Tag: Margaret Watson

Rodeo Man (Cameron Cowboys: Book 1) by Margaret Watson

Rodeo Man (Cameron Cowboys Book 1) by [Watson, Margaret]

4 Stars

Publisher: Dragonfly Press

Date of publication: October 7th, 2016

Genre: Romance

Series: Cameron Cowboys

Rodeo Man – Book 1

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Rodeo star Grady Farrell is devastated when a gruesome leg injury ends his career. The rodeo was his life, and retirement gives him too much time to think about Becca Johnson, the woman who betrayed him. But when Grady buys a ranch in Cameron, Utah, he comes face to face with Becca again.

Becca is no longer the insecure teenager Grady remembered – she’s now a strong, confident woman. She’s never stopped loving Grady, but she knows she can’t get too close to him. Becca is hiding a huge secret – she can’t let him find out that her daughter is his daughter, too.

When Grady finds out the truth, will this new betrayal destroy their second chance at love?

My review:

Becca Johnson was once involved with rodeo star Grady Farrell. In an attempt to get him to come home from the rodeo, she told him that she was seeing someone else. It backfired on her big time when Grady basically told her to have a nice life. The prologue ends with her feeling sick to her stomach and thinking that it was due to the stress of her and Grady ending things. I was once a stupid teenager and did stuff like that to try to get a guy to come to me. Like Becca, it blew up in my face big time. So when I read that, I read it while smirking.

The book flashes forward 9 years later. Becca has grown up. She is now a veterinarian, owns a partnership in the practice that she works for and is the single mother to an 8-year-old girl named Cassie. She is doing well for herself but has never forgotten Grady. Well, wasn’t she surprised when she arrives at the Flying W Ranch to float horses teeth and finds out that Grady is the new owner. The old owner, Sy Ames, lost the ranch to Grady while playing cards. I did pause while reading and think to myself “They still do that (put the property up when there is no money)?”

Becky is carrying a lot of baggage due to her relationship with Grady. A lot and it shows in her interactions with him. She half-lies about things and withholds other important things. Very important things, which drove me kinda nuts. So I didn’t blame Grady for not being very happy when he found out her big secret. I would have been just as shocked and upset as he was.

There are sparks flying between the two of them which Becky tries to ignore. About half the book was her ignoring the sparks between them but when they gave in, the sex was out of this world good. And, guess what!!! They used protection. I swear I did a double fist pump when I read that (if you have been reading my blog, you know my views on fictional unprotected sex….lol).

Becca is also being stalked by someone. Who, she doesn’t know. She does have 2 suspects that she tells the police: Sy Ames, the ex-owner of the Flying W Ranch and Grady’s new ranch manager, Ron Perkins. The author did a great of keeping you guessing as to who the stalker was up to when he was revealed. I was surprised at who it was. Also, I loved Becca’s creative use of plastic wrap to keep the stalker in place while waiting for the police….lol.

I will say that Cassie was the cutest thing, ever. She actually reminded me of my daughter when she was that age. They both love horses and my daughter actually really loved watching the rodeo on TV.

The ending was pretty typical of a romance novel, not that it took away from the book at all. Everything was wrapped up nice and I am expecting Grady and Becca to have a HEA. I can’t wait to see where this series goes and who the book will be about next. The author introduced some pretty interesting characters.

I would give Rodeo Man an Adult rating. There is mention of sex. There is mild language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Rodeo Man. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Protect Me (The Donovan Family, Book 6) by Margaret Watson

Protect Me (The Donovan Family Book 6) by [Watson, Margaret]

Publisher: Dragonfly Press

Date of publication: November 11th, 2015

Genre: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance

Series: The Donovan Family

Love Me—Book 1

Watch Me—Book 2

Find Me—Book 3

Trust Me—Book 4

Cover Me—Book 5 (Review Here)

Protect Me—Book 6

Save Me—Book 7

See Me—Book 8

Catch Me—Book 9 (review here)

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Goodreads Synopsis:

Police officer Mia Donovan is studying for the detective’s exam when her captain offers her an assignment – be Finn O’Rourke’s personal bodyguard for the next three weeks. He’s in town to film a movie, he has a stalker, and the threats are escalating.

Mia isn’t interested – she’s focused on the looming exam. But her captain convinces her that successfully protecting Finn will look very good on her record when promotion decisions are made. So, reluctantly, she takes the assignment.

Finn isn’t the arrogant, egotistical actor Mia expected. There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the ‘most hated man in America’, Finn’s nickname since he cheated on his girlfriend, a beloved pop star.

But his stalker is lurking and the threat is escalating. Although Mia’s feelings for Finn are growing, her job is to protect Finn, not fall in love with him.

“Margaret Watson, a star in the world of contemporary romance, grabs you on the opening page and keeps you reading to the happily ever after.” –New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips

This book is electric, right from the get-go.

Mia Donovan is what my mother-in-law would call a firecracker, and I loved it. I didn’t expect any less and would have been disappointed if the author had written her any other way. Even the way she introduced herself to Finn was gold. I loved it!!

I didn’t care for Finn’s character at first. I get he’s an Alpha male and thought he could protect himself from his stalker. To take the risks he did the first day was stupid, and he didn’t listen to Mia. Made me want to slap and shake him.

