Texas Grit and Buried Truth

Texas Cowboy Protector

Series: Thunder Ridge Justice, Book 2

Written by Connie Queen

Narrated by Teri Schnaubelt

Published by Love Inspired Suspense Harlequin Audio

Release Date: 05.26.26

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

4 Stars!

Texas Cowboy Protector feels like a story where the past has been buried in hard Texas ground, but not deep enough.

Sawyer Cantrell does not expect to stop a kidnapping. He certainly does not expect the child in danger to be the son of the woman he once loved. That opening gives the story instant momentum, and from there the danger keeps kicking up dust.

Mallory Foster comes back to Cedar Hollow as a Texas Ranger, determined to clear her late brother’s name. I loved that about her. She is not drifting back into town because the past is calling softly. She comes back with purpose. There is grief behind her mission, and there is grit in the way she refuses to let a murder accusation have the final word over her brother’s life.

Then Sawyer learns the boy he rescued is his son, and everything changes.

The suspense is strong, with gunmen, buried secrets, and an unknown enemy willing to kill again. The heart of the story is the danger chasing Sawyer and Mallory and the little boy caught in the middle of a past he did not create and a future his parents now have to fight for.

I loved the Texas atmosphere in this audiobook. It has that rugged, no-room-for-foolishness feel I enjoy in cowboy suspense. Sawyer is protective in a way that feels steady rather than showy. Mallory is capable and determined, and I appreciated that she never feels like someone waiting to be rescued. She is a Ranger. She has work to do. She has truth to uncover. Sawyer comes alongside her, and that made their second-chance thread stronger for me.

Teri Schnaubelt’s narration is a great fit for this story. Her performance keeps the suspense moving, but she also lets the emotional weight settle where it needs to. I could feel the danger on the trail and the strain of everything Sawyer and Mallory have not said to each other. She makes the audiobook easy to follow and easy to stay with, which matters when the story carries danger from the past and danger in the present.

I also loved the Christian content. That is one of the reasons I appreciate Love Inspired Suspense. The danger and suspense can be intense without dragging the story into darkness … faith is allowed to matter while the characters are still afraid.

I highly recommend Texas Cowboy Protector. The Texas setting, the second-chance ache, and the child-in-danger stakes all work beautifully together. This is cowboy suspense with heart, grit, and a past that will not stay buried.

I received a digital ARC of this audiobook book from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and reflect my honest evaluation of the writing, content, and narration.