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Desire---and danger----come like a wildfire.

Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1991

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1451 people want to read

About the author

Linda Howard

223 books7,170 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.

Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews
Profile Image for Blacky *Romance Addict*.
496 reviews6,584 followers
March 25, 2015

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"Are you going to use the shotgun on me?" he taunted, leaning down so close that she could see the glittering depths of his eyes. "Then take your best shot, sweetheart, because I'll be back." She lashed out in retaliation. "You overestimate your charm. I'd always wonder what you really wanted, me or Angel Creek."
"Both, sweetheart," he said, and he crashed his mouth down onto hers.





This was a historical western, and it was like watching one of the old movies <3
I had huge fun and will definitely read the first book in the series :)



The story


Angel Creek is the best piece of land in that part of the country (don't ask me what THAT part is, I have no idea), and it's in the hands of Dee Swann, a single woman who is determined to keep it, because it gives her freedom, something not many women had in those days.
Lucas Cochran on the other hand, is determined to have Angel Creek, whatever it takes. After he meets Dee, he realises she's perfect for him, at least as a potential lover.
So he starts a seduction, to take the woman, and if possible, the land as well.


Well, the blurb was what got me to read this book, and the story didn't disappoint me. I loved it, the whole lone woman vs. tons of men who want to take her land, among them one that wants her as well.
There was a shock for me, with where the story went, I didn't see it coming but it brought drama to it and well, the main guy was a jerk at that part so I admit, I loved it <3




Dee and Lucas

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Lucas <3 I loved him <3
He is one of those alpha protective uber jerks, and since I love those, I couldn't help but feel the same for him <3
He owns the land on the other side of the mountain, and with the coming drought, he needs water that only Angel Creek has.
He meets Dee and knows he has to have her, so he sets his seduction ehehehehehe
I gotta say, I LOVED the part of the book when . <3 Uber swoon, he was so lovely <3
Then the big twist came and though I know why he did it, it was really REALLY horrible of him to do it, but I still loved him <3

Dee :D She was so fun to read, such a great character!
She's strong willed, says what's on her mind, and doesn't play games like the rest of the women do. That's what attracted her to Lucas, because both of them have such strong personalities that they wouldn't let one walk all over the other, and as a couple they work great :D
Again, after that twist, I really felt for Dee. If it was real life, I never would've forgiven him for what he did, but then this is a book and even with him being a jerk, Lucas is still uber swoony and protective (yes I know I said it already but it bears repeating because he is just that good!).




Overall

The story - check
The romance - check
Jerkish protective hero - check
Awesome western feel - check

So yeah, lots of checking because I enjoyed it all :) Loved both Dee and Lucas, though maybe not the whole drama at the ending but that was a minor thing :)
Oh and there was another romance here, Olivia and Luis :) they were really lovely and I enjoyed reading about them as well :)


If you love to read westerns, give this a shot. Hell, give it a shot even if you don't because it's a great story :)

Profile Image for peachygirl.
299 reviews873 followers
July 9, 2024
Lucas was a dick. Controlling, manipulative and a cheating jerk. Pompous too. I don't see how a woman as strong as Dee could have fallen for him.
Olivia's love story was such a respite to read. Luis especially. Although, I liked him better with Celia in the first book. Damn that stupid horse!!!
Tillie's story was not as good. I skimmed through most of that part.
This was the first LH's book that left me totally unimpressed :/
Profile Image for WhiskeyintheJar.
1,521 reviews693 followers
February 10, 2017
3.5 stars

I read this for the Interracial Couple for Romance Bingo and my Series Headway selection.

This book had three couples, with Dee and Lucas having about 50% of the spotlight, Olivia and Luis with 40%, and Tillie and Kyle sneaking away with about 10%.
This story kind of delighted me.

He wasn't a raw kid who felt the need to boast about his women in order to impress others with his masculinity. For another thing, damn if he didn't respect her for what she had accomplished out there. It had taken a lot of hard work, but she hadn't flinched from it, rather had risen to the challenge and gloried in it. The pristine condition of the farm was a true measure of her fierce spirit.

Dee was a strong awesome heroine who probably had a smidgen too much '90s heroine stubbornness to her but trust me, you will love her backbone and will. The way Lucas was attracted to Dee's personality made my face hurt from grinning, but he also had a bit of '90s hero alpha "listen here, little woman." to him. However, when he pulled an alpha-hole move, he learned from it, felt bad, and either corrected it or never made the same mistake again because he saw how it affected Dee and that changed his perspective. Which since this takes place in the mid-1800s I'll give him historical gender role lee-ways.

Desire mingled sharply with anger until she wondered if they weren't the same thing after all.

These two were such cats on a hot tin roof. They bicker and straight up fight but there was also a thread of exasperation that leaned toward humor, teasing, and affection that saved it from feeling mean or hateful.

He felt like banging his head against the wall in frustration, and then suddenly he laughed, because he hoped she would be driving him crazy like that for the rest of his life. Maybe he was already crazy, because he could swear he'd seen a glint of amusement in those witch-green eyes. She loved making him lose control.

Dee and Lucas internally declare love pretty quickly, which I think was forced because of the other couples taking up some room. Olivia, who is Dee's bestfriend, and I'm going to interrupt myself here to give a huge thank-you to the author for portraying not only two women pretty far apart on a societal dictated femininity scale as both kind, passionate, and courageous but also showcased their caring friendship. Anyway, Olivia the rich banker's angel daughter and Luis the Mexican drifter gunman had a swift romance that also managed to make me happy for them. Olivia leaned a bit too heavily on the naive innocent '90s virgin and Luis (I kind of want a novella of Luis' lifestory before he met Olivia) leaned a bit older worldly man sort of being patient and sort of manipulating, not manipulating? her into a sexual relationship. If you hadn't realized this book was published in the '90s,hence the '90s feel but I still think it has aged well. The last couple easily could have been brushed away by cardboard cutout tropism but Howard gives just enough backstory and heart to Tillie the smart and caring prostitute and Kyle the good-looking villain to give them depth and have you caring about them.

