Review - The Devil You Know

Title: The Devil You Know
Author: Jo Goodman
Publishing Date: 2016
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: I purchased this as an ebook.

The Devil You Know is the second book in Jo Goodman's McKenna Brothers series.  Goodman is an auto buy for me and I will read pretty much anything she writes.  She has been sticking to westerns for the last few years now, but I really love her regency set books too.  I feel like not to many westerns are published these days.

This story features the older brother Israel McKenna, who is a bit of a trouble maker.  The story begins with Israel unconscious, badly beaten and left for dead.  He is found by a young girl, Annalea Pancake.  She goes back to her ranch to get help and they bring Israel back where they nurse him to good health.  Israel doesn't remember much about the attack.  He knows that he isn't exactly an upstanding citizen and he seems to be running from his past.  He decides to stay on at the Pancake ranch and make a change for the better.  He finds himself falling for Willa Pancake, Annalea's older sister and manager of the ranch. 

The Devil You Know is another solid story by Jo Goodman.  I found Israel to be more of a Beta hero.  He tends to stand back and let Willa run the show.  He only takes a stand when it really matters to him.  He is protective of Willa, and he knows he might be a danger to her.  For that reason, he tries to distance himself from her, but he can't make himself stay back for too long.  The book keeps you turning the pages to find out more about Israel's past as he slowly begins to remember.  Willa has a secret too, that I did not see coming.  I must be losing my touch!  And to top it off there are a couple of secondary characters such as Annalea and Happy that suck you into the story, as well.  This is another good addition by Jo Goodman.

Review - Early Dawn

Title: Early Dawn
Author: Catherine Anderson
Publishing Date: January 2010
Genre: Western
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: I borrowed a copy from my friend.

Early Dawn is book 10 in Catherine Anderson's Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan series. This is my first in the series. I have only read Annie's Song by Anderson and I loved it. My friend had this book in her TBR pile and loaned it to me. It caught my eye because of the back cover. On it said that Eden Paxton was kidnapped and Matthew Coulter whose own wife was murdered at the hands of this terrible gang and he couldn't resist saving Eden. I was immediately hooked. I can't resist a kidnapping/rescue story.

I have to say that I thought that Early Dawn was a very solid story. Eden and Matthew are fully developed characters whose connection and love story develops very believably throughout the book. The things that Eden goes through are not for the faint of heart. Matthew's past is just as challenging. Both characters have a lot to overcome if they are going to get over their past and begin to love again.

There are times when I thought that the story dragged a bit. In the beginning it takes a while before Matthew and Eden meet. Eventually, though the fact that so much time is spent on Eden and Matthew developing their relationship and the fact that it moves slowly is a benefit to the story. It helps the believability factor considering all that they have been through.

There is a bit of sequel references. I don't feel that it detracted from Eden and Matthew's story. If anything it made me want to go back read about the other characters. I enjoyed this Western and feel that fans of Westerns will want to give this one a try.

Review - Prairie Moon

Title: Prairie Moon
Author: Maggie Osborne
Publishing Date: 2007
Genre: Western
Rating: C+
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: I downloaded an audio book from my library.

Della Ward has lived an isolated existence since her husband was killed in the Civil War. Living in a remote western farm she spends her days regretting the last letter she wrote to her husband. James Cameron is haunted by his past as well. He has spent the last ten years struggling with the decision to go to Della Ward and give her a letter and photo that her husband had on his position when he died. James struggles with the death of Della's husband, but he will have to tell her the truth if he is ever going to move on with his life. He owes Della that much, at least.

Prairie Moon is a very tender and sad love story. Della and James both have an incredible amount of baggage. I like that Ms. Osborne doesn't reveal everything at once to the reader but rather dished it out a little at a time to keep the reader interested in what is going on. Once the reader does discover what both of these characters have gone through, especially Della, their heart will break for them.

There were a few things about the book that kept me from giving it a higher grade. James keeps a very big secret from Della for most of the book and the reader knows that eventually Della is going to find out James motivation for coming to her. James allows Della to make untrue assumptions about how her husband died and he doesn't correct her. When the truth does finally come to light Della reacts just the way James had feared. That bothered me about her. After everything she had learned about James and all the time she spent with him she should have handled it better. Eventually these two do get their happy ending, but boy did they have a long journey of heartbreak to get there.

Review - Marry Me

Title: Marry Me
Author: Jo Goodman
Publishing Date: December 2010
Genre: Western
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: I downloaded an ebook from Barnes and Noble for my Nook. The day I went to purchase the book, Barnes and Noble had it available for free. Lucky me!

