Texas Heat

Texas #3

by R.J. Scott

Against the backdrop of twenty half naked models on DD land, and in the midst of fighting the oil establishment that just won't give Riley a chance, Texas Heat is the story of one hot summer in Texas with a Gay Rodeo, humor, angst and a love between two men that just grows stronger every day.

Jack hires Robbie, a man recovering from a great loss, to be his right hand man. Meanwhile Riley's mischievous photographer friend, Eli, decides the DD is the perfect backdrop for a cowboy themed model shoot. Eli has secrets not even Riley knows about but despite what he is hiding he falls in lust with Robbie at first sight. Everyone except Robbie can see how perfect Eli would be for him.

What happens when secrets spill and lies are discovered? And just how far will Riley and Jack go to play matchmaker?

Genres: M M Romance, Westerns, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Gay, Audiobook

Paperback

First published August 18, 2012

About the author

RJ Scott writes heartwarming, passionate MM/gay romance stories where every man finds his happily ever after. When not writing, she enjoys reading books, watching movies, spending time with her family, following Formula 1 (Forza Ferrari!), and cheering on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Email her here: rj@rjscott.co.uk

Find RJ here: Amazon | BookBub | Facebook - Also, Never miss a release

Reviews

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I will ever have enough of Jack and Riley. In Texas Heat, we are introduced to a new couple, Robbie and Eli. They are a great addition to the clan and I enjoy the romance subplot, but this is still a very much Jack and Riley book. I love the fact that both men are passionate about their work, Riley with his oil thingy and Jack with his cowboy stuff. They never step in to interfere with each other work, but will always be supportive by the sideline. It just warms my heart of read about such a mature and steady couple navigating through their lives.

[Sun · Rating 3 out of 5]

hanging on by a pinky fingernail...3.0 stars...

So...this is the classic case of suffering from "this-book-is-not-great-but-I've-already-invested-myself-into-the-series-and-it's-not-likely-that-I'll-stop-now-even-though-the-writing-is-repetitive-and-the-story-increasingly-unbelievable-and-my-eyes-are-tired-from-rolling-but-I-still-kinda-heart-Riley-and-Jack-and-their-love-for-one-another-ITIS"

The introduction of a new couple in Robbie and Eli was good...until it wasn't...and it became ridiculous.

And the book is missing it's over-the-top soap opera drama that I (embarrassingly) kinda loved in books 1 & 2. And I could really, REALLY, do without one more "het-boy" joke.

But again, it's not like I'm stopping now. I'm in too deep...even if it's deep in something suspiciously stinky.

So...on to book 4.

[Meags · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

In this third book of the Texas series by RJ Scott, we get more sweet and sexy times with Mr and Mr Campbell-Hayes – like we could ever get enough of these two men?

When Jack decides to develop a horse training program at the DD ranch, he hires Robbie to help him work the horses.



Robbie is a broken soul, suffering a great loss, but finding a home on at the DD, with Jack, Riley and their daughter Hayley, might just be what Robbie needs to begin moving on.

These two men had something he [Robbie] had never experienced before. A love so deep that you could see it. In every gesture or touch or word Jack and Riley were what Robbie wished for and had never found. They were happy.

Then, Riley’s estranged college friend Eli makes contact and asks to use the DD ranch as the backdrop for his latest photo-shoot. The Campbell-Hayes’ quickly agree, insisting Eli stay with them for the duration of the shoot, mainly so Riley can reconnect with his old friend.



Eli has been through his own tough times in past years and is no longer the wild and irresponsible guy Riley remembers. Eli is eager to live life to the fullest, and when he sets his sights on cowboy Robbie, he makes it his mission to knock down all his defenses and win the man’s heart.

I really enjoyed the double romance we got here. Revisiting Riley and Jack in their established and thriving relationship was an absolute joy, but I relished in the new romance between Robbie and Eli even more! This series is such sweet, easy-reading, with lots of romance and external (family and work) drama to keep things interesting.

Reading about these guys just makes me happy; pure and simple. Off to the next one!!

[Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus]

Wait! i skipped book 3.. Like, really! how? 😔🤦

[♥️Victoria ♥️ ♥️love books♥️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall book rating 4/5 Stars
Audio book- N/A
Book Cover 4/5 Stars

I absolutely loved Eli and Robbie. I mean what's not to like Eli falls in love with a real cowboy wile he is actually on the D Ranch for a cowboy underwear photo shoot. I just whish the book was a bit longer...

[R.J.]

