Kerry Fusaro’s CAPTAIN SEDITION, Revolutionary War Book 1 - A Good Story With Lots of Detail But Meanders a Bit

This is the story of London courier Joethan Wolfe, a self-admitted rake who carries messages for the British government. Born in America, he went to England when he was ten. When his father in America falls ill, in 1775, he takes a ship for the Colonies where he has not lived for fourteen years. The rest of the story is basically him searching for his father, “Captain Sedition”.

 

The first thing I noticed about this story was that despite his being unfamiliar with the Colonies since he was a boy, Wolfe provides detailed descriptions and historical context for all he sees. How did he know all that?

 

In his first days in Boston, Wolfe runs into all the major leaders of the Patriots, sometimes in a “drive by” manner with only the surname being tossed out by a boy Wolfe takes as his guide. If you don’t know your US history, you might be lost.

 

We are told by the author’s description that Wolfe is an honorable man yet most of his decisions appears to be for his own pleasure.

 

The author left me wondering at times who was speaking because he tends to put one character’s words in the same paragraph with another character’s reaction when they should have been separated. He also shifts point of view in a single paragraph and only for one line. Thus, the points of view were left a bit loose. Also, some awkward choices of words at times left the meaning unclear.

 

The pace is good, particularly at the outset, and the story moves along at a good clip. But in the middle the story meanders as he goes to Long Island and renews (for a brief time) his childhood friendship with a woman named Prudence to whom he is attracted. She is a Patriot, whereas Wolfe appears to be neutral or on the fence. Their story really never develops.

 

I had the impression this was the beginning of a longer story and so I felt a bit cheated as there is no real “end” to the book. Presumably, the story continues in the next.
 

Best Western Historical Romances

I first discovered Western romances by reading those written by my favorite authors who also wrote stories set in other eras. Since then, I have become a true fan of the subgenre and find myself every now and then reaching for a good romance from the Old West. I love those heroes. So, it seemed a “best” list was in order to share some of these wonderful stories with you. I have a separate list for Patriotic Historical Romances I post in July, some of which are set in the same era. All on my lists are rated 4 or 5 stars by me. I think you’ll like them!

 

·               A Fire in the Blood by Shirl Henke

·               A Heart So Wild by Johanna Lindsey

·               Beautiful Bad Man by Ellen O’Connell

·               Beauty and the Bounty Hunter by Lori Austin

·               Behind His Blue Eyes by Kaki Warner

·               Branded Hearts by Heather Graham

·               Brave the Wild Wind, Savage Thunder & Angel, Wyoming trilogy by Johanna

Lindsey

·               Brighter Than Gold by Cynthia Wright

·               Broken Vows by Shirl Henke

·               Captive Melody by Nadine Crenshaw

·               Capture the Sun, The Endless Sky & Sundancer, trilogy by Shirl Henke

·               Colorado Promise by Charlene Whitman

·               Comanche Moon, Comanche Heart & Indigo Blue by Catherine Anderson

·               Clyde Connor by Sally Platt

·               Dancing on Coals by Ellen O’Connell

·               Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O’Connell

·               Fair is the Rose by Meagan McKinney

·              Fire Hawk’s Bride by Judith E. French

·               Fireblossom & Wildblossom, the Matthews duology by Cynthia Wright

·               Follow the Heart by Anita Mills

·               Forever Mine by Charlene Raddon

·               From Fields of Gold by Alexandra Ripley

·               Golden Fancy by Jennifer Blake

·               Golden Lady by Shirl Henke

·               Gone Outlaw by Madison Thames

·               Haven’s Flame by Marie Piper

·               Heart of the West by Penelope Williamson

·               Heartbreak Creek, Colorado Dawn & Bride of the High Country by Kaki Warner

·               Her Bodyguard by E. E. Burke

·               Her Wicked Captor by Sandra Jones

·               Hummingbird by LaVyrle Spencer

·               Innocent Fire, Firestorm, Violet Fire & The Fires of Paradise (from The Bragg

