B- at AAR, so 3.5 stars Début author? Western romance? Why yes, sign me up please. Bound for Eden is quite unlike most of the Westerns I’ve read, but B- at AAR, so 3.5 stars Début author? Western romance? Why yes, sign me up please. Bound for Eden is quite unlike most of the Westerns I’ve read, but once I got into it, I quite enjoyed myself. This novel has plenty of adventure, but pairs it with a light and humorous tone which makes for quite the wagon train romp.
The book opens in 1840s Mississippi as the recently orphaned Alexandra Barratt finds herself once again fending off the unwanted advances of a no-good Grady brother. We quickly figure out that the Gradys are brutal bullies, and since the local sheriff won’t stand up to them, Alex and her siblings find themselves on the run. Naturally, as so many good historical heroines on the run do, Alex disguises herself as a boy.
Determined to escape, Alex and her family make it to St. Louis only to discover the murderous Gradys hot on their trail. Next step? Independence, Missouri – the starting point of the Oregon Trail. At the other end of the trail they hope to find their older brother, the only family any of them has left in the world. Fortuitously, the group encounters wagon master Luke Slater and work their way into his party.
And from here the complications (and the fun) really get going. Luke is gorgeous, of course, so all the women swoon over him from the saloon girls to Alex’s teenage sister. Alex herself is not immune to his charms, but since she’s supposed to be a boy, this naturally creates some problems for her. The author cleverly throws in a campy scene where Luke gets to see Alex as a woman. Naturally, Alex is disguised, but even so, Luke can’t stop thinking about the mysterious and lovely lady.
If you only like your Westerns serious and angsty, Bound for Eden may not be your cup of tea. It’s more Blazing Saddles than Unforgiven, so definitely not a traditional Western. This is a partial review. You can find the complete text at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi......more
I gave this a C+ at AAR, so 3.5 stars here. Adventure in the National Parks! Romance! Exploration of changing roles for women! Lots of nature photograI gave this a C+ at AAR, so 3.5 stars here. Adventure in the National Parks! Romance! Exploration of changing roles for women! Lots of nature photography! Marci's Desire certainly sounded like a historical with a lot going for it and I went into the book thinking it would be a lot of fun to read. Sadly, for a book with so much going on , it ended up being a surprisingly slow read.
Marcia (Marci) Winters is a likable, if slightly vapid, young college student at Wells College in the 1890s. Her father works in the Treasury Department in DC and as the daughter of an influential man, she's enjoyed a decidedly sheltered life. Her primary plans seem to involve enjoying her time at Wells and then marrying Stanton Caldwell, an ambitious political operative. At the beginning of the story, Marci has been chosen as part of a group of students to go to West Point for a mixer with the cadets.
The cadet to whom Marci is assigned, Myles Cade McDowell, makes an immediate impression on her. They share a wonderful time together and become fast friends with chemistry that hints at more, despite Marci making it clear that she has plans with another. Myles, who grew up in poverty following the death of his soldier father, recognizes the vast social divide between him and Marci, but he cannot help developing feelings for her.
Their magical time together might have ended up just being a great big mutual crush if not for what happens next. Marci ends up having to leave Wells in disgrace as, true to the time period, the college is scandalized to learn that she spent time at her escort's barracks without a chaperone. That Marci never actually entered the building makes no difference - back to DC she goes.
I've long had a soft spot for Beverly Jenkins' historicals. She tends to put a lot more history into the romance than many authors, and one could neveI've long had a soft spot for Beverly Jenkins' historicals. She tends to put a lot more history into the romance than many authors, and one could never accuse her of writing wallpaper. With Destiny's Embrace, she starts a new series in 19th century California with a romance between two very strong-minded people who have to learn how to get along with each other before they can fall in love.
Before Mariah Cooper can even get to California, she needs to learn how to stand up to her abusive mother. Mariah's mother owns a dress shop in Philadelphia, and spends her time stealing Mariah's ideas, belittling her, and sometimes getting physically abusive. Mariah has known no life other than that under her mother's rule, but finally things go too far even for Mariah to stand, and she flees to the home of her mother's estranged sister. The aunt thankfully welcomes Mariah with open arms and helps her build a little backbone. She also finds a job for Mariah as housekeeper on a ranch in California.
Fearful she might not be hired otherwise, Mariah represents herself as a respectable widow and gets the job. She takes the long trip out to northern California and upon arriving at the ranch, learns that her employer, Logan Yates, is none too happy to have a woman with ideas of her own telling him how his house needs to be put in order. And yet he finds himself doing all the things that Mariah told him were needed.
