Badlands Legend

Badlands #2

by Ruth Ryan Langan

Yale Conover lived for the thrill of the game. And though he was a man who scorned most of the laws made by mere men, he never actually considered himself an outlaw. He preferred to think he was a law unto himself.

Now his own code of justice had brought Yale's life full circle, for a decision to help a widow and children escape a gang of cutthroats had reunited him with Cara McKinnon, the girl he'd left behind. A girl no more, Cara had become a courageous, captivating woman who made him hunger for things a man like him normally avoided: home, hearth and the love of a good woman! But could their rekindled love survive a desperate flight through the Badlands?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Harlequin, Western Romance

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Ruth Ryan Langan (aka Ruth Langan) is an award-winning author of romance novels. She is a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award winner and has twice been nominated for Romantic Times Reviwers' Choice Awards, for Jade and Return of the Prodigal Son. She has spent much of her career writing historical romance novels for the Harlequin Historicals line of category romances. Many of her book are set in medieval times, while others are western romances. She has also written some contemporary romances, and often includes elements of suspense in her novels.

Langan began her writing career in secret. Her family discovered her writings when her children came home unexpectedly from school one day and found her writing. When Langan's husband was told of her hobby, he bought her an electric typewriter "because 'writers need tools'". Her first book was published by Silhouette Books in 1981 after an editor picked it out of their slush pile. After the first sale was completed, Langan got an agent.

Langan is a charter member of the Romance Writers of America. She has five children and lives with her husband in Michigan.

Has also written under the name of Ruth Langan and R.C. Ryan

Reviews

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

When their grandfather died, Mrs. Conover, Kitty, Yale and Gabe decided to leave their grandfather’s home when Junior Conover insulted his sister-in-law and three children. They decided to go to the Dakota Badlands to search for their father Clay. Along the way, the mother of the three children died; the children decided to continue to Dakota.

During their travels, they met an old man, Aaron Smiler. He took them in and they lived there for years. Yale, the middle child, was a rebel and uninterested in being told what to do. However, he went to Cara McKinnon’s father and asked for her hand in marriage. Cara’s parents were both horrified by the idea and told him never to darken their door again.

So, at 16 years, Yale left the Smiler ranch and returned to his quest for his father. Along the way, he learned to gamble and became good at it. He would occasionally return to Misery, Dakota Territory, to visit with Gabe, Kitty and Aaron Smiler. However, he had a strong sense of restlessness; he soon left to follow his dream of freedom.

Through a quirk of fate, he joined the Fenner gang. Before long, they left mere robberies and killed innocents during hold-ups. Yale traveled with them but did not participate in their thieving; he followed the lure of the cards.

The Fenner gang became so lawless that the US Army was hunting for these killers. They decided to go to a ranch, hide there, steal the cattle at the ranch, molest the woman and kill them all. Yale took a night guarding shift so he could race to the widow and help her escape.

Then, he would go in the opposite direction to escape Fenner’s wrath. Things didn’t go as he’d planned; the woman they were planning to kill was his first love, Cara. He knew he wouldn't leave her to travel on her own. Cara is Mrs. Evans now – a widow with two small boys, Cody and Seth.

Along the way, Cara and Yale realized they still loved each other. Yale grew to love her two boys. Eventually, Yale was seriously injured by one of Fenner’s men. Since Fenner’s gang had burned down her house, Cara had nothing to return to and she asked Yale to take her back to Misery.

Gabe, Kitty and Aaron are excited to see Yale but were startled to see him with a woman and two children. Gabe has married Billie (a cook at the Red Dog Saloon). While Yale is involved in a very important game (at the Red Dog), Fenner and his gang arrive.

This story is action-packed and wonderful. The characters are well fleshed-out and there are no dull parts in this book. It is a great story for some good old-fashioned escape reading.

Badlands
1. Badlands Law (2002)
2. Badlands Legend (2002)
3. Badlands Heart (2002)

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the year 1887. Everyone finds their own way to deal with tragedy and heartache even if it is immoral or against the law. After being told that he could not marry the woman he loved, and her not wanting to run away with him, Yale Conover found his own way. As a gambler, Yale was always on top and known for his generosity and love of the game. He found himself in a position to know that a band of outlaws were planning to take over a ranch as their hideout, the moral side of Yale took action to save the widow and her children. Cara McKinnon was just as in love with Yale as he was with her, but she didn’t feel she could go against her fathers wishes. It broke her heart to watch Yale walk away from her. How could she have know that fate would bring them together again and in a most unusual way. On the run from the most feared band of outlaws, Yale had only one goal, to ensure the survival of the women he had loved all his life and her sons.

The main story of this book is very normal, lost love found again. The question is, can they survive long enough to test that love. While the ’adult’ story is gentle and easy as it unfolds their true feelings for one another, the best part of the book is the playful fun way that Yale interacts with Caras young boys. Yale understands their needs more than Cara and is able to give and help them. Laugh out loud antics of the boys makes for a light and easy feel, even though this book has several gunfights. Overall, this is a good book, it is the second in the Badlands series by Ruth Langan and does repeat a bit in the Prologue of the previous book, a good starting point that allows a different perspective to the earliest events of three kids, the Conover’s and their journey to their new home in the Badlands of the Dakota Territory.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Badlands Legend by Ruth Langan. Yale Conover loved Cara McKinnon at teenagers. Cara father told Yale to leave and never come back. Yale went out on his own and found out he was good at playing cards and winning money. Yale was looking for his father. He ended up being with a bad gang trying to find his father. When the gang was going to go to a farmhouse and take over the lady and her two kids and harm them. Yale left during the night and went to the farm house and told them what the gang was going to do. Come to find out the woman was Cara and her two children. They hid and left the farm. The story is about the get away from the bad gang and the feeling still between Cara and Yale and the things that happened on their trip back to their home town. A very good read.