Buy Links

Ebook
Amazon US - https://goo.gl/rzZ79B
Amazon UK - https://goo.gl/E5YdTX
Kobo - https://goo.gl/qVVpSM
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Smashwords - https://goo.gl/VAgtvR
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Paperback
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Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/vay9xD

Audio
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2qdimmN
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2qOAFeU
Audible US: https://goo.gl/OcVvCb
Audible UK: https://goo.gl/9iBUxj
iTunes: https://goo.gl/OdUqGu

Page on RJ's Website - https://goo.gl/pGw4xW

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read January 2020
___________
Re-read November 2017

[Ezi Chinny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Honestly, I don’t enjoy the narrator Sean Crisden’s work in this series. His voice makes the characters sound like early twenties and not like the men I picture in my head. Thankful, the writing and plot remains very solid so I enjoy the story because Jack and Riley love was a gift that touched all those around them. Jack and Riley Campbell-Hayes are settling into family life with their daughter Hayley and extended family. The Double D Ranch is growing and Riley is trying to expand their oil exploration endeavors. The main couple is still crazy about each other and then of course, we get a blast from Riley’s wild past in the form of a man named Eli. Eli was a photographer who was trying to land a solid gig and wanted to use the ranch for his photoshoot.

While Eli is taking pictures, he meets one of the ranch hands Robbie, who came to the Double D to heal from a past of abuse. For the first time in this series, the reader is taken on a journey to coupledom featuring people not bearing the Hayes or Campbell last names. From Jack’s sister Eden and her boyfriend Sean to Riley’s mom getting married to her vet fiancée, it just feels like Jack and Riley’s relationship balanced the people around them. It is clear that they still are trying to find ways to make time for romance and putting their relationship first, but as a couple, they still make me smile. I’m thankful that the author doesn’t make them have those unnecessary relationship miscommunications and issues. Jack and Riley are the reason I love this series but I am looking forward to finding out what’s wrong with Eden’s boyfriend and having them back on solid ground.

[Cadiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gloriously over the top and dramatic as I'd expect this series to be and it's continuing in that vein with another tale of epic soap opera-ness.

In this one there's new people arriving on the ranch and I loved both shy Robbie, hurting from the death of his lover in a homophobic attack out in Australia and hyper excitable Eli, in remission from kidney cancer and determined to do something with his mixed up life.

They provide the secondary plot line to some business shenanigans that one of Riley's father's old cronies is trying to use to take over all of the hard work his new ethical consulting company has put in searching for new oil.

Riley and Jack are still molten hot, their barn escapades showing no sign of letting up and we also get another dramatic moment with Eden and her boyfriend Sean, who seems to be suffering a bit from PTSD and ends up in a bar fight with shocking consequences.

On to book four!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I will ever have enough of Jack and Riley. In Texas Heat, we are introduced to a new couple, Robbie and Eli. They are a great addition to the clan and I enjoy the romance subplot, but this is still a very much Jack and Riley book. I love the fact that both men are passionate about their work, Riley with his oil thingy and Jack with his cowboy stuff. They never step in to interfere with each other work, but will always be supportive by the sideline. It just warms my heart of read about such a mature and steady couple navigating through their lives.

[Don Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com

If you have been following the Texas series and the exploits of Jack and Riley Campbell-Hayes, this book won't let you down. This book picked right up with Donna and Neil's wedding. The regular cast of characters put in appearances but this story with its many sub-plots revolves primarily around Jack working the Double D, Riley working his oil consulting firm and how the two men manage to keep their marriage fresh and together. Hayley becomes more of a main character as she begins to grow into a lovely ten year old who is mature beyond her years. Neil's best friend, Robbie shows up for the wedding and is hired on by Jack to help train three quarter horses for competition. Robbie is a natural with the horses but is carrying some emotional baggage. Eli, an old college friend of Riley's, calls out of the blue looking to do a photo shoot for a men's underwear company. Eli lays eyes on Robbie and immediately falls in lust with him. Riley goes through an emotional wringer between some jealousy over an ex of Jack's at a Gay Rodeo that Jack is judging at and a business deal that an old croney of Gerald Hayes's tries to undermine. Throw in some drama from minor characters and you've got yet another outstanding in the continuing Campbell-Hayes saga. I enjoyed this book even more than I did Texas Winter as Ms Scott really concentrated on Jack and Riley's relationship and their love for their daughter Haley. The introduction of Robbie and Eli brought a refreshing new story line into the series and I hope we see much more of them. Like the first two books, this one is filled with a myriad of emotions that just left me wanting to read the next book in the series. Did you hear that Ms Scott? This was an emotionally driven story that flowed very well even with all that was packed into it and ended with Scott's trademark HEA. I recommend this installment to everyone who has been following the series and to those of you who haven't gotten wrapped up in the saga it's time you picked up The Heart of Texas and got into it.