This older published book was a wonderful surprise. This started a little slow but all the couples added to the story in their own way and even though the romances felt rushed, I still enjoyed them. Dee and Lucas' feisty, passionate, teasing, snappy, and strong relationship was fun to read.

"God, you're stubborn."
"I know," she said placidly, the words muffled because her face was against his chest. "As stubborn as you."
Profile Image for Vintage.
2,714 reviews719 followers
July 2, 2017
Audio

Yum. I really, really liked this. 3.5

I loved the heroine, Dee, as she was smart, spunky and defines independence as something she needs as opposed to something she wants to prove. She owns what she and all the lusting ranchers that surround her consider a little piece of heaven, a small valley with a clear and never-ending water source hence the name Angel Creek. When I say the ranchers and men are lusting it's as much for Angel Creek as a woman alone. She wants none of them and keeps them all away with her handy dandy shotgun. I wanted to tell her she needed an alarm dog like in Beautiful Bad Man or at least an alarm goose The Friendly Persuasion, but nobody listened. Dee has completely in tune to her little valley and is willing to be alone in order to keep it.

Lucas, a neighboring rancher, and wannabe Colorado kingmaker comes back to town, and falls for Dee. He initially has he eyes on Olivia, the town sweetheart, but falls in lust over Dee. Lucas is a little gross at first as he just wants to bed Dee, but once he gets to know her he can't and won't dishonor her or Olivia. Lucas is an OTT beyond alpha, bossy hero who wants Angel Creek for the water source as much as he wants Dee for his woman. She adores the fatheaded cowboy, but wants her independence as much as she loves him. A crisis generated over a drought and the need to feed the cattle brings things to a head in a dramatic shootout, and then Lucas does something unforgivable. No, not cheating, but he betrays Dee nonetheless.

I enjoyed the fallout of his actions and Dee's subsequent response. No spoilers here as it's fun to read what a female character will do when she feels strongly about what is right and wrong for her life without considering a male presence in her life. After all the romances where women, especially contemporary women, fall like lemmings, it's nice to see a female character be so strong.

There is a nice secondary romance with Olivia and a hunky and tall Mexican gunslinger. Both romances are, hmmmm, STEAMY!

Warning: The initial sex scene between Dee and Lucas is very forceful for lack of a better word. It's not rape, but no is not a word he will consider hearing from Dee as he knows she wants him almost as much he wants her.

Profile Image for Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves.
1,458 reviews18 followers
July 19, 2017
A very, very satisfying read. Simple, predictable plotline with sufficient emotional fulfillment and lotsa sex of the soft porn variety. Uber Alpha wild west cowboys with sweet virginal girls (almost).Yes, made me one happy woman. And if you are the kinds always looking for bargain buys, then this is definitely the book for you as it has not one or two but almost three romantic couplings going on, none infringing on the other’s fun or importance and very satisfying on their own. First time I truly enjoyed secondary romances. I think I’ve found another favorite author.

*Some spoilers alert*

The story is set in 19th century Colorado. The h, Dee is an independent sorts, farming and protecting her fertile valley, Angel Creek on her own. This valley is coveted by two of her neighbors (the H n the bad guy) for its water source. Both offer to marry her to get the valley but she refuses both of them, shotgun in hand. The H being more persistent at least gets into her bed!
Btw these two guys also think that the banker’s sweet biddable daughter Olivia (Dee’s bff) actually would make a more suitable wife. But Olivia being not as biddable as she seems has other ideas and she finds the local Mexican drifter exciting enough to lose her inhibitions and also her shirt with, occasionally. Then there is Tillie, the local whore with more heart n chutzpah than most. Now Tillie and Kyle (the bad guy) also share an interesting past and present. So I don’t know whose story I enjoyed most but I loved this book.
Add a protracted gunfight with the kickass h in the middle, some heroic things and stupid things men do, nursing loved ones to health, sex all around, a wedding…but wait, it doesn’t just end there.
The H does something completely shocking n unforgivable. His reasoning for doing it was understandable but he was too arrogant to see to how it would affect the h, who is totally devastated. And we get some heart-wrenching angst before all is well in Angel Creek again.

Profile Image for Emiliya Bozhilova.
1,914 reviews380 followers
September 26, 2022
Старата школа се среща със захарницата. Резултатът не е особено сполучлив, макар да си има приятните моменти.

Една жена с един парцел земя, който е водоносен, е обект на интерес от страна на всички собственици на ранчо околовръст нейде из дивия запад. Такава добра земя рядко се среща, лошото е че върви с момичето. Накрая тя си намира майстора, който даже успя да врътне (буквално) кранчето на парцела и да го обезцени до нула. Не звучи кой знае колко романтично, но си има забавните и приятни моменти. Най-малкото, липсва пълната предвидимост, типична за много други авторки.

Баба Линда обаче е прекалила с невероятностите. 6 години сама жена в миньорско градче неизвестно къде на картата, не общува с никого, изхранва се само с градината си и държи кандидатите за парцела настрани само с един стар пищов? Пълен абсурд, даже за любовен роман. На всичкото отгоре е и излишно вироглава и изобщо не умее да разсъждава разумно. А нашият човек накрая иска да я компенсира, като и припише своето ранчо? Още един пълен абсурд.

В сюжета дразнещо се мотаят още две двойки. Едната е ненужна и скучна (направо християнски романс, ужас). Другата е интересна, но пък не и е отделено никакво внимание. И - жена да продължи да бъде проститутка 10 години само защото нещо леко не се е сработвала с богатия татко, ама иначе много си го обича…от разстояние? Поредният изумителен абсурд.

