Wyoming Cowboy Undercover by Juno Rushdan
Harlequin Intrigue, September 2023. Romantic suspense.
AFT agent Rocco Sharp has been training Mercy McCoy in hand-to-hand fighting for months, hoping to get more information about the Commune her father runs. Mercy has looked forward to the weekly training which helps her feel strong, fearless and free for the first time in her life. But any future training has been cancelled by Mercy’s father so Rocco rushes to convince Mercy that he’s a candidate for the Commune. He’ll go in undercover to find out why there are an increase in arms purchases in the area, but he doesn’t like lying to Mercy.

Mercy and Rocoo are both attracted to the other but they come from very different lifestyles and rules on behaviors. Rocco is forced to lie because of his job and it’s something that she just doesn’t understand. She proves herself very brave more than once and I ended up being impressed. I didn’t like the rules imposed by the Commune but that was probably the point Suspenseful and fast moving situations with a surprising twist near the end. ( )

‘I guess we saved each other.’

Not my favorite entry in the Cowboy Lawman series, but that’s on me and not the amazing author. Cultish books just aren’t my thing but it was a well written, action packed story even if I wanted to strangle a couple of people! ( )

Terrific addition to the Cowboy State Lawmen series. Rocco is an undercover part of the task force investigating weapons trafficking that may also be linked to the Shining Light cult. The cult leader, Marshall McCoy, is a charismatic man who has recruited many people lately, making the task force suspicious about his intentions. The story opens as Rocco witnesses his CI (confidential informant) run off the road on the way to meet him. The CI dies right after telling Rocco they had it "all wrong" and that something big and violent would happen in a few days. The CI's death leaves Rocco with only his backup plan to get the truth - getting closer to the leader's daughter, Mercy.

Mercy has been raised in the cult but lately has felt restless and dissatisfied. Her happiest times are spent at the gym, where she takes self-defense lessons from Rocco. But her father is about to end those lessons and prevent her from leaving the compound. Distraught at not seeing Rocco again, she allows him to talk her into taking him to the compound with her. He claims he needs her help to get away from bad influences.

This begins a roller coaster of action, suspense, and emotions. The twists and turns of this case kept me glued to the pages from start to finish. Rocco is determined to discover what the attack entails and who is behind it and is willing to risk himself. The intensity ramps up as the deadline grows nearer. The cult leader is a master manipulator and doesn't hesitate to use Mercy to further his aims. But just when it looks like Rocco has identified the who, if not the where and when, an unexpected twist throws everything into question. The new player is determined and without any redeeming qualities in his quest. I was glued to the pages as Rocco fought for his life and to prevent a horrifying attack. I loved watching the task force and law enforcement come together in a well-planned and executed defense. My only frustration was that the cult leader managed to weasel out of any consequences.

A secondary suspense plot involved Mercy, her father, and his supposed heir to the cult leadership. Mercy was allowed more freedom than others as her father tried to keep her from leaving altogether. He has plans to marry her to Alex, keeping the leadership within the family. He uses subtle and not-so-subtle manipulations to keep both under his thumb. But as Mercy grows closer to Rocco, her father uses those feelings against her. Complicating matters, Alex becomes more obsessed with her, and his jealousy comes out in dangerous ways. The final confrontation between Alex, Mercy, and Rocco was a nail-biter, and I ached for Mercy when it was over.

I enjoyed watching the development of the relationship between Rocco and Mercy. He fell for her more each day over the months he taught her self-defense. But he was also cultivating her as an asset; getting emotionally involved with an asset is never good. Meanwhile, Mercy also falls for him. Rocco listens to her when she talks about her life and doubts, giving her a safe place to vent. Besides his friendship, she becomes increasingly aware of him as a man but believes he would never be interested in someone like her. She feels hurt and betrayed when she discovers the truth about who he is, and it takes some effort for Rocco to regain her trust. I liked Rocco's support of Mercy as she deals with the truth about her father. Mercy sometimes frustrated me when she made questionable decisions in the belief she was protecting Rocco. I liked the ending and seeing Mercy embrace life outside Shining Light and her developing relationship with Rocco.

#ARC ( )

Wyoming Cowboy Undercover (Cowboy State Lawmen Book 5) starts with an intense and fast pace, where a gunshot pierces through the quiet night!
And it doesn’t stop just there! I was gripped by the tense and thrilling undercover investigation into a cult community, then, thrashed into a bigger chilling conspiracy!
The brilliant Juno Rushdan, once again, will take her readers onto a heart-pounding and action-packed adventure in her latest WYOMING COWBOY UNDERCOVER! ( )