I love Hannah Howell, and I did enjoy this book, but there was a whole lotta angst here that could have been avoided through more communication. I realize that's part of romance and drama in fiction, but in this case, every emotional separation between the two was because of not letting each other in on what was going on. It was too much. However, like I said, I did enjoy the book and I loved that characters.
( )

Royal saves a little girl and her adopted bandito father feels is owed a debt. On his death bead he sends Antonie, all grown up, to save Royal from losing his ranch. It's not very believable but it has funny and sweet and loud moments that make it colorful.
( )

Fireworks indeed!

Antonie Ramirez is a heady combination of innocence and insight, wrapped up in a dangerously delectable parcel.
Welcome to deep, wide Texas where men are men and women are more than competent.
Honouring her dead father's wishes to repay Royal Bancroft for saving their lives, Antonie Ramirez enters the world of the Bancroft's like a Texan whirlwind. Royal finds himself in danger from outlaws trying to take his land over and from a young woman who confounds and attracts him in equal measure.
Sort of Zane Greyish with way more verve and romance, I really enjoyed this departure from the more typical western novel.

A NetGalley ARC ( )

Story set in the Southwest sometime not long after the Civil War. Antonie is an Anglo Saxon orphan who was raised by a notorious, but honorable Mexican bandit named Juan. Royal is the owner of a ranch and Juan felt he owed a debt to Royal for making him see, when Antonie was younger, that she needed to stay away from the seedier side of a man’s life. He’d also saved their lives. So when Juan dies he makes Antonio promise to help Royal save his ranch, knowing only that one of their neighbors is trying to ruin them. Seven years had passed, but neither Royal nor Antonie had forgotten about the other.

I’ve got the original version of this book that was released in 1988, released under the pen name of Sarah Dustin. This book has given me joy many times over the years and is one of just a handful of books that I still have decades after it was released. I wish a Kindle version was available as the pages are yellowed and dry.

What I really like is the humor that mostly comes out in conversations. Antonie in some ways is more ladylike than others we meet in the story, but she thinks like a man and is very capable when it comes to shooting, using a knife and her instincts for danger are excellent. Considering when this story originally came out, it was one of the first female kick butt characters encountered in a romance. But the words coming out of her mouth are sometimes shockingly honest. Tomas, one of the twins she grew up with, also adds a great deal of humor with his antics and philosophy.

It’s easy to love many of the secondary characters. The romance is there but there are a number of times when I’d just like to shake Royal. The antics, situations, characters, danger and humor definitely carry the story. ( )

I love Hannah Howell, and I did enjoy this book, but there was a whole lotta angst here that could have been avoided through more communication. I realize that's part of romance and drama in fiction, but in this case, every emotional separation between the two was because of not letting each other in on what was going on. It was too much. However, like I said, I did enjoy the book and I loved that characters. ( )