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Covert Cowboy Soldiers #1
The Lost Hart Triplet
She discovered a body.
He needs to keep her from learning the truth.
One triplet has been murdered. One triplet finds the body. And now one triplet is under suspicion. Zara Hart is desperate to save her innocent sister and needs the help of her ranch’s new owner, a man she can’t afford to be emotionally involved with. Under orders to keep a low profile, navy SEAL Jake Thompson shouldn’t investigate a murder case. But he won’t let Zara lose her life searching for justice.
He needs to keep her from learning the truth.
One triplet has been murdered. One triplet finds the body. And now one triplet is under suspicion. Zara Hart is desperate to save her innocent sister and needs the help of her ranch’s new owner, a man she can’t afford to be emotionally involved with. Under orders to keep a low profile, navy SEAL Jake Thompson shouldn’t investigate a murder case. But he won’t let Zara lose her life searching for justice.
249 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2022
77 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Helm
316 books498 followersNicole Helm is the national bestselling author of fast-paced romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue and down-to-earth contemporary romance. Her Intrigues routinely land on the Publishers Weekly Bestseller list, and she’s received starred PW reviews for her contemporary romances. She’s written over 75 books, known for their emotional depth and happily ever afters.
Nicole also writes with Megan Crane/Caitlin Crews as Hazel Beck writing the Witchlore series, which began with SMALL TOWN, BIG MAGIC in 2022.
In her spare time, Nicole loves losing herself in genealogy research, watching Cardinals baseball, and hiking with her family. She lives in Missouri with her husband and two sons.
You can contact her via email: Nicole@nicolehelm.com
You can sign up for Nicole’s monthly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/V973n
Nicole also writes with Megan Crane/Caitlin Crews as Hazel Beck writing the Witchlore series, which began with SMALL TOWN, BIG MAGIC in 2022.
In her spare time, Nicole loves losing herself in genealogy research, watching Cardinals baseball, and hiking with her family. She lives in Missouri with her husband and two sons.
You can contact her via email: Nicole@nicolehelm.com
You can sign up for Nicole’s monthly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/V973n
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 4, 2025
Good read, and likeable characters.
October 9, 2022
Puedes encontrar esta reseña en español al final.
2.5 stars.
It was an enjoyable read. I loved it because it was so subtle. There were not eternal physical descriptions here, neither powerful attractions nor body parts stirring at first sigh. The meetings between the MC´s have been so interesting and leading more toward the suspense than the physical awareness.
The problem is that the end caught me unaware. It has been so, so, so subtle that the MC´s were talking about marriage and they haven´t share even a real kiss.
I was flabbergasted. So I kept a couple stars.
***
2.5 estrellas.
Ha sido una historia muy entretenida. Me ha encantado porque ha sido muy sutil. Nada de eternas descripciones físicas de los protas, ni de poderosas atracciones físicas ni de órganos reaccionando a primera vista. Los encuentros entre los protagonistas han sido muy interesantes y se han centrado más en el suspense que en lo físico.
El problema está en que cuando ha llegado el final me ha cogido de improviso. Ha sido tan, tan, tan sutil que los protas estaban hablando de matrimonio y ni siquiera se habían besado de verdad ni una sola vez.
Me he quedado patidifusa (y un par de estrellas, de camino…)
2.5 stars.
It was an enjoyable read. I loved it because it was so subtle. There were not eternal physical descriptions here, neither powerful attractions nor body parts stirring at first sigh. The meetings between the MC´s have been so interesting and leading more toward the suspense than the physical awareness.
The problem is that the end caught me unaware. It has been so, so, so subtle that the MC´s were talking about marriage and they haven´t share even a real kiss.
I was flabbergasted. So I kept a couple stars.
***
2.5 estrellas.
Ha sido una historia muy entretenida. Me ha encantado porque ha sido muy sutil. Nada de eternas descripciones físicas de los protas, ni de poderosas atracciones físicas ni de órganos reaccionando a primera vista. Los encuentros entre los protagonistas han sido muy interesantes y se han centrado más en el suspense que en lo físico.
El problema está en que cuando ha llegado el final me ha cogido de improviso. Ha sido tan, tan, tan sutil que los protas estaban hablando de matrimonio y ni siquiera se habían besado de verdad ni una sola vez.
Me he quedado patidifusa (y un par de estrellas, de camino…)
August 5, 2023
This book is about a woman named Zara Hart who has sisters and they are triplets. One of the sisters ends up murdered. Zara Hart for some unknown reason becomes under suspicion.