Marry Me is the second book in Jo Goodman's Reidsville series. Cole Monroe finds himself accepting a position as town doctor for Reidsville, Colorado after his younger, mischievous sister sends the town his impressive resume. One of his first goals as the new doctor is to see all the patients in the town and that includes the recluses who live in the nearby mountains. Cole is escorted by the local deputy, Will “that no account Betty boy” to the Abbott's cabin in the woods. When he gets there he finds Runt Abbott in a very bad way. He stays to take care of her and then eventually offers her a position as housekeeper in his home.

Marry Me starts off at a very brisk pace with Dr. Monroe saving Runt or Rhyne Abbott’s life. I felt like the author started at the ending of the story and then slowly back tracked to allow the readers to figure out why Rhyne was in the situation she was in at the beginning of the story. This type of writing has the ability to just suck me right into the story and is one of the reason's I just love Jo Goodman. Not to mention that her characters are always fully fleshed out. In the case of Marry Me the situation was very unique and unusual.

Most of the book revolves around Rhyne and Cole, although Rhyne and her back story is the main focus. There are some secondary characters. I think Whitney, Cole's sister stands out the most to me. At sixteen she is a breath of fresh air. Most people think she has a strange way about her. I found her to be refreshing and her vibrancy was not annoying at all. She balanced Cole's staid personality very well. I wonder if she will get her own story down the road.

One little quirk in the book that sort of irritated me was that Will's character was always referred to as "that no account Betty boy". After a while that got old. Essentially, throughout the whole book he was ALWAYS referred to that way. But really, that aside, a Jo Goodman book is always a treat and Marry Me is no exception.

Review - The Bounty Hunter

Title: The Bounty Hunter
Author: Cheryl St. John
Publishing Date: 2005
Genre: Western
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: I received a used copy from Paperbackswap.com

Nick Harding after years of being a bounty hunter, finally decides that he would like to settle down somewhere and possibly start a family and become part of a community. He accepts a position for Sheriff in the mining town of Thunder Canyon where he meets Miss Lily Divine the owner of The Shady Lady. Lily insists that she is running a legal saloon and nothing else but the Sherriff is slow to believe her as he fights his growing attraction.

The Bounty Hunter is a touching story that explores the possibilities of love once trust is given. While Nick is very attracted to Lily it takes him a long time to trust her. This is one of the things that frustrated me with this book. He was willing to have a physical relationship with Lily and yet keep himself emotionally distant from her at the same time. It also bothered me that he couldn't see Lily for who she was right away. It took him too damn long, in my opinion.

I think that Lily was the stronger character. I really enjoyed her personality. She was very independent for a woman of that time period and she had a lot of confidence in herself and the choices she had to make due to life's difficult circumstances. The Bounty Hunter had good characterization and the town seemed like a character all on its own. Ms. St. John does a very good job of immersing the reader in Western town life. Overall, I enjoyed the story. However, Nick just needed to get a clue.

Review - His Secondhand Wife

Title: His Secondhand Wife
Author: Cheryl St. John
Publishing Date: 2005
Genre: Western
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: I won this book from a contest at Leslie's Psyche.

Katherine's husband left her to go find work. Weeks turn into months and he doesn't come back home. Noah his brother comes one day to announce that her husband has been killed and that he will take her to his ranch. Soon Noah realizes that Kate is pregnant and offers to take care of her and the baby. Kate having no other options accepts this very generous offer from the silent scarred man.

His Secondhand Wife is a very sweet romance that brings two people who have always felt like outcasts together and gives them a sense of belonging. Noah is physically and emotional scarred from an accident that happened when he was a boy. It left him disfigured and so he withdrew from people. He never goes into town and he completely avoids any kind of social activity with the townsfolk.

Katherine too was an outcast in her town. Katherine's father left her Mother when she was a young girl. She and her mother were very poor and did laundry for the wealthier town people. Katherine, unlike Noah very much wants to be a part of society. She has a very optimistic outlook on life even though she has been dealt a less than pleasant life. Slowly Katherine and Noah come to know and appreciate one another. They each become the family that the other never had.

Noah and Katherine complement each other very well. Katherine is very talkative and sees the beauty in the most simple of things. Noah hardly talks at all, but is content to just sit there and listen to Katherine's chatter. He sees the world through her eyes in a new, fresh way. As if he is seeing it for the first time again. Cheryl St. John has done a wonderful job of telling a simple yet beautiful story.


