Having heard the favorable buzz surrounding Victoria Bylin’s debut novel Of Men and Angels last year (this despite my colleague’s negative review), I eagerly snatched up her latest book. West of Heaven starts off as a touching story about two flawed and rather unglamorous people finding love and hope, but despite its many exciting and…
The Western sub-genre is one that’s come a long way. Modern-day fans now expect more complex, compelling plots and stronger characters than ever before. An Independent Bride had many of these qualities that made it an interesting, if not riveting, read. This is a well-written tale that displays the author’s unquestionable writing talent. Unfortunately, the…
Normally, I very much enjoy books set in the times when modern America was just shaping up: the combination of cowboys, Indians and military men, and the often rough way of life are enough to form a sizzling basis for a story. However, The Princess and the Wolf not only failed to light a fire…
Mail-order brides have always been a popular theme in historical romance. While some of these books concentrate only on the marriage itself, with the hero and heroine’s motivations for considering such a relationship unimportant to the story, Mary Burton’s latest novel is made more powerful by the fact that her main characters’ reasons for entering…
I haven’t seen as many historical romances with a Western setting as I did a few years ago. Fans of romances set in this time period probably are doing what I’m doing, re-reading their old favorites (Texas Destiny – sigh). Western lovers may rejoice at the release of this new anthology, but except for McKade’s…
I’ve read so many disappointing westerns lately that I am almost afraid to pick them up. But At Twilight’s back cover copy sounded intriguing, so I gave it a shot – and I’m glad I did. It’s easily the best western I’ve read in the last couple of years. Slow paced and thoughtful, it’s a…
The Engagement is an acceptable historical romance that continues Kate Bridges’ series about Mounties. It’s a decent read, but also falls short in a number of ways. Dr. Virginia Waters was engaged to Andrew Bullock for six years. His parents even paid for her medical education, all with the expectation that Andrew and Virginia would…
Dr. Virginia Waters was sure she was marrying the wrong brother! She wanted quiet, safe Andrew, but he had jilted her after a 6 year engagement. Andrew’s brother, Inspector Zack Bullock, was a Mountie looking for a wife. A wife who would be busy with her own life and leave him alone to pursue his…
Moon in the Water is an uncommonly lush and lovely historical romance. Most of the story takes place aboard a steamer on the Mississippi River, a very nice setting for the gentle love story that unfolds there. Owning a riverboat seemed like an impossible dream for a steersman like Chase Hardesty. Then James Rossiter, owner…
The relationship between the hero and heroine in Texas Star lacks chemistry and fails the believability test. What’s worse, the skanky villain sex between two secondary characters provides more excitement than anything to be read about Caldwell Star and Prudence Reynolds in Barbieri’s latest. Outcast ranch worker Caldwell Star meets young widow Prudence Reynolds in…
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