Midnight Heat by Cat Johnson Blog Tour

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.

Book 3
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Phoenix Montagno looked at the devastation around her.

The havoc she’d wreaked in the space that was her apartment hadn’t produced the results she’d wanted. All she’d made was a big mess.

Papers covered every square inch of the carpet immediately surrounding her, and in spite of the chaos she’d created, the one piece of paper she needed wasn’t among any of the others.

She sighed. How could she lose her birth certificate?

When she’d moved out of her parents’ house, she’d made sure to take everything important. That had included her high school and college diplomas and her birth certificate.

Her diplomas were there, along with her income tax paperwork going back three years—as if she’d ever need that. She’d never be audited. Not on her minuscule teacher’s salary. The IRS had far bigger fish to go after.

She’d found her social security card, but what she’d been looking for—the birth certificate—eluded her. She even remembered holding it in her hand and thinking how she’d better put it in a safe place, but she’d be damned if she could remember where that safe place was.

It should have been right there with everything else. Why wasn’t it?

Her parents were going to flip.

They’d offered to keep her important papers for her, locked up in their fireproof document safe. Instead Phoenix had insisted she would be responsible for holding on to her own things. She’d taken it, against their advice, and now she’d lost it.

Her father had always said she should be more organized. How everything important should be in labeled folders inside a locked, preferably fireproof filing cabinet.

That was his way, not hers. They were different people and they operated completely differently. Just as she hadn’t picked up even a little bit of her mother’s perfect housekeeping skills, her father’s organizational skills had also skipped her generation.

Phoenix huffed out a breath in frustration. How could she lose anything in this tiny apartment?

Her place wasn’t small in a bad way, just cozy and quaint. She loved the home she’d created and the space she’d chosen to create it in. From the big windows that offered a view of the park across the street to the location, close enough to town so she could walk to school and the coffee shop on nice days.

Most important of all, it was all hers.

Besides, it was what she could comfortably afford right now on her teacher’s salary—living in California wasn’t cheap—but the point was, her place was too damn small to lose something in it. It was also too small for the big, not to mention ugly, metal filing cabinet her father would have her get if she’d listened to him—or if she admitted to him that she’d lost her birth certificate.

Phoenix liked her own filing system. She kept her important papers in a big floral hatbox on the floor in the corner of the room. What didn’t fit in there went into a few more decorative rectangular boxes. They were sold by stores for photo storage, but she used them for paperwork and was very proud of her decorating savvy in repurposing the items for her own unique use.

The most pressing things that required attention, such as bills that needed to be paid, went into the wicker basket on top of the hatbox. She had a system and it worked fine for her—usually.

She had to find that certificate, and not just because it was an important piece of identification. She needed it or there’d be no passport. Without a passport, there’d be no trip to Aruba during midwinter break with her friend Kim.

That was enough inspiration to find the birth certificate, but on top of her trip and her need for official ID for any number of reasons in the future, if she had to admit to her parents that she’d lost it, she’d never hear the end of it.

Sometimes it was painfully obvious she’d been adopted, and she wasn’t talking about her blond hair and blue eyes being the opposite of her father’s dark brown hair and eyes and her mother’s chestnut hair and green eyes.

When it came to her temperament, her interests, her easygoing nature, she couldn’t be more different. She loved her parents to death, but she was nothing like them.

The differences just proved the nature versus nurture debate. She could grow up with parents who had every aspect of their lives planned, organized, and compartmentalized, but somewhere deep in her DNA she carried the genes that made her the opposite of the couple who had raised her.

Usually being a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants kind of girl worked for her. Not today.

This was too much to deal with alone. She needed backup.

Crawling toward her phone, on the floor just past the mess, Phoenix stretched and grabbed the cell before flopping back onto her butt amid the explosion of papers.

Phoenix dialed the number and waited for Kim to pick up.

“Hello?”

Bracing for her friend’s displeasure, Phoenix drew in a breath. “We have a problem.”

“What kind of a problem?” The wariness was clear in Kim’s tone.

There was no way around it. She had to ’fess up. “I can’t find my birth certificate.”

“Um, okay. And that’s a problem because...?”

“I need it to get a passport so I can go with you to Aruba. That’s why.”

“You don’t have a passport?” Her friend sounded shocked.

“No, I don’t have a passport. I’ve barely traveled outside of California, never mind leaving the country to go anywhere I needed a passport.” Phoenix sighed.

Kim was missing the point. Her lack of a passport wasn’t as big a problem as her current lack of the proper identification she needed to get a passport.

“Don’t worry about it. You have plenty of time to get a passport. We’re not going away for months.”

