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Americana series #2
Lawless
Hired to scare Willow and her band of outcasts off their ranch, Lobo, a notorious Apache-raised gunslinger, is ill-prepared for the feelings of passion he experiences when he comes face to face with the lovely Willow. Reprint.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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September 22, 2025
Can I just pause a moment to appreciate the cover? It has literally nothing to do with the book—the heroine in the book is a proper schoolteacher, the hero is blond, and the story takes place in the Colorado plains, not the Colorado mountains—but it’s lovely nonetheless.
Back to the book, and I’m flummoxed about how to review and rate it.
*The writing is unpolished and rough in places. In addition, there are too many printing errors.
*Instalove. Like, “written in the stars” instalove. Her laugh reverberates in his soul even before he sees her, and the moment she lays eyes on him it’s forever.
*Far too much of the story, including the main character’s histories, is told to the reader through the characters’s interior monologues, which slowed the narrative. The story and histories are interesting, but I would have much preferred to get the bulk of it through actions and dialogue. About halfway through the book, those interior monologues started to be repetitious, which dragged the pace down even more.
*The heroine is a saint, a pollyanna with magical powers of optimism. She’s caught in the middle of a range war between two powerful men, one of whom has hired a veritable army of gunslingers to oust her off her property, and she’s 100% hakuna matata.
*The hero: “I’m not good enough for her,” while saving the life of two of the heroine’s charges.
“I’m not good enough for her,” while saving the life of her friend and her animals from a burning barn.
“I’m not good enough for her,” while rebuilding her barn and drying out her drunken friend.
“I’m not good enough for her,” while repelling maurauding gunmen, repairing her corrals, digging a trench from the river to save her crops, planning a defense of the ranch, and throwing himself in front of bullets.
“I’m not good enough for her, and I must leave to keep from despoiling her life with my filthy presence.” Isn’t it just adorable when a man decides what’s best for a woman without consulting her or, worse, dismissing her assurances that he is what is best for her? Grrrrrr.
*The two powerful men on opposite sides in the range war need to be tarred, feathered, and thrown in jail. The one who is the victim of the vendetta is actually worse than the one who started it: he knew the truth and could have saved the heroine and her ragtag family and the whole town from misery and death threats and wanted to pout instead. A curse on both of them.
*How believable was this on a scale of 1-10? Two.
Should be easy to give this a low rating, right? Here’s the problem: I loved it, enjoyed it, and couldn’t put it down. Blew off a whole day to keep reading it. So be aware: dispassionately, this deserves 2.5 or 3 stars. The 4 star rating is entirely subjective.
Back to the book, and I’m flummoxed about how to review and rate it.
*The writing is unpolished and rough in places. In addition, there are too many printing errors.
*Instalove. Like, “written in the stars” instalove. Her laugh reverberates in his soul even before he sees her, and the moment she lays eyes on him it’s forever.
*Far too much of the story, including the main character’s histories, is told to the reader through the characters’s interior monologues, which slowed the narrative. The story and histories are interesting, but I would have much preferred to get the bulk of it through actions and dialogue. About halfway through the book, those interior monologues started to be repetitious, which dragged the pace down even more.
*The heroine is a saint, a pollyanna with magical powers of optimism. She’s caught in the middle of a range war between two powerful men, one of whom has hired a veritable army of gunslingers to oust her off her property, and she’s 100% hakuna matata.
*The hero: “I’m not good enough for her,” while saving the life of two of the heroine’s charges.
“I’m not good enough for her,” while saving the life of her friend and her animals from a burning barn.
“I’m not good enough for her,” while rebuilding her barn and drying out her drunken friend.
“I’m not good enough for her,” while repelling maurauding gunmen, repairing her corrals, digging a trench from the river to save her crops, planning a defense of the ranch, and throwing himself in front of bullets.
“I’m not good enough for her, and I must leave to keep from despoiling her life with my filthy presence.” Isn’t it just adorable when a man decides what’s best for a woman without consulting her or, worse, dismissing her assurances that he is what is best for her? Grrrrrr.
