Title: One Night Scandal
Series: The McNeill Magnates #9
Author: Joanne Rock
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 1, 2018
Release Date: September 1, 2018
Blurb
One night to remember with the perfect cowboy…
Or one step toward the perfect revenge?
Nothing in Hannah Ryder’s plot included a scorchin’-hot fling with a drop-dead sexy cowboy. Especially when her cowboy turns out to be Brock McNeill—a potential enemy with ties to the man Hannah wants to destroy. When an accident claims Brock’s memory, Hannah is caught in an intricate web of scandal. Falling dangerously for the one man she shouldn’t trust…
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Excerpt
The cowboy’s voice smoked through her, heating her insides and sending a shiver of awareness over Hannah’s skin. Did she want a ride? Her subconscious was going to have way too much fun tormenting her with that image in her dreams tonight. For now, she needed to stop fantasizing about sexy Brock, the rancher who turned her inside out with just a handful of words and a smoldering gaze. Her legs were still unsteady after whatever it was that had passed between them inside the barn. She’d had meaningful relationships in her past. Men she’d loved. And yet no one had ever given her the sizzling shock to the system that she felt from being around this stranger. Swallowing hard, she braced herself as she turned around to refuse his offer.
“That’s okay. I don’t mind walking.” Her voice was soft and breathless when she needed it to be firm and sure. “I, um, could use the fresh air.”
She could also use a new libido. One that wasn’t quite so susceptible to tall, muscular cowboys. It must be because of all the stress she was under with her sister. She’d latched onto a pleasurable distraction and now she couldn’t quite let go. Brock folded his arms across his impressive chest. God, his arms were amazing, too. She wanted to skim her hands up the triceps and over his shoulders. Instead, she jammed her restless fingers in the back pockets of her jeans along with her phone.
“You’d probably be fine,” he acknowledged. “You must have walked over here in the dark in the first place, although the moon was higher at that hour, making the path a lot easier to follow than it will be now.”
She had been thinking the same thing since she didn’t remember exactly where she’d broken through the brush to find the cabin. Nightfall in this part of Wyoming was
nothing like it was in Southern California. Here, there was no ambient light of any kind. Just deep blackness and stars.
nothing like it was in Southern California. Here, there was no ambient light of any kind. Just deep blackness and stars.
“I’ve got my phone,” she argued, although she was beginning to wonder what else might be out there in the wilderness surrounding the ranch lands. She’d heard wolves—or
some kind of wild dogs—baying in the distance on the walk over here. “The cabin I’m staying in is just through there.”
some kind of wild dogs—baying in the distance on the walk over here. “The cabin I’m staying in is just through there.”
She pointed vaguely, trying to see any kind of trail.
“I’m not sure calling someone will do you any good if you meet up with a bear. Or an elk. Or some other wild animal that wasn’t expecting company at this hour.”
She didn’t want to be foolish. So, in spite of the out-of-control attraction, she figured the best thing to do would be accept the ride and get home as fast as possible. And put
this encounter out of her mind.
this encounter out of her mind.
“Is your truck nearby?” she asked, peering around the barn. During the shoot, there’d been a couple of golf carts and two trucks parked there. A smile curved that hard mouth of his. Nodding, he relaxed his arms and walked past her, close enough for her to feel the warmth of his body, close enough for his sleeve to brush hers.
“My horse is right this way.”
“Horse?” Her belly flipped. Not because she minded riding a horse. Only because it implied a proximity that… A shiver stole over her skin. Her nerve endings danced in anticipation of touching him. Something her brain knew was a very, very bad idea.
“I—” Her voice wasn’t even there. She licked her lips. Tried again. “I’m not sure—”
“You’ll be fine,” he assured her, holding a hand out for her while he stood next to a dark horse with a glossy coat. “I’ll help you up.” He flipped the ring for her foot so it was easier for her to see. “Step into the stirrup and you’ll be home in no time.”
Her heart pounded a chaotic, fast beat. But stalling wasn’t going to get her home any faster. She understood that much. Willing herself to remain calm, she stabbed the toe of her tennis shoe through the foothold. Brock’s hands were quick and efficient as he boosted her up onto the saddle. He didn’t linger. But he might as well have been massaging her naked body for how her skin reacted under her clothes. Her thigh tingled. Her waist…She wanted his hands there again. Before she could gather herself or prepare for more, Brock swung up onto the animal behind her. His chest was against her back. Her hips tucked into the cradle of his lap, his strong thighs bracketing hers.
There was no space. No distance. And it felt so good she couldn’t have spoken if she’d tried. The only thing she didn’t like about it was that she shouldn’t like it so damn much…
Oh my lord. This book. This series. I’m so sad that has ended but what an ending. Ms. Rock never disappoints me but she blew me away with this one. Let me count the tropes. Amnesia, family secrets, billionaire, one-night stand, and revenge. And that’s just to name a few. But here’s the thing about those tropes, with Brock and Hannah they make perfect sense. The beginning of the book is fantastic. Their meeting, sexy time and then the whole amnesia thing with Brock is classic and priceless. Why? Because typically its the heroine with the memory loss, NOT the hero. And the whole time, Hannah knows the truth.
But I digress. What makes this story so special is the overall plot arc with Brock’s stepmother, Scarlett, and her boyfriend and finding out who is pregnant. Let me just say that the Desire editors are geniuses when it comes to this when they semi-rebranded the line. I loved that why the romance in each book stands on its own, the mystery element is not solved until the end. Plus, we get an extra romance in the book with Scarlett and her’s is a second chance romance at that. Woo Hoo! I completely fell in love with Brock a couple of books ago and his romance with Hannah is believable and swoon-worthy.
Hannah is one determined heroine. I won’t go into great detail about the revenge aspect but it ties directly into the whole mystery of Brock’s stepmother. I read this book about a month ago and I’m still in awe in how Ms. Rock pulled it all together and made it so very relevant to today’s climate and how people react to it. The scene with the Scarlett and her other grandfather made me cry but in a good way. I’m glad that Scarlet was the one that finally put two and two together and just went for it. But then again, she was my favorite secondary character in the whole series.
I can not recommend this series highly enough. With 9 books, I got my fix on brothers, half-brothers, exotic places, billionaires, family secrets, strong women and even more tropes that I can count on both of my hands. Plus, Ms. Rock just knows how to pull in a reader and doesn’t let go. And no, you don’t need to read all of the books in order but I would. I have my favorites within the series but this one…is just the cherry on top. Again, I’m sad that my time with the McNeills is done but I can’t wait to see what Ms. Rock has in store for me to read next.
Author Bio
Four-time RITA nominee Joanne Rock has never met a romance sub-genre she didn’t like. The author of over eighty books enjoys writing a wide range of stories, most recently focusing on sexy contemporaries and small town family sagas. An optimist by nature and perpetual seeker of silver linings, Joanne finds romance fits her life outlook perfectly–love is worth fighting for. A frequent speaker at regional and national writing conferences she enjoys giving back to the writing community that nurtured and inspired her early career. She has a Masters degree in Literature from the University of Louisville but credits her fiction writing skills to her intensive study with friend and fellow author Catherine Mann.
When she’s not writing, Joanne enjoys travel, especially to see her favorite sports teams play with her former sports editor husband and three athletic-minded sons.
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