GRR Reviews All Knighter by Em Petrova

Ben Knight was a fine marine, until he retired. Then he was recalled... to head up a new squad, composed of his four brothers and one SEAL. Love was not on his radar at all, but he did enjoy that one romp with a sweet girl named Dahlia... except he disappeared before she woke up, and left no note or phone number... // Dhalia loved that night with Ben... Until he pulled the disappearing act. She needed the release after taking in too many 911 calls (she's a 911 operator) and when Ben came back, her body wants him, her head told her "no way, what if he disappears again?" Then she found out his secret... and he found out her secret...

Em Petrova writes some steamy love scenes, that are pretty darn hot, without it being raunchy. It's pretty good.

Category: Contemporary / Military

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Jingle Boots (Rope 'n Ride ON Series Boo by Em Petrova

Jingle Boots is an erotic romance (lots of sex) with a big of Christmas magic. Basically, it's a woman who decided to "step out" to Vegas and have a great time.

Veronica is spending Christmas alone on the ranch. Her family members are all over the country on their own. So she grabbed her bestie and headed for Sin City... Las Vegas. Cutter was there to help his brother, even though he'd prefer to be anywhere else. Doing a bit of dirty dancing with a sexy filly on the dance floor is just the perfect thing to get family drama out of his mind. And it seems Cutter, the big cowboy with the rough hands, is exactly what "Ronnie" had in mind... And Cutter can do a LOT of naughty things to Ronnie... everything that Ronnie craved. But what happened in Vegas... stays in Vegas... right?

Ah, the everlasting question... Does she want whatever happened in Vegas... to stay in Vegas? Or is this big handsome cowboy, the real deal, not someone playing dress-up, the solution to both of their problems? It's fling to a thing... and a lot of sexy times. Em Petrova delivers on the sex content, even if it's a bit on the short side.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Does a young woman looking for some good times in Las Vegas want the handsome cowboy she found to stay in Vegas?

Tropes: holiday, fling to a thing, cowboy

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Cowboy Crazy (The Dalton Boys Book 1) by Em Petrova

At only 100 pages long, "Cowboy Crazy" relied on some trope (including a corny one) to move the plot along, but it was an enjoyable one.

Hank Dalton received an ultimatum... Get married to inherit part of the family ranch... Or get left with nothing. Hank, the oldest, loved to run the ranch, but living two hours from civilization limits his choice of women. When his four brothers left for the city to pick up some girls, he chose to stay home... and got to rescue a stranded motorist... Charlotte Halton. Charlie was almost killed when her crazy BF drugged her and burned her apartment down, leaving her scarred both inside and out. She decided for a fresh start... and getting stranded in Paradise Valley in the middle of cattle country wasn't part of her plan... but it just may be Hank's luck. Hank knew it was fate that delivered a woman to him, but she's skittish. Can Hank help her find a new start? Or will she run away again?

I personally don't like "run away to sort my feeling" endings, but there's a grand gesture to mitigate that, so at least that's good.

Category: Contemporary / Western

Primary Plot: Cowboy who needed to marry rescued a woman on the run; can they have a happily-ever-after?

Tropes: woman in peril, protector, scars, fish out of water, weird will

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Pushin' Buttons (Boot Knockers Ranch) by Em Petrova

Pushin' Buttons by Em Petrova is a Western erotic romance with a lot of sex, and even some MFM action, though there really wasn't that much of a plot beyond that.

To recap... Sybill had somehow never gotten the big O, despite having been through many relationships... that she had been described as frigid. Desperate, she signed up with Boot Knocker Ranch for one week. The ranch has twenty hard muscled cowboys and no women ever leave unsatisfied... Hugh had planned to sit out that week's session, but when he spotted the sultry Sybill, he pulled rank as Sybill pushed one of his buttons. But even his skills came up shy against her body... and his heart crashed when she blurted out a mind-blowing request... she wants a threesome with Hugh... and Riggs. What she didn't know was both Hugh and Riggs are actually bi... and they had gotten it on with each other before. Now this may truly be a triangle of epic proportions... but can this last? What are they willing to give up to share a woman?

Somehow, Hugh and Riggs come more across as gay than bi, and Sybill doesn't seem to have much of a personality other than her desperation to experience the big O, despite having "sultry curves". Something doesn't fit within those descriptions. I can't give this more than "okay".

Category: Western / Erotic Romance

Primary Plot: Woman desperate to experience the Big O went to a ranch where fantasies come true, and picked two bi-cowboys for MFM

Tropes: no good for you, insta-lust, triangle, resort

Overall Rating: 3/5

GRR Reviews Buck (Rope 'n Ride Series Book 1) by Em Petrova

Buck (Rope 'n Ride Book 1) is a "reluctant lover" story mixed with "reality TV" and cowboys. The FMC was ambivalent toward the MMC. She wanted to leave but was forced to stay by circumstances. It's way too angst-y.

Channing loved Buck, who's a real-life cowboy that swept her off her feet. But Buck and his family, the Calhouns, are on a quest to buy out their ranch from their cousin who wants to exploit its alleged mineral rights, and they have no time for romance. Channing had just made up her mind to leave... Just as a reality TV show swept in with an intriguing offer: The Calhouns are going to star in a reality TV show called Rope n' Ride, and that bargain includes Channing, as the audience expects a wedding at the end of the series. Channing reluctantly agrees to stay on and pretend to be Buck's fiancee, even as her life started to unravel as her brother got into some bad **** with some nasty individuals and owed a lot of money... and Channing and Buck, of course, can't keep their hands off each other despite her attempt to leave. And is there a way for Channing to help Buck with the ultimate end-run, helping them keep the ranch forever? Maybe she'll get the man and the ring after all...

Frankly, I *still* don't understand why she wanted to leave in the first place! The Channing was just way too... stoic? Passive? in accepting what comes. She's more acting like a "buckle bunny" (cowboy-speak for groupie who wanted a star cowboy for just one night of fun) She's not really struggling for something except when a sudden inspiration struck her and she came up with a way for the Calhouns to keep the ranch after all. All she does is sit in the background and join the temporary waitstaff at the venues. Really? That's her extent of abilities? Uh... Some parts are good, but I can seem to summon any sympathy for the FMC.

Category: Contemporary / Western

Primary Plot: Woman tired of waiting for a ring from cowboy reluctantly agreed to stay to help him and his family to win back their ranch from evil cousin

Tropes: reality show, on the rocks, disguise, sibling problem, ranch, evil relatives (cousin)

Overall Rating: 3/5