Vigilante's Bride, The [Paperback]

 

 

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Emily McCarthy grew up in an orphanage and is now on her way from Chicago to Montana Territory as a mail order bride. But she never makes it to her wedding since her stagecoach is robbed and she is abducted. And it''s a good thing too because she was going to marry Bart Axel, a nasty man and the enemy of Luke Sullivan, her abductor. Axel is not pleased with Luke and plans to get rid of him, for reasons other than Emily, but things don''t turn out as either of the cowboys planned.

It''s been a long time since I read a Western romance. The Vigilante''s Bride was an entertaining read and I enjoyed it. The romance is predictable, but the setting and the circumstances had me interested until the last page. To tell you the truth, I was waiting for Bart to try to get Emily back or abduct her too--'something to build more tension and threaten the budding relationship between Luke and Emily. Axel didn''t bother to get her back, and after their initial encounter, I never felt Emily was in danger from Bart Axel. Things came quite easy for her, as a matter of fact, a little too easy. Emily ends up staying at New Hope, another orphanage where she teaches the children and fits right in.

Harris writes about the Wild West with knowledge. I learned a thing or two about cattle rustling, land boundaries and the Crow Indians. It was a wild territory where men took the law into their own hands, including Luke Sullivan. He reminded me of Lucky Luke. I enjoyed the banter between Luke and Emily, which was sometimes silly but mostly downright funny. I wish there had been more of it. Emily wasn''t your typical female and although I enjoyed their spats, there wasn''t enough physical attraction between them. Their first kiss failed to move me, and I didn''t feel it moved Emily all that much either!

Also, I felt the tough, gun-slinging, fast-shooting ex-vigilante cowboy didn''t suit the image of a praying devout person nor, at times, the feisty Emily who was a little too forthright and thought nothing of massaging the naked back of a man, a very intimate gesture. This made me question two things: First: Why would the headmistress of New Hope let Emily take care of Luke alone in his room? Propriety was not questioned during several occasions, and I found this a little unrealistic for the late 1800 Christian setting. Second: Wouldn''t an 18-year-old girl with little exposure to society react at the sight of a strapping cowboy''s torso? Not Emily. No elevated heartbeat, no blushing, no obvious attraction. I''m not saying the author should have avoided the situation, but I would have expected some repercussions, whatever they would have been. It would have rendered the story more realistic and served as romantic tension between the couple.

However, I did enjoy the story, and if you like a clean Western romance the story is well written and captivating.

The Vigilante's Bride is a typical western romance. The men are rough and tough, fast draws and great cow hands. The leading lady is young and naive, but with a big load of pluck. Of course, the circumstances forcing Emily west are very interesting. I don't think that I could be a mail order bride, even through I fantasized about it as a child. I have great respect for women who traveled West to marry men they had never met. It was a risky, and exciting venture. I'm just not sure that I would have had what it takes to make it.

I enjoyed the complexity of these characters. They had a past, which helped form them into what they had become. Their past played a part in the way they responded to certain things, like Luke's fear of going into Indian territory. The dialogue and interaction between Emily and Luke is enjoyable, and makes the book so much fun to read.

I recommend this to readers who enjoy romances set in the Old West. This story is full of Indians, Cowboys, Good guys and Bad with lots of lead flying through the air.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review.)

I thoroughly enjoyed Yvonne's novel. Cowboys, romance and danger are an irresistible combination and her dashes of humor were an extra treat. The story is fast-paced with engaging characters. My one complaint would be that I got a little annoyed midway through the story when the hero and heroine still "hated" each other. But by then I was so invested in the story I was willing to forgive them, especially when the author made the interplay so much fun. The way Sullivan tries Emily's patience as she nurses him back to health after a vicious attack by the cowhands of the man she was supposed to marry, made me laugh out loud.

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