Recent discussion on the message boards had me thinking about Maggie Osborne and how much I enjoy her books, The Seduction of Samantha Kincade in particular. The funny thing is that I couldn’t remember what it was about this book that had me suggesting it to other readers, beyond a feeling that it was special. I started reading it again today to satisfy my curiosity, and oh boy, was I reminded.

Samantha Kincade was a child when she saw her mother raped and murdered, and was shot herself and left for dead. She was orphaned when her father killed himself from grief. She vowed revenge on Hannibal Cotwell, the man who destroyed her family. To this end she has spent all of her adult life in disguise as a male bounty hunter, bringing criminals to justice and searching for any sign of Hannibal while traveling the western states for her bounties. The arrival in the west of Hannibal’s half brother affords Samantha a unique opportunity to bait a trap for her nemesis.

Trace Harden’s wife hanged herself, leaving behind a letter describing how Hannibal Cotwell terrorized, raped and beat her for two solid weeks while Trace was away from home on a business trip. Trace then sold his businesses and traveled west to locate and kill Hannibal, his half brother, in vengeance. When Samantha takes Trace into custody in order to draw Hannibal from hiding, Trace goes along willingly because he has the same goal and Samantha has promised that no harm will come to him. Samantha’s plan goes awry, however, and Trace is sentenced to hang, forcing Samantha to rescue him and in the process ruin her livelihood and risk her identity. Now enemies, they’re forced to go on the run together from the law – and other bounty hunters and hitmen.

Ms. Osborne certainly knows her way around a western. Her depictions of life in the west, the characters, and locations are all very vivid. When Samantha enters a saloon, you can plainly see the sweating and dirty cowboys and miners, the pianist dripping ashes on the yellowed keys from his cigar, and the overworked whores leading men up and down the stairs. The description of Samantha is especially striking. Watching with Trace when Samantha puts on her male persona is a lesson in body language in general, and a study of how a successful bounty hunter probably carried himself.

Fans of this author’s other work will be familiar with the outspoken, plain-talking, honest-to-a-fault dialog which makes this book so delightful. Samantha is a no-nonsense heroine, speaking her mind no matter how it hurts, angers, or shames her. The embarrassment Samantha feels when she acknowledges that she has womanly urges toward Trace is humorous and poignant at the same time. The exchanges between Trace and Samantha, especially when they’re feeling contentious, are very amusing.

The real star of this book, however, is the villain. Hannibal is known all over the west as a vicious, malicious, raping, murdering, thieving blight on humanity, and his actions bear this out. But then as you get to know Trace, you learn about the half-brother that Trace once loved. Further insights into Hannibal’s character are provided by a prostitute, Mattie, who is in love with him and understands him surprisingly well. To say more would spoil your discovery of this complex character, so suffice it to say that Hannibal made me want to weep, at times.

There is a lot of western-style action, gunfights and bushwacking, travel by several different means, and sleeping under the stars – all beautifully depicted and detailed and packaged with a heartwarming romance. Samantha’s gender-bending role creates special problems even before she gets involved with Trace. Is this a perfect book? No. Its not even Ms. Osborne’s best book. There are problems with pacing toward the end, and Trace can be pretty angsty. But I think you’ll find it well worth reading, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find a copy.