В този случай баба Линда явно не е могла да реши кой пазарен сегмент читателки да цели, и здраво се е оплела в абсурди. Но пък на моменти е забавно.

2,5⭐️

П.П. Най-смешното е, че и лобителките на захарницата и християнските (?!) романтични ценности хич не са я харесали. За тях пък и малкото изкривени отблясъци реализъм са им съсипали анимацията. Хайде сега, целувката не е изневяра. Специално нея баба Линда отлично я е описала, който е разбрал сценката - разбрал.
Profile Image for Serial Romance Librarian.
1,187 reviews297 followers
June 19, 2021
*** Book Q & A***

* How did the book make you feel?: I’m an outlier here, but I loved this book.
* How do you feel about how the story was told?: I loved the Colorado mountains setting and the characters in the small town. This story revolves around 3 couples with the focus on Dee and Lucas. The parallel stories didn’t annoy me like they sometimes do in other romances. They didn’t distract from the primary romance, but they were sweet.
* What did you think about the main characters?: I loved Dee’s pragmatism and brutal honesty. I’d categorize Lucas as an anti-hero. He seduces Dee with no intentions of marrying her and he does something despicable to her near the end, but most of his actions point to his love of her, so it’s an interesting dichotomy. Their chemistry was hot.
* Which parts of the book stood out to you?: I loved the way Lucas dropped everything and cared for Dee when she was hurt twice.
* What themes/tropes did you detect in the story?: cowboys and mistress-turned-wife, ulterior motives in relationship, using sex as manipulation
* What did you think about the ending?: I enjoyed the HEA with epilogue
* What is your impression of the author?: long-time fan

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jena .
2,313 reviews2 followers
October 8, 2023
Self note
- h is a plain, mannish spinster, not beautiful. She’s smart, strong, and can work her farm without any help. These days I don’t particularly like mannish heroines.
She could’ve been pretty, but she down plays her looks with mannish clothes and scrapped back hairstyles.
H does find her attractive, even though at their first meeting he barely looked at her, he doesn’t even remember meeting her before. He is actually intent on marrying her beautiful bestfriend in the beginning.
Author does a great job of manufacturing attraction from their 2nd meeting on.

- Although I don’t remember this scene when I read this 10 plus years ago, apparently the H cheats after having sex with the h.
He kisses another woman, because the ow was SO beautiful.

Roksana has all the details and quotes from the book. I would call this scene cheating these days. I guess I was more lax back in the day…https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Profile Image for Summer.
72 reviews
April 4, 2015
Need your Uber Alpha Male fix? Well look no further because this IS the book! Linda Howard knows how to write them.
Lucas is arrogant, domineering and knows what he wants. He meets his match in Dee who is no simpering or tstl heroine. She is independent and strong. Sparks fly between these two and the oh boy the love scenes are hot!
I now off to look for my next fix - who's going to live up to Lucas?
Profile Image for Naksed.
2,220 reviews
June 25, 2024
Very thin story with a lot of info dumps to sum up paper thin characters, instead of letting the story organically unfold itself slowly but surely. One of the rare LH books that lost my interest. At her most infuriating, she is still an author who draws you in and keeps you turning the pages. I don't know what happened to this one but it seemed like she was phoning it in.I couldn't care less about what would happen to the numerous "romantic" couples so I DNF a little after the halfway mark
Profile Image for MBR.
1,381 reviews365 followers
January 31, 2011
3.75 Stars American-Western Romance

This story takes place in the town of Proper in Colorado. Lucas Cochran upon the death of his father is the new owner of the Big Double C ranch which he has high hopes and big dreams of turning into an empire one day. One of the things that stands in his way and one of his many contentions with his father when he had been alive had been the issue of buying the land through which Angel Creek the most abundant source of water that ran through the surrounding mountains into the valleys. Lucas, a hard man who does not budge once he has made a decision has mapped out his life to the extent that he has decided on the woman whom he would marry, Olivia Milican, the daughter of the town’s only banker in order to take his life along the path he had chosen. What Lucas hadn’t counted on is the desire to claim and posses that unfurls and rages out of control as soon as he meets the Dee Swann, the feisty owner of the land through which Angel Creek runs.

Dee, whose parents had moved to Prosper when she had been a fourteen year old school girl had only known of Lucas in passing. Eight years older than Dee, Lucas had already been a grown man and had left Prosper shortly after she and her family had arrived and settled down. Life had thrown its fair share of tragedies at Dee when Dee’s mother who had been a school teacher had died when she had been at the age of sixteen closely followed by the death of her father when she had barely turned eighteen. At first the sheer aloneness which she had found herself in had frightened her to no end. But Dee, a passionate and strong woman had quickly learnt to safeguard what’s hers and take care of herself by growing a garden of vegetables which saw her through the year. Men turning up with offers to buy out her land wasn’t something new for Dee, but the strong tug she feels towards blue-eyed Lucas Cochran is something she had never ever felt before.

With two people who are as strong-minded as these two, coming together is an explosion that is waiting to happen which Linda Howard as always handles superbly. I swear, Linda Howard writes the hottest love scenes, sometimes much racier than the most explicit erotica, racier in the sense that you feel more whilst reading these scenes than you feel when reading erotica that is done not so tastefully.