You also end up meeting Navy seal Jake Thompson who has brothers. One of the triplets Hazeleigh gets under suspicion because she gets a sixth sense when things are about to become bad. Jake shouldn’t investigate a murder case but he does. The law keeps going after Hazeleigh. Zara was suspicious about Jake and his brothers in this story. She was very self reliant. Zara sets out trying to protect Hazeleigh and she needs the help that Jake offers. This mystery wasn’t all that interesting to me. I was more interested in why the law was going after Hazeleigh. This book also didn’t have any spice to it. I wish this book had been more action packed and had some spice to it.
You also end up meeting Navy seal Jake Thompson who has brothers. One of the triplets Hazeleigh gets under suspicion because she gets a sixth sense when things are about to become bad. Jake shouldn’t investigate a murder case but he does. The law keeps going after Hazeleigh. Zara was suspicious about Jake and his brothers in this story. She was very self reliant. Zara sets out trying to protect Hazeleigh and she needs the help that Jake offers. This mystery wasn’t all that interesting to me. I was more interested in why the law was going after Hazeleigh. This book also didn’t have any spice to it. I wish this book had been more action packed and had some spice to it.
October 3, 2022
Reviewed at Happily Ever After Romance
The Lost Hart Triplet begins the Covert Cowboy Soldiers series and if Zara and Jake’s story is any indication of what is to come we are in for quite an amazing journey with this new series.
While I try very hard to only give spoiler-free reviews, I have to say it’s going to be difficult this time to not say something I shouldn’t. I got so wrapped up in The Lost Hart Triplet. There is so much more to this story than what the cover description gives you – the underlying animosity between Zara and Jake (and all of the brothers really) is so intense that you could feel it flowing off of the page. The tensions between the triplet sisters are obvious at first but it won’t be long before those reasons come to light. With the gruesome discovery of one triplet’s dead body events are going to start moving at a fast pace, and your emotions are going to be involved from the start. There are twists and surprises that you will not see coming until they hit you like a brick – and when a story can catch me off-guard like this, well, I’m only going to enjoy it more. The villain is as vile as they come and the reasons are totally unexpected. I absolutely loved this story for all of those reasons and so many more that I cannot mention in order to remain spoiler-free.
The Lost Hart Triplet is well-written, the plot intriguing, the danger obvious, and the characters are as real to life as I’ve ever read. The secondary characters add so much to Jake and Zara’s story and bring a deeper feeling of reality as well. Some, I’m sure, we’re going to see again further along in the series. I loved this couple, as prickly as they were when everything starts (for understandable reasons) slowly, steadily they’ll let their guards down and then the emotions come through loud and clear. I’m fascinated by so many small clues we were given for some of these characters which makes the wait for their own story to be told a rather impatient feeling (on my part anyway).
If you love a good, solid Romantic Suspense with believable characters, a few puzzles to figure out, and a couple to root for from the very beginning then you’ll want to pick up this first story in the Covert Cowboy Soldiers series soon. You won’t be disappointed, at all.
I own a Kindle edition of this title.
The Lost Hart Triplet begins the Covert Cowboy Soldiers series and if Zara and Jake’s story is any indication of what is to come we are in for quite an amazing journey with this new series.
While I try very hard to only give spoiler-free reviews, I have to say it’s going to be difficult this time to not say something I shouldn’t. I got so wrapped up in The Lost Hart Triplet. There is so much more to this story than what the cover description gives you – the underlying animosity between Zara and Jake (and all of the brothers really) is so intense that you could feel it flowing off of the page. The tensions between the triplet sisters are obvious at first but it won’t be long before those reasons come to light. With the gruesome discovery of one triplet’s dead body events are going to start moving at a fast pace, and your emotions are going to be involved from the start. There are twists and surprises that you will not see coming until they hit you like a brick – and when a story can catch me off-guard like this, well, I’m only going to enjoy it more. The villain is as vile as they come and the reasons are totally unexpected. I absolutely loved this story for all of those reasons and so many more that I cannot mention in order to remain spoiler-free.
The Lost Hart Triplet is well-written, the plot intriguing, the danger obvious, and the characters are as real to life as I’ve ever read. The secondary characters add so much to Jake and Zara’s story and bring a deeper feeling of reality as well. Some, I’m sure, we’re going to see again further along in the series. I loved this couple, as prickly as they were when everything starts (for understandable reasons) slowly, steadily they’ll let their guards down and then the emotions come through loud and clear. I’m fascinated by so many small clues we were given for some of these characters which makes the wait for their own story to be told a rather impatient feeling (on my part anyway).
If you love a good, solid Romantic Suspense with believable characters, a few puzzles to figure out, and a couple to root for from the very beginning then you’ll want to pick up this first story in the Covert Cowboy Soldiers series soon. You won’t be disappointed, at all.
