A WANTED MAN

Author: Linda Lael Miller ISBN: 037377236X 7/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: HQN
Time Period: Stone Creek Arizona-1905

The past has a way of catching up with folks in Stone Creek, Arizona. So schoolmarm Lark Morgan and Marshal Rowdy Rhodes are determined to hide their secrets—and deny their instant attraction. That shouldn't be too hard, since each suspects the other of living a lie. Her too-fancy clothes and big-city ways inspire gossip all over town; his blond good looks and impudent grin belong to a man sporting a gunfighter's coat. But Rowdy and Lark have one truth in common: the very real dangers they face. Like the gang of robbers wreaking havoc on the railroad heading toward Stone Creek—the men Ranger Sam O'Ballivan expects Rowdy to nab. And as past and current troubles collide, Rowdy and Lark must surrender their stubborn pride to the greatest power of all—an undying love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

It has been ages since I have read a truly enthralling western. It seems as though that type of romance book is hard to come by. But, I am glad to know that Linda Lael Miller is still writing them despite their decline in the market. I have to say "Thank You" for that.

A WANTED MAN is not Miller's best work, but it is still good enough to give my attention to. With a sure-of-himself hero and a heroine that could really use some help hiding herself from an abusive ex-husband, the plot and characters all give that gritty feel I like from the Old West. There is a lot going on in the book and I think there will be a sequel because of it. I hope I get to read it.

Shannon Johnson