for a very, very emotional story.

While this is not my favorite of the series, it’s still loads of fun, full of hot and steamy love scenes, and it’s always the cowboy’s themselves that get under my skin.

Grade: B+

Read reviews and info of the books in this series by following its tag.

Summary:

…Torn between the love he has…and the love he’s always wanted.

Chassie West Glanzer hasn’t been a stranger to drama and tragedy. A year of wedded bliss to sexy-as-sin cowboy Trevor Glanzer has brought her the happiness and contentment she never thought she’d find, and mellowed Trevor’s rodeo wanderlust. Then Trevor’s old roping partner ambles up the driveway—and Chassie’s life changes drastically.

Trevor never expected to see Edgard Mancuso again, after it became clear he couldn’t be the man Edgard needed. Now Edgard is back from Brazil to sort out their tangled past, and Trevor is plagued with feelings he thought he’d buried over three years ago. Although Trevor is hat-over-bootheels in love with his sweet, feisty wife, the sense his life is missing a piece has always gnawed at him.

Chassie’s shock that Edgard and Trevor were once lovers turns to fear of losing her husband. Or worse, fear that Trevor will stay with her only out of a sense of duty. Yet as the three of them spend time together, the sins of the past blur and fade, leaving raw emotion—and unbridled passion.

Passion that could heal…or cause irreparable damage to their future.

Warning: this book contains unbelievably explicit sex, including multiple cowboy/cowgirl/cowboy ménage scenes, juicy, hot, male on male action, a bucketful of politically incorrect situations and true Western ideology. 

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series (paperback releases referenced where available):

Sandy M’s review of Tied Up, Tied Down (Rough Riders, Book 4) by Lorelei James
Contemporary Western Erotic Romance eBook released by Samhain 8 Jul 08

I know I received some flack – hell, it was a lot of flack! — on my review of Ms. James’ previous book in this series, Cowgirl Up and Ride, because I dared to look past the gritty, ugly, but important, parts of the book to get to the overall picture she paints for the McKay family in that story.  It was all necessary and very well done, as far as I’m concerned, and in this book she’s once again given Rough Rider fans a story to dig their teeth into and sigh, but this time it’s done with some lightheartedness and fun and only a tad of angst and hardship.

We met Skylar in the previous book when she thought she had a date with Kane McKay but ended up in bed with his twin brother Kade.  Kade is the charmer of the two, at least at that point in time.  Kane was still into drink, women, and song, so it’s a actually a good thing Sky doesn’t know she’s been duped, although she doesn’t feel that way when she finds out what Kade’s done.  She slashes him to bits and out of her life, so Kane heads out to the furthest north forty of the family’s property where he spends the next year overseeing an experimental project for the ranch.

When he gets home after some quality alone time, he finds out from his angry mother that he’s a father.  Eventually realizing it has to be Sky his mother is talking about, he can’t hightail it fast enough to her door to see his daughter.  And he’s smitten.  By both his girls.  But one isn’t falling for him anymore while the other wraps him around her little finger.

Kane takes to fatherhood like a duck to water.  It’s not surprising because in Cowgirl he’d been feeling discontent with his life at that time and when he met Skylar, he was hoping for more with her when his little ruse backfired on him.  Now the family he’s always wanted seems to be just as out of reach as ever before.  But this man is determined to be part of his daughter’s life and he’s hopeful that he’ll re-win Sky in the process.  So he helps himself and moves right in with them and begins to show Skylar what they could have together.

I really enjoyed Kade’s character.  Even though he’d lived as rowdy as his brother and his McKay cousins at one time, he’s the one that woke up earlier than the others to smell the coffee.  He’s turned out to be a charming, straightforward, honorable, and sensitive man.  The scenes with his baby girl are just delicious.

Skylar, in the meantime, is just as determined to keep her space separate and apart from Kade, which, she finds out quite quickly, is damned impossible — they’re sharing the same bed.  Kade is not willing to give in on any aspect of raising his child, so if she sleeps in mama’s room, so does he.  I had to grin at their resolution to keep their hands to themselves while sleeping next to one another, knowing all the while it would be Sky who would cave first.   She didn’t stand a chance once Kade set his mind to getting what he wanted, both in bed and out.