I own a Kindle edition of this title.
November 21, 2023
A lot of eye rolling was going on as I was reading The Lost Hart Triplet. Why do I do this to myself?!
I'm not into Harlequin anything. I exchange books with a friend. I give her quality books, she gives me these. Ha. I'll read it if it's the first in the series, for the heck of it really. Return the others that are 4, 5 0r 99 in the series unread because I can't read a book that I haven't started from the beginning.
At least I go in expecting not much and come away feeling exactly that. So there's three sisters, they are triplets. Their names are Zaraleigh, Hazeleigh and Amberleigh Hart. Can we just stop there right now in how ridiculous and corny their names are. Right there is a reason I don't read Harlequin. I mean I just want to hurl.
Anyho, they live on a ranch in a town called Wilde, Wyoming. Their daddy just upped and sold the ranch with no discussions with his daughters, but the oldest one, Zaraleigh, Zara for short, as she goes by, stays on to train the 6 brothers who bought the place. So there are 6 single brothers, something is off right? Yep, you got that right as you will end up finding out why.
Let's get to the jest of the story. Zara, Hazeleigh and Jake Thompson, navy SEAL though we don't know that yet, is one of the brothers, ends up discovering Amberleigh's body on the land when they go to fix a fence; the cow keeps escaping. Hazeleigh has a 6th sense and had a bad feeling and told Jake not to dig that area. She ends up getting arrested because the police say she is the killer because she told them not to dig, even though it's a small town, and everyone knows everyone and their business so everyone would know how she has a 6th sense. Sigh.
So in all this murder business going on, Zara and Jake feel an attraction to one another, but being a Harlequin novel, they have to deny it for the majority of the book.
I finished the book 3 days ago. It's taken me this long to write a review. I didn't want to deal with it. It's done now. I can move on.
I'm not into Harlequin anything. I exchange books with a friend. I give her quality books, she gives me these. Ha. I'll read it if it's the first in the series, for the heck of it really. Return the others that are 4, 5 0r 99 in the series unread because I can't read a book that I haven't started from the beginning.
At least I go in expecting not much and come away feeling exactly that. So there's three sisters, they are triplets. Their names are Zaraleigh, Hazeleigh and Amberleigh Hart. Can we just stop there right now in how ridiculous and corny their names are. Right there is a reason I don't read Harlequin. I mean I just want to hurl.
Anyho, they live on a ranch in a town called Wilde, Wyoming. Their daddy just upped and sold the ranch with no discussions with his daughters, but the oldest one, Zaraleigh, Zara for short, as she goes by, stays on to train the 6 brothers who bought the place. So there are 6 single brothers, something is off right? Yep, you got that right as you will end up finding out why.
Let's get to the jest of the story. Zara, Hazeleigh and Jake Thompson, navy SEAL though we don't know that yet, is one of the brothers, ends up discovering Amberleigh's body on the land when they go to fix a fence; the cow keeps escaping. Hazeleigh has a 6th sense and had a bad feeling and told Jake not to dig that area. She ends up getting arrested because the police say she is the killer because she told them not to dig, even though it's a small town, and everyone knows everyone and their business so everyone would know how she has a 6th sense. Sigh.
So in all this murder business going on, Zara and Jake feel an attraction to one another, but being a Harlequin novel, they have to deny it for the majority of the book.
I finished the book 3 days ago. It's taken me this long to write a review. I didn't want to deal with it. It's done now. I can move on.
January 20, 2023
📚Book Review📚
Book: The Lost Hart Triplet
Author:Nicole Helm
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre:Romantic Suspense
Spice Level: 🌶️
Pub Date: September 27, 2022
Tropes: ex military
Trigger Warning: PTSD flash backs
Six weeks ago the Hart Ranch, that had been in her family for generations, was bought by the Thompson Brothers, who have kept her on staff at the ranch. Routine fence repair digs up their missing twin triplet sister who disappeared 10 years ago. Zara is desperate to save her twin who has been arrested for the murder. She finds an unlikely ally in Jake Thompson, former navy seal who’s under orders to keep a low profile and shouldn’t be getting involved in a murder case. But he won’t let Zara lose her life searching for justice.
This is the 1st book in the Covert Cowboy Soldiers Series. I really enjoyed the second book of this series but I absolutely loved this first book! I’m 😍 with The Thompson Brothers! I can not wait until the next books release later this year!
