Rancher Rylie Thorn loves everything about men, but she’s positively phobic about commitment. After growing up in a broken family and witnessing too many failed marriages, Rylie knows "forever" is just not in the cards for her.

Sheriff Clay Wayland has been called in to investigate a rash of crimes in the southeastern corner of Cochise County. But one night when he goes into the field to do some observation, he comes across a sensual woman who’s doing some investigating of her own. Rylie immediately sets his blood on fire and he knows he has to have her. And it isn’t long before Clay begins the job of taming this wildcat and making her his. . .for keeps.

Title: CLAY
Author: Cheyenne McCray
Series: Armed and Dangerous, book 4
Genre: Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year of release: 2011, April 12
Format: Tradesize Paperback
Source: Bought via The BookDepository

First line:
Rylie Thorn pulled at her earlobe as she guided her battered ranch pickup into the parking lot of the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department.

Memorable Scenes:
- chapter 12 in its entirety > both in heat, plot and emotion this was a crucial and memorable chapter

Rylie Thorn is a rancher and from a broken home and dysfunctional family. She’s a wildcat and determined not to follow in her mother's doormat footsteps. She’s stubborn, take-charge and emotionally distant. Though she’s sexually uninhibited she fears intimacy and doesn't believe in love or marriage.

Clay Wayland is the County’s sheriff and his personality matches his job. He’s commanding and goes after what he wants. In this case he wants Rylie.

First sexually tinted scene between Riley and Clay was a bit weird for me (Rylie let’s a stranger – Clay fondle her to a climax outside while peeping Tom-ing her foreman having sex with 2 women) and I had to suspend disbelief to get over it and enjoy the rest of the romance. And yet I think what keeps me coming back to this series is the scorching heat of the sex scenes. In CLAY, unapologetic and in clear, straight language the hot chemistry between Rylie and Clay set the pages on fire.

The plot, which was not the strong point in this installment, revolved around truck thefts along the border. I was hoping it wasn't going to turn out as predictable as I was suspecting from early on in the book and fortunately it wasn’t too predictable but it wasn’t very thrilling either except for the showdown wrap-up scene. The suspense was just less intense than the steaminess in this book.

Cheyenne McCray's writing reels me in. I don't know what hold this series has over me but even though neither book in the series has blown me away so far, any new book released in it never lingers very long on my Mt. TBR. The minute a new release arrives I put it on the TBR shelf but it keeps calling me, enticing me to start reading it and before I know it, I've cracked the spine and started reading...This series is my crack, I tell you! I just can’t stay away from it.

CLAY is another good addition to this very addictive series. The predictability of the suspense was made up for by the scorching sexual chemistry and hot as hell sexy scenes and I'm ready for the next book in the Armed and Dangerous Series. If I may make a suggestion, NOAH would be a great contender and my pick to continue this series with.

Favorite Quotes:
The little wildcat glared at him. She didn’t spit, but she didn’t kill him either. That had to be a win. After a second or two of stripping him down with those hot eyes, she spun and marched out of the control room.

“Fair’s fair.” Rylie gave him a saucy smile, but inside she was a quivering mass of lust. Every cell in her body screamed with need for this man. Nee to have his naked form against hers, need to taste his skin, and need to see if he fit as perfectly inside as he did outside.

“I hate to break this moment, but you think you could unlock these handcuffs?”
“I don’t know.” He propped himself up on both arms and his lips quirked in a grin. “Kinda like you right where I’ve got you.”
“Oh?” Damn but he made her feel all quivery and gooey inside. “What do I have to do to convince you?”
Clay raised an eyebrow. “Of what?”
“That there’ll be hell to pay if you don’t get these things off me now.”
With a soft laugh he rolled off of her, sliding out and leaving her empty without him. “Now supposing I can’t find the key?”
Rylie glared at him. “Supposing I’m gonna kick your ass, cowboy.”

“You are so dead, Clay Wayland,” Rylie muttered as he climbed another set of stairs and she bounced against his back. “Right after I ride you like a wild bronco, I’m gonna kill you.