Saga) by Brenda Joyce

·               Into the Light by Ellen O’Connell

·               Lavender Blue by Parris Afton Bonds

·               Lawless by Nora Roberts

·               Love a Dark Rider by Shirlee Busbee

·               Love Cherish Me by Rebecca Brandewyne

·               Love Unwilling By Shirl Henke

·               McCrory’s Lady by Shirl Henke

·               Moon Dancer by Judith E. French

·               Mountain Mistress by Nadine Crenshaw

·               Night Flame by Catherine Hart

·               Night Wind’s Woman, White Apache’s Woman & Deep as the Rivers, trilogy by

Shirl Henke

·               No Other Man, No Other Woman and No Other Love, trilogy by Shannon Drake

·               One Heart to Win by Johanna Lindsey

·               Pieces of Sky, Open Country & Chasing the Sun, the Blood Rose trilogy by Kaki

 Warner

·               Reckless Angel by Elizabeth Awbrey (aka Elizabeth Stuart)

·               Savage Ecstasy and Defiant Ecstasy by Janelle Taylor

·               Silken Savage by Catherine Hart

·               Silver Nights with You and Desert Sunrise by Sawyer Belle

·               Sing My Name by Ellen O’Connell

·               Star of the West by Cordia Byers

·               Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers

·               Tears of Gold by Laurie McBain

·               Tender Touch by Charlene Raddon

·               Teton Sunrise by Peggy L. Henderson

·               Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath

·               Texas Tall by Kaki Warner

·               The Ballad of Emma O’Toole by Elizabeth Lane

·               The Bequest by Candice Proctor

·               The Darkest Heart by Brenda Joyce

·               The Double Cross by Carla Kelly

·               The Outlaw Hearts by Rebecca Brandewyne

·               The Outsider by Penelope Williamson

·               The River Nymph by Shirl Henke

·               The Scent of Roses by Charlene Raddon

·               The Tiger’s Woman by Celeste De Blasis

·               The Vintner’s Daughter by Kristen Harnisch

·               To Have and to Hold by Charlene Raddon

·               Under the Desert Moon by Marsha Canham

·               When the Splendor Falls by Laurie McBain

·               Where the Horses Run by Kaki Warner

·               Where the Wild Wind Blows by Nancy Morse

·               While Passion Sleeps by Shirlee Busbee

·               Without Words by Ellen O’Connell

Ellen O’Connell’s WITHOUT WORDS – Fall in Love with a Bounty Hunter!

Set in 1871, beginning in Missouri, this is the story of Hassie Petty who just put her husband in his grave when bounty hunter Bret Sterling shows up to kill her stepson, a thief and a murderer wanted by the Army. Realizing Hassie has no food and is likely starving, Bret takes her with him when he leaves.

 

Both Bret and Hassie have been hurt in the past. Bret paid for his choice to fight for the North in the Civil War. His Southern family will take the bounty money he sends home but deprives him of his place as the eldest and heir. Due to an injury to her neck, Hassie cannot speak above a whisper, and when she does, no one understands her. No one save for Bret who seems to know what she is saying “without words.”

 

O’Connell knows how to serve up a magnetic hunk of a hero. Bret is a tough bounty hunter of noble character with a good heart. He even saves a half starved dog from a man who would take its life. A man who can shoot like he can but still has a soft spot for a girl who can’t speak and her dog (not to mention a horse passed its prime) is a man we can love. And Hassie, who is beautiful and has suffered the lustful advances of men, tries hard to please her savior. Along the way, a marriage of convenience turns into love. It’s a wonderful story of second chances, of love that wipes away bad memories.

 

O’Connell brings the West to life in this fast paced story as Bret and Hassie travel from Missouri to Wyoming in his search for wanted criminals, Hassie his partner in bringing them in. Rich in detail, great characters, exciting action, it’s a story that will warm your heart. The end scenes take place at Christmas so it’s a great holiday read.

 

Superb storytelling, highly recommended.

 

Penelope Williamson’s HEART OF THE WEST - Magnificent Montana Love Story!