Full review: http://bit.ly/9M2MuC
Profile Image for Becky .
195 reviews170 followers
November 12, 2014
I really enjoyed this audiobook. Betrayal was awful but the penance was good. Somehow the forced sex scene bothered me less here than in A Lady of the West. Although he never really feels badly about putting her very safety at risk. Maybe because he plans to protect her.. In Lady, it seemed more like heroine was being used and Jake's pursuit was part of that plan. Here, although Lucas wanted Dee's land, you could really see him caring for her and wanting her for herself. Also he doesn't hit her, and comes to value her as an independent person. So definitely better than Lady of the West on both those fronts! I loved heroine's taking charge and not falling to dependence. And believed the way Lucas had his light bulb moment, actually transformed and repents.
Profile Image for Cristina.
122 reviews7 followers
September 3, 2024
Me ha parecido muy entretenido y fácil de leer. Pero si le pongo alguna pega me ha parecido superficial. Hay 3 historias. Y todas me han gustado pero la principal me ha parecido que era todo pasión no sé en qué momento se han enamorado, porque me lo dicen porque si no yo lo único que veía era deseo. Hay escenas muy pasionales tanto de la pareja principal como de la secundaria. Está autora en las escenas de sexo es una maestra tanto que me dan calores.
En La historia secundaria sale Luis que ya salía en una dama del oeste es lo único que tiene en común con ese libro y Me alegro que en este libro tenga su final feliz. En este libro comparado con el anterior no hay tanto drama y es mucho más ameno. Los personajes son todos buenos. Es más un libro de choque de voluntades. Ese es el conflicto principal.

Y en fin le doy entre 3.5 y 4 redondeando a 4 porque se me ha hecho muy fácil de leer y muy entretenido. Pero si buscáis una historia que tenga algo más que pasión quizás os decepcione.
Profile Image for Kathleen.
1,375 reviews28 followers
August 13, 2016
Western American erotic romance, set in 1876, when Colorado became a state, a decade after the Civil War. Dated. Old-style bodice ripper. I didn't much like the supposed hero, Lucas Cochran. He nearly raped Dee that first time. Came across as an inconsiderate idiotic ass. Heroine was brave but selfish and so stupid, as explained below. Major plot contrivance set the premise for the land conflict, as further described below.

The book is dark. Too much rage from Lucas, at various points across the entire book. Not enough joy or laughter. Few uplifting scenes. Too much passive telling. What dialogue there is feels heavy: often sad or angry, filled with tension, hostility, angst, and bitter swearing.

The heroine (Dee Swann) was pretty dense and selfish. As the owner of a small but fertile green valley, Dee has the only water source (Angel Creek), but here's the kicker — she only needs water for her garden, plus a few chickens and cows. When a drought threatens, local ranchers are desperately worried about their herds. They ask for (and eventually demand) access to her valley. Instead of immediately offering a win-win deal to let them graze for a fee, she continually rebuffs them with a shotgun. Their herds are dying. What did she think would happen? (And why didn't Lucas see it coming, too, and warn her.)

Lucas. Sigh. Illogical, flawed (stooopid) premise for what he did to Dee's Creek. He should have known better. Just goes to show how little he understood Dee. Insensitive, selfish, arrogant clod.

Too much sex, what with three (3) romancing couples. The main couple (Lucas and Dee) were the least interesting to me. Kyle and Tillie had more texture. Olivia and Luis were also interesting, but they added too much to the book's sexual content, which was already too high for my taste.

Some parts of the story were good, like when Tillie and Dee rode up the mountain to accomplish a key objective. I liked the friendship between Dee and Olivia. Vivid and bloody shoot-out scene.

Absurd plot contrivance: Impossible to believe that old man Cochran settled his Double C ranch on dry, waterless ground, when he had the pick of the land, being the first white man to settle in the area. Any idiot would select the fertile valley around Angel Creek. Wily old Cochran then became one of the most successful ranchers in the newly forming state, despite his dry ranch. These aspects of the story totally jarred.

I have read just about everything Howard wrote. Liked most of them, but sometimes her heroes are unbearable.
123 reviews23 followers
February 8, 2017
I normally enjoy Linda Howard's books, but this one didn't work for me.

I enjoy her writing. It didn't bother me that the first three chapters were long biographies about the three main characters. The rest of the book is mainly told through the characters' internal thoughts, with relatively little dialogue and action.

I disliked two things.

The hero, Luke. He meets the heroine and wants to have sex with her, despite planning to marry a different woman. When she resists, he says something like "I'll be back and there's no doubt you'll lay on your back and spread your legs for me". Not only is it terribly crass, but he seems to have no concern for her future.

In those days, an unmarried woman was ruined if she had sex. As the heroine lived alone, she would have become a target for every lecher around. No one would have felt an obligation to defend her, because she'd have been branded a slut.

To me, it was unacceptable for the hero to put his own lust before any other consideration.

Secondly, the first half of the book is pretty much chock-a-block sex scenes, with the two men in the story seducing the two women. I don't mind sex scenes, but here they were repetitive and boring and I ended up skipping a lot.

In the second half, the action picked up and things got more interesting.
Profile Image for Nuria Llop.
Author 15 books122 followers
March 9, 2015
Típica novela romántica ambientada en el Oeste americano, con la particularidad de que mezcla tres historias de amor, las tres distintas y bien dibujadas, con personajes de personalidades distintas. Es difícil no sentirse atrapada por alguna de las tres historias, lo que hace que la lectura sea amena. Contribuye a ello el impecable estilo narrativo de Linda Howard. La novela no aporta originalidad, pero la recomiendo a las que os gustan las historias del Oeste. Quizá cae en muchos tópicos en cuanto a situaciones, pero hay que tener en cuenta que el original es del 1991. En resumen, un clásico de la romántica del Oeste, bien narrada y bien desarrollada.
Profile Image for Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels).
1,283 reviews1,709 followers
May 16, 2025
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 (I wanted a bit more background on the hero and his ranch)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 (plus another for the side characters)
Humor: A touch
Perspective: third person from both hero and heroine, also some from side characters Olivia and Kyle and Luis
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: It takes just a little bit – page 44 of 433 (chapter 2 of 23)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever
Epilogue: Yes, it’s brief and kind of a summary of their lives together (this many
Format: read a paperback from the library
Why I chose this book: it was recommended on a cowboy post in our vintage HR group and I wanted to give it a try!
Mains: This is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine
(Descriptions found at end of my review)

Should I read in order?
This is book 2 of Howard’s Western Ladies series but I think it’s fine alone. I can’t see how the series is connected – if you know please feel free to let me know!