I was shocked at how fast they had sex. They didn’t even know each other for a week. The more I thought about it, and it made sense. They were together 24/7, with no breaks, and attracted to each other. I liked that they entered the relationship as adults. Except for the no-condom sex and taking each other’s word that they were clean. You couldn’t pay me any money to do that with someone I had just met.

Mia being undercover was a hoot, and I giggled when she became an airhead. It cracked me up. I laughed at every single scene.

Finn’s issues with his ex weren’t funny. He let her put his name through the mud because he’s nice. I will say that it reminds me of the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard saga going on.

The stalker’s identity and the end of the book were a little bit of a shock to me. The stalker wasn’t who I pegged. I wasn’t expecting the book to end the way it did. I did get a little misty-eyed at it !!

I would recommend Protect Me to anyone over 21. There is sex, language, and violence.

If you enjoyed reading Protect Me, you will enjoy reading these books:

Cover Me (The Donovan Family: Book 5) by Margaret Watson

Cover Me (The Donovan Family Book 5) by [Watson, Margaret]

Publisher: Dragonfly Press

Date of Publication: April 28th, 2015

Genre: Suspense, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mystery

Series: The Donovan Family

Love Me—Book 1

Watch Me—Book 2

Find Me—Book 3

Trust Me—Book 4

Cover Me—Book 5

Protect Me—Book 6 (review here)

Save Me—Book 7

See Me—Book 8

Catch Me—Book 9 (review here)

Product Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo |

Goodreads Synopsis:

Chicago cop Brendan Donovan loves the adrenaline rush of his role on a tactical team. So when he’s assigned to an undercover job to ferret out the supplier of a new and deadly sex drug, he’s thrilled. His partner is Cilla Marini, a detective he’d met recently during a traffic stop. He’s intrigued by Cilla, but his sister told him that Cilla doesn’t date cops. Which is exactly what they have to pretend to do. Brendan loves a challenge.

Cilla is shocked to find out that Brendan is her mystery partner. After an incident that forced her to transfer from her district and isolated her from her fellow cops, Cilla knows relationships with cops are off the table. But she’s spent far too much time thinking about Brendan since he pulled her over for speeding. Now, not only are they working together, they have to pose as a couple to find the source of the sex drug that’s already killed several men.

As the action heats up, Cilla and Brendan don’t have to pretend they want each other. But when secrets put them both in danger, will they have each other’s back? Or will their quarry divide and conquer them before they can find their way to happily ever after?

I was surprised by this book. As you all know from previous book reviews, I wouldn’t say I like reading books out of order in a series. They are hard to read because there are references to the other books that have come before in the series.

But not this book. You can read Cover Me as a standalone book. There are references to the other books, but (and stress but) they are for the story only. Which is another reason why I liked this book.

I first met Brendan Donovan as he was sitting outside a drug house, doing surveillance. When a vintage Mustang speeds past him, he assumes it was stolen. So he gives chase and pulls the car over. Imagine his surprise when not only does he pull over a woman, but she is a cop and a hostage negotiator on her way to a scene. Her name is Priscilla (aka Cilla) Martini.

Brendan and Cilla do meet again. This time they are partners and are looking for the dealer(s) of a deadly street drug that has killed 5 people. This drug is used as a sexual stimulant like Viagra. Cilla is going undercover at the pub where the drug seems to be dealt. Brendan is going as a pub regular who starts to have a relationship with Cilla after meeting her there. Cilla got a heads up about a serial rapist that is striking the local clubs/pubs in the area and to keep her eyes open.

The sexual attraction and the heat between Brendan and Cilla were unfreakinbelievable. Cilla could get aroused by a look from Brendan, and Brendan from Cilla was awesome. When they finally do have sex, it rocketed off the page.

What I loved about this book was that the sexual tension was the second fiddle to the story. The author used the sex scenes as delicious interludes to Brendan and Cilla’s police work. This is how a romance is supposed to be. The storyline and then sex. Not sex and then storyline!!!

I did get frustrated with Cilla and her not wanting to have a relationship with a cop. Which was based on her aunt’s experiences. Her aunt’s experience was bad. But it is something that shouldn’t have been reiterated to a child over and over and over again. I didn’t like that Cilla was the fixer for her family. Every time someone had a problem, they called her. Her mother acted like a small child when Cilla kept telling her to see her Uncle Donny get her brakes fixed. I wanted to reach through the book and smack Cilla and her mother.

I did figure out who the serial rapist was early on in the book. No fault of the author, but the fake name (and Cilla’s reaction to it) was a dead giveaway. I liked that it led to another storyline and that one was left open-ended at the end of the book.

I didn’t understand why ratting out a fellow cop for doing something bad was so bad. Cilla handled herself when meeting Ward was very classy and NOT how I would have handled myself. Also, Brendan and Connor’s defense of her was great too.

The ending was great, and I was surprised at who the dealer was. I didn’t think it was who I thought it was.

Oh, and I want to say I love Australian shepherds. Hehe.

I would recommend Cover Me to anyone over 21. There is sex, language, and violence. There is also drug use and one scene of attempted rape.

If you enjoyed reading Cover Me, you will enjoy reading these books: