LOVING A LAWMAN by Amy Lillard: Review & Excerpt

Loving a Lawman by Amy Lillard
Series: Cattle Creek #1
Published by Signet
Publication Date: July 5th 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Buy Online: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ Kobo

Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.

As cowboys, the Langston brothers of Cattle Creek, Texas, know it can hurt like hell to fall off a horse. But it can hurt even more to fall in love. . . .
 
Sheriff Seth Langston is head over heels for local wild child Jessie McAllen and has been for years. The trouble is she has eyes only for Seth’s rodeo star brother, Chase. Even though he considers Jessie his girl, Chase is an incorrigible ladies’ man with a wandering eye and no chance of settling down soon.
 
Jessie is ready to move away from Cattle Creek to put her feelings for Chase behind her, but after she shares a white-hot kiss with Seth, things get a little complicated. Jessie realizes her heart should have been his all along. And in the face of sudden tragedy, they’ll discover if their newfound passion will tear the Langston men apart or make the family stronger than ever. . . .

 

Review

LOVING A LAWMAN is sweet, funny, emotional and heartbreaking, with lots of drama and characters that will have you rooting for them from the first page. This is one of those books you hate and love at the same time, the kind that makes you want to cry and slap some common sense into some people. This is my first book by Ms. Lillard and I’m already looking forward to the next because this was such an interesting read. She does a great job capturing the complexities of living in a small town and how difficult it can be to live down negative perceptions. 

Jessie McAllen is Cattle Creek’s resident wild child and her on again, off again relationship with Chase Langston is fodder for constant gossip, but Jessie has had enough of both her reputation and Chase’s wandering eye and is working on a plan to leave for good. 

Sheriff Seth Langston has been in love with Jessie for as long as he’s known her, but she’s his brother’s girl and completely off limits, even though he knows his brother does not deserve her.

A busted truck and an unexpected kiss lead to surprising revelations and give Seth the opportunity to show Jessie how he really feels about her but what do the dependable, well-loved town Sheriff and the impulsive wild child have in common? How can two people from such different backgrounds find common ground? Will the town ever accept them together and let Jessie live down her reputation? What about Chase? So many questions, so many issues.

Jessie and Chase had an uphill battle from the start, between Jessie’s insecurities, her relationship with Chase and the gossip and I honestly wasn’t feeling the town at all, especially the way they treated Jessie. I liked her because she was never down for long and her fears and issues, when combined with her strengths made her a really remarkable character.

Seth was the town hero, but more than that he was a real good man. Caring, protective, steady and really sweet, and exactly what Jessie needed.

Ms. Lillard did good with the way she handled potentially messy situations with the characters and while some parts were heartbreaking, there was also some humor to lighten things up. This was an enjoyable read and if the excerpt for the next book is anything to go by, the next installment promises even more drama and I definitely won’t miss it.

 

 

Excerpt

His eyebrows rose in surprise at the sight of her. He had one hip propped against the counter as he sipped his coffee.

“Good morning,” he said.

Normally she would have headed straight for the coffeepot for her shot of morning caffeine. But this morning she had something else on her mind.

“Good morning.” She stood in front of him, contemplating her next move. “Last night,” she started, inching a bit closer. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she told herself to wait. “Last night you said that you love me.”

“Yeah.” His jaw tightened and his eyes grew a bit guarded.

“Did you mean that?” she asked.

A moment hung suspended between them; then his mask cracked and fell away. “Yeah.”

She rose on her toes and pressed her mouth to his. He loved her!

His lips were stiff beneath hers. Then they softened as she continued to kiss him.

He loved her and yet he pulled away.

“Jessie,” he said, his voice choked and strained. “I need to go to work.”

“You mean now?” she asked, deciding that if he wasn’t going to let her kiss his lips, she would move her efforts to his jaw and that crazy pulse beating in his neck.

“Soon,” he croaked.

“How soon?” she asked, sliding her hands down his chest. He had been so diligent in his courting efforts, but enough was enough. There was something between them. She couldn’t say exactly what it was. But he loved her and she was beginning to think that she loved him in return.

Scratch that. She did love him. She had loved him her entire life like a brother, but ever since that afternoon in his truck . . .

He had been thoughtful and angry. Her rock, her nemesis, her savior, and now her husband. What was not to love?

“Fifteen minutes.”

She continued to kiss her way down his neck. How could one man smell so good?

“Half an hour,” he corrected, swooping in to capture her lips with his own. The kiss was searing and curled her toes. She loved every bone-melting minute of it. “Forty-five minutes. I got forty-five minutes before someone comes looking for me.”

She laughed as he captured her lips once again. They could do a lot in forty-five minutes.

 

 

 

 

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