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Review - Only in My Arms

Title: Only in My Arms
Author: Jo Goodman
Publishing Date: 1996
Genre: Western
Rating: A
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: I purchased this book used.

Only in My Arms is the fifth book in the Dennehy Sisters series. Mary Dennehy is at a point in her life when she realizes that being a nun is not the right path for her. She struggles with the decision but she decides to leave the convent and live a normal life. She wants to teach out west. Her sister is already there and so she journeys to Arizona. The West is not safe because Apache Indians are constantly raiding the area. One such raid has led to a man who was sentenced to hang. In his desperation he kidnaps Mary when he escapes.

I happen to really like Jo Goodman. Not only does she weave a good tale but, her characters are vivid and her writing lilting and lovely. I think Only in My Arms might be my favorite by her thus far. The two main characters Mary and Ryder are just wonderful, wonderful people. Both are so incredibly strong-willed with truly good hearts. It would be impossible not to fall in love with them. Both are so stubborn they butt heads a lot over the course of the book. Yet, it is really fascinating to read and see what the outcome of these disagreements is and who the victor will be. You might even be surprised.

This book is chock full of wonderful passages. If you follow my blog you may have already gotten a glimpse at one of them, through my "Guess the Book" post. I had a half of dozen great scenes to choose from and it was not easy to decide among them. I have not read all the books in this series and I do not feel that it is necessary to have read them to enjoy this book. But I do wager that after reading this book, you will want to go out and read the others.

This book can be purchased in print from Amazon.

Review - Joe's Wife

Title: Joe's Wife
Author: Cheryl St. John
Publishing Date: 1999
Genre: Western
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: Received a used copy from Paperbackswap.

Meg Telford's husband died while fighting in the Civil War. She refuses to give up their farm. Knowing that she has no hope of keeping it unless she marries, she proposes to Ty Hatcher. Ty recently returned to Aspen Grove after fighting in the War. He was always ostracized by the townsfolk because he never knew his father. One of the only citizens who were ever nice to him was Meg. She always had a smile for him even though others shunned him and now she is asking him to marry her. It was a dream come true, until he realized he would be filling a dead man's shoes.

Joe's Wife was an absolute treat to read. It is one of those stories where the reader easily gets lost in the characters. Meg is grieving the loss of her husband and doesn't want to give up his dream - which was to make a success of their farm. Joe wants to prove to the townsfolk that he is worthy of their respect even though he is technically a bastard. Meg and Joe start off their marriage as one of convenience but eventually come to love one another. It is a beautiful journey between two people learning to come to terms with who they are and their new life together.

Leslie has written a really wonderful review, which influenced me to read this book. I just would like to point out one thing in addition to what Leslie said. I really appreciate that the love scenes are integral to the development of Meg and Joe's relationship. They are sensual, yet they are pivotal in moving the relationship forward. I love how Meg and Ty work through their problems. Even though the sex is great, they eventually have to talk about it! If you are in the mood for a wonderful Western or Marriage of Convenience, don't miss this one!

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Review - The Wildest Heart

Title: The Wildest Heart
Author: Rosemary Rogers
Publication Date: First in 1974, then rereleased by Sourcebooks in November 2009
Genre: Western
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: Received an advanced review copy from the publisher.

The Wildest Heart is a sweeping, epic historical written by the famous romance author Rosemary Rogers. She is probably best known for Sweet Savage Love, one of the first romance books that gets talked about time and again.

The Wildest Heart is narrated by Lady Rowena Dangerfield. She grew up in India with her grandfather the Earl of Melchester, an unconventional man who believed Rowena should be given the same education as a man. To say Rowena is an unusual young woman is an understatement. The Earl dies and she is sent to London to live with her Mother and Stepfather. Her Mother resents her presence and her Stepfather lusts after her. It is quite an awful situation for Rowena. Eventually, good news comes and she learns her father has sent for her to come to America. He is co-owner of a ranch in New Mexico. So, Rowena sets off to the New World.

Things aren't what Rowena quite expected when she arrives. She learns her father has died, but he left her his journals where he chronicled his life. It seems there is a feud between the co-owner of the SD ranch, Todd Shannon and the Mexican family who claimed the land before, the Kordes. Rowena finds herself swept into the drama and intrigue.