*The two powerful men on opposite sides in the range war need to be tarred, feathered, and thrown in jail. The one who is the victim of the vendetta is actually worse than the one who started it: he knew the truth and could have saved the heroine and her ragtag family and the whole town from misery and death threats and wanted to pout instead. A curse on both of them.
*How believable was this on a scale of 1-10? Two.
Should be easy to give this a low rating, right? Here’s the problem: I loved it, enjoyed it, and couldn’t put it down. Blew off a whole day to keep reading it. So be aware: dispassionately, this deserves 2.5 or 3 stars. The 4 star rating is entirely subjective.
February 16, 2014
Loved it....Pollyannish h and all. What can I say, I loved the book and movie of "Shane" as a kid and still do. This reminded me of a romance version of "Shane" :) and added bonus I got it as a kindle freebie on Amazon. Win, win, win.
June 2, 2021
https://lespassionsdeviedefun.blogspo...
J'aime beaucoup les romances qui se déroulent dans l'univers de la conquête de l'Ouest. Généralement, ces histoires d'amour sont moins "mielleuses" que celles qui ont lieu à la même époque en Angleterre....(période que j'affectionne également tout particulièrement avec ses Ducs et ses Ladies....).
Dans le monde du Western, la vie côtoie la mort. Les gens sont durs et courageux. Il y a les massacres des peuples améridiens, leurs luttes, les massacres des pionniers blancs qui se font scalper en retour.....Bref, c'est la lutte du plus fort.
ll y a aussi les chercheurs d'or....Et les chasseurs de primes, les pistolleros qui "tuent pour de l'argent"....Notre héros masculin fait partie de cette catégorie.
Surnommé "Lobo" (Loup en espagnol), il a été kidnappé par une tribu Apache quand il était enfant et a vu ses parents se faire massacrer et son petit frère se faire abandonner dans le désert quand il s'appelait encore "Jess".....Pour les Apaches, il va devenir le petit "esclave" d'une vieille indienne qui hait profondément les blancs (qui ont tué son fils et son mari).....Jess/Lobo, va grandir à ses côté, ou plutôt finir "enchainé" à ses côtés car dès le départ elle va lui mettre une corde à collet autour du cou......
Le petit garçon blond aux yeux bleus va devoir se battre pour sa survie.....Il va faire taire tout sentiments, toute humanité en lui. Il va devoir tuer pour rester en vie.
Il retrouvera le "monde des blancs" quand à l'adolescence sa "tribu d'adoption" va se faire massacrer....Les soldats vont le laisser en vie en raison de ses cheveux blonds et de ses yeux bleus qui ne mentent pas sur ses origines d'enfant de "pionniers".
Jess est mort quand son petit frère est mort dans le désert. Maintenant, c'est Lobo....Maintenant, il va devoir ré-apprendre à vivre dans le monde des blancs....Il n'a jamais appris à lire et écrire mais il est d'une grande intelligence et surtout, il est très rapide quand il a une arme à feu dans les mains.
Tout l'Ouest a entendu parler de ce "pistollero", de ce Lobo, qui a une réputation qui fait frémir les plus courageux....Seulement, de par son historique avec les Apaches, les gens s'attendent à voir un brun à la peau bronzée....Pas ce grand blond au regard de glace......L'effet de surprise passé, Lobo a déjà tué ses "proies".....Et du coup, les a priori à propos de son apparence lui permettent finalement un certain anonymat.
Un jour, il va accepter le contrat d'un homme qui lui demande de "faire peur" à une jeune femme qui a hérité d'un terrain qu'il considère comme lui revenant de droit.
Seulement voilà, cette jeune femme n'est pas n'importe qui.....Velma est l'institutrice du village. Débarquant de Boston (comme Dr Quinn, pour les connaisseurs....), son coeur est immense, sa gentillesse sans bornes et surtout elle sait voir le meilleur chez tous les êtres humains qu'elle croise.
A 25 ans, elle n'a jamais voulu se marier, malgré sa beauté.....Elle a adopté plusieurs enfants, des petits orphelins qui ont connu des drames dans leur vie et elle a aussi "recueilli" un "vieux" sheriff alcoolique et une jeune prostituée qui a été éborgnée et salement blessée par l'un de ses clients.....
