Set 1871 in England and Scotland (bracketed by scenes from
Texas and Colorado) this is the story of Rafford Jessup (“Rafe”), the former
lawman we met in Behind His Blue Eyes.
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 who became wealthy 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 travel to America. On the ship
sailing back 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 that Warner brought back
Ash and his countess.
The humor and emotion will have you laughing one moment and
crying the next. And did I mention that there’s 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!
No comments:
Post a Comment