After a bitter divorce, reporter Kelsey Nichols has erected a border around her heart too strong for any man to cross. She's not ready for a relationship of any kind with any man. But when Kelsey meets Kade she can think of nothing but being in his powerful arms and in his bed.

Intelligence Agent Kade Owen is hot on the trail of a notorious smuggler when the sensual blonde reporter comes into his life. Once he gets a hold of Kelsey, nothing will stop Kade from winning her heart.

Title: KADE
Author: Cheyenne McCray
Series: Armed and Dangerous, book 3
Genre: Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year of release: 2010, October 26
Format: Trade Size Paperback
Source: Bought via The Book Depository

First line:
Kade Owen dragged his hand over his stubbled face as he settled into the plastic airport seat while waiting to board the plane he'd be taking to Tucson.

Memorable Scenes:
Weren’t there any or did I just not write them down…who knows?

Kade Owen is an Intelligence Agent with the U.S. Border Patrol. He's investigating people-smugglers and on the trail of a notorious lead figure in the operation, the key smuggler: El Torero. Kelsey Nichols is a journalist writing a series of articles on illegal immigration along the Mexican border. It turns out she'll be staying with Kade at the family ranch and soon they discover that their individual investigations have common threads and they also discover that there’s instant heat and attraction between them that will turn into a blazing inferno if they don’t keep it contained.

Kade is a widower with a 9 year-old son. He’s charming and a sweet-talker but he’s also ruthless and hard in when it comes to his job. Kade's a talker in bed, not necessarily a dirty talker but he's pretty vocal, which I love in my heroes.

Kelsey didn’t make as big an impression on me as Kade did. She was an overall nice character and I loved how she was with Kade and his son but other than that there aren’t any spectacular memorable moments that come to mind when writing something about her.

There were very many secondary characters and I had to make notes to keep them straight. Some of them were important to the story by way of the suspense of the romance. Others were just walk-ons or mentions that I don’t think we’ll see in future installments of this series. One thing I noticed in LUKE but didn’t mention in that review is that most of the males in these books have 4-letter names. In this book I noticed it again and it made me want to mention it now because I like it and I think that it’s done purposely by Cheyenne McCray and not a coincidental thing. The ones I noted in KADE were: Kade (of course), Juan, John, Jess, Stan, Jake, Paul. From the previous books we have Zack and Luke and the next book’s hero is Clay. Don’t tell me this is a coincidence.

I don't know what it is about the books in the Armed & Dangerous Series but even though the first two books didn't blow me away, I was anxiously waiting for book 3 and pre-ordered it the minute I was able to. I even read it within a week of receiving it and that says a lot, especially if you look at some of the books of series I read that are still on my TBR, some of which have been gathering dust for more than 2 years.

And now after reading KADE I know the next book will be pre-ordered and read as soon as it arrives too because somehow, sneakily, Cheyenne McCray has hooked me with these combinations of erotic romance, sexy cowboys who are in law-enforcement and some excellent suspense plots. (Clay was pre-ordered and read immediately upon receiving it. This series is scarily addictive and I can’t figure out why…)

In ZACK I loved the erotic/romance part and the suspense lacked a bit for me. In LUKE the suspense part was good but I had trouble with the eroticism/romance in the story. At the start of KADE I was hoping the book would deliver in both because I really loved the start. My wish was partially granted as it started strong, fizzled out a little bit in the middle and ended strong again. Even if the suspense was a little predictable it was wrapped up well with a small surprise. The romance was sweet but not overly intense or very erotic. KADE was definitely less erotic than book 2 but in a way that I did enjoy it more than the explicit eroticism of the second book.

Besides suspense and romance KADE had another big plus: a kid (Kade's son) and as known I'm a sucker for children in romance novels, especially the sweet, cute, chatterbox, whirlwind kind of kids. I really loved Trent, he was such an adorable boy and he most certainly contributed to my enjoyment of this installment of the Armed and Dangerous Series.