“But I read it can take months to get a passport. And that’s not the problem anyway. Didn’t you hear me? The problem is that to apply for a passport I need my birth certificate, which I can’t find. What do I do about my birth certificate?” Phoenix was ready to scream as her frustration mounted.

How could Kim, whom Phoenix knew was an intelligent woman, not understand the enormity of the situation?

“Oh, well, that’s easy. You just have to send away for a duplicate birth certificate.”

“Wait, I can do that?”

Her heart leaped. If what Kim said was true, it would solve everything.

“Yes. Of course you can, silly. Seriously, you think they expect people to be able to hang on to one little piece of paper from birth until death? That’s crazy. Did you think you were the only person in the country ever to lose their birth certificate?”

“No. I guess not.” That concept made Phoenix feel moderately better about the whole situation. Could it really be that easy? It was hard to believe. “You’re sure I can just get a new one?”

“Sure. My mother lost my brother’s. When he got old enough to drive and needed it to get his permit, she just had to apply for a duplicate in the county where he was born. It came in the mail like a week or two later.”

“Wow.” She could do this. Fix her mess without her parents ever knowing. “Wait. I’m not sure what county I was born in. I only know my parents adopted me in Arizona.”

“Just ask your parents.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not? Will they care we’re going to Aruba? Aren’t you going to tell them? How are you going to explain your tan?”

“I’m not trying to hide the trip. I’m trying to hide the fact that I lost my birth certificate. My father thinks I’m scatterbrained as it is, and I doubt my mother has ever lost a thing in her life. I’ll have to try to get out of them where I was born somehow...”

“Uh, Phoenix?”

“Yeah?”

“Think about it.”

“About what?” She was in no mood for Kim’s guessing games.

“Your name.”

Phoenix frowned, not understanding what Kim was hinting at and wishing she’d just come out and say it. “What about my name? A Phoenix is a mythical bird.”

“And it’s also the largest city in Arizona, the state where you were adopted. And it’s in...hang on a second...Maricopa County. At least it is according to the search I just did online.”

“You think that’s where I was born? Phoenix, Arizona?”

“I think the odds are pretty good. If you really don’t want to ask them, I’d try applying for the duplicate certificate in Maricopa County and see what happens. The worst they can do is say you weren’t born there.”

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
4.5* sizzling stars
Having read and enjoyed the first two books, I was interested to see where the story would go next – and this was a REALLY good direction to take! Do read the previous two before you come to this one, as it makes a big difference to know the background – or at least read book two, as that is important to the plot. I am going to assume that you have in this review.

Given how we left things in book two, I was so happy with how this story played out. It created a resolution for each of the lead characters on their own, as a couple, and for another couple entirely...and along the way we get a wonderful unfolding of lust, love, deep emotions following loss and discovery. It works so well as a plot, that I couldn't stop reading until I was sure that all was well. I should, of course, have trusted Ms. Johnson, but as I could see some obvious resolution, I wasn't sure if we could be given everything. And to add to the fun, we have a clear steer on the next story in the series, and I can't wait to see how that pans out! Colton is a man with a fire at his tail when it comes to even thinking about anything serious...

My favourite of the series so far.

Also Available in the Midnight Cowboys Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Midnight Ride Blog Tour.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Midnight Wrangler post.

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Cat Johnson writes contemporary romance in genres including military and western. Known for her unique marketing and research techniques, she has sponsored pro bull riders, owns a collection of camouflage and western footwear for book signings, and a fair number of her consultants wear combat or cowboy boots for a living. For more visit

Connect with Cat

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  tsū

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Midnight Heat Blog Tour HERE.

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Midnight Heat (Midnight Cowboys #3) by Cat Johnson to read and review for this tour.

Midnight Wrangler by Cat Johnson

One Lonely Widower...

Rohn Lerner is a successful Oklahoma rancher. He's old enough to know what he likes, and still young enough to enjoy it. But losing his wife five years ago wore him thin. He's not ready to date, but he needs someone to share a meal with as badly as someone to warm his bed.

One Woman with a Secret...

Bonnie Martin fled her Oklahoma home years ago, leaving behind her abusive father, and Rohn, the lost love she never forgot. Now she's back to settle her father's estate, but she has no idea that she's about to bump into Rohn or that they'll fall for each other all over again.

One Night That Changes Everything...

Book 2
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆
Having read the first in the series, I was interested to see how Rohn's story would develop.

Overall I enjoyed this book, although I did find it a slow read. It flits from past to present, not giving a good explanation of what happened to change things until very late on, making Bonnie a mixture of independent woman and weakling at the same time. Other than the fact that she is now a teacher, we get very little about her life in the last 25 years, which to me was a shame. Rohn is a much fuller person, and the more interesting of the two – his musings about why things happen, and his way with his three ranch hands are well worth reading. We didn't see anything much of Janie, except that she tried to set Rohn up, which seemed slightly out of character, and I would have liked an update from her, not just Tyler. As I say, it was an enjoyable read, maybe best suited to hot lazy days with no other calls on your time.