This historical romance that will tear at your heart. It covers twelve years (1879-1891) in the lives of Americans trying to carve out a life in Montana frontier. Williamson weaves a masterful tale with incredibly accurate historic detail and dialog that brings to life the people who made the West: Easterners, cowboys, Indians, Chinese, Irish, miners, railroad workers, merchants, ranchers and those who preyed upon them.

 

There are lots of relationship combinations in this romance: Two men loving the same woman; two women loving the same man; one man loving a woman who should never have married the man she did; a good hearted whore who becomes a lady's true friend and the lover of the man her friend loves, different races coming together and children birthed and loved only to die of accident, disease and more. Through the lives of these people, Williamson so beautifully portrays, you will experience the life of the Americans who won the west and who made this country great. And you will experience love that endures through the years though denied.

Williamson takes her time developing the characters. You will feel as if you know them; you will experience their dreams, their tragedies, their disappointments, their happiness and their loves. And, as with the other great romances by this author, you will feel the emotion, whether deep in the pits of despair or soaring with love's sweet reward.

 

And, it is truly a great love story.

The main story is that of Clementine Kennicutt, the highborn daughter of a rigid, demanding and, at times, abusive minister in Boston. She dreams of freedom and of cowboys. When one stumbles into her life, though she doesn’t really know him, she is willing to elope with him to his ranch in Montana.

 

Gus McQueen was raised in the south and in Boston but then as a young man he went looking for his younger brother, Zach Rafferty, who he had lost when they were separated as children. He finds him and they stake a ranch in Montana, which it seems is always just barely making it. When Gus, a man of dreams, meets Clementine in Boston on a trip home to see his dying mother, he knows he can't live without her. So Gus, 25, and Clementine, 18, wed knowing next to nothing about each other.

 

Gus brings Clementine her home to Montana and to a hard life she is not prepared for. Zach, the darker younger brother with a mysterious past (even at 23), realizes soon after Clementine arrives that he covets his brother's wife. And, though faithful to her husband, Zach becomes the passion of Clementine’s life--a passion denied.

 

You can see the potential for great angst here, can't you? Here a sample of the words Zach speaks to her—one of my all time favorite quotes:

 

"A heartfire, Clementine my darlin', is when you want someone, when you need her so damn bad, not only in your bed but in your life, that you're willin' to burn—"

 

Yeah, well, a whole lot of burnin' goes on in this story. It’s a keeper!

 

 

Catherine Anderson’s INDIGO BLUE – 3rd in the Series Does Not Disappoint! Daughter of Hunter of the Wolf Comes into Her Own!

 

Set in Oregon in 1885, this is the story of Indigo Wolf, daughter of Hunter of the Wolf and his white wife, Loretta, from Comanche Moon and Comanche Heart. When she was younger, Indigo fell in love with a young man who broke her heart and betrayed her trust, telling her she was just a “squaw” and good for only one thing. Though his attempted rape was thwarted by her uncle, Swift Lopez, Indigo is still scarred by the experience and wary of men who are attracted to her. She has become her own woman, tending to the wild animals of the forest, wearing Indian dress and helping her father with the mine.

 

When a series of mine accidents have her father, Hunter, laid up with injuries, along comes Jake Rand to offer his hand at managing the mine (though he seems to spend little time doing that). In reality, Jake is the oldest son of a wealthy owner of mines, many of which were purchased when the mine owner was in trouble, as Hunter is now. While Jake originally came to purchase Hunter’s mine, when he finds out his father may be causing the mine accidents, he comes in disguise to learn the truth. He didn’t count on meeting the bewitching Indigo who soon has him forgetting he has a fiancé back in Portland. And he shakes Indigo’s world, too. (“The moment she first saw him, she had sensed it—an inexplicable something, a strange feeling of recognition—as if her destiny had finally come calling.”)

 

As with the first two books in the series, Anderson has captured the time period and the Comanche culture with practiced expertise. She makes it look easy when it isn’t. We see Wolf’s Landing and it’s unusual blending of cultures from Jake’s point of view, a stranger to this part of Oregon. Jake is impressed by the love he witnesses in the Wolf family. He has known poverty as well as wealth, but he has never known such simple joys as the Wolf family shares. So when an unusual happening forces a "shotgun wedding" to Indigo, Jake steps up to do the noble thing even though Indigo rebels at the idea of marrying any man.

