I really liked the book and enjoyed it very much. Like Nora's last HC book "Tribute", I liked main characters and supporting characters very much. They were all really great and very likable. "Black Hills" reminded me of "The Reef" (Nora's previous work and I love this book!). I found many similarities between the two books. Like Tate, Lil is a strong, smart heroine with PhD and has loving parents. Like Matt, Coop is a very sexy, tough alpha hero. In both books, the hero dumps the heroine and leaves her with a broken heart for her own good when they are young though he loves her very much. And a decade later, he comes back to win her love back. So if you liked "The Reef", I think you'll enjoy this book.
BTW, don't be misled by the blurb. You won't need a box of tissues. Lil's beloved Cougar, Baby is fine. He doesn't get killed. It's a wild cougar that is killed. Still very sad though...