All in all KADE is a very nice read that didn't blow me away but still it was good enough to keep me hooked to the series. Because yes, CLAY has already been pre-ordered too…What the F is it with these books…? Darned Cheyenne McCray, you and this series are an addiction I just can’t seem to quit!

Favorite Quote:
He brushed his lips over hers. Just a whisper kiss. The light touch of his lips and her feel of his fingers on her skin made her nipples ache. A wave of longing crested, then crashed within her soul. She pressed herself closer to him and heard a soft moan. Coming from her.
The tip of his tongue outlined her bottom lip, a feather caress that sent desire spiraling within. She parted her lips and his tongue met hers, a velvet softness that she savored like golden honey. “You taste so good,” he murmured.
She moved her palm to his face, and for an endless moment she stroked his cheek and gazed into his eyes. “I lose my head with you. I can’t afford that –I can’t afford to lose myself again.”
Kade kissed the corner of her mouth and moved to her earlobe. “If you get lost, I’ll help you find your way back.” He nipped at her lobe. “I need you, Kelsey. I’m not whole without you.”

Back Cover:
After spending four years abroad, Trinity MacKenna has returned home to her family's ranch in southeastern Arizona. Everything in her life is going just the way she planned it—a home in London, a brilliant career, and she's practically engaged to a gorgeous English gentleman. But when Trinity meets Luke, the cowboy turns her perfect world upside down. Everything about him is virile and sexy, dark and dangerous—and definitely not part of Trinity's carefully arranged plans.

From the moment Luke Denver sees the sensual strawberry blond, he knows he's got to have her. Luke is intrigued by Trinity's combination of sophistication and innocence, boldness and shyness. Even when Trinity tells him she's taken, Luke doesn't let that stop him, because he's determined to make her his...no matter the cost.

When trouble of cattle rustling started at the Flying M Ranch, DEA special agent Luke Denver was placed there undercover as ranch foreman Luke Rider. With the arrest of the rustlers and their accomplice at the sheriff’s department they thought the trouble was over but now there seems to be a turf war going on and illegal aliens (UDAs) are smuggling drugs over the border. Luke and his fellow agents have to try and figure out which of the ranchers is in the middle of it all and while investigating he stumbles upon Trinity, Skylar MacKenna’s (owner of the Flying M and Luke’s boss – heroine book 1) little sister. The attraction is explosive and instant. He knows he has to have her and sets out to do just that. Software designer Trinity has returned home for her first visit after living and working abroad for years and while practically engaged she’s having second thoughts about her relationship. When the ultimate specimen of cowboys, Luke Rider, steps into her life, she is confused and frightened by her hefty reaction to him and knows she will not be able to walk away from him with her emotions unscathed.

Luke is a loner. He is has this dark, sexy and dangerous aura but he is also confident, dedicated and a take-charge kind of guy. When he puts his mind to something, he WILL have it. And he’s decided he wants Trinity. Trinity, always standing in her sister Skylar's shadow as the little ugly sister, has transformed from ugly duckling to beautiful swan but this hasn't changed the fact that she's still insecure. Despite her fits of insecurity that hit every now and then she is strong, sexy and confident yet vulnerable. Her feelings for Luke are confusing to say the least because she has an almost fiancé and she is not planning on staying in Arizona for long but the chemistry between them is one that can’t be denied.

When ZACK (book 1 of this series) came out the blurb hooked me and I couldn't wait to read it. However it was a disappointing read because I had trouble with the plot of the book. The content of the book, in my opinion, didn't concur with what had been presented in the blurb. Find the link to my review of ZACK at the end of this review to read my exact thoughts on it. After that first book I still was curious and intrigued enough by Luke's character, and his role in that story, to order LUKE but I wasn't as dying to read it as I had been for ZACK. When it arrived I did put it on the TBR-shelf and in plain sight, instead of on its regular spot on the shelves alphabetized by author, thinking I'd get to it somewhere in the course of 2010. However, a few days before Christmas, every time I looked at my TBR-shelf, this book was calling to me, luring me, enticing me, until I finally decided to pick it up.