I look forward to reading the next in the series.

Also Available in the Midnight Cowboys Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Midnight Ride Blog Tour.

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Cat Johnson writes contemporary romance in genres including military and western. Known for her unique marketing and research techniques, she has sponsored pro bull riders, owns a collection of camouflage and western footwear for book signings, and a fair number of her consultants wear combat or cowboy boots for a living. For more visit

Connect with Cat

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  tsū

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Midnight Wrangler (Midnight Cowboys #2) by Cat Johnson to read and review.

Midnight Ride by Cat Johnson Blog Tour

One bucking bronco…

Oklahoma ranch hand Tyler Jenkins is too young, too sexy, and too damn wild to be tied down by any single woman—for more than a few steamy hours…

One hard-working widow…

Widowed rancher Janie Smithwick is too busy paying off her debts to play rodeo with a reckless young cowboy like Tyler—no matter how hot he gets her…

One midnight ride they’ll never forget…

As a rule, Janie should be dating a man her own age, like her handsome neighbor Rohn—not the twenty-four-year old ranch hand he employs. But once Tyler gets Janie alone—held tight in his arms, pressed against his hard muscled body, burning with desire—the widow realizes that some rules, like broncos, are meant to be broken…

Book 1
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

The sun was riding low over the horizon when Janie followed Tyler outside to his truck. “Thank you very much for all your help, but you really didn’t have to wash my dishes.”

“Sure I did.” Tyler grinned, the charm oozing from his every pore.

Janie couldn’t help but smile in response, even as she disagreed. “No, you didn’t.”

He leaned back against the open tailgate and crossed his arms. “I did if I want you to invite me again.”

“Oh, that was your plan, was it?” She laughed as she turned and leaned next to him, hands braced on the metal of his bed.

“Yup.” He shot her a sideways glance. “Did it work?”

“Yeah. I think it did.”

“Good.” He nodded. They both sat and stared toward the brilliant colors lighting the sky while the silence stretched between them, until Tyler broke it. “Do you ever hear from your dad?”

The question surprised her. “Not really. No.”

“Did he come to your husband’s funeral?”

“No. He called, but he was busy with work and couldn’t get away.”

The wound hadn’t quite healed over. She still felt the emotional scars when she talked about her mother’s death or her father’s emotional abandonment.

This conversation brought a little closer to the surface the dull ache she usually kept buried. She didn’t resent Tyler for asking, even if she was shocked he was interested. Most guys his age would be out with their friends, yet here he was, sitting on a tailgate at sunset talking to her about things much too serious for such a pretty evening. He was probably meeting his friends later and had to kill time until then. That scenario made sense.

She wondered where he went with his friends, and how the girls there reacted to the likes of Tyler and Colton walking into a bar. Given how good they both looked, they were probably swarmed the minute they got in the door.

“I’m sorry that all happened to you.” He covered her hand with his and squeezed before letting go.

The touch hadn’t lasted long, but long enough for her to know he meant what he said. That he was sincere in his empathy.

Janie should probably be getting used to Tyler doing the unexpected. She wasn’t. Surprised yet again by this guy, she said, “Thanks.”

The silence descended once more until he turned where he leaned and angled his body toward her. “So why are you only cooking for one?”

At the question, she turned her head to look at him. “Excuse me?”

“You said you don’t like cooking for only yourself. Aren’t you dating?”

That elicited a laugh she couldn’t control. “No.”

Dating. Who would she date? And where the hell would she meet him? Though thanks to Rene, she’d have to sit through church with a stranger her friend seemed intent on setting her up with. Maybe that was why she wasn’t dating. Interfering friends.

“Why not?” he asked.

Her mouth dropped open at his bold question. She expected this kind of prying from Rene, but not Tyler. Still, she felt compelled to answer. “It really hasn’t been that long since Tom . . .”

After a beat, Tyler asked, “How long has it been? I thought it was about a year.”

“Yeah, about.”

“So you’re not ready?” His eyes pinned her. He obviously wasn’t letting this go.

“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. There’s been so much else to think about.”

“Like the hay harvest.”

“Yeah, that, and the broken fence.” And the lessons. And the bills. And the animals. She sighed. “Just everything.”

“So if someone were to, say, take care of that harvest for you, and that fence was fixed so you had time to think about yourself, do you think you would be ready?”

“To date?”

