ARC Review: Cowboy, Cross My Heart by Donna Grant

Cowboy, Cross My Heart
Author: Donna Grant
Series: Heart of Texas (Book 2)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 28, 2018)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant takes you deep inside the Texas rodeo scene in the second book in her Heart of Texas series, Cowboy, Cross My Heart, where danger and desire ride side by side. . .

Naomi Pierce isn’t the type to let a cowboy sweep her off feet. It’s not her first rodeo, after all. But when she returns to her Texas hometown, she can’t help but be swept up again in the rough-and-tumble world of hard-riding, bronco-busting good-ol’-boys she loved as a girl. She might be here to photograph her Rodeo Queen best friend. But it’s one fine-looking cowboy who really captures her eye…

Brice Harper is all man, all muscle, and all heart. From the moment he rides into the stadium, he can’t help but notice the beautiful stranger with a camera watching him from the stands. It doesn’t take a zoom lens to see the sparks of instant attraction. But things really heat up when he meets Naomi up-close―and he discovers that someone is stalking her friend. Brice wouldn’t be any kind of cowboy if he didn’t offer to help the ladies out. But can the rough rider keep this spirited shutterbug out of danger―without risking his heart?

My Thoughts: This was an entertaining romantic suspense title set in Texas. Naomi Pierce left after high school and made a good career for herself as a photographer. Now she's back home visiting her mom and her best friend Whitney. Whitney is involved in the whole Rodeo Queen thing and has changed a lot since Naomi left. She seems frightened by something but won't share what is bothering her with Naomi.

Naomi meets her at a rodeo and takes lots of photos while rekindling her love of the whole rodeo scene. When Whitney and Naomi are attacked and her camera is broken, they are rescued by Brice Harper. Brice and his brother Caleb are involved in team roping.

Naomi is determined to help her friend and quickly develops and prints the pictures she took. She has a picture of their attacker but she can't identify him. She shows the pictures to Brice and his friends to see if they know who the attacker was. Then Brice is attacked, the pictures are stolen, he has a head wound and a stomped on right hand. While that is happening, Naomi is also attacked. Someone pushes her and she lands in the arena just as the chuckwagon race is getting close. She's saved by Caleb.

Whitney is still afraid to share information about the attacker. She knows why she was attacked but is afraid to tell anyone. When she confides in Naomi that she is being sexually abused by a group of powerful men, Naomi is outraged but really can't do anything since Whitney isn't naming names.

Then another attack comes and Whitney is almost killed. Brice and Naomi who have fallen in love band together to keep Naomi safe and find the group of men who are preying on the beauty contest participants.

This was a nice romance and a nice suspense story. Both Naomi and Brice were interesting people and nicely developed characters. I thought their romance happened awfully quickly though.

Favorite Quote:

How in the world could she have given this up? who in their right mind would leave behind something so freeing? And who wouldn't quickly return home after seeing the error of their ways?

Certainly not Naomi.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.