Basic plot:
Dee has her farm and independence – but when Lucas comes to town he wants her farm...and her.

Give this a try if you want:
- you’ll have to be okay with some elements of colonization (it’s an American Western – brief mention of ‘Indian’ tribes, but overall no page time with conflict) and thought processes of characters – both our mains are homesteaders in Colorado in the post gold rush era in America and very defensive of their land. There’s also non-consensual and dubious consent elements here.
- Prosper, Colorado setting
- post gold rush – didn’t peg an exact year but would guess 1860s/70s or so?
- small town
- prodigal hero returns (10 years away)
- farmer heroine
- rancher hero
- he pursues
- enemies to lovers elements
- medium steam – 3ish full scenes between the mains, plus one from the secondary romance

Ages:
- heroine is 19, didn’t catch hero but would guess mid to late 20s at least

First line:
Lucas Cochran had been back in town for almost a month, but it still amazed him how much the little town of Prosper had lived up to its name.

My thoughts:
This was my first Howard – if I ever saw her mentioned, her books never really intrigued me so I always bypassed them. But I saw her mentioned on one of our ‘cowboy’ posts in our Vintage Romance group and I thought I’d give it a try.

And I was glad I did! I really liked so much about this book and liked her writing – I would definitely read more of her. This book took me by surprise in some good ways – I had low expectations for it. So the sex was steamier than I was thinking it would be. I liked the characters (mostly) but really loved the heroine. She was so bad ass and independent and I loved how she stood up to Lucas. I liked Lucas but oh he’s also such an arrogant jerk. And he does something towards the end of the story that I really despised but I ended up liking the way it was handled and I liked the self reflection the hero had (I think if he didn’t have that it would have tanked the rating for me a bit).

I loved that this was pretty character focused and not a ton of dramatic plot events – this is why I tend to not pick up a lot of westerns because I think of them as really busy with gun fights and not getting to know the characters as well – but this one proved me wrong.

Biggest complaints are the hero says ‘shut up’, calls her a ‘damn idiot’ and says ‘damn you’ to the heroine – I see this in quite a few older romances and I always despise it.


Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my frist
Average rating from me: 4 stars
Favorite book: This one by default

Quotes any typos are my own! I am bad with typos, I apologize


Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.


Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story: I consider the mains of the story Lucas and Dee but there’s scenes between some side characters


Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
Profile Image for Zeek.
920 reviews149 followers
September 9, 2016
Upon re-read I found I enjoyed this one more than I did the first time so long ago…

Dee Swan has held onto her families homestead on Angel Creek- despite the fact since her father’s passing, she’s the only one left. But she’s okay with that. In fact she and the farm are thriving.

The piece of land she sits on however is valuable for it’s source of water- and people are taking notice that she’s the only one stopping them from getting to it.

Still she’s determined that no man is going to own it- or her. And she protects that vow, even when the hard to resist Lucas Cochran comes back to town setting his sights on Angel Creek.

I loved this heroine. She didn’t need a man, in fact preferred her life without one. Her livelihood is her homestead and she made it succeed. Yet, when desire and connection enters her door in the form of a man- she doesn’t say no. I like this because she accepts him on her terms- not society's.

Now Lucas? Some of you- probably most of you- are going to have a problem with him. He’s as strong as she is and he uses his force of will- and sometimes just force- to get what he wants. But he’s not an ignorant bully like the other man who wanted her land. (Lucas’s courting of Dee’s friend in the beginning proved this.)

However, Here’s my caution. Dee and Lucas’s first coming together is for sure a “forced seduction”. (The hardest scene is him dragging her into the house by her collar at one point ::wince::.) But immediately after, he manages to pleasure her like no other. This is because Lucas also got her. He knew he had to scale some walls to make a connection with her, he even reveled in that fact, and he did just that. In the end, it was indeed what she wanted too. In RL would I be okay with this? Oh hell no. But in this fantasy, because I knew he would never go further thereby making him unpredictable as well as safe? Yeah, I’m good with it.

I think my old age and independence made me appreciate this one more than the first time I read it. Either that or like Lucas, I was just in the mood for a challenge.  Either way I’m upgrading my rating on this from a 3 to a 4.
Profile Image for kookyquinn.
487 reviews49 followers
October 24, 2019
Finally another good one from Linda Howard. I had thought after the last two being "not for me" I'd read all there was by her I'd like. This one was great and despite the other reviews saying there was "cheating" there isn't. The hero is kind to the "town whore" and kisses her. It wasn't a "I want to get into your pants" or "I'm not happy with the heroine" kiss it was a "you are a beautiful PERSON" and "thank you" kiss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Widhy Pratiwie.
127 reviews5 followers
July 30, 2011
setelah orang tuanya meninggal berturut2,,dee swann memutuskan untuk tinggal di angel creek,,,lembah subur yang membuatnya punya alasan untuk bertahan hidup...walaupun untuk itu ia harus menghadapi org2 yang menginginkan tanah sekaligus tubuhnya...

dengan berbekal senapannya,,dee berhasil mengusir org2 tersebut sampai suatu hari Lucas Cochran (pemilik Double C,ranch terbesar di prosper)...datang untuk membeli tanahnya..