I found myself swept into the drama and intrigue too! Rosemary Rogers excels at creating a stunning masterpiece with very intricate details that all tie into and explosive conclusion. This story was all over the map! On the one hand, it is incredibly well written. The plot is very detailed and thoroughly well thought out. On the other hand some of the subject matter is hard to swallow.

Since the story is narrated in first person, everything is discovered through Rowena's eyes. Rowena is a strong, prideful woman who is often described as cold or unfeeling as marble. She has built up this persona to shield the more vulnerable part of herself from the world. The reader understands this based on how Rowena grew up and the events that shaped her. I can't say I ever really warmed up to Rowena, but I understood her motivations very well. I also I can't say I agree with how she handled everything, but again I understand why. Rowena's personality so strongly leaps off the pages the reader will have no trouble understanding her.

What I think a lot of readers will struggle with in this story is the actual romance. Rowena eventually falls for Lucas Cord who is half Apache warrior. He is an outlaw and has an incestuous relationship with his mother. Yep, you read that right. Now, how in the world is this hero material? This was the main factor on what I struggled with and even though I did get past it (which is a testament to Roger's writing) I know it will be very bothersome to many readers. Also, it's not until the last half of the book that Rowena and Lucas begin their relationship and it is fraught with many obstacles. Of a 748 page book, I like my hero and heroine to spend more time together.

While I did enjoy this book, it is not one I would recommend to many romance readers. I think fans of historical fiction might be more intrigued by this story and then only those who enjoy more an anti-hero as opposed to a hero.

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Review - Wild Sweet Ecstasy

Title: Wild Sweet Ecstasy
Author: Jo Goodman
Publishing Date: 1992
Genre: Western
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: Received from Paperbackswap. I am on a Jo Goodman kick and wanted to read something old skool.

Mary Michael Dennehy who goes by the name of Michael, is a woman in a man's world. She dreams of being a reporter for a big newspaper. She is one of the few women with a college education, but most men still view her as inferior and she is bound and determined to change their opinions. Ethan Stone is working undercover infiltrating a gang of thieves who have managed to rob a series of trains. On one train heist he recognizes Michael as the stubborn woman in the newsroom. He can't have her blowing his cover, in order to save her life and his own he has to take her hostage and claims she is his estranged wife. Michael doesn't recognize him and is determined to escape.

Personalities clash in Wild Sweet Ecstasy. Michael is one stubborn cookie and lives by a set of very high moral standards. One might think it would be easy to dislike her, but the good thing about Michael is she can easily admit when she is wrong. Ethan Stone hovers over the line drawn between hero and anti-hero. He has to believably portray that he is a criminal for the other thieves to trust him. He is willing to do what it takes and if that means shooting a man, or kidnapping a woman he will and does.

On the one hand Wild Sweet Ecstasy is classic bodice ripper. Ethan is at times very cruel and mean to Michael. Michael, while captive starts to feel attracted to Ethan despite his behavior and after a certain revelation she begins to believe he didn't really kill anyone, that maybe he is a good man after all. There is a very interesting scene between the two of them when Ethan is trying to dismiss her notion that he is a good man and for her to accept that she is attracted to him. He emphasizes that not only is she attracted to him, but that she is attracted to him as a bad man. And if she is going to come to him, she will only come to him after she has accepted him as he is now, and not as the man she thinks he could be. I found this all very interesting, that Ethan does not allow her to hide behind an illusion of her own making, even though it eventually turns out to be true.

This is the kind of character development and thought provoking writing that Jo Goodman is known for. I feel that Wild Sweet Ecstasy is a mixed bag. On the one hand the writing is excellent, as is the dialogue and character development. On the other hand the storyline felt cliched and dated. I expected this when reading this story, so I may have been more lenient than another reader. Also, I should mention that Wild Sweet Ecstasy is the first book in the Dennehy Sisters series. Unfortunately, this book is out of print.

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Review - Never Love a Lawman

Title: Never Love a Lawman
Author: Jo Goodman
Publishing Date: September 2009
Genre: Western
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm

Rachel Bailey escapes to the small mining town of Reidsville, Colorado to carve out a new life for herself. She mainly keeps to herself designing and sewing clothes for the town inhabitants. Through the plans of a generous, yet manipulative man she becomes the proud owner of a stretch of railroad and a silver mine. The catch is that she must marry the town Sheriff in order to inherit the property. Rachael is between a rock and a hard place because the town is dependent upon the mine and the railroad, yet even though she is attracted to Wyatt she does not want to give up her independence.

