Vigilante's Bride

September 15, 2010

Years ago, rancher Bart Axel cheated Luke's father out of his money, and now Luke wants it back. Imagine his surprise when he robs a stagecoach and finds Emily McCarthy, a young orphan from Chicago and Bart's mail-order bride. After abducting her, Luke soon grows fond of his feisty captive, too fond to let her marry a scoundrel like Bart. Lucy is falling in love, too. What will they do about Bart, a man who does not like to lose? VERDICT This well-written Western romance will be appreciated by fans of Lori Wick and Tracie Peterson.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2010
Emily McCarthy needs either a job or a husband. Since teaching posts for women are few and far between, Emily reluctantly accepts the mail-order-bride offer placed in the Chicago Daily Tribune by wealthy Montana rancher Bart Axel. On the way there, her stagecoach is held up. Luke Sullivan never intended to rescue Emily; he simply wanted the money Axel had cheated his father out of years ago. However, when Luke sees Axels fianc'e, he knows Emily has no idea of the kind of man she is about to marry, which leaves Luke with only one option: take Emily with him. Newcomer Harris enriches the plot with plenty of good, old-fashioned western ingredients, including cattle rustling, cowboys and Indians, evil villains, and a conflicted hero who is saved by the love of a good woman. Deftly imbued with both the realistic grit and the courageous spirit of those who settled the West, this is an excellent genre-crossing choice for both romance fans and western readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)