The Book: Outlaw's Kiss by Terri ValentineThe Particulars: Zebra Books, 1991, Out Of Print
The Blurb:
On her way to be reunited with her long-lost father, Serra was terrified by the masked, gun-wielding figure who'd held up an entire train to kidnap her. Yet his sapphire eyes shone with a familiar brilliance; and when she saw his chiseled features, she knew he was Ty Ramsey, a man she'd loved as a child when they'd met on the orphan train. She wondered why he'd abducted her and what he planned for her. Then his powerful arms dragged her against his had planed chest; and soon Serra felt his lips and hands silence all her questions.Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Even with my tendency to want to rescue Old School historical western romances from the used bookstore....no. No it's not.
Tyler Ramsey had returned to his old outlaw ways for one purpose to kidnap the flame-haired impostor bent on bilking Ty's adoptive father out of his fortune Oh, she'd been convincing enough, posing as a long-lost daughter, but Ty knew she was a lying thief! Then, after he dragged the amber-eyed beauty to his hideout, he was stunned to recognize his childhood love. He had to get to the bottom of her little game of deceit; but first he'd sate his simmering passion. And once he tasted her honey-sweet skin, he wouldn't stop until he'd made her completely his!
Any Reviews?: Uh, 1991. So, no. Not even Amazon "customer" reviews. I got nothing.
Anything Else?: I'm not one of those readers who laments about the "Good Old Days" of historical romance, but I do admit I have a soft spot for Old School westerns. Old School tropes are a bit more tolerable for me in that setting. Not sure why. Maybe because westerns are my favorite? Maybe because I'm inclined to be a tinch more forgiving of jackassery because of the lack of civilization during that time period? Not sure. Anyway....
Reading this back cover blurb is like a treasure trove of Old School western tropes. Innocent red-haired heroine discovering long lost family? Check. Mysterious gunslinger hero who thinks she's a lying ho? Check. Captive storyline? Check. Mention of an orphan train? Check. The only thing missing here is a salty old farm hand/wagon train cook/kindly grandfather-type who dispenses timely advice to either hero, heroine, or both. And honestly? That fella tends to not warrant a back cover mention.
Terri Valentine was fairly prolific in the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, and then nothing. But she apparently has done (is still doing?) some work as a writing instructor, and was (is?) a member of RWA.
And so marks the regular return of the Bat Cave's Random Romance Sunday feature. For those of you who actually enjoy these posts of random goodness - they're baaaaaaack.
6 comments:
I sort of feel the same way about pirates. Maybe Vikings. And 1991.
Hey, they were pirates. (Or Vikings.) They took captives and pillaged and stuff. But they had jewel-toned eyes.
Arr.
(But what's with the whacky inset taking the hero's ear off?)
Mmmmm....1991....
No, srsly, this looks like something I MUST HAVE READ at the time. How could I not? It practically has "15-year-old Carrie Stone, you will love this!" written in the blurb. But alas, I got nothing.
I likely haven't read this, but this is the kind of western that turned me off westerns.
I can only suspend my disbelief so far.
I can remember one that creeped me out because one of the bad guys was a pedophile and the heroine was a widowed mother of two and the bad guy wanted to rape the heroine's daughter. Someone also threatened to cut this same bad guy's penis off but for something unrelated to his unnatural lust for little girls.
Can't remember much else about it, except the fact the heroine was still nursing her two year old son. So there was a scene where her breasts were leaking and stained her blouse.
Thanks for the RRS fix - and combining Old Skool and Western at that!
Once again, I've never even heard of this author. Oddly enough, it does sound like an interesting read though.
Taryn: Yeah, I think I could roll with Old School Vikings as well. I mean, you don't expect Vikings to be politically correct! LOL
Carrie and Kristie: I didn't get plugged into the romance genre until 1999 - so I love hitting the Wayback Machine and discovering these "long lost" books/authors.
Jami: Yeah, the villains in Old School westerns tend to be WAY over-the-top. As in, one-dimensionally EVIL (all capital letters). Can't tell you how many I've read that feature a step-brother character who wants to rape the heroine into submission. Blergh.
Kath: You're welcome! Hopefully I'm getting back into somewhat of a groove :)
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