[Serena Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in this series was as much fun to read as the first two, contained some great recurring characters, while adding a few new ones, and firmly launched this series (in my mind, at least) into "soap opera in written form" land. It was there before, but more because of the similarities to a certain TV series; now, it is firmly into creating a world and dynamic of its own. The addition of Eli and Robbie was a great addition of a new romance, and the returning secondary characters from the first two books gave me the feeling of "coming home".

Riley and Jack have really grown as a couple, to the point where they can rely on each other to be there when they need support. Even their communication skills have improved and they use them to great effect. They have also done a great job of raising Hayley, who is now ten, and clearly part of the family. The focus remains firmly on Riley and Jack, and I loved that. They are as hot as ever, and their loving nicknames for each other just cement that fact.

Eli and Robbie – now they are something else. They provided some fresh romantic blood, the occasional comic relief with the photo shoot requiring sexy cowboys to model underwear, and their developing romance, as difficult as it was, added to the overall emotional fee-good factor of this book.

All the background plots – too many to name and I don't want to spoil the surprise – helped keep up the pace and ensured I was following avidly. If you like the Campbell-Hayes men and their assorted friends, if you enjoy soap operas and ever-unfolding drama, and if you want to find out how he DD ranch in the heart of Texas is doing, don't miss this book! As far as I am concerned, the next installment can’t come quickly enough!


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st read: 8/18/12 Reading this book was like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet or smorgasbord where you end up with a plate of several delicious items to feast on. Couples wise, there was Jack and Riley. They are still very much in love and had me oohing and ahhing throughout the book. They refused to let anyone or anything come between them. They both have matured a lot and have learned to communicate to each other which is so refreshing. We see a lot of them in this story so fans will not be disappointed. Second was Donna (Jack's mom) and Neil (the vet) who got married in the beginning. What Jack did for Neil was nothing short of amazing. Talk about a 180! Then Robbie (cowboy) and Elijah (photographer), the new couple who also got a lot of page time, were adorable together. Both having demons to overcome in order to start a new relationship together. And then Eden (Riley's sister) and Sean (the journalist.) Poor Sean. I hope there is more of their relationship in the next book. I'm anxious to see what happens with him and Eden due to his new circumstances.

There were also several background plots such as the CH bid deal Riley was trying to get entered in spite of the cutthroat antics of one of the investors, the gay rodeo that Jack was asked to be a judge at, Eli's underwear modeling shoot on the ranch, a bar fight, There was a lot going on in this book but overall, the story lines were woven together very nicely. AND the ending gives you a sense of where the next book is going and I couldn't be happier!

2nd read: 2/19/15

[Nik · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
I love RJS's Texas series. Jack and Riley are one of my favorite couples to read about so I was excited to read the third book in this series. With that being said, I wasn't quite sure who this book was suppose to be for: Jack/Riley or Eli/Robbie? If this was Jack and Rileys, it was a somewhat abbreviated look with the sex alot of times fade to black (OK but not what I expected based on other books) If this was Robbie/Eli's book I felt a bit shortchanged in that we didn't really get too much of an in depth look at them and what attracted them to each other other than sex. When they finally were able to pull it together the insta love was a little hard to swallow for me. Overall, I still enjoyed the book and hope there are more to come as this author left loose threads and despite the brief glimpses to Eli/Robbie we got, I enjoyed what I did see and would be interested in seeing more of it.

[Kinny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eli and Robbie are new characters but the bulk of the story is still Jack, Riley and Hayley. Eden and Sean are here too and their part made me a bit sad.

[Giada · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stelline

Sinceramente? Mi ha un po’ deluso. La storia rimane molto carina e continuo ad adorare la simpatica e dolcissima famiglia Campbell-Hayes ma... mi aspettavo di più. In questo nuovo capitolo compaiono in scena due nuovi personaggi: il migliore amico di Riley e fotografo freelance Eli e il mandriano Robbie, caro amico di Neil (novello sposo di Donna, la madre di Jack). I due sono molto diversi e rappresentano mondi opposti. Eli è un cittadino, un ragazzo sopra le righe e sempre abituato ad ottenere ciò che desidera, ha dovuto lottare contro il cancro e questo lo ha reso ancora più scatenato e deciso ad innamorarsi per davvero e godersi la vita una volta per tutte. Robbie è meno spontaneo, più controllato e desideroso di rimanere nell’ombra. Ha perso il compagno in seguito ad un attacco omofobo nel precedente luogo di lavoro e ora si sente insicuro, timoroso di iniziare qualsiasi nuova relazione che includa sentimenti ed amore. Due personaggi molto complessi che ahimè non riescono a convincere e a spiccare. Questa era la perfetta occasione per spostarsi un po’ dalla coppia principale e dare maggiore spazio ad un’altra storia d’amore e invece per 3/4 del libro abbiamo una mezza parentesi delle solite avventure del cowboy e di suo marito, una parentesi parecchio noiosa rispetto ai libri precedenti e che di fatto non regala nulla di nuovo alla storia. Ne consegue che l’innamoramento tra Robbie ed Eli è fin troppo rapido e male gestito. Mancano momenti di introspezione, di riflessione e... sentimentali. Ho trovato abbastanza affrettato il fatto che si definisca fin da subito innamorato e la reazione di Robbie... mi ha lasciato perplessa. Una storia che sicuramente continuerà nei prossimi capitoli e come sotto trama ma che non mi ha soddisfatto appieno. Stesso discorso per la love story tra Sean e Eden, viene accennata solo nel finale e lascia solo domande e poco più... un’occasione un po’ sprecata. Rimango comunque curiosa di scoprire come i due sposini allargheranno la loro famiglia

