GRR Reviews Red Blooded by Cat Johnson

Three military romantic suspense novellas in a single volume

Trey -- To take down the bad guys, Trey is willing to recruit a bartender/bar owner and have her pose as his wife to help rescue a captured agent in enemy territory. The sex is definitely real. But is the love real too?

Jack -- forced to take leave on the family farm after watching the girl of his dreams fall for his best friend, Jack is intrigued to find the latest ranch hand on his family farm may have secrets... and really needs protection (by him, of course)

Jimmy -- posing as waiter to serve as protective detail on the governor, he didn't expect governor's daughter, the fiery red-headed and gorgeous Amelia hitting on him. But he'll maintain cover... and protect her...

Other than the improbable premise (seems most romance authors don't give a **** about the *posse commitatus* act, which states that US military are NOT to be deployed on US soil, and that soldiers can easily go "undercover" like agents or detectives), the three novellas are actually not bad if you ignore the glaring deviation from reality. But you rate the whole book, not the pieces. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews Ride (Studs in Spurs Book 3) by Cat Johnson

Ride is a competent romantic suspense, but the gear switch, a deus ex machina ending, and a "too nice" MMC left me a bit underwhelmed.

Leesa was just a Vegas dancer at a particular club and met Chase Reese, a cowboy in town for the rodeo and one wild night for his birthday. She apparently saw something she shouldn't because next thing she knew, her boss got a phone call to "get rid of her", and that doesn't mean firing. She grabbed her few possessions and ran... straight into Chase again... who invited her up to his room, knowing instinctively she's on the run, but not sure from what. They woke up with a set of rings and a marriage certificate... They are horribly shocked and ashamed... What had they done? They left town to go back to his home ranch, as she needed to get away, still jittery. They are... MARRIED... how can they undo this? Where will she go next?

The suspense was resolved with good tension, but that soon ended. The complication AND the suspense were both resolved with a deus ex machina . While Chase is a nice guy, he's IMHO, just a bit too bland. Leesa is okay. All in all could have been better, flaws made it mediocre.

Category: Contemporary / Western

Primary Plot: Exotic dancer at Las Vegas club saw something she shouldn't, ran off with a cowboy who protected her... How did they end up being married?!?!

Tropes: woman in peril, protector, cowboy, marriage,

Overall Rating:  3/5

GRR Reviews Hot SEALs: Night with a SEAL by Cat Johnson

Night with a SEAL is a contemporary romance with SEAL cliche. While there is no SEAL abuse (i.e. they didn't do anything they're not supposed to) and references are all proper, there doesn't seem to be much plot to the whole thing.

Jon spent ten years in the SEALs, but red tape is starting to hamper their operations. And he can't quite forget Ali, even though it was supposed to be a one-time fling. Ali can't quite forget Jon either, as both struggled with their realizations. Jon's finally back, only to find that a terrorist took Ali and Darcy (one of fellow SEAL's sister) and others hostage in a bank, decisions have to be made...

The romance between Jon and Ali were quite thin, and the hostage situation was resolved without any input by the SEALs other than "leaked info" from inside the bank, which was a third-party any way.

Category: Contemporary / Romantic Suspense

Primary Plot: SEAL's one night stand turned out to be a bit more involved, but there wasn't much of a plot after that

Tropes: SEAL, different worlds, fling to a thing, protector, woman in peril

Overall Rating:  2/5