Lobo va croiser la route de Velma avec pour mission de la faire partir de son terrain et finalement il va se retrouver à devenir son "ange gardien", son héros.....Il va gagner l'admiration, l'amour de ce petit groupe hétéroclite.
Car malgré des abords très froid et impitoyables, Lobo est un homme qui n'a jamais attaqué de femmes ou d'enfants, bien au contraire......
Alors est-ce que je vous recommande cette lecture ? Bien entendu ! Même si c'est une romance qui a été écrite dans les années 90 (et donc il y a moins de scènes osées que dans les romances historiques actuelles....).
Je suis tombée sous le charme de cette belle histoire d'amour entre la jeune institutrice et ce tueur impitoyable....
Et concernant les personnages secondaires, notamment Sullivan, le médecin, ou Marisa, la jolie fille du village, leurs interventions sont intéressantes et nous avons donc le plaisir de suivre plusieurs "romances" en parallèle avec celle de nos deux personnages principaux.
Les "méchants" sont aussi très intéressants....Il y a un vrai background dans les conflits et la haine qui animent les uns et les autres.
J'ai passé un très bon moment de lecture au Far West auprès de Lobo et Velma et je termine mon livre avec un sentiment de plénitude (j'aime quand les histoires se terminent bien, quand les héros qui ont souffert toute leur vie arrivent enfin à trouver le bonheur...). Il va falloir que je me penche un peu plus sur les autres livres qu'a écrit Patricia Potter, qui semble avoir une prédilection sur les histoires qui se déroulent à l'époque de la conquête de l'Ouest....
Ma note : 17/20
J'aime beaucoup les romances qui se déroulent dans l'univers de la conquête de l'Ouest. Généralement, ces histoires d'amour sont moins "mielleuses" que celles qui ont lieu à la même époque en Angleterre....(période que j'affectionne également tout particulièrement avec ses Ducs et ses Ladies....).
Dans le monde du Western, la vie côtoie la mort. Les gens sont durs et courageux. Il y a les massacres des peuples améridiens, leurs luttes, les massacres des pionniers blancs qui se font scalper en retour.....Bref, c'est la lutte du plus fort.
ll y a aussi les chercheurs d'or....Et les chasseurs de primes, les pistolleros qui "tuent pour de l'argent"....Notre héros masculin fait partie de cette catégorie.
Surnommé "Lobo" (Loup en espagnol), il a été kidnappé par une tribu Apache quand il était enfant et a vu ses parents se faire massacrer et son petit frère se faire abandonner dans le désert quand il s'appelait encore "Jess".....Pour les Apaches, il va devenir le petit "esclave" d'une vieille indienne qui hait profondément les blancs (qui ont tué son fils et son mari).....Jess/Lobo, va grandir à ses côté, ou plutôt finir "enchainé" à ses côtés car dès le départ elle va lui mettre une corde à collet autour du cou......
Le petit garçon blond aux yeux bleus va devoir se battre pour sa survie.....Il va faire taire tout sentiments, toute humanité en lui. Il va devoir tuer pour rester en vie.
Il retrouvera le "monde des blancs" quand à l'adolescence sa "tribu d'adoption" va se faire massacrer....Les soldats vont le laisser en vie en raison de ses cheveux blonds et de ses yeux bleus qui ne mentent pas sur ses origines d'enfant de "pionniers".
Jess est mort quand son petit frère est mort dans le désert. Maintenant, c'est Lobo....Maintenant, il va devoir ré-apprendre à vivre dans le monde des blancs....Il n'a jamais appris à lire et écrire mais il est d'une grande intelligence et surtout, il est très rapide quand il a une arme à feu dans les mains.
Tout l'Ouest a entendu parler de ce "pistollero", de ce Lobo, qui a une réputation qui fait frémir les plus courageux....Seulement, de par son historique avec les Apaches, les gens s'attendent à voir un brun à la peau bronzée....Pas ce grand blond au regard de glace......L'effet de surprise passé, Lobo a déjà tué ses "proies".....Et du coup, les a priori à propos de son apparence lui permettent finalement un certain anonymat.