 

Anderson tells the story of Jake and Indigo beautifully with elegant dialog and believable twists and turns. And wonderful secondary characters! I loved the family priest, Father O’Grady. He and Jake have a very funny conversation about Indigo that had me laughing out loud. 

 

It’s a great read and I recommend it! I do, however, suggest reading them in order.

 

The Comanche Series:

 

Comanche Moon

Comanche Heart

Indigo Blue

Comanche Magic

 

Alexandra Ripley’s FROM FIELDS OF GOLD – Unusual Love Story of the American South and Aristocratic London in late 19th Century with a Great Heroine.

The story begins in the South in 1875 and tells of Francesca (“Chess”) Standish, raised to be a lady but at 30, the Civil War has left her with only a rundown plantation and a patent on her grandfather’s machine to make cigarettes. Once her life was filled with laughter, now she is gray and glum. She wants to be married and has all but given up hope until Nate Richardson comes along.

 

Nate is smart, handsome and ambitious, and desperately wants to gain the patent for the machine that makes cigarettes. When Chess, who is 8 years his senior, tells him he can have the patent if he will marry her, he agrees. 

 

Ever since he was a teenager, Nate has been in love with the girl who became his brother’s wife. He shows Chess no passion, believing she is not interested and finds his pleasure elsewhere. Chess is so in love with him, she is willing to take the crumbs he offers her. Chess is a heroine to love: brave, smart and willing to wait for what she wants. She knows Nate doesn’t love her but she vows to become the business partner he will respect. And she does, sharing with him his dreams and his passion for the tobacco industry and helping his dreams become reality. 

 

Though he admires her, Nate is not faithful. But a trip to London will show her the affection she has long missed and awakens in her the girl she once was.

 

The story reflects the author’s deep research into the tobacco industry in the South and the era of the late Victorian period in London. She captures the life of the idle rich as well as the Americans who led the development of new industries and discoveries. Rich in detail, even as to fashion, with splendid characters, including some actual historical figures, Ripley have given us a great tale. You must wait till the very end for that happy ever after, but I assure you, it’s coming.

 

I didn’t want to put it down! It’s a keeper!

 

Best Scottish Historical Romances!

 

Geddes MacGregor once wrote, “No one in Scotland can escape from the past. It is everywhere, haunting like a ghost.” Scotland’s past is the subject of this Best List, romance novels set in Scotland, most in that magical part of Scotland called the Highlands. Some have a Scot as hero or heroine. The best are set deep in Scotland’s history. All are rated 4 or 5 stars. Enjoy!

 

·               A Dangerous Love, The Border Lord’s Bride, The Captive Heart, The Border Lord And The Lady, The Border Vixen and Bond Of Passion (from The Border Chronicles) by Bertrice Small

·               A Gentle Feuding by Johanna Lindsey

·               A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught

·               A Year and a Day by Virginia Henley

·               Abducted Heiress by Amanda Scott

·               Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught

·               Beloved Rogue by Penelope Williamson

·               Blood Feud by Jayne Castel

·               Border Lord by Arnette Lamb

·               Bound to the Highlander by Kate Robbins

·               Bride of the MacHugh by Jan Cox Speas

·               Charming the Shrew and Daring the Highlander (MacLeod duology) by Laurin Wittig

·               Children of the Mist by Aleen Malcolm

·               Claimed by Tarah Scott

·               Clandara by Evelyn Anthony

·               Come The Morning, Conquer the Night, Seize the Dawn, Knight Triumphant, The Lion in Glory, When We Touch and The Queen’s Lady (the Graham series) by Heather Graham Pozzessere

·               Davy’s Last Ride by Brit Darby

·               Desiring the Highlander by Michele Sinclair

·               Devil of Kilmartin by Laurin Wittig

·               Devil’s Mistress by Heather Graham

·               Emerald Embrace by Shannon Drake (aka Heather Graham)