Rachel Baily has some skeletons in her closet. When readers are first introduced to her they are not sure of her backstory. Wyatt the sheriff assumes she was the mistress of a wealthy, older man and Rachel does nothing to disabuse him of this notion. Of course, the reader will quickly pick up that Wyatt is wrong in his assumptions. The way Goodman slowly reveals information about Wyatt and Rachel is very nicely done and keeps the reader guessing about these two characters. Goodman's strength is in her well developed characters, even the secondary ones, and excellent dialogue.

Both Wyatt and Rachel are appealing characters. Rachel is slightly prickly, but not overtly so and she is well balanced. I found Wyatt more appealing with his honesty and keen insight into human behavior. Wyatt and Rachel have very good chemistry together and they work through their differences well.

Never Love a Lawman, while a good book was not my favorite by Goodman. I think this may have been due to the lackluster plot. I didn't really understand why Rachel had to marry Wyatt. The reasoning behind is seemed pretty flimsy to me. I just didn't feel like the story gripped me like other books by Goodman have in the past. That's not to say this was a bad book, just not her best (in my humble opinion)!

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Review - A Lady of the West

Title: A Lady of the West
Author: Linda Howard
Publishing Date: 1990
Genre: Western
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Hot

As many of you probably already know, I am a HUGE Linda Howard fan. I have read just about everything she has written, except for a couple of her first books. A Lady of the West is one of those books and because of some rumors I had heard about the book, I wasn't planning on reading it. Among those rumors was that the hero hits the heroine. The discussion got going about it on Twitter a couple of weeks ago, I felt compelled to read it.

A Lady of the West takes place in New Mexico Territory in 1866. Victoria Waverly, a young gently bred lady sacrifices herself to wed General McLain because her family desperately needs money. Twenty years prior General McLain viciously took over the Sarratt Ranch and leaving two young boys for dead. Jake Roper is all grown up now and looking to take back the ranch that should have been his and to avenge his parents' deaths. Surprisingly, he finds himself smitten with Victoria's quiet, graceful nature. For the first time in his life, revenge is not the only thing he has to live for.

Jake Roper is a hard man. He witnesses the rape and then subsequent murder of his mother at the tender age of thirteen. He and his younger brother Ben are both shot, fleeing their ranch. For twenty years he has been on his own with nothing but revenge for company. He doesn't know how to live any other way and in this harsh environment he has to be tough to survive. When he meets Victoria he is surprised by how much he wants her and from the first moment he sees her he is compelled by her strength and grace.

Victoria was a surprise. I was expecting a more meek heroine and Victoria has a surprisingly strong backbone made of steel. She is willing to make sacrifices for her family, but she still has her pride and this gets her in trouble with Jake a number of times. Jake and Victoria are very passionate characters and walk a fine line between love and hate. At times the book was difficult to read because of the strong emotions from the characters. After a particularly emotional argument, Jake goes too far and slaps Victoria in the face, hard enough to knock her down and leave a bruise. Sure he is remorseful, but who is to say it won't ever happen again when he gets mad. That scene left a very sour taste in my mouth. It is such a shame too, because A Lady of the West is a good story and the characters are richly drawn.

There were many secondary characters that made an impact on the story. The relationship between Victoria and her cousin Emma and her sister Celia were very well done. The reader was able to get better insight into Victoria's character through her interaction with Emma and Celia. Both Emma and Celia each had their own mini-romance in the later half of the book.

Linda Howard is a fantastic storyteller. I do recommend the book, but with reservations. Readers who enjoy books from Judith McNaught or Linda Howard may enjoy A Lady of the West. If you are a fan of more "old school" romances or angst, this one might be for you. If not, then stay far, far away!

This book can be purchased in print format from Amazon.

Review - Mail Order Bride

Title: Mail Order Bride
Author: Maureen McKade
Publishing Date: 2000
Genre: Western
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm

Kate Murphy, after her father passes away, leaves her home town to become a mail-order bride. When she arrives in Orion, Colorado she soon discovers that her intended is dead from a mining accident. Without any money she takes a job as a nanny to Trev Trevelyan’s two children. Trev is the local mine’s superintendent who was recently widowed. Trev has vowed never to marry again but soon Trev and Kate are fighting a passion that neither was expecting to occur between them. Kate herself has dreams of studying astrology and is not looking for marriage either, but when she comes to care for the Trevelyan’s she begins to doubt her dreams.

