The Outlaws—Rafe (The Outlaws, Book One): Connie Mason

“He Was Going To Hang

“Rafe Gentry had committed plenty of sins, but not the robbery and murder that had landed him in jail. Now, with a lynch mob out for his blood, he was staring death in the face…until a blond beauty with the voice of an angel stepped in to redeem him.

“She Was Going To Wed

“There was only one way to rescue the dark and dangerous outlaw from the hanging tree—by claiming him as the fictitious fiancé she was supposed to meet in Pueblo. But Sister Angela Abbot never anticipated that she would have to make good on her claim and actually marry the rogue. Railroaded into a hasty wedding, reeling from the raw, seductive power of Rafe’s kiss, she wondered whether she had made the biggest mistake of her life, or the most exciting leap of faith.”

So, I’m back to reading more Connie Mason! (I’ve noticed a trend in my reading lately…there’s a pattern of Connie Mason and Sherrilyn Kenyon…so I think to keep things interesting, I’m going to have to read a new author next.)

This was the first in Mason’s The Outlaws series and it was an interesting start. I liked Rafe’s character a lot and Angel was fun to watch too—though both were similar to other Mason characters I’ve seen before. I mentioned in my last review that there was a pretty common thread in Mason’s books. This one deviated a little and it made it easier to read. I liked seeing more variety in Connie Mason’s writing—though; don’t get me wrong, I love Mason’s writing! I’m pretty excited to get my hands on the next book in this series.

1800’s, romance, novel, book, western, cowboy, Colorado, America, Kansas, mine, The Outlaws, outlaw, wanted

Nobody's Darling: Teresa Medeiros

“Dear Reader

“I never enjoyed being a wanted man until the day Miss Esmerelda Fine marched into the Tumbleweed Saloon and pointed her derringer straight at my heart. Who would have guessed some duke’s granddaughter—an awfully pretty one at that—would come gunning for the likes of me, a notorious bounty hunter with a taste for whisky and a fondness for peach pie?

“Lucky for me, she was a mighty poor shot. Instead of killing me, she hired me to find her runaway brother. Little did she know she was about to make the acquaintance of a flea-bitten basset hound named Sadie, the infamous Darling Gang, and my shotgun-toting kinfolk. And little did I know she was about to lead me on a merry chase that would take us from a bungled bank robbery to the very first Wild West show to tour London, England.

“I should have turned down her offer. I should have resisted her charms. But I didn’t.

“Because there comes a time in every man’s life when he’s got nothing left to lose…but his heart.

“Yours,

“Billy Darling”

As you all know, I LOVE Teresa Medeiros and read her every chance I get, but you may also have noticed that I don’t tend to review “Wild West” books…that’s because I usually don’t like them… Well, this book TOTALLY changed my mind! It gave me a new perspective on the setting as well as the time period (and I’m sure it helped my acclimation that part of the story actually took place in London). I don’t know why I was so apprehensive… Maybe because—since I live in America and all—I would have already heard a similar story a thousand times. The typical cowboy…outlaws…robberies…but this story had a whole new twist that made all of my apprehensions seem unfounded. I laughed and even got choked up.

The characters were SO endearing and I loved them! Billy was such a fun character to read and he made the West come alive for me. I particularly loved the Epilogue. I don’t want to ruin too much, but not many authors will take the time to go that far ahead into the future to follow their characters’ legacy. Overall, this book is now one of my favorite ones by Medeiros.