Book: The Lost Hart Triplet
Author:Nicole Helm
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre:Romantic Suspense
Spice Level: 🌶️
Pub Date: September 27, 2022
Tropes: ex military
Trigger Warning: PTSD flash backs
Six weeks ago the Hart Ranch, that had been in her family for generations, was bought by the Thompson Brothers, who have kept her on staff at the ranch. Routine fence repair digs up their missing twin triplet sister who disappeared 10 years ago. Zara is desperate to save her twin who has been arrested for the murder. She finds an unlikely ally in Jake Thompson, former navy seal who’s under orders to keep a low profile and shouldn’t be getting involved in a murder case. But he won’t let Zara lose her life searching for justice.
This is the 1st book in the Covert Cowboy Soldiers Series. I really enjoyed the second book of this series but I absolutely loved this first book! I’m 😍 with The Thompson Brothers! I can not wait until the next books release later this year!
February 4, 2024
The Lost Hart Triplet was a fantastic start to a new series by Nicole Helm! Zara is a bit standoffish, guarded, in control of everything in order to keep working on the ranch that used to be hers until her father sold it out from under her. Until she finds her 'lost' sister, and not in a way anyone wants to find a missing family member.
Enter Jake, one of the new 'owners' of her ranch who likes to stick his nose into things that are Zara's family issues. He just doesn't care. Zara intrigues him, but he also smells a rat in this situation.
When things get worse, and Zara's other sister is arrested, Zara knows she has to team up with Jake if she's going to figure out who is after her family and why.
The 'brothers' that have taken over her ranch are all brooding and easy on the eyes, so I can't wait to read the rest of this series and meet them all personally! Start with The Lost Hart Triplet. You won't be disappointed!
Enter Jake, one of the new 'owners' of her ranch who likes to stick his nose into things that are Zara's family issues. He just doesn't care. Zara intrigues him, but he also smells a rat in this situation.
When things get worse, and Zara's other sister is arrested, Zara knows she has to team up with Jake if she's going to figure out who is after her family and why.
The 'brothers' that have taken over her ranch are all brooding and easy on the eyes, so I can't wait to read the rest of this series and meet them all personally! Start with The Lost Hart Triplet. You won't be disappointed!
July 18, 2025
I read the whole Covert Cowboys Series. The last book pulls it all together. In each story one of the former military “brothers” steps out of his “out of the limelight” life to help solve a crime because they have the skills and empathy they might not have expected. Couples connect, but this series is more about the connections wounded people make with someone who comes to understand them. Book one involves all three of the identical Hart triplets, whose father sold the ranch they grew up on to the Thompson Brothers without asking or giving them a penny.
December 1, 2022
I really enjoyed this intriguing romance. I bought this at a local store and I voluntarily chose to review this story. I've given this a 5* rating. While this is clean, there is a lot of violence in it. A adult should decide if the under 18 reader is ready for this or not. Both the heroine and the hero had reasons not to get involved yet they did. There is a little bit of humor in the middle of the terror and horror of this story. This is the first of a series. Will be looking for more.
September 11, 2023
I read book two in this series a few months ago and wanted to read Zara's story. Loved it! Zara has been through a lot. She's tough and doesn't take crap from anybody. Jake knows that even tough women sometimes need someone to take care of them, even if they can't admit it. Slow burn with lots of suspense!
September 5, 2022
This book has many twists turns, and adventure! It was suspenseful and yet touching at the same time. Bought tears to my eye in three places. You get sucked into the emotion and the drama. Highly recommend it.
May 9, 2023
First time author for me and I really liked this book. I liked these characters and the plot of this tale. She piqued my interest in the characters and what's to come. looking forward to reading the next installment.
September 18, 2022
What is not to love? We have suspense, romance, and a series all combined. I loved this book and can hardly wait to read the next in the series.
October 28, 2022
What a roller coaster ride of suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to work out who was the murderer. Then Zara and Jake basically working out who done it and finding their happily ever after.
February 3, 2023
Good story. Jake and Zara trying to find who killed one triplet and is framing the other for the crime. A few twists keep you entertained.
May 9, 2023
I enjoyed this cowboy romance wrapped in a murder mystery. Nicole Helm weaves a great story with characters showing depth and realism.
August 4, 2023
This book sucked me right in. It’s the start of a new series, and I’m looking forward to reading the other books.
November 6, 2023
Not a bad little read. This is my first book by this author.
December 12, 2023
Love this book full of suspense.
November 1, 2024
Yahoo!
Nicely written & the characters were fleshed out nicely! I am anxious to read the next one & follow the series!
Nicely written & the characters were fleshed out nicely! I am anxious to read the next one & follow the series!
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September 1, 2022Miniseries
Covert Cowboy Soldiers (Book #1)
Covert Cowboy Soldiers (Book #1)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews