Review: Midnight Heat by Cat Johnson

24 February of 2016 by ButtonsMom2003

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

A young cowboy nearly sacrifices everything for his momma

Midnight Heat By Cat Johnson

Contemporary Western Romance

Released February 23, 2016

Zebra

Series: Midnight Cowboys, Book 3

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

He needs to escape…Justin Skaggs is on the road to anywhere–as long as it’s far from home–when fate throws a kindred spirit across his path.

She needs to get to Oklahoma…Phoenix Montagno can’t believe her luck when she runs into the hottie from the bar. He’s the key to her getting everything she’s always wanted, but she can’t tell him that. Luckily he’s not interested in learning her story any more than he is in sharing his.

Both have secrets they don’t want to share…It’s the perfect arrangement. No personal details. No talking at all. Just two strangers sharing the cab of a truck heading the direction they both need to go . . . until they decide to share a bed, too.

A young cowboy nearly sacrifices everything for his momma

Midnight Heat is the third book in the Midnight Cowboys series by Cat Johnson but it can be read as a stand alone. However, if you’re anything like me when it comes to book series you will want to read at least book #2 before this one. Book 2 gives you a lot of background on very strong, a little more than secondary, characters in Midnight Heat.Justin’s brother died two years ago and both he and his mother are having trouble moving on. His mother has been unable to function normally so Justin gave up his own place to stay with her. He is feeling the pressure of being the sole breadwinner and the need to give up any kind of social life. At less than 30 years old he feels more like 50.

Phoenix is a disorganized first-grade teacher. Due to a clerical error she sets out on a journey where she meets Justin. I really can’t say more than that because of spoilers.

This was a very entertaining and relatively quick read for me. (Amazon says it is 320 pages.) Justin and Phoenix have an adventure with bumps along the way to their HFN, pretty normal for a romance. What was different about this story for me was not just the concern that Justin has for his mother, but the fact that he was willing to sacrifice his happiness for her. While this seemed a bit strange to Phoenix it was only because he didn’t explain to her what was going on. So Justin is not some namby-pamby momma’s boy, he is a concerned son. If I were to criticize anything it would be the ending. While there is an HFN I wish there had been just a little bit more.

I hope Cat Johnson has a book planned for Colton, the third hired hand who works for Rohn on the Double L Ranch.