Blog Tour: In The Cowboy's Arms

IN THE COWBOW’S ARMS

By Vicki Lewis Thompson

May 23, 2017

$5.75 US; 224 pages

ISBN: 978-0-373-62352-5

Blurb:

Matt Forrest was born to be an actor, but grew up at Thunder Mountain Ranch as a cowboy. So when things go haywire after shooting his first Hollywood movie, he retreats to his childhood home where he knows his parents and foster brothers can help him figure out what he really wants out of life.

But PR agent, Geena Lysander, isn’t about to lose one of her best new clients—so she follows him. And things get complicated because she’s attracted to Matt, and not just for his handsome, movie-star good looks. As she gets to know the man behind the cowboy, their professional relationship becomes passionately personal. Could Matt’s next big role be as Geena’s leading man?

Review: I have read Vicki Lewis Thompson for ages. We're talking, I've read her books since she wrote for the Temptation line. (That's a very long time) This is her first special edition, because the Blaze line is going away. (sniffle sniffle). Her books are always hot and sexy. As I haven't been a fan of that heat level lately, I was kind of glad to find that toned down for this imprint. 

I liked that Matt was an actor. It made things different, as I'm used to harlequin novels being billionaire mogels or sheikh's. Geena is is PR, whose job is keeping him out of trouble, which he has managed to do, because of the leading lady on his first film, who has it in for him since he turned down her advances.

The romance between Geena and Matt takes off pretty quickly once she joins him on his family ranch. (Maybe a little too quickly if you like a little reality in your romance, but this is harlequin and love happens that fast in these books)

What I liked about Matt was his character. He was an actor, which isn't a usual occupation, but he was also a cowboy with a very strong moral compass. I loved the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood and the closeness between the "brothers." It really is what family is about.

The only thing that kept this from being an over the top fabulous read are a lot of the issues that got wrapped up too neatly at the end. (The original issue and another issue with his birth mother) I really felt that a book that had its plot rooted in a scandal should have had some confrontation of something with the troublemaker actress that started it all.

This was still a fast fun and sexy read. Vicki doesn't disappoint.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: Wanted #15

Author: Vicki Lewis Thompson
Title: Wanted!
Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
Publish Date: June 10, 2010
Buy: Amazon
Book Copy Provided By: Harlequin Ambassadors
Book Blurb: Photographer Dominique Jeffries has come to Wyoming to find herself--her creative self, her sexual self. After escaping the engagement from hell, she's dying to break loose and live a little. And seducing a shirtless, sweaty cowhand looks like just the place to start....
Nick Chance isn't exactly a cowhand but, hey, he'll be whatever the lady wants! Only he soon realizes that this is more than just a quick roll in the hay. There's something about Dominique that calls to him, something about her that completes him.
There's only one problem. Dominique wants a fling, not another relationship.
Little does she guess how easily she'll be persuaded to take a Chance--again and again and again!
 
Review: Vicki Lewis Thompson is one of those authors whose books you can't help but love. She's written for the Harlequin Temptation line and now for Blaze, along with a bunch of other longer releases. Her books are always fantastic, and though the whole cowboy/rancher theme isn't usually my cup of tea, I decided to give Wanted! a go, and I'm glad I did.
 
Sticking with the Blaze format, Wanted! is full of steamy sex scenes, but they don't get in the way of the plot. In fact, they almost enhance the plot, in this case. Dominique and Nick get together as a one night, or one afternoon stand of hot sex, but things get sticky...erm...complicated.
 
In four days they fall in love and Nick discovers some life altering secrets his family kept from him. That's a lot going on, for sure, but Vicki manages to make things work out without being too over the top and the characters get there "happily ever after."
 
This story also sets the stage for the remaining two books in the mini-series that will feature Nick's brother's Jack and Gabe. Meeting them in this story will have you wondering about what sort of woman will fall for them, especially Jack, who really comes across as a bit of a jerk in Wanted!
 
 
 

Rating: 4 flowers

 

Book Review: Pure Temptation

Vicki Lewis Thompson's books are almost always fun books. That said, Pure Temptation just didn't do it for me, and I'm hard pressed to figure out why, besides the obvious, 26 year old virgin thing.

Dear god, I wish writers would stop with this. Its just a little too unrealistic. It may work for a cute comedy, but in a romance novel where the heroine is supposed to be gorgeous, its just silly.

All that aside, Tess and Mac are cute and funny. Tess has a summer project to lose her virginity and Mac is her best friend, and she enlists him to help her find a man to do the deed. Well, Mac can't stand the thought of her being with anyone else, so he volunteers to solve her problem. Which causes problems because both end up falling hard for each other, even though they know Tess has plans to move to NYC in August.

The best part of the book involves the sex, because Tess has taken to reading some pretty interest self help books about the subject and she ends up being experienced without even having sex.

The bad part still is the whole virginity thing. The concept of friends to lovers works well, but with the 26 year old virgin thing involved, it detracts from a story that could really work otherwise.

Its a good read, but it lacks that something that would make it great.

Book Review: Notorious

Vicki's Notorious is a fitting start to the Blaze line. This books are hot sexy reads and believe me, after reading Notorious, you'll need to cool off. Woah! Is all I can say. The plot is basically the story of two old friends that harbored desires for each other but didn't act on them, getting it together 10 years later in Vegas quite by accident.

What better place to have sex that basically puts all fantasies to shame then Vegas?

Keely was the hometown bad girl, posing for a centerfold, when she was barely old enough to do it. Noah was the guy that turned her down. When he runs into her outside a strip club he assumes she's not made her way in the world through good means. He thinks he's going to reform her. Ha Ha Ha!

They both get some reforming and they have some hot and heavy petting and sex throughout the weekend in Vegas.

Keely was not quite the bad girl Noah believed her to be, but he didn't discover that until much later. I don't want to give too much away, but the two of these characters definitely meant to be.

I don't think I've read a Blaze novel that was this hot before. This book requires a cold shower after reading it.

Vicki Lewis Thompson was one of my favorite writers for the Temptation line and she was really able to create a hot steamy read with the boundaries that disappeared with Blaze. If you haven't tried a book from this imprint, and you like your books steamy, sexy and as my mom would say, smutty, grab a Blaze and break out your fan, cos things will get hot!