Sky has to learn to stop overthinking every nuance of her life, especially when it comes to Kade and her heart, and she almost looses everything when she learns that lesson a little too late.  Even though things got a trifle tense between these two once in a while, they had fun together, even when the McKay family overwhelms Sky at their get-togethers.  But it’s little Eliza who always saves the day and keeps her parents happy.

We get to see a lot of the McKays again in this book, catch up with what’s going on in their lives, see how they’re grieving due to the deaths that happened in Cowgirl.  I enjoy the family-ness of this series, brothers and cousins who are like brothers, the fierceness of protrecting each other no matter what and teasing each other as families are wont to do.

And I enjoy Ms. James’ writing.  She catches the “cowboy” attitude and way of talking perfectly.  She’s made me yen for my local rodeo again, but I have to wait until next April.  I’m in the mood for some Levi-wearin’, buck-broncin’, grinnin’ cowboys after reading this latest Rough Rider installment!

Grade: A

Summary:

Businesswoman Skylar Ellison is firmly in control of her life. So getting tangled up with a sexy Wyoming cowboy and conceiving a baby in the parking lot of a honky tonk wasn’t in her plan. Since it appears the daddy has taken off for greener pastures, the only thing to do is pull up her bootstraps and carry on alone.

Cattle rancher Kade McKay returns home after a year on the range, and is knocked for a loop when he learns he-s the father of a three-month-old baby girl. When Skylar refuses to marry him, Kade grits his teeth, moves in and plays house by her rules to prove he-s a man in for the long haul.

Despite Skylar’s insistence they are to remain strictly parenting partners, their old passions flare hot as a brush fire, spurring Kade to demand absolute sexual surrender from the headstrong woman. Skylar willingly submits her body to the hot-blooded cowboy, but she’s leery of handing Kade the reins to her heart.

Can Kade convince Skylar the wicked sex games aren’t a temporary distraction? Or will he have to bust out the ropes to show her he wants to be tied to her forever?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Cowgirl Up and Ride (Rough Riders, Book 3) by Lorelei James
Contemporary Western Romance released by Samhain on 18 Mar 08

I’ve read a couple of reviews (including our own Teddypig) of this book lately that criticize the fact that this story looks into the lives of other McKay family members and that detracts from the story of the hero and heroine. I beg to differ with ya’ll. This is a series about the McKay family and when tragedy strikes a family, it affects the entire family. So having parts of each book about that family is certainly fine by me. The few parts of this book that do delve into the other family members’ lives aren’t that many and aren’t that lengthy at all anyhow.

I’ve only read the first book of this series so far, Long Hard Ride. The second book, Rode Hard, Put Up Wet, is still on my to-be-read shelf and now I’m sorry I haven’t read it. Cowgirl is so much more emotional than Ride and I liked meeting more of the McKay family. After reading this book it’s made me curious about Rode Hard. Maybe it’s because I’m looking at it as a family series that bringing in other members doesn’t bother me. It’s a big, boisterous family and if you get involved in a serious relationship with one member, you get involved with the rest of’em too. Ain’t no two ways about that. So the fact that we learned more about Cord’s brothers and cousins sat just well with me. That’s the one thing I missed when reading Ride. We didn’t meet any other McKays until near the end, and I knew then this is one family that takes care of its own. How right I was.

Cord is the old man at 35 of the McKay siblings and is astounded when young Amy Jo comes on to him. AJ has been in love with him forever and has decided it’s high time to go for what she wants. Cord likes what he sees and decides to go for the good ride she’s offering before she has to return to school. I liked the idea of AJ maintaining her love for Cord for most of her life. She didn’t let life or anyone taint those feelings, she kept them pure and honest. She also waited to give up her innocence to him, knowing he’s the man for her.

She’s young, but she knows her mind. She had to grow up mighty fast when her father became ill and she was forced to run their ranch pretty much on her own. Even Cord’s dominance in bed doesn’t phase her. He’s a very demanding lover and she blossoms in his bed with his every touch. Cord has also been the one in his family to take over most of the ranching duties, make sure things go right and everyone does their job, so he has a kinship with AJ from the beginning that he almost doesn’t realize until it’s too late. In fact, that’s one of the best parts of the book when Cord’s realizations hit home and we see the side of him that AJ has longed for, the part of him she has to face she’ll never have. He surprises both of us.

Now that going-off-on-a-tangent part of the book others didn’t care for. A lot of it isn’t pretty, but we also get to see the difference between someone falling so far down into a bottomless pit they won’t get out and someone who recognizes the danger early and gets out before it’s too late. Some of those tangents are obviously setups for future stories.

But I liked the interaction of brother with brother, including the twin cousins Kane and Kade. They fight like brothers are wont to do, but they still gather round when one of them is hurting and needs help. And when tragedy strikes. As in any family, that’s the impetus for folks to look at their own lives and clean their acts up, if possible. There’s not a thing wrong with allowing the story to meander through the downward spiral of a family member’s life and the consequences of that downfall. Which, in turn, takes us back to the setup for future books. I can see stories for both Colt and Kade quite clearly. The others’ stories will become more clear in those books or whoever Ms. James decides to write next, I’m sure.

The sex scenes between Cord and AJ are hot, hot, hot. As much as I had fun with the first book in the series, this one is fraught with emotion as well as fun and filled with family, and I like it so much more. It’s a whole new level of writing, as far as I’m concerned. An author can only get better the more she writes and this author proves that with each word she puts on paper.

A note: Someone on the publishing end needs to take more caution in editing. At least twice the name Colt appears when it should have been Cord. It’s a little confusing when you have to look back to see if you missed something on the page before.

Grade: A-

Read TeddyPig’s review here.

Summary:

Ridin’ the edge of lust is fun—until someone falls in love.

Goody-two boots AJ Foster has waited her entire life for her dream cowboy Cord McKay to see her as more than the neighbor girl in pigtails. Now that she’s old enough to stake her claim on him, she’s pulling out all the sexual stops and riding hell-bent for leather—straight for his libido.
Divorced rancher Cord has sworn off all women…until innocent AJ suggests he teach her how to ride bareback—and he realizes she doesn’t mean horses or bulls. Between his responsibilities running his massive ranch, missing his young son and dealing with the sexual shenanigans of his brother and cousins, Cord is more than willing to take AJ up on her offer. On a trial basis.

The fun and games tie them both up in knots. AJ isn’t willing to settle for less than the whole shootin’ match with her western knight. But for Cord, even though the sexy cowgirl sets his blood ablaze, he’s determined to resist her efforts to lasso his battered heart.
Sweet, determined AJ has the power to heal—or heel—the gruff cowboy…unless Cord’s pride keeps him from admitting their relationship is more than a simple roll in the hay.

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Long Hard Ride (Rough Riders, Book 1) by Lorelei James
Contemporary erotic romance eBook released by Samhain 1 May 07, paperback release 1 Feb 08

It’s so nice to finally find an eBook that I enjoyed so much I finished in fairly short order.  I’ve had a string of disappointments in eBooks lately, but Lorelei James’ Long Hard Ride has hopefully brought my disappointment to an end.  She has strong characters with a sense of humor and who know how to play, and, boy howdy, do the characters in this book play! 

Channing Kinkaid has finally wised up and decided to live the life she wants, not the one her parents want for her.  Walking out on everything she’s ever known, she runs away with the rodeo.  Things don’t go all that well for her at first.  She gets tangled up with the wrong guy.  Jared is someone who doesn’t take to crowds, is a little too possessive, and doesn’t know how to have fun.  And fun is something Channing is definitely looking for at this point in her new life.

The deal breaker for her is when she finds out Jared is married, so his sorry ass is now on its way to Australia and his wife and Channing is hooking up with the bad boys of the rodeo circuit, sexy Colby McKay and equally sexy Trevor Glazner.  She’s had her eye on Colby for a bit now and she’s not about to let the opportunity pass to spend some quality time with him, whether in his bed or out.

Colby is finding life on the rodeo circuit is not as exciting as it used to be and having a different woman in his bed in each new town is suddenly just as lackluster for him.  Lately he’s been thinking more and more about Channing, what it would be like loving her every night of the week.  When he finds out she’s split from Jared, Colby makes tracks straight for her.  He offers her exactly what she wants to hear — a week on the road with him to Cheyenne, the last rodeo of the season.  Of course, there are a few conditions they each want.  As long as Colby doesn’t have a wife or girlfriend hiding in the wings, Channing is ready for the trip.

Colby, however, gives her something to think about.  She’d already figured she’d end up in Colby’s bed, but when he tells her he shares everything with Trevor and their third traveling companion, Edgard — especially their women — a whole new world opens up for Channing.  Agreeing to Colby’s condition that she submit to anything the three men ask of her, she heads off toward the horizon for a week of raunchy, down-and-dirty sex and the ride of a lifetime.  If only her parents could see her now.

In all her life Channing has never experienced the sensations Colby and Trevor make course through her when they’re loving her.  She just wishes Edgard would loosen up and join in. So far he’s refused to participate in their free-for-alls.  Assuming Ed just doesn’t like her, Channing gives her everything to the other two men who are hard as rocks and can rev her engine with hardly any effort at all.

As the week rolls on and she makes friends with family members of the other cowboys, Channing suddenly finds herself wanting only Colby to love her, even as much as she’s enjoyed their threesomes.  But she knows what the rules are.  This freedom and this man that have finally come into her life will only last as far as Cheyenne and then they’ll go their separate ways.  Colby will go home to his family’s ranch and Channing will end up teaching on the East Coast, just like her parents have always planned.

He’s never once been jealous when Trevor has shared women with him, but suddenly Colby can’t stand the thought of Trevor’s hands on Channing, the thought of another man, even his friend, making love to her.  He has no idea what to do with these feelings that have crept up on him, and the only thing he knows is he’s not sure if he can walk away from her when the time comes.  But when Colby is seriously injured during the Cheyenne rodeo, his family swoops in and circles the wagons around him, leaving Channing on the outside with a broken heart.

It was rather difficult for me to write this review because so much happens in this book!  This is a book full of good old boy charm from marble-sculpted cowboys that would make any woman whimper if one just winked at her.  It’s full of friendship, kinship, and family, all from sources you’d never expect.  It’s full of fun and humor, roarin’ good times at the rodeo, and it’s definitely full of lip-smackin’, toe curlin’, sweaty, everything-goes sex.

As much as I liked those ménage scenes with Colby, Channing, and Trevor, I loved the sweet and tender scenes that came with just Colby and Channing, especially the closer they got to realizing they’re falling in love, and their underlying vulnerability when each is not sure what to do when their time is up makes those love scenes that much more poignant.  These are two strong characters who know what they want, they go after it, they enjoy it, and when it comes down to the hard decisions to continue on with their lives, they don’t even think about giving up. Lorelei James has done herself proud with this book.

Grade: B+

Read reviews and info of the books in this series by following its tag.

Summary:

One lucky woman…three sexy cowboys…she’s in for the ride of her life!

Channing Kinkaid itches for a change; a wild western adventure with an untamed man. Determined to shed her inhibitions and embrace the steamier, seamier side of life, she sets her sights on hooking up with a real chaps-and-spurs-wearing cowboy.

Enter Colby McKay-bull rider, saddle bronc buster and calf roper. From the moment he sets lust-filled eyes on the sweet and fiery Channing, he knows he’s found the woman who’s up to the challenge of cutting loose. What rough and rowdy cowboy could resist a no-holds-barred sexual romp with a sassy young thing starring as his personal buckle bunny?

Intrigued by Channing’s bold proposition of horsing around on the road, Colby impulsively sweetens the deal; sexual escapades not only in his bed, but in the bedrolls of his rodeo traveling partners, Trevor and Edgard.

Although Channing’s secretly longed to be the sole focus of more than one man’s passions, Colby’s demand for complete submission behind closed doors will test her willful nature.

Can Channing give up total control? Especially when not all is as it seems with the sexy trio? Or will the cowboys have to break out the bullropes and piggin’ string to break in this headstrong filly?

Warning: This title contains the following: lots of explicit sex, going strong long after the cows come home, graphic language that’d make your mama blush, light bondage with bullropes, ménage a trois, and – yee-haw! – hot nekkid cowboy man-love.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series (paperback releases referenced where available):