As with ZACK I loved the characters, the romance and the love scenes but a few things were off for me, which I will get to later in this review. Still in LUKE I did like the plot a lot better than in ZACK. The strength of LUKE lies in the sizzling chemistry between Luke and Trinity. The scenes with them together sparkled and held my attention firmly. Sadly the scenes with them apart felt a bit flat and these were the points in the book where my attention would wander off. I was tempted to skim these parts and to me this shows again (as with ZACK) that the plot is the least appealing element of the books in this series, even if the plot in LUKE was considerably more my cup of tea than the one in ZACK.

Even though I tended to zone out in some of the plot scenes, it still was a fairly unpredictable plot that was worked out and wrapped up well. And I don't think we've seen the end of things. This thread of the plot arc has been resolved but I am sure another thread of it will be picked up and continued in the next book of the Armed and Dangerous series: CLAY. Even if I wasn't blown away by either ZACK or LUKE I did love revisiting Zack and Skylar and seeing how they were doing after their HEA and I'm sure I haven't seen the last of them and Luke and Trinity either.

I was a bit worried when I read the back cover of this book. Trinity is engaged and Luke doesn't care that she is a woman committed to another man. However, rather soon it's clear that Trinity is not really engaged and she's not sure she wants to continue her relationship with her English boyfriend, even before she meets and kisses Luke. She breaks up with her boyfriend after the kiss and although the way she does this is acceptable, in my opinion, it was not the best way to end a relationship.

No matter how much I loved the hot and explicit love scenes or how much I melted (and had to wipe the drool of my chin) at Luke's sexual confidence and his "liquid-hot Texan drawl" there were a few things that bothered me in the sex scenes. The first is the lack of protection. Despite Luke's insistence of not going "all the way" the first time they are together because they don't have protection at hand, the first time they really go at it there is not even the thought of protection. True, they both realize afterwards that they were stupid enough to forget protection in the heat of the moment, which made it better...until they just forgot again the next time.

The second is a specific sexual act Trinity does that just didn't do it for me...I am not a prude, far from it, but this really put me off and she does it repeatedly during the love scenes and at Luke’s command too.

The third thing was during their first time all-the-way scene. Trinity has her very first experience with anal sex and she goes: "Oh this feels so good!" This just didn’t sit well with me. Luke is a well-endowed man, there's no real preparation and she feels no pain or even discomfort whatsoever? Nope, I did not buy that. So even though there were some really great and hot sex scenes: voyeurism under the tree, hot tub and chaps is all I'm saying, some things just didn't work for me, especially in the second half of the book.

Up till now Cheyenne McCray hasn't been able to wow me with the Armed and Dangerous series as she did with her Magic series but still I liked this book better than I liked ZACK and contrary to my closing sentence in the review for ZACK, after reading LUKE, I am certain I will look out for the books that are to come in this series as some of the secondary characters in LUKE provided some intriguing and enticing tidbits of information for me to be curious to their stories. Even if it didn't wow me, if you like your hero hot, masterful and confident, your suspense set up and played out well and your romance sexy and sizzling and you don't mind some weird nipple play, LUKE will provide some pleasant and heated hours of reading.

Quotes:
With his long black duster swirling around his legs, he looked dark and dangerous, like an Old West gunslinger who'd come to town to track down his prey.

He knew he should have some moral battle inside, but the reaction was too strong, too deep. This woman, oh, yeah, she was his. He had claimed her at Nevaeh's and he was claiming her again, right there under her sister's tree.

"I can satisfy you in more ways than you can imagine." He leaned forward and nuzzled her ear, and then ran his hot tongue along the row of earrings. "Now," he murmured, "back to where we left off." That's all the man had to do -talk in that deep, sensual drawl, and she'd do just about anything for him. Anything at all.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10

My other review(s) in the ARMED AND DANGEROUS series:
Armed and Dangerous: ZACK (book 1)

Back Cover Copy
Ever since Zack Hunter, the ultimate alpha boy, left her ten years ago and broke her heart, Sky MacKenna hasn’t been able to find a man who sets her on fire the way he did. Then he comes striding back into her life–bigger, badder and sexier than before…

ICE agent, Zack Hunter never thought he’d return to his small home town and he never thought he’d set eyes on Sky again. Leaving her behind had been the stupidest thing he had ever done but this time he isn’t going to let her go. And as soon as he lays eyes on Sky he makes it clear that he intends to make her his all over again.

