High Country Hideout by Elle James

Ranching was Angus Ketchum's first love—until his last tour of duty shattered that dream. The wounded ex-soldier gets his second chance when he's recruited to go undercover to protect a widowed ranch owner. But from the moment he meets Reggie Davis, Angus can tell holding on to her land and keeping her young son safe is taking its toll. Especially when someone threatens her livelihood and her life. As the attacks escalate, Angus must rely on his combat skills to keep Reggie and her boy alive. And he must rely on his commitment to the mission to keep their powerful attraction in check.

 

Title: High Country Hideout | Series: Covert Cowboys, INC. #7 | Author: Elle James | Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue | Genre:  Romantic Suspense| Source: MLM Media Relations | Rating: 4.5

High Country Hideout was sweet and riveting as Angus secretly provides protection to a widowed ranch owner and her young son.

 

Angus’s dreams of making a career out of the military then owning his own ranch came to a searching halt when he lost his leg during his last deployment. Now working for Covert Cowboys, his assignment is to work undercover as a ranch hand while he secretly provides protection to Reggie and her son while trying to discover who is behind the attacks on Reggie and her ranch. He’s given up on love although Reggie has sparked something inside of him that he’s never felt before.

 

After Reggie’s husband died, her main focus became taking care of her young son and working the ranch that is her son’s inheritance. Although when her sexy new ranch hand arrives, Reggie can’t seem to fight her attraction to Angus.  And as a string of accidents befall her, Reggie turns to Angus but is it more than protection she’s seeking?

 

This was such a sweet yet suspenseful little romance that I could not put down.

 

The relationship between Angus and Reggie was slow to start, which I loved.

They both had internal issues they needed to overcome. Having lost his leg, Angus feels as though no one will accept half a man, so he’s written off love and relationships. Reggie is dealing with losing her husband just a little over a year ago and she’s struggling with the idea of moving on with someone else so she’s kind of using the ranch as an excuse.

 

Even though they had their issues, their chemistry was prevalent from day one and I really wanted these two to get their act together so they finally get together.

 

The suspense aspect was nicely developed and woven into the romance. Although there were lulls in the suspense, it still worked out brilliantly. And at times, I was on the edge of my seat as Angus and Reggie was thrown in dangerous situations. While I knew who was behind the attacks on Reggie from the start, I still enjoyed watching it unfold.

 

Occasionally with books from the Intrigue imprint the plots can feel a little rushed and underdeveloped although High Country Hideout was well developed and the pacing was nice and steady. The characters were fleshed-out and realistically flawed and the romance and suspense were nicely woven together.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It had all of the elements I love in romantic suspense and the characters were engaging. My only problem with this one was that I would have liked to have seen an extra chapter or two added. The book did feel complete but a few extra chapters letting us see Reggie and Angus together would have given it a rounder finish.

Covert Cowboys, Inc.

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High Country Hideout