Un jour, il va accepter le contrat d'un homme qui lui demande de "faire peur" à une jeune femme qui a hérité d'un terrain qu'il considère comme lui revenant de droit.
Seulement voilà, cette jeune femme n'est pas n'importe qui.....Velma est l'institutrice du village. Débarquant de Boston (comme Dr Quinn, pour les connaisseurs....), son coeur est immense, sa gentillesse sans bornes et surtout elle sait voir le meilleur chez tous les êtres humains qu'elle croise.
A 25 ans, elle n'a jamais voulu se marier, malgré sa beauté.....Elle a adopté plusieurs enfants, des petits orphelins qui ont connu des drames dans leur vie et elle a aussi "recueilli" un "vieux" sheriff alcoolique et une jeune prostituée qui a été éborgnée et salement blessée par l'un de ses clients.....
Lobo va croiser la route de Velma avec pour mission de la faire partir de son terrain et finalement il va se retrouver à devenir son "ange gardien", son héros.....Il va gagner l'admiration, l'amour de ce petit groupe hétéroclite.
Car malgré des abords très froid et impitoyables, Lobo est un homme qui n'a jamais attaqué de femmes ou d'enfants, bien au contraire......
Alors est-ce que je vous recommande cette lecture ? Bien entendu ! Même si c'est une romance qui a été écrite dans les années 90 (et donc il y a moins de scènes osées que dans les romances historiques actuelles....).
Je suis tombée sous le charme de cette belle histoire d'amour entre la jeune institutrice et ce tueur impitoyable....
Et concernant les personnages secondaires, notamment Sullivan, le médecin, ou Marisa, la jolie fille du village, leurs interventions sont intéressantes et nous avons donc le plaisir de suivre plusieurs "romances" en parallèle avec celle de nos deux personnages principaux.
Les "méchants" sont aussi très intéressants....Il y a un vrai background dans les conflits et la haine qui animent les uns et les autres.
J'ai passé un très bon moment de lecture au Far West auprès de Lobo et Velma et je termine mon livre avec un sentiment de plénitude (j'aime quand les histoires se terminent bien, quand les héros qui ont souffert toute leur vie arrivent enfin à trouver le bonheur...). Il va falloir que je me penche un peu plus sur les autres livres qu'a écrit Patricia Potter, qui semble avoir une prédilection sur les histoires qui se déroulent à l'époque de la conquête de l'Ouest....
Ma note : 17/20
November 29, 2012
I just love a good western historical romance! Childhood memories of watching John Wayne films, spaghetti westerns starring Clint Eastwood, not to mention episodes of Zorro, inspire my imagination. My mind conjures up hard working and often god fearing folk living in small isolated communities, farming a barren landscape upon which cattle roam, juxtaposed to violent gunslingers, seedy saloon bars, Indian attacks and land disputes to mention some of the popular themes. This book, by Patricia Potter contains references to all of these themes and more.
In Lawless, rancher Alex Newton hires Lobo, an infamous gunfighter with a fearsome reputation to do whatever necessary to ‘convince’ spinster school teacher Willow Taylor to sell him her homestead. Willow lives with her adopted family of four orphans, a former whore and an ex-sheriff who is now a drunk. On his first visit to her home Lobo rescues one of the children who has fallen down a well and, against his better judgement, finds himself drawn to Willow and her family. Without revealing his true purpose and identity Lobo continues to act as their ‘guardian angel’, coming to the aid of the household on a number of occasions before he is compelled to renounce Alex Newton’s commission and reveal his true identity to Willow.
Lobo, captured as a young boy and raised by Apaches, has little experience of giving or receiving love and affection and as such, coupled with his occupation as an itinerant gunslinger, feels that he can only bring Willow heartbreak. He resolves to leave once Willow and her family are safe from Alex Newton’s continued machinations. Willow, convinced of Lobo’s inner goodness, despite what many of the townsfolk think, recognises her soul mate and seizes whatever time she can spend with Lobo, whilst recognising that he will choose not remain at her side forever. What happens next impacts greatly on their lives and those around them, as the battle for Willow’s ranch hots up.
