Cherished

by Jill Gregory

Elegant Julianna Montgomery flees a forced marriage only to have her would-be husband frame her for theft and put a price on her head. Captured by ruthless bounty hunter Cole Rawdon, Julianna is furious when Cole doesn’t believe her protestations of innocence. Betrayed early in life, Cole doesn’t believe in anything but his own deadly skill and speed with a gun. He trusts no one until Julianna’s beauty and spirit begins to touch his heart. As enemies converge around them, it will take all of Cole’s wits and skill to save Julianna. While they try to ward off danger, they're forced to face the most perilous question of all. Can they dare to believe in love?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Westerns, Historical

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 1992

About the author

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Jill Gregory is the award-winning author of more than thirty novels. Jill has been awarded the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence and her novels NEVER LOVE A COWBOY and COLD NIGHT, WARM STRANGER were honored with back-to-back Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice awards for Best Western Historical Romance.

Jill Gregory's novels have been translated and published in Japan, Russia, Norway, France, Taiwan, Sweden, Italy, and Germany. Jill grew up in Chicago and received her bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Illinois. She currently resides in Michigan with her husband.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong female heroine refusing to kowtow takes matters into her own hands determinedly going after what she wants and being thwarted by arrogant men.

[Sandra R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional writing. I felt like I was watching this western romance/adventure play out as a movie in my mind. Set in the 1870s, mostly in Arizona, it has cowboys, gunslingers, beautiful scenery, shoot-outs, blood, drama, bad guys, humour, a debutante in hiding and a bounty hunter hero. This is a classic romance, from the 80's I think and I loved it. There are a couple of steamy, yet tasteful sex scenes after a slow burn attraction. 5 stars for pure western entertainment. (Available as an ebook. I assume print copies are probably few and far between).

[Terryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading this book but only just know decided to write a review. Good read with plenty of action and romance. He is a bounty hunter and she is the wanted person even though she is innocent. How an unwanted arranged marriage ends up with her being on the run and accused of crimes she did not commit. He captures her but eventually realizes something is not right.

[addicted2romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the time I first read this many years ago, I loved it! Especially the male cover model.

[Yvonne Meier · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars captivating read, loved the story, the unexpected revelation at the end, the hard man, strong heroine, and great side characters, including romance and some spice.

[Beverly McCall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jill Gregory presents a delightful cowboy hero romance tale in Cherished and part of the Cowboy Heroes series. Set in 1873 in the Wild West, Jill Gregory introduces us to a strong cast of unforgettable characters in the western adventure romance. We meet the two protagonists, Julianna Montgomery and Cole Rawdon, two wounded and betrayed souls.
Juliana, a striking beauty is a pawn used by her Uncle an asset to negotiate with in an arranged marriage to a wealthy, but ruthless, land baron. As we learn more about Julianna we realize that she is on a quest to reconnect with her estranged brothers in Colorado. Realizing the hopelessness of her situation, Julianna jilts her betrothed. In a fit of rage, he puts a bounty on her head.
Enter Cole Rawdon, an expert bounty hunter, decides to take up this quest of capturing and cash in on the huge bounty. Rawdon, a victim of a cruel betrayal in his younger days has distanced himself from close and meaningful relationships with women. He fills that void by building his skill as a bounty hunter.
The plot of this story is one of intrigue, adventure and suspense. Each protagonist is emotionally wounded and scarred. As a means of self-preservation, they compensate by strengthening personal traits like will power, perseverance, cunning and determination. Each wants nothing more than a successful conclusion of their quests.
Gregory is masterful in the development of her characters and have several layers to their personalities. Through Gregory’s descriptive language and dialogue we get to know each protagonists and it is easy to start to root for them. To find out what becomes of these two protagonists, you must read this book.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like westerns- and romance together- this did not disappoint. The two main characters are well defined. Cole is good at what he does- a bounty hunter- when she runs away from an arranged marriage- she gets a bounty on her head. He is bound and determined to turn her in for the reward. Somewhere along the trail, he has a change of heart. She is a spirited young lady. I found the bear scene to be quite amusing. Good story, fun to read.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Yarn

With an HEA. I started reading and hours passed and before I realized it was nearly 5 a.m. Fast action and likable characters.

[AlexandraB95 · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author is not for me.I do not like her writing.