She looked at land and thought flowers. He looked at land and thought cattle. She was liveried servants and ivy-covered stone. He was hard-living cowboys and rough-hewn timbers. Champagne and Forty Rod. The two didn’t mix.”
Oh, but they do…
Jessica Thornton is a very proper English lady and she is very pregnant and on the run from her dastardly brother-in-law who wants to force her into signing over the family estate so he can bleed it dry. Jessica comes to New Mexico hoping to find her long-lost brother, but instead she meets Brady Wilkins (watch out for that umbrella, folks). Jessica and others are injured when their wagon is attacked, and she’s brought to RosaRojas, the Wilkins ranch, where the doctor orders her to stay and rest until her confinement is over. In between battling that dastardly brother-in-law as well the evil baddie bent on revenge against the Wilkins brothers, Brady and Jessica are on the fast track to true love (this is a romance after all).
Yes, there’s more but you don’t need to know it all and I have better things to do today than to recap the whole thing. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down, and started right in with book #2 as soon as I was finished. Not only is Brady the hunkiest hero in recent memory (gawd, that smile of his), he’s got a real soft side hidden beneath that gruff exterior,
You’re here.” He spread his palm over his heart. “Inside me. Part of me forever. If I raise my hand against you, I hurt myself. If I disrespect you, I bring shame on myself. Whether you stay with me or not, that will never change.”
Sigh. And did I mention funny?
Clasping his hands in his lap to hide the effect of his own randy thoughts, he cast about for something to say, something that might intrigue or amuse her, and maybe entice her to take a seat and stay awhile.
“You know how to ride a horse?” he whispered. Somehow she managed to nod. His lips tugged on her earlobe. “Astride?” “No.” “Time to learn.”
“I do rise when you enter the room. That’s why I don’t stand up.”
Lol. And what is the very best thing about this book? Brady and Jessica sit and talk to each other. They don’t have Big Misunderstandings, they work things out by talking to each other. I adored the times they sat on the porch just quietly holding hands – talk about actions speaking louder than words. This is the first in a trilogy about the three Wilkins brothers, the others are Open Country and Chasing the Sun. 4/5 stars.
FTC – Kindle copy obtained via library loan.
First at all: you’ve changed your theme, I like it!!
Secondly, I’ve never heard of this author before this post. Should I try it?
I need to change that header picture more often 🙂
This is good, and I’m halfway through book #2. It is strictly romance, there’s no real historical aspect outside of the setting. The sex is very tame, so that might be a plus.
You make me want to read these, and I don’t usually like western settings, I have 136 books on my TBR WILL YOU STOP IT! 🙂 Great review as usual.
No, I won’t stop it. Lol. These are seriously fun, not much history but those kids and brothers are so damned funny.
I have not had good luck with Western romances (cannot stand the machismo and the flouncing), but you almost tempt me to pick this one up by pointing out how the hero and heroine actually work things out in such a radical fashion…
Did the New Mexico landscape feel real to you or was it a generic western setting?
I got a good enough feel for the New Mexico landscape, nothing really felt out of place (but I’ve only visited NM once). The main male characters are definitely male, but mush inside when it comes to the women – in a good way of course. Hope that makes sense.
Perfect sense, thank you. I am going to try this one based on how often I strike gold with the help of your recommendations. But whatever happens, at least it will be a respite from ballrooms and dukes!
Regencies, ballrooms and Dukes drive me batty. I’m almost done with book three in this trilogy and will be sorry to see it end. Review for book two, Open Country, will post tomorrow morning (Pacific time). I really like the way she does kids and family (especially kids). Funny as hell, without being overly cute and annoying. This coming from one who isn’t around kids much. I can’t remember the last time I laughed this much.
I have had this book sitting on my shelf for at least a couple of years! I really need to actually read it I think!
It is a very serious topic, with some brutal events but definitely worth reading.
I loved this trilogy. I became a fan of westerns after watching Deadwood (recommended by my daughter) which I initially found appalling and then fell in love with! Kaki Warner is an author to watch. She is a good writer who tells interesting stories. It was wonderful for me to see a new author take up the western genre. Your reviews of her books were great. As always, a big thank you!
Thanks MB, these were great reads and I’ll be getting more from KW soon.