"superb western romance"
In 1883 after confessing that she killed nasty Zeb
Whitaker with two other women, Sarah Andrews is placed in
a wedding raffle by Sheriff Riles. Shockingly the last
person that anyone would expect to enter the contest,
bounty hunter Sam Gatlin wins. He pays her fine, gets her
out of jail, and marries her. Sarah expects he will
abandon her like her husband and baby who died while
heading west and the wagonmaster who kicked her off the
train. However, before they can leave town, Levi Reed stabs Sam
in the back. He asks Sarah to pull out the knife and to
get them out of town as he is a sitting duck for anyone
who wants a reputation. She pulls off the impossible, but
on the trail meets three children claiming Sam as their
father though he denies it whenever he awakens. As she
nurtures him back to health, they fall in love, but to
have a long term relationship he paradoxically must die
because so many wannabees will try to gun him down. The second "Wife Lottery" tale (see THE TEXAN'S WAGER) is
a superb western romance that moves at a fast pace, is
filled with plenty of action and contains a strong cast.
The key, besides the fully developed lead protagonists,
are the townsfolk, the kids, and those foes wanting to
kill the hero. Each one enhances the understanding of the
inner values of a pair who on the surface seem
inappropriate together yet share similar ethics. Readers
will look forward to the final novel in what is so far a
delightful series focusing on players with principles. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted October 7, 2003
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It all started when she got thrown off the wagon train.
Now, a crook is dead and Sarah Andrews has been raffled
off in a "Wife Lottery." That seems bad enough—until
she discovers her new groom with a knife in his back.
He just barely survives—and now if Sarah doesn't get
him out of town fast, someone is going to make sure Sam
Gatlin doesn't live long enough to enjoy the honeymoon. No
matter what he may have done, or how many enemies he has,
Sarah feels she owes him. After all, he saved her from a
life in prison. But never in her wildest dreams did she
imagine that this dangerously attractive Texan would steal
her heart and make her want to take the biggest gamble of
all.... Genre: Historical Romance, Old West
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