Rafe is the wrangler Ash (Lord Kirkwell) hires to go with him to England to procure breeding stock for his thoroughbred ranch in Heartbreak Creek. One of the places they hope to buy horses is in Penrith, England where a former coal miner turned wealthy man is being forced to sell his stock. His daughter, Josephine Cathcart, is a ruined woman who had a son by her baron lover who deserted her to marry someone of higher rank. Sadly, Josephine must go along with selling her prized stallion “Pens” unless her father can marry her off to a wealthy man. And so they traveled to America. On the ship sailing to England, they all come together.
Warner serves up a wonderful cast of characters with this installment in the series: cowboys, Scots, the Cheyenne Indian Thomas Redstone, who we have come to love from Warner’s other books, an Irish maid, and some irascible Englishmen, including the valet, Pringle who continually banters with Ash—all wrapped around a love story between two unlikely people in Victorian England who share a passion for horses.
Rafe is the 19th century equivalent of a Texas “horse whisperer,” and Josephine is an Englishwoman who has borne her shame with dignity. I loved them both. And I was delighted to see the Ash and his countess back again.
There’s humor and emotion that will have you laughing one moment and crying the next and lots of fun in this most unusual tale. You can enjoy it alone, but it’s best devoured with the rest of Warner’s Heartbreak Creek stories: the Runaway Brides trilogy and the Heroes of Heartbreak Creek. I recommend them all! And the next will be the story of the Cheyenne dog soldier, Thomas and the half black schoolteacher, Pru. I CAN’T WAIT for that one!
Note: Kaki is my guest on June 29th (this book is to be released July 1st) so ya’all come back, ya hear?
Another delightful one from the oh-so-talented Kaki Warner! Only 1 day away from the debut!!
ReplyDeleteWooHoo... ☺
~ Cindy Nord
Yes, fun times. Thanks for stopping by Cindy!
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