There is also major conflict with the mines in the town. Benny, another miner, is stirring up trouble trying to get the other miners to strike. Trev has seen this kind of thing happen before and knows that a strike will only succeed in getting people hurt. Trev knows that there is something more going on than what Benny is doing on the surface. The outside conflict with the miners seemed pretty desperate at times. I think the story could have benefitted from a few funny or light-hearted moments.

Kate knows absolutely nothing about children. She was an only child herself and at first is absolutely terrified of Trev’s six month old. She immediately bonds with Annie, his mute four year old daughter. Eventually, Kate and Trev get into a routine and depict such a picture perfect family. Kate shows Trev that marriage to the right woman can bring joy to a marriage instead of the misery he found with his first wife. Kate also sees how lonely she has been without the Trevelyan’s in her life. Kate and Trev have a lot of baggage, but each still remain good, compassionate people. I enjoyed how their relationship slowly unfolded over the course of the book. Overall, I thought this was a very sweet story.

Review - Courting Miss Hattie

Title: Courting Miss Hattie
Author: Pamela Morsi
Publishing Date: 1991
Genre: Western
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot

At a young age Miss Hattie Colfax had to run her family farm by herself with the help of her plowboy Reed Tyler. She was determined to be successful and sure enough she has one of the most prosperous farms in town. Although, since she had a farm to worry about, her youth passed her by. Now, at twenty-nine for the first time a man wants to court her. Hattie believed that her dreams of having a family of her own where just that, dreams. But when Ancil Drayton’s wife dies and he desperately needs someone to help care for them, he turns to Hattie. Reed Tyler who has known Hattie since he was a child and starts to look at Hattie in a new light now that Ancil is showing some interest.

Courting Miss Hattie was a wonderful, peach of a story. This story is more character driven, than action driven. The characters are rich and vivid as is the backdrop of Arkansas. Hattie knows she is not the prettiest woman around, but she is smart and hard working. She takes a lot of pride in her farm. Hattie who hasn’t ever had someone show a romantic interest in her doesn’t exactly know how to handle this new attention Ancil is giving her. He opens up a whole new perspective for her and she realizes that her feelings for Reed are more than just friendship. Even though Reed is engaged to pretty Bessie Jane, he can’t seem to stop thinking about Hattie either.

As the story unfolds slowly Hattie and Reed unearth their feelings for each other. The scenes are so sweet and tender. Not to worry, it never feels syrupy. My favorite part of the book is when Reed sees Hattie crying on her front porch. He wants to know what has her so upset and she tells him she doesn’t know how to kiss. He then proceeds to give her a lesson in kissing. It is a most memorable scene because of their innocence and it is both funny and touching. Both are surprised at the depths of their feelings this kissing lesson evokes and it becomes a turning point in their relationship. If you like westerns or frontier romances, it doesn't get better than this folks.

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Review - Annie’s Song

Title: Annie’s Song
Author: Catherine Anderson
Publishing Date: 1996
Genre: Western
Rating: A
Sensuality: Hot

Oh my goodness! This book was absolutely fantastic. I was completely touched and enthralled with Annie’s Song. I could not turn the pages fast enough with this amazing story.

Annie Tremble is thought of as the “local idiot”. When she was six years old she suffered a fever and was never the same after it. What people mistake for madness is actually a loss of hearing. Annie is out in the woods when a group of young men come across her. The leader of the group Douglas Montgomery is drunk at the time. He is a mean son of a bitch and he rapes her. One of men in the group rats out Douglas to his brother Alex. Alex is completely shocked and appalled at his brother’s despicable behavior and kicks his brother out of the house. Alex then proceeds to go to Annie’s father and make amends. It comes to light a few months later that Annie is pregnant. Alex decides that the right thing to do is for him to marry Annie and claim the child as his own.

This story is full of emotion. Annie is completely misunderstood by everyone. She is the epitome of loneliness, unable to communicate with others and shunned by society at large. The only interaction she has had with people in her life is her immediate family. Even her own mother, at times, comes across as cruel and ignorant of Annie’s needs. It’s not until halfway into the story that the reader is given a reason for this. All the characters are multifaceted. It would have been very easy to hate Annie’s mom, but she is a complicated woman who made mistakes. She is after all only human and did what she thought was best at the time. I felt compelled to forgive her right along with Alex.