“Yup.” His intense blue eyes never leaving her face, Tyler dipped his head in a nod.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I guess. Why are you so interested?”

“Because I’d like to ask you out, but only if you’re ready for that.”

Ask her out? She knew he could flirt with the best of them, and suspected he was a ladies’ man, but that Tyler might want to go out with her was so far off her radar, she nearly fell off the truck’s tailgate.

“So, what do you say?”

She didn’t know what to say. Even if she were ready to start dating, which she wasn’t, Janie had a feeling she’d never be prepared to be with a guy like Tyler. Too young. Too wild. Too tempting. “How old are you, Tyler?”

“I’ll be twenty-five next month.”

“So you’re twenty-four.” At least he was a couple of years older than she’d first assumed when she thought he was twenty. Still, he was too young. Or maybe she was just too old.

“Yeah. Technically, I’m twenty-four, for now. Why?” He shrugged. “Does it matter?”

She laughed. “Yes.”

“Why?” His brow creased beneath the brim of his hat. He really didn’t understand.

“Because I’m twelve years older than you.”

“I know, and next month you’ll only be eleven years older than me. You said you were thirty-six the night we met. So?”

She’d forgotten she’d mentioned her age that night. Maybe Rene was right. Maybe Tyler did have a Mrs. Robinson, older-woman sex fantasy. If so, she didn’t think she was the one to fulfill it. “What do you mean, so? That’s more than a decade.”

“And?”

“And that’s a big difference.”

He blew out an exaggerated breath from between his lips. “No, it isn’t. Janie, it doesn’t matter to me. Why does it matter to you?”

“I don’t know. It just does.” She didn’t want to tell him that being with him made her feel old. That her worst fear would be sitting in a restaurant with him and having the waitress assume she was his mother.

Tyler pushed off the tailgate and took a step so he was standing directly in front of her, so close that she was in the shadow of his hat.

“No. You’re not getting away with that answer. Tell me. What’s really wrong?” His voice had dropped low as he questioned her. It sounded husky, and even more sensual than usual.

With him standing so near, she could see the day’s worth of stubble darkening his cheeks and chin. She might want to think of him as a kid—it would make it a hell of a lot easier to not succumb to him—but Tyler was a grown man. And a hell of a man he was. She couldn’t deny that as she was eye level with the bulging muscles of his chest that stretched the cotton of his T-shirt.

Janie swallowed and tried to regain her focus. “You should be dating girls your own age.”

That was one truth about her avoidance she would tell him. Twentysomething guys should date twentysomething girls.

“I have. I’ve gone out with plenty of them, but not a one of them was anything like you.” His blue gaze pinned her even as she averted her eyes to avoid the intensity she saw in them.

Janie wasn’t used to being the object of a man’s attention anymore. At least, not like this. “So I’d be a novelty?”

“A novelty, no. But you are one of a kind, Janie Smithwick. Don’t you ever forget it.” He raised his hand to capture her chin between his thumb and forefinger before he lowered his head, close enough she could hear him breathing.

The brush of his lips against hers was so brief, so gentle, it was almost as if she’d imagined it. He pulled back, but his gaze grabbed and held hers.

“When you’re ready to take a chance on me, you let me know.” He released his hold on her and turned to walk toward the driver’s door.

She was still speechless, but managed to have the good sense to get off his tailgate before he drove away.

With one hand braced on the top of the door, he glanced back at her. “I’ll be back to hay that field as soon as I can.”

Janie nodded and he climbed inside, slamming the door after him. She realized she’d yet to speak.

What could she have said? Her lips were as numb as the rest of her from the shock of Tyler’s kiss. She watched him pull to the end of the driveway and stop before turning. He waved one arm out the window as he drove away, and only when he was out of sight did she remember to breathe again.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆
I am not sure how I feel about this book. It seemed a little rushed and at times I was bored and thought it was too wordy. The age difference in the book didn’t bother me too much but I sure did want to smack Janie a few times. Geesh! There wasn’t much drama or angst in this book which is nice for a change but I just really couldn’t get into this book and couldn’t connect with the characters even though I thought they were well written.

Characters: The characters were well written
Sex: Yes
Religious: No
Would I recommend to others: Yes
More than one book in the series: Yes
Genre: Cowboy/Romance
Would I read more by this author: Yes

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Cat Johnson writes contemporary romance in genres including military and western. Known for her unique marketing and research techniques, she has sponsored pro bull riders, owns a collection of camouflage and western footwear for book signings, and a fair number of her consultants wear combat or cowboy boots for a living. For more visit

Connect with Cat

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  tsū

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Midnight Ride Blog Tour HERE.

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Midnight Ride (Midnight Cowboys #1) by Cat Johnson to read and review for this tour.