[Rissa (an M/M kinda Girl!!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 bumped to 4 stars!

Series with the same couple are one of my favorite things...this book tho also got us a bit invested in Robbie and Eli. I felt like this book was a bit jumpy & scattered. Every time one scenario was going along and I was like more more I got the brakes slammed on me and abruptly turned in another direction. At least i'm one more book closer to the end of {and starting the other} the series!

#hetboy #cowboy #jackandriley #readin2017

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series, love the narration, need the rest of them now!!!

[Line]

Freebie at amazon.com right now: https://smile.amazon.com/Texas-Heat-B...

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when I finish a book and I'm smiling wide, especially when I have read enough tit bits to think another book may be possible (please don't let me down RJ, another book pleassseese.....). Texas Heat is the story of Robbie and Eli. Eli was Riley's best friend in college, until a stupid argument pushed hem apart. Robbie, back from Australia, just wants to protect his heart from losing someone he loves again. Eli wants Robbie, but Robbie wants to hide himself away. Their romance is all played out on the Double D, Riley and Jack's home. I loved the inclusion of all the previous characters, and how the book started with Donna's wedding. I don't read F/M but I think i'd make an exception for a book about Sean and Eden, Riley's sister, still plenty of road to travel with those two. I adored this book, it lived up to to its heritage as a Texas Stable book (pun intended). a 5 star read, more if I could give them.

[Heather♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a pleasure to read. With each book in the series, I grow to love the Campbell-Hayes men even more (and I liked how adamant they were about people calling them by their proper hyphenated surname too). Riley (affectionately called Het-boy by his husband) and his luscious cowboy Jack were so stinking cute together. They clearly had been working on their trust and communication issues, and their relationship was even more rock solid as they fell deeper in love with every passing day. Such sexy, passionate and possessive men! I can't get enough of them and I really hope we see a little boy or girl who looks like Jack in the near future :) I enjoyed the introduction of new couple Robbie and Eli and would like to hear more about them (and a follow-up on how Eden and Sean are doing as well) in future books. Yep. I'm gonna need more please :)

[Valeria DePaula · Rating 5 out of 5]

✔ Letto! Come una buona saga che si rispetti, i drammi non possono mancare e qui loro hanno trovato casa. Nonostante tutto Riley e Jack sono solidi insieme, si amano e tutti lo vedono. E con l'aggiunta della piccola Hayley, solo gioie nel ranch.
In ogni libro succedendo tantissime cose, dal rodeo gay, alla assunzione di un aiutante dal cuore solitario.
Tutti i parenti ancora coinvolti nella loro storia, che finalmente sono come un fronte unico, pronti a combattere contro chiunque voglia minare quello che sono riusciti a creare dopo Gerald e Jeff.
Bellissimo seguito e un finale da urlo con la speranza di nuovi e coccolosi discendenti dagli occhi blu.
Per me è ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ e💋

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
❥❥**´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•`*Review Copy provided by Author in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Jaime from Alpha Book Club

[Calila · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this book really felt like two novellas reworked so they'd fit together. but I really didn't mind. I loved seeing more of Riley and Jack, hopefully this won't be the last time. I wish the business angst had been a little different, feels like we'd already seen that before. With Robbie and Eli's backgrounds i wish there had been more time devoted to them overcoming the bad things in their pasts, but what was there worked for how quickly they got together.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a while since I read the first two books so it took a while to make sense of all the names. But as always it was great to see old friends again. And meet some new ones. Lovely read full of love.

[Lillian Francis]

OMG. Give me a date!

I need to read this like a fish needs water.

[Dallison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Het boy and Cowboy. Love RJ Scott. Another fabulous book. 10 stars.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series!

[yoksan]

It's not August yet? *whines*

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This particular book of the series was a disappointment. The story line is choppy and disjointed. There are too many sub plots going on so that they are not explored or addressed fully.