·               Forever My Love by Rebecca Brandewyne

·               Gather the Stars by Kimberly Cates

·               by Elizabeth Stuart

·               Heather House: Witch of the Moors by Carmen Caine

·               Highland Deception by Meggan Connors

·               Highland Moon by Judith E. French

·               Highland Rebel by Judith James

·               Highland Warrior, Highland Outlaw and Highland Scoundrel (the Campbell trilogy) by Monica McCarty

·               Highlander’s Hope by Collette Cameron

·               If You Dare, If You Desire and If You Deceive (the MacCarrick Brothers trilogy) by Kresley Cole

·               In From the Cold by Nora Roberts

·               His Stolen Bride by Shelly Thacker

·               Kilgannon and The Wild Rose of Kilgannon by Kathleen Givens

·               King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett

·               Knight of Fire by Shannon Drake (aka Heather Graham)

·               Lady of the Glen by Jennifer Roberson

·               Laird of the Mist by Paula Quinn (and the MacGregor/Children of the Mist Series)

·               Lord of a Thousand Nights by Madeline Hunter

·               Lord of Fire by Emma Merritt

·               Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain

·               My Lord Monleigh by Jan Cox Speas

·               My Wicked Enchantress by Meagan McKinney

·               On a Highland Shore and Rivals for the Crown by Kathleen Givens

·               Oriana by Valerie Vayle

·               Rebellion by Nora Roberts

·               Rosamund by Bertrice Small

·               Silk and Steel by Cordia Byers

·               Sound of the Heart by Genevieve Graham

·               Snow Raven by Patricia McAllister

·               Tempest Heart by Paula Quinn

·               Tempted and The Border Hostage, duology by Virginia Henley

·               The Bedeviled Heart, The Daring Heart and The Bold Heart by Carmen Caine

·               The Border Bride by Elizabeth English

·               The Border Lord by Jan Westcott

·               The Captive by Parris Afton Bonds

·               The Chieftain’s Curse by Francis Housden

·               The Daughters of Cameron by Aleen Malcolm

·               The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (from the Lymond Chronicles series)

·               The Guardian by Genevieve Graham

·               The Highlander’s Reluctant Bride by Cathy MacRae

·               The Lady and the Laird by Nicola Cornick

·               The Lady’s Protector by Emma Prince

·               The Legend and the sequel The Destiny by Kathleen Givens

·               The Magnificent Rogue by Iris Johansen

·               The Passionate One, The Reckless One and The Ravishing One (the McClairen’s Isle trilogy) by Connie Brockway

·               The Pride of Lions, The Blood of Roses and Midnight Honor by Marsha Canham

·               The Renegade (first released as The Renegade and The Rose) by Christine Dorsey

·               The Queen’s Lady by Shannon Drake (aka Heather Graham)

·               The Taming, Ride Out the Storm and The Daughters of Cameron by Aleen

            Malcolm

·               The Scotsman by Juliana Garnett (aka Virginia Brown)

·               The Scottish Bride by Catherine Coulter

·               The Spider and the Stone by Glen Craney

·               The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

·               Threads of Destiny by Arnette Lamb

·               To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (one of the Four Soldiers series)

·               To Conquer a Highlander, Highland Hellcat and Highland Heat by Mary Wine

·               To Lie with Lions by Dorothy Dunnett (from the House of Niccolo series)

·               White Knight by Jaclyn Reding

·               Without Honor by Elizabeth Stuart

 

I hope you will consider my own novels set in Scotland’s past:

 

·      Rebel Warrior, part of the award-winning Medieval Warriors series

·      The Refuge, an Inspirational Novel of Scotland, winner of the Illumination Awards’ Gold Medal

·      A Secret Scottish Christmas, book 5 in the Agents of the Crown Regency series

·      The Holly & The Thistle, a Regency novella

·      Summer Warrior, Bound by Honor, The Strongest Heart and Born to Trouble from the award-winning Clan Donald Saga of historical fiction