Mariah and Logan both have strong wills. Mariah sometimes wavers, but given her background, that's easily understandable. After reading about her treatment in Philadelphia, I was concerned we would see even more doormat-like behavior from her, so I found the story of her coming into her own out in California every bit as refreshing as the romance.
I reviewed this book back in 2008, but it's been reissued and is free for the downloading on Amazon today.
I gave this a B-, so really it would be 3.5I reviewed this book back in 2008, but it's been reissued and is free for the downloading on Amazon today.
I gave this a B-, so really it would be 3.5 stars for me here. Though not without flaws, I remember it being a fun read and here is what I had to say about it: There are some books that just sound like they shouldn't work. At first blush, The Devil's Daughter appeared to be one of these. A plot involving not a figure of speech, but the Devil's actual daughter - and one described as a "love and laughter romance" to boot - sounded like it could end up being just a touch twee for my tastes. However, readers who look beyond the 80s throw back cover (seriously, the male model looks like he has both a perm and a mini-mullet), will find a fun little treat of a story.
The novel opens at a bride auction in 1880s Texas. A lovely young lady in a silk dress spots a man and knows instantly that he has what she seeks. Though the man in question has his own ideas about what he is looking for and suspects that an elegant lady will not suit him or his hardscrabble farm, Lucy Firr convinces him to choose her anyway. Intrigued by the lady whose dainty appearance stands at odds with her work-roughened hands and brazen speech, Jed Caine agrees to marry her.
I like a good Western and I enjoy discovering good, new-to-me authors, so I thought I'd give Lady Gone Bad a try. From the plot and the back cover bluI like a good Western and I enjoy discovering good, new-to-me authors, so I thought I'd give Lady Gone Bad a try. From the plot and the back cover blurb, one gets the impression that it's supposed to be an action-packed road romance. Reality falls short somewhat, though, as vague plotting and haphazard characterizations drag this story down.
U.S. Marshal Rafe Morgan ends up in a rundown Texas saloon as he hunts for the infamous Lady Gone Bad. Lady is apparently a saloon singer and outlaw of some sort. Rafe intends to execute the warrant for her arrest, and take her in for trial and probable hanging. He spots Lady in the saloon, but his attempt to capture her goes awry as she recognizes him for a lawman and points him out to the other patrons. Given the roughness of the place, a lynch mob soon forms. The escaping Lady is horrified to see that Rafe is about to be killed (um, what did you think was going to happen, Lady?) and so she rides in to rescue him.
Wendy(Superlibrarian) and Kristie(J) seem to like a lot of the same books I like, so I pay attention when either one of them recommends something. SinWendy(Superlibrarian) and Kristie(J) seem to like a lot of the same books I like, so I pay attention when either one of them recommends something. Since both of them have extolled the wonders of the Rock Creek Six series, I pounced as soon as I saw the whole set come up on EBay. I still have five left to read (hooray!), but Reese gets the series off to a good start.
The story is fairly standard fare - uptight schoolteacher meets outcast gunslinger, and sparks fly. However, the author handles her story so well that I really loved reading it. Here's the plot in a nutshell: It's not too long after the Civil War, and a gang headed by El Diablo threatens the town of Rock Creek, Texas. Given that we're not too many years beyond the War, the town has almost no men left. It's looking pretty bleak, but schoolteacher Mary McKendrick takes all of her savings and travels to Dallas to hire Reese because she's heard he can help her.
Reese doesn't have a whole lot going for him and his meeting with Mary affects him, so he takes the job and summons his five loyal war buddies to work with him. The town isn't so keen on having 6 wild gunmen running around, but they don't have a lot of choices, so things settle into an uneasy pattern. Reese has long vowed to avoid human relationships, but Mary is able to break through his barriers in ways that no one else really can.
Reese is a likeable, well-written tortured hero and that's what really made this story work for me because I couldn't help rooting for him. Mary is also likeable for the most part, but her character arc is not quite as pronounced as Reese's. It's obvious from the beginning that Reese's experiences in the Civil War put him through hell and he has shut down to the point that he doesn't even let people know his full name, let alone his background and his past. The story is not only a romance, but also a really good friendship story as Reese's friendship with his men develops and deepens. The romance is good though not absolutely amazing, but the author does a fantastic job of showing the dynamics of the various friendships within the Rock Creek Six and that group portrait went a long way toward making this such a good read for me.
Reese has a few cheesy moments, but by and large I really enjoyed reading this book, and I look forward to the rest of the series. Print copies can be hard to find, but it's been rereleased in eBook form - definitely worth adding to your TBR....more