Cowboy, Undercover

Lazy S Ranch #4

by Vicki Tharp

Beat, battered, bruised. Oh…and shot. Yeah, his job was a killer.

It’s not just the bullets that could kill him, the lies might, too.

Recovering at Healing Horses therapy program, former Marine and undercover ATF Special Agent Gil Brant is ready to turn over a new leaf.

And his badge and gun.

But when a gun bust goes bad, catching his former handler in the crossfire, Gil can’t quit until he finds justice. Against his better judgment, he goes back undercover one last time.

For task force helo pilot, Tessa Sterling, her clear skies turn cloudy when her ex-husband moves cross country demanding visitation with their young son. There’s a reason she’d been granted sole custody, but in small towns, money talks.

When a moment of indiscretion with fellow task force member, Gil Brant, upends her world, she is forced back into a life she’s fought hard to escape.

Danger brews and thousands of innocent lives are at stake.

Can Tessa and Gil stop the threat? Or will the lies and layers of deceit bring them crashing down?

Genres: Westerns, Romantic Suspense, Romance

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2018

About the author

Vicki Tharp makes her home on small acreage in south Texas with her husband and an embarrassing number of pets. When she isn’t writing or you can usually find her on the back of her horse—avoiding anything that remotely resembles housework—smelling of fly spray, and horse sweat.

Reviews

[Chanel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Stars. I was definitely at a disadvantage by starting with Book 4 in the Lazy S Ranch Series. I didn’t have the background on the numerous past characters that had active roles in this story. The hero, Gil Brant, was finishing up his stay at the Healing Horses Therapy Program. I tried to piece together why he was there and about the program. Again, lacking the information from previous stories sometimes left me confused.
Gil wants to resign from his position as an undercover ATF agent, but takes one last assignment in the name of friendship. He is ready to settle down and he thinks he found the perfect woman in Tessa Sterling. Tessa is a helicopter pilot and a single mother with a lousy ex. For the most part, Tessa likes her life and just wants some sexy distraction with Gil. Boy do they get some sexiness in the back of her “helo”!
Pretty abruptly, Tessa’s life takes one terrible turn after another. She finds herself fighting for her career, her son, and even her own life. Lucky for her, Gil is with her all the way and will give his life for her.
The plot is suspenseful with some twists. My issue with the storyline came when a child was put in harm’s way.

[Mum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Convoluted plots must be the order of the day. This one was beyond improbable. The writing was decent and the pacing of the plot was generally good. However there were times I just wanted to roll my eyes at the author. The romance was overdone. The violence is overdone. Since I just read the books before this one, the violence and sex has escalated beyond my comfort zone. I’m finished with the author and the series. Wyoming is not like this portrayal.

[James a Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Cowboy,Undercover “(Lazy S Ranch Book 4)

What can I say? This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!! You want intrigue? Romance? Little boy? Deception? It’s all here. I honestly haven’t read anything like it in a long time.A helicopter pilot,her son,her jerk of an ex husband,and the Marine she’s about to fall for make things really interesting.Along with stolen arms,a kidnapping of sorts,and a few death threats make it great!

[Denise Schenk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wait for the price to drop for this book. I have read the first 3 books. Gil is in book 3; he now is at the Lazy S recuperating. Tessa is the Helo Pilot, she has a 7 year old son and a ex giving her problems. I loved how they brought them together.

[Terri]

DNF early on, when it became apparent I didn't care about the action or the characters.

[Judy Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

These characters are now my friends. I want to gather around the campfire and share a barbecue dinner with them.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This book is AA wild ride. Things just keep getting more and more exciting as you read. Love this authors take on life.

[Donnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very believable

Characters and plots so believable. Storyline was definitely interesting kept me wanting more. Definitely recommend to anyone who wants more to a story.

[Earlene Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book.

[The Book Collector · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, definitely wasn’t expecting the book to make a turn the way it did. But it was a hook jaw dropping moment.

[Marika · Rating 1 out of 5]

⛔️(in notes)

[Sharon]

Purchased in epub format from Barnes and Noble for my Nook.

[Emily Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting story that reads like it should be a movie! This book is like a drug, steadily addictive, the more you read, the more you can't put it down. It has a feel like a gritty cop show set in cowboy country with a healthy dose of an afternoon soap opera. Kind of like Hill Street Blues meets Walker Texas Ranger meets Days of our Lives. I don't know which elements I liked more because it had so much going on. I got into the emotional drama from multiple characters, which are as real as actual physical people, with real stuff going on with a whole range of emotions. I enjoyed the dialogue because it was natural and free-flowing. The romance was hot and steamy but wasn't perfect, it has its ups and downs. Gil and Tessa have a lot to work through. Her ex is a nasty piece of work and he was characterized so well that I hate everything about him. Mostly, I enjoyed the suspense that came from not knowing who "the wolf" was and what he was up to,the gun battle that was so intense that I could almost smell the sulfur as I read it and the constant threat of one of the characters dying. On the ranch, the closeness of the residents is a solid base for everything to revolve around, like a tight-knit group of found family. I wonder about Mia and what's up with her, but I hope we find out in a future book. Gil and Tessa each have a hard time meeting in the middle and their struggle is at the heart of everything else that's going on around them. Vicki Tharp is a new author to me but one of my new favorites. Go ahead and read this one, you'll want to go back and read the ones that came before it too. That's what I'm doing now.

[BookAddict · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author is an auto 1-click for me but somehow I missed an early copy of this book, so I ran to Amazon, grabbed may copy, cast my other reading aside and started furiously reading Cowboy, Undercover so I could get a review up about what I was sure would be a spectacular read. I devoured the other books in the Lazy S Ranch series and have been impatiently awaiting Gil's story. He's been an undercover agent for the ATF for quite sometime, and it's taken a toll on Gil's psyche and soul. He's hoping that the Healing Horses program at the Lazy S might work its magic on him.

I won’t rehash the synopsis since you can read it for yourself, but I will tell you, this book was every bit as great as I expected it to be. Tessa and Gil are perfect for each other with a delicious chemistry between them. Gil acts like a big tough guy, and his years of undercover work have made him into a different man, but he has a big heart and would do anything for the people he cares about. As with the other books in this series, Tharp ramps up the action and suspense, fully engaging the reader, and gives us just enough romance to keep our hearts happy. Family is made through friends and choice, good triumphs over evil, and love wins in the end. If you haven’t visited the Lazy S Ranch, you’re really missing out, so grab this fantastic, exciting, heartfelt, feel-good book today.

*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

[Rebmay · Rating 5 out of 5]

COWBOY UNDERCOVER is another exceptional book in the LAZY S RANCH series. This western romance features plenty of suspense and intrigue as well as a healthy dose of danger. Tessa and Gil both work for the ATF, she as a helicopter pilot, he as a Special Agent who specializes in undercover work. They meet at the Lazy S Ranch where she, (a divorced single mom), takes her son to ride horses. Gil is on the ranch to train horses as he recovers physically and mentally from being shot while working undercover. They finally go out to dinner, only to have it interrupted when she is called back to work. He tags along and what follows is an ops gone horribly wrong. While he is sucked back into undercover work, (he had tried to resign), she is dealing with her ex who suddenly wants custody of their son. As well, before Gil left to work undercover, he and Tessa enjoyed some hot intimate encounters and she could be pregnant. Unwittingly, Tessa also becomes an integral part of Gil’s undercover work. They have to work together to survive. Read this engrossing story to find out how their story plays out.

I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.