Lucas sangat terkejut karena pemilik dan pengelola angel creek ternyata hanya seorg wanita,,,dan ketika melihat dee,,,jiwa protektifnya muncul,,ia bertekad untuk memiliki Lembah tersebut sekaligus pemiliknya..

Usaha Lucas kali ini sungguh tak mudah,,,karena akhirnya ia memiliki lawan yang sebanding [image error] ... dibalik tubuhnya yang mungil,,,dee memiliki tekad sekuat baja [image error]

suatu hari dee mengalami kecelakaan yang membuatnya tak mampu melakukan apapun,,,dan beruntunglah saat itu lucas datang berkunjung...
melihat keadaan dee, amarah lucas hampir meledak karena khawatir tapi ia menahannya karena saat itu yang dibutuhkan dee adalah perawatan..

dengan telaten lucas merawat dee meskipun awalnya dee menolak mati2an, risih tubuhnya diraba2 untuk melihat seberapa parah lukanya dan akhirnya ditelanjangi,,, [image error] tapi apalah daya...lucas bukan lawan sebanding saat ia lemah [image error]

saat dee hampir sembuh,,ia mengusir lucas pergi karena menurutnya Lucas tidak baik untuk kesehatan jiwanya (padahal dia mulai suka ma lucas,,,tapi gak mau ngaku [image error] )dan lagi2 mereka perang mulut dan malah berakhir di ranjang [image error] )

percekcokan terus terjadi karena masing2 dari mereka terus mempertahankan argumennya,,,dee dengan tekad melindungi angel creek dan lucas dengan tekad melindungi dee dengan cara membawanya pergi dari angel creek...lucas bahkan sempat menawarkan pernikahan (rada terprovokasi juga sih saat dee blg bellamy sempat menawarkan pernikahan demi memiliki angel creek [image error] ) yang tentu saja DITOLAK dee (gila aja,,,masa nikah demi tanah bukan demi cinta [image error] )

hingga suatu hari,,apa yang menjadi kekhawatiran lucas terjadi,,,bellamy yang sudah putus asa karena ternak2nya hampir mati memutuskan untuk membawa ternak tersebut ke angel creek tanpa seizin dee..

dan bukan dee namanya kalo gak mempertahankan apa yang menjadi miliknya..dengan sekuad tenaga dee mencoba menghalau kawanan bellamy dengan senapannya..dan akhirnya malah terjadi peperangan...

Lucas fronteras,,salah satu org bellamy,,,tak tega melihat wanita diserang sendirian dan berbalik untuk meminta bantuan ke kota. tapi tak seorangpun yang bersedia menolongnya sampai tillie ("penjaga Bar" prosper ) menawarkan diri untuk menghubungi lucas...

tekad sekuad baja dee lama2 surut dan disaat ia hampir mencapai batas ketahannanya lucas menemukannya dengan bergelimpangan darah [image error]

melihat kondisi dee,,membuat jantung lucas hampir berhenti,,,dan seketika amarahnya meledak untuk org yang telah membuat dee seperti itu..

Lucas memukuli Bellamy dengan membabi buta,,,dan bellamy yang sadar dirinya salah tak membalas pukulan lucas,,hanya mencoba menahannya... yang tentu saja gak ada gunanya...secara lucas ngamuknya kaya banteng rodeo dan bellamy dibikin gak berbentuk [image error] [image error]

setelah kejadian itu...dee tak sadarkan diri selama berhari-hari,,,dan apa yang dilakukan lucas demi keselamatan dee sugguh frontal...mengambil apa yang berharga untuk dee...

saat dee sadar dan tau apa yang dilakukan lucas, dee benar2 marah hingga membuatnya mati rasa... meskipun begitu ia tetap bertahan hidup dengan tanpa bantuan lucas,,, [image error] sedih bgt waktu lucas ngeliat dee mendatangi toko satu2 untuk meminta pekerjaan)

melihat mirisnya keadaan dee dan tekadnya untuk mengabaikan lucas,,,membuat Lucas sadar apa yang sebenarnya ia inginkan,,,

dan saat ia datang kembali dengan merendahkan diri serendah-rendahnya...sanggupkah dee memaafkan dan menrimanya kembali????

buat penggemar romance,,recomended dehhh,,,dan setelah dibaca2 settingnya kayanya tahun 1800an jadi termasuk historical gitu... dan seperti kebanyakan karakter di HR dee ternyata masih "V" lho .... [image error]

muach...muach..muachh bgt buat Lucas,,,demi cinta dia sanggup merendahkan dirinya [image error]






This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Christie«SHBBblogger».
988 reviews1,303 followers
February 12, 2012
This was definitely one of Linda Howard's oldie but goodies! I have been reading some of her older books lately because I've pretty much already gone through all her newer ones and I love her so much. Since her older ones were written in the 80's, some of them have not withstood the test of time and when re-read today are a little dated. But...this is NOT one of them. I'm happy to say that this is just as good as some of her more recent novels. The h was spunky and independent (maybe a tad too stubborn about it though). She wasn't a man hater exactly but was so fiercely independent that she didn't want or need a man in her life. She lives alone on her own patch of land called angel creek where the water is plentiful and the soil is rich. She lives off her land and the few animals she keeps for food.Then suddenly there is a terrible dry spell and her land is only area in town that has plenty of water because of the creek running through. So she gets a marriage proposal and lots of riff raff trying to scare her off or get her to sell and move away. But she is one tough lady and stands her ground. Then comes along the H who decides to stop by and see if he can get her to sell. He has a large ranch bordering her land and could really use her water in case his runs low. So...long story short, comes over and right away he is intrigued and impressed. He sets his mind on getting her from day one and it's really sweet to see how determined he is in the beginning just to get her to sleep with him and hopefully get her land and then she completely captivates him and he can't stay away. They had amazing chemistry since they had very strong, intelligent personalities and I think they went so well together. He is very sweet and caring with her as well. I love the scenes where he takes care of her when she is sick and injured. I am putting this book on my list of books to keep on my bookshelf because I would easily re-read it in the future.
Profile Image for Jane Stewart.
2,462 reviews964 followers
June 14, 2017
Predictable, but enjoyable. Characters were good.

The heroine Dee was a strong independent woman who was fun to read about.

I enjoyed the audiobook more than the paperback. The audiobook narrator Natalie Ross made it better.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 245 pages. Swearing language: Jesus and damn used maybe once each. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: about eleven. Setting: about 1866, small town called Prosper, Colorado. Copyright: 1991. Genre: western historical romance.
Profile Image for Rbeey.
52 reviews97 followers
December 3, 2010
I read a Reviewers review : Defy Not the Heart by Johanna Lindsay so in turn it bought me back to. Linda Howard’s Angel Creek I read the book but feel head over heels in *love* with the audio version.

With Ms. Howard’s story >*Angel Creek*< it pulled me in. I was there I had emotions & feelings that interact with those that were involved in the Read. This story fed my cravings for what my taste called for. a delicacy that’s became mine own acquired taste on my tongue. The kind of love & passion my heart does yearn.

I think she has a pleasing & tasty way through her work of feeding U some good stick ta ya rib cuisine. I like to call it filet mignon with potatoes whereby the same token having U huger for a moiré..! Dee/heroine in Angel Creek for she was a spit fiery woman

she didn’t apolized about it, her passion shine & burn through her witch eyes it drawed in any red-blooded virile man too, but there was a soft vulnerable side to her.

For I can truly can say it’s not a good feeling to bury a parent U see I unexpectedly found my Mother dead it was an ordeal I never thought I’d face.(2 yrs now) This kind of pain hurts way down to the bone it's not one U gets over easy or could be taken likely.

.Maybe if Ms.Howard would gave more food for though in word upon the Romance pages would it really allow the Reader to see into the heart of the Heroine?
Most average people can read about certain tragedies but does it penetrate the Readers heart?
Does it deeply touch them or it Only effect them if it's someone they care about?

Another author that work that does penetrate ones heart deeply is Catherine Anderson. She rocked it out with *Annie's Song*..wowweee U felt Annie's pain) I think Dee needed the healing power of Love as well.

Dee didn’t have time to lie down & die. That inner strength she may have inherited sprang upward like an endless fountain. Yes indeed,she's a Woman I consider of great substance. Dee definitely was an independent trying to single handedly holds the fort down.

I consider Dee a strong willed breed woman ,as was the Hero Lucas Cochran all alpha breed. Dee character is what I truly L@@k for a special kind of traits that's apart of the DNA one of my favorite heroines DNA carries.In so being qualifies her to be.. A full fledge Sheroooo!

With that being said the book Defy Not the Heart seems to have similarities as well…hmmmm.
I found Dee to be the most endearing Heroine.
She was that diamond in the rough.
Literally speaking ((giggle)) given because of the setting or Western era.

During that time I encountered folk to be superstitious, I thought some thought that there was a mysterious aura that surround the heroine, a striking young woman with the witch green eyes but I thought she in all her way exudes that personification; an undiscovered Jewel that was looked over, belittled or pushed aside & not appreciated for neither her beauty nor her great value. From head to toe all around, a living breathing liberated Woman.

It makes me think about others/heroines of her nature back then where they were who they were or were R they...helloo Romance Writers out there.

Frankly speaking I am in utterly orgasmic Awe, when I read about such great women of this time. U dag blasted blue blazzin’ Right by all means, it’s safe to say my interest & appetite is peaked Evidently on my part being a hopeless Romantic I for one always crave want to feed this insatiable huger for more Reads especially of such heroine greats !
In a time when...helloooooo women did not have a voice!

I’ am honored Time after time when I lovingly go back reread Angel Creek especially“Sarah’s Child” my forever Love**It’s with the utmost greatest of pleasure to revisit these 2 considering there R a lot of Ms.Howard I’m gifted to enjoy for my reading pleasure thereby I have the Right moreless the privilege to my choosing .

A colorful array of a humongous amount of Fabulous Reads to pick from past, present time even now!
Dee one of my many, many favorite heroines to choose from collection of Linda Howard’s greats.

Dee is one of those amazing women to behold also of her time with unique strengths &gianamorous courage ta boot! In my opinion it would not have matter if her Happy Ever After ended with her bare foot & pregnant included a house filled with kids.nope, no Dee paid her dues earned her right pound for pound in flesh the weight in Gold her blood.

Rightly soooo deserving with any Woman I can see in Past & Present time NOW has every right to follow their dreams, life’s love & passion. Go for it let it do what it do!I Felt extremely deeply touched by her life situation within her story.
I saw her harsh labored sweat& ever single tear shed also she cried down through the years.

Even though Dee doesnt wear her heart on her sleeves (some probably would have called her a whiner or spineless woman.) I dont know why but it seems in society it's still a taboo for a woman to complain about how she feels..hmmm..women R human too!

Within the book I felt comprehend that proverbial image of the pink elephant with poke-a-dots pass by ever so often to let me know it was awful for Dee..sigh*
I saw did as I would see other women as well as me Free spirits whether by my own choosing in the world.

If she decided to become or was a sheep herder or started her on Circus I’d be cheering her on ‘U go for it sister friend cause she’s one of my most favorites of heroine, my Shero!

Lastly I loved Lucas Cochran the hero a hard lovin’ & powerful passionate man. Now that’s my kinda man. Much kudos to Linda Howard for killin’ the pages.

ANGEL CREEK is superbly tight Read whether it’s Audio or regular Book form! I most definitely by all means would buy another historical Read I cherish my Death Angel Audio*sigh* thankQ Ms. Howard
Profile Image for Stephanie.
1,200 reviews3 followers
June 11, 2019
I will not be recommending Linda Howard to anyone looking for a good romance. The men in the book were demanding, petty, chauvinistic, and controlling. The main character, Dee, who I actually really liked at first, ended up with the dude, even though dude was awful. By the end of the book, I was hoping Dee would just take her shotgun to Lucas and ride off in the sunset with the town prostitute.
Profile Image for Mara.
2,533 reviews270 followers
January 16, 2017
I liked it more than the first in the series. Stronger heroine, a hero that actually understands.
Profile Image for Raffaella.
1,947 reviews297 followers
October 10, 2021
An historical book, set in Colorado in the second half of 1800. A difficult time and a dangerous and wild land.
The heroine is a young woman who lives alone in a small land who is worth more than gold because it has something that in that area is more precious than anything: water.
She has a small and ever flowing creek that everyone in the neighborhood would like to have.
So she finds herself in a dangerous situation.
Men tries to buy her land of to marry her because of the land and she often has to use her gun to keep them away.
Then the hero offers her to buy the land, but as soon as he sees her he realizes he also wants her. As a mistress of course, not as a wife.
He has another woman whom he wants to marry, a more proper and refined lady, even if he isn’t attracted to her.
So he decides to have his ways with the heroine and to persuade her to sell him the land.
He also understands that she is in a very dangerous situation and it would be better for her to sell her land and to live in the town, not there alone where she can be murdered or raped anytime.
But it seems that the land means everything to her, and she doesn’t want to be married because she wants to keep her independence.
Now, if the book was a present romance I could agree with her, but since it is set in a dangerous country where nobody was safe, and a woman alone was easy prey of every man around, I consider her stubbornness stupidity and dumbness.
When a neighbor tries to kill her for the land and almost succeeds, the hero decides to stop this madness and change the creek’s direction so that her land has no value and is therefore not wanted by anyone.
Actually he wants to marry her, land or not, and wants to keep her safe and even if he’s a little bit high handed, I think that if he hadn’t done that, the stupid woman would have had herself killed one way or another.
Of course she holds a grudge but eventually he tells her he will give her her creek, his ranch and everything if she marries him.
Hea with 5 children.
The best is an ok reading.
It could seem that the hero was bossy and conceited but I think he was really worried for the heroine and since she was stubborn and didn’t want to marry him and she repeatedly risked her life, he didn’t have many choices.
Actually the heroine annoyed me most. Unrealistic she was and her expectations were really stupid. Sooner or later she would have died a stupid death.
Profile Image for Laura V..
734 reviews58 followers
February 10, 2016
Valle de Pasión es la historia de tres mujeres muy distintas (los hombres son todos iguales). Tenemos a Dee, una granjera independiente, que vive sola y es dueña de Angel Creek. Olivia, hija del banquero, educada, de modales refinados sin resultar una niña consentida. Tillie, una mujer de salón (prostituta), amable y gentil.

Estas tres jóvenes ven su vida dar un vuelco por diferentes circunstancias. Dee conoce a Lucas (beautiful name) dueño del Double C, que quiere comprarle el valle (Angel Creek) por el arroyo que lo cruza ya que atraviesan una sequía que amenaza con acabar con su ganado. Olivia conoce a Luis, un mexicano trotamundos que se dedica a "pistolear" para ganarse el pan y que no posee raíces en ningún lugar. Tillie se encuentra en Prosper otra vez a Kyle, como lo ha hecho los últimos diez años. Se han encontrado toda la vida y vuelto a separar.

De las tres elijo a Dee porque me pareció hermosa. Es fuerte, independiente, con carácter y sentido del humor, es terca, perseverante y sacó adelante un negocio que la llena y la hace sentir satisfecha. Me gusta mucho que sepa lo que quiere y se niegue a vender Angel Creek, ese pequeño paraíso suyo que le heredaron sus padres al morir. Lucas quiere ese valle, pero más quiere a Dee que lo desafía con su ingenio y su lengua afilada. Encuentra en ella, una mujer que puede convertirse en su amante, pero también a una amiga y si todo resulta bien hasta la madre de sus hijos. Me gusta la química de estos dos, me gusta que no se nieguen el placer de encontrarse el uno al otro como hombre y mujer. La pega es que la sequía amenaza con la paz de esta relación porque Lucas necesita realmente el agua. Y cuando la vida de Dee se ve amenazada toma una decisión que rompe con la confianza de Dee. Y es horrible y es egoísta lo que hace. Sin importar las excusas que ponga, realmente lastima a Dee. Pero luego Dee lo resuelve por sí sola y cuando Lucas se da cuenta de su error (gracias Dios) le ofrece todo lo que ella en realidad necesitaba. Amor y eso está bien.
Profile Image for Lizzy.
420 reviews14 followers
December 2, 2014
"Uau, maravilhoso! Melhor que o anterior em enredo e sensualidade! O livro é recheado de personagens vibrantes, valentes, orgulhosos e apaixonados. Assim como no livro um, histórias de vida e de amor paralelas se mesclam proporcionando momentos emocionantes. Lucas e Dee formam o casal protagonista: duas almas guerreiras, teimosas e intensas. Eles se contradizem do início ao fim. Dee ama profundamente seu lar, Angel Creek, assim como Lucas ama suas terras. Foi esplêndido acompanhar essa união explosiva, passional, conflituosa e de luta pelas suas terras e pelos seus corações. O segundo casal Olivia e Luis Fronteiros também encanta. Luis já tinha me conquistado no livro um, e foi excelente acompanhar o seu reencontro com a felicidade. Igualmente gostei de ler um desfecho para a história de Tillie e Kyle. Super recomendo! =D"
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