When Sky becomes entangled in the case he’s investigating, Zack can’t help but take the threat personal. As the danger mounts, their passion burns even hotter.

When a case of stolen cattle brings Zack Hunter, former deputy-sheriff turned ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent back to his home town, he decides to seize the opportunity to look up his ex-girlfriend Skylar MacKenna and try to get back together. He left her ten years ago in a bad way and wants to give their relationship another chance. Skylar is one of the ranchers whose cattle is being stolen and that puts her in the middle of Zack's investigation but after he broke her heart ten years before, Skylar has absolutely no intention of giving him another chance with her.

Zack and Skylar's childhood have been very different. Where Sky's had loving parents and grew up knowing she was loved and supported, Zack had to deal with first an abusive father and later with an equally abusive stepfather. With the latter things escalated when Zack almost beat him to death after he found him beating on his mother. This event was crucial in his decision to break up with Skylar, his girlfriend of 6 months. He doesn't think he's worthy of her love and is afraid of the violence he discovers in himself. Now ten years later he's back and he is determined to show Sky that he's changed and he's willing to commit to her.
Sky was devastated when Zack left and though she has tried to forget him, by dating other men for example, she has never truly succeeded. But when he comes back to Douglas declaring he wants her back, she puts her foot down and refuses to let him lure her into his clutches again. She has suffered a broken heart once and that's more than enough.

But slowly Zack and Sky do pick up where they left of 10 years before and their relationship is rekindled but now at a much more mature level. The romance between them is alternately hot and chilly. From Zack's point of view it's clear he wants to go back to the hot, passionate relationship they once had. Sky however, tries to keep him at a distance because of the way Zack hurt her in the past. Because of this there aren't that many love scenes in the book, especially in the first half. The ones that are fleshed out are definitely scorching but there's a lot of suggestion and thinking about sex instead of the real thing from both Zack and Sky. Sometimes suggestion can make a book very sensual but for me in this one it missed the mark. Many times I thought it was going to somewhere, just to be a little let down when McCray would switch back to the suspense, leaving me hanging there.

Contrary to what I'm used to by Cheyenne McCray, this book just didn't do it for me. I think it has to do with expectations. I was expecting covert operatives dealing with weapon smugglers or drug lords and hot love scenes and instead of weapons or drugs I got a ranch and cattle. Not that this is bad the back cover blurb just didn’t prepare me for it and so ZACK and I started on the wrong foot and to be honest we never got quite on the right foot. Eventually the hot love scenes and the touching and fiery relationship between Zack and Sky made up for some of it and it was the relationship between Zack and Sky that kept me reading on. I liked the book but the mix of romance and suspense just wasn't good enough. It didn't blend together fluently and there was something off that's hard for me to pinpoint. The promise is there in the plot and the romance but McCray didn't deliver it well enough to blow me away like other books by her hand did.

At first there seemed to be two different suspense plots that were linked and the true plot didn't become clear until after halfway through the story but still the plot just couldn't keep me enthralled. A ranch, cattle, cowboys...In this setting it just doesn’t do anything for me. This book once again proved that for me. This setting only appeals to me when strong emotions or hot eroticism is there to balance the scale but unfortunately I missed both in this first installment of the Armed and Dangerous series. The romance on its own had potential but the mixture with the western themed plot didn't come together for me.

In conclusion, I loved the romance separately, loved the love scenes but the western theme and the plot just weren't my cup of tea and even though I was intrigued by Sky's foreman, Luke Rider, who is the hero of the next book, I am very hesitant to invest my time and attention in this series.

Quote:
Just the thought of what she wearing under that scrap of a dress was enough to make him want to throw back his head and let loose a primal chest-beating howl, throw her over his shoulder, and take her home and bury himself inside her.