I particularly liked both main characters. Willow is a strong and independent minded heroine who is no stranger to controversy, her adoptive family bearing witness to this, At 25 she has attracted male attention in the past but has not found her true love and does not want to settle for second best, being resigned to spinsterhood. The way she encourages Lobo to open up to her, revealing his traumatic past and little by little peels away his protective layers, to find the true heart of the man underneath, is a joy to behold, Willow is also kind hearted and supportive of her adoptive family who have all had their own share of personal trauma. The references to Greek mythology throughout the book concerning the adventures of Odysseus and his quest to be reunited with his Penelope become increasingly poignant as the story progresses.
Lobo’s character is complex. A loner, his character has been shaped by his brutal past which has driven him into the life of a gunslinger. He lives on the fringes of Apache and white society, belonging to neither and to no one. However, as soon as we meet him glimpses of his true self are revealed, which are at odds with his fearsome reputation. The way Lobo supports Willow and her family and tries to fight his growing attraction to her, as he believes he is unworthy, is a major factor in the narrative and is done beautifully and realistically. I quickly found myself wanting a HEA for Willow and Lobo.
The other secondary characters in the book were also sympathetic. There are two secondary romances in the book which do not detract from the main romance or the plot but enrich it. One is between Dr Sullivan, Willow’s friend, and Marisa, the daughter of Alex Newton. This romance has echoes of that of Lobo and Willow’s situation, as Dr Sullivan believes that he has little to offer Marisa. The other members of Willow’s adoptive family also have interesting back stories and it is heart warming to witness how their characters react over time to the events and the actions of other characters, principally Willow and Lobo. I also enjoyed how the actions and opinions of the townsfolk also play a pivotal role throughout the book.
There are, as expected from a romance, a number of sex scenes. I found these to be very well done as they reflect the growing emotional connections between the characters. The story made me eager to turn the pages to find out what happens next, not just in relation to the main romance, but also the sub plots involving the other characters.
I would recommend this book to romance readers in general, particularly those who enjoy sweet, western romances with a strong heroine and hero who come together in adversity and in doing so find their soul mate.
In Lawless, rancher Alex Newton hires Lobo, an infamous gunfighter with a fearsome reputation to do whatever necessary to ‘convince’ spinster school teacher Willow Taylor to sell him her homestead. Willow lives with her adopted family of four orphans, a former whore and an ex-sheriff who is now a drunk. On his first visit to her home Lobo rescues one of the children who has fallen down a well and, against his better judgement, finds himself drawn to Willow and her family. Without revealing his true purpose and identity Lobo continues to act as their ‘guardian angel’, coming to the aid of the household on a number of occasions before he is compelled to renounce Alex Newton’s commission and reveal his true identity to Willow.
Lobo, captured as a young boy and raised by Apaches, has little experience of giving or receiving love and affection and as such, coupled with his occupation as an itinerant gunslinger, feels that he can only bring Willow heartbreak. He resolves to leave once Willow and her family are safe from Alex Newton’s continued machinations. Willow, convinced of Lobo’s inner goodness, despite what many of the townsfolk think, recognises her soul mate and seizes whatever time she can spend with Lobo, whilst recognising that he will choose not remain at her side forever. What happens next impacts greatly on their lives and those around them, as the battle for Willow’s ranch hots up.
I particularly liked both main characters. Willow is a strong and independent minded heroine who is no stranger to controversy, her adoptive family bearing witness to this, At 25 she has attracted male attention in the past but has not found her true love and does not want to settle for second best, being resigned to spinsterhood. The way she encourages Lobo to open up to her, revealing his traumatic past and little by little peels away his protective layers, to find the true heart of the man underneath, is a joy to behold, Willow is also kind hearted and supportive of her adoptive family who have all had their own share of personal trauma. The references to Greek mythology throughout the book concerning the adventures of Odysseus and his quest to be reunited with his Penelope become increasingly poignant as the story progresses.
Lobo’s character is complex. A loner, his character has been shaped by his brutal past which has driven him into the life of a gunslinger. He lives on the fringes of Apache and white society, belonging to neither and to no one. However, as soon as we meet him glimpses of his true self are revealed, which are at odds with his fearsome reputation. The way Lobo supports Willow and her family and tries to fight his growing attraction to her