Annie is very innocent and child-like. Anderson does a very good job of showing Annie’s evolution from a scared young girl to a mature woman who knows what she wants out of life. Annie’s changes stem from her involvement with Alex Montgomery. Alex is an absolutely amazing man. Oh, wow. I just loved him. At first he stumbles with Annie. He is not really sure how to deal with her or how to handle the situation he finds himself in. Slowly though, he begins to see that Annie is smart and understands cognitive reasoning. When he discovers that Annie is deaf, I was moved to tears. That was just an absolutely amazing scene in the book; one of many. Then what he does for her, well, I can’t tell you. You will have to read it for yourself. But trust me, he just blew me away.

This book was just freaking fabulous. The depth of emotion Anderson was able to convey was bone deep. I can’t say enough about this book. I don’t know why I haven’t ever read anything by Catherine Anderson before. I will definitely be remedying that situation.

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Review - Years

Title: Years
Author: LaVyrle Spencer
Publishing Date: 1986
Genre: Western
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Warm

It’s the year 1917 and World War I looms on the horizon. Linnea Brandonberg has just graduated and received her teaching certification. Against her fathers advice she takes a position in the little town of Alamo, North Dakota. Linnea is excited and scared. She has never been away from her family before and never left her home town, yet she is very excited to start her first teaching job and she is excited to see a new town. What Linnea imagines will happen, and the reality of what does actually takes place are quite different. The town is nothing but wheat farms as far as the eye can see. The town is really not a town at all, but a few small stores. The worst surprise in store for Linnea is Theodore Westgaard or Teddy as his friends and family call him. Teddy is an irascible, gruff man who is taken off guard by Linnea. He was expecting a male teacher, not a young woman, who is practically a child in his eyes. Teddy and Linnea, from the first moment they meet, butt heads with each other. Years is the story of these two unseemly, mismatched people coming together and learning to love.

Right from the beginning when Linnea and Teddy first meet, I have to say I was worried about how this story was going to play out. Teddy truly was rude and seemed like a miserable old man. Of course, first impressions can be deceiving and that is exactly what happens between Linnea and Teddy. The beauty of this story lies in the changes that occur in Linnea and Teddy. These two characters go through so much growth throughout this book. Linnea in the beginning seems very childish. She is constantly day dreaming and is very naïve about the world in general. Teddy, at first comes across as a hard unbending farmer, but slowly the reader sees that this is all just a front because he was hurt by his first wife when she left him. Underneath his stern demeanor is a gentle and loving man.

The actually story line takes place over a year or so. It is so nice to see the characters really develop their relationship over time and not just become instantly attracted to each other. Teddy and Linnea’s love for one another evolves slowly and it is very believable. They have a lot to overcome with their differences in age. Linnea is eighteen and Teddy is thirty-four and has been previously married. He has a sixteen year old son, Kristian. I thought the way Spencer handled these issues was really great. Usually, a large age difference between the characters really bothers me because there is too much of a power struggle. That was not the case with this story. Teddy really wrestles with his feelings for Linnea and he fears that he is too old for her.

Years is a deeply moving story. For those readers who believe that romances from the 80s were all about forced seduction and rape, Years breaks away from that mold. Years is a book that doesn’t need those devices to make a beautifully touching love story. The deeper message the reader takes away at the end of this story, is that a person doesn’t choose who they fall in love with and that love is a gift that should be cherished, not thrown away. Linnea convinces Teddy to take a chance on love and that it is worth fighting for. Teddy eventually does and Teddy and Linnea finally get their “Happily Ever After”.

Review – Sam’s Creed

Title: Sam’s Creed
Author: Sarah McCarty
Publishing Date: July 2008
Genre: Western (Erotic)
Rating: B
Sensuality: Burning

Sam’s Creed is the second book in Sarah McCarty’s Hells Eight series. Sam Macgregor, one of the rangers of Hell’s Eight (I am not sure, but I believe is the name of their ranch) is looking for Desi’s sister. Desi is from the first book and her sister was sold into prostitution. Sam is out scouring the west looking for a blonde prostitute. He hasn’t had much success. On his journey he encounters a band of wagons that were attacked and the people killed. Only not everyone was killed. Isabella Montoya was underneath one of the wagons. She is running away from a very bad, but influential man named Tejala. He offered to make her his wife and she refused. After being humiliated, he has all men in the countryside looking for her and once they find her he plans on raping and humiliating her.

What I really liked about Sam, was how protective he was. He’d soon cut off his own arm before ever laying a hand on Bella, or anybody unable to defend themselves against him. I also appreciated how he enjoyed Bella for who she was and liked her charisma and sass, of which Bella had plenty. She was a very spunky heroine, but without being overly so. What I didn’t enjoy was Sam constantly thinking he wasn’t good enough for her. I thought that was a load of crap. At the end of the story, I still wasn’t completely convinced of the happy ending. Sam didn’t sell it for me.

As long as the story was, the reader only received a very brief glimpse into the past lives of both Sam and Bella. I felt that it should have been more developed. This is Sarah McCarty, which means the sex is very descriptive and inventive. She still delivers on that front. What I liked most was that the sex was integral to the development of Bella and Sam’s relationship. It never felt forced, or that there was a scene thrown in willy, nilly for the sake of a sex scene. Sam’s Creed had a few issues, but overall I enjoyed the story.

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Review – Sweet Savage Love

Title: Sweet Savage Love
Author: Rosemary Rogers
Publishing Date: 1974
Genre: Historical (Western)
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Hot

Wow, the drama! Where should I begin with this book? I have to say, this was quite the read. On the one hand, I loved it. On the other hand, I hated it. It is a difficult book to rate because the writing of the story was so compelling and griping and yet, at the same time, the main character, the hero Steve, was not at all likeable. So in the end, I will do the best I can to summarize my thoughts of this sweeping saga.

At the beginning of the book, America is in the middle of its Civil War. Steve Morgan is an officer of the North sent to Louisiana for duty. While there he fights in a duel with a higher ranking officer and shoots and kills him. His punishment is execution. He is offered another alternative and that is to work as an off-the-record agent of the United States. He will basically be known as an outlaw and deserter while secretly working on extremely covert and dangerous missions. His own safety will be in his own hands.

Four years down the road, he is given a mission to intercept a wagon load of gold being transported to Mexico. On this mission he meets Ginny Brandon, the senator’s twenty year old, head-strong daughter. She catches his eye and try as he might he can’t seem to stay away from her. When the mission takes a turn for the worst, Steve kidnaps Ginny to save his own hide. What ensues is an epic love story of high drama and intrigue.

Sweet Savage Love is a long, emotional rollercoaster of a book. Ginny was an amazing character. Her personality leapt off the pages of this book. I loved her. In the beginning of the story, she was a young girl with silly spoiled ideals who grew into a strong compelling woman by the end. The journey she traveled to go from one to the other was a dark, brutal one. It was hard to read at times, but I admired her will and drive to survive and get what she wanted.

Steve on the other hand was not so great a character. He made some bad choices that I found hard to forgive in a hero. Steve was not even hero material, in my humble opinion. He was cruel and mean to Ginny and always ready to think the worst of her. You name it, he did it to her. Personally, Steve was not my cup of tea, but to Ginny he was a God. One thing that I did like about the book was how true each of them stayed to character. Neither one ever made any excuse for their behavior. They just accepted each other for who they were, warts and all.

*Warning* There is rape in this book, not once, but multiple times, by multiple people.

Review - Klondike Fever

Title: Klondike Fever
Author: Kate Bridges
Publishing Date: April 2008
Genre: Western/Frontier
Rating: B
Sensuality: Hot

Lily Cromwell has struck it rich. She is known in the Yukon wilderness as “Klondike Lily”. She has taken her gold and boarded a coach set for Dawson City to look for her sister. On the same coach, Dylan Wayburn, a Mountie officer disguised as a drunken drifter, is after a band of outlaws. He knew Lily from their childhood when she was a breakfast maid for his family back in Vancouver. Shortly after the coach sets off they are attacked by the very outlaws Dylan is hunting. Dylan and Lily manage to get away but they loose all of Lily’s gold to the robbers.

Klondike Fever is a nice, sweet road romance. Dylan and Lily each have their own set of problems to deal with from their past. At first Lily does not trust Dylan. Some of the reason for this is an incident that happened between them when she worked for his family. As they travel on their journey, they learn to trust one another and seek comfort from each other. The romance was well developed and believable.

Even with the short length of this book the characters were well drawn. There is an interesting secondary character, Otis who travels with Dylan and Lily. He adds a bit of color to the story with his fatherly advice for the “newlyweds”. Even the villain was well drawn without being a typical caricature.

As much as I liked this story, I didn’t exactly love it. It was very well written, but I typically like a little more passion or heat in my romance. There wasn’t anything that really stood out to make the story memorable for me. After a day or two, I probably won’t remember much of the story. I don’t really think that this is a reflection of the writer, maybe more my own personal tastes.