Chase the Wind

May 2, 1994
Taylor's latest, a sequel to Follow the Wind , is a predictable romance set in the American West circa 1886. Two U.S. government agents, Navarro Breed and Elizabeth Lawrence, who is hiding her identity under the name Bethany Wind, set out after Charles Cordell, a gunrunner who is selling weapons to the Mexican army, possibly even to Apache chief Geronimo. Cordell is the brother of Matt Cordell, who married Navarro's first love, Jessie. In a slow-moving opening rife with repetition, the two agents have a mock wedding and, as husband and wife, head for the Cordell ranch in Texas. After briefly resisting each other's charms, Navarro and Bethany proceed to fall in love and, though they say they mistrust their feelings, enjoy a physical romance. With the appearance of Charles Cordell, who plans to bilk the Apaches of their silver, a bit of tension enters the story, but not much can rescue the anticlimactic ending in which ``secrets'' the reader already knows are ``revealed.'' Taylor's is a formulaic narrative, but her fans will undoubtedly be pleased.

May 15, 1994
In a bold effort to stop a shipment of arms and avert a final bloody war with Geronimo, government agents Navarro Breed and Bethany Wind reluctantly agree to a temporary marriage and set out for Arizona to uncover a gunrunning conspiracy. Both have given up on love and marriage; but as they come to trust each other, they gradually put their individual demons to rest, and their sham marriage becomes something else entirely. Taylor (Kiss the Night Wind, Zebra, 1993) is a veteran best-selling author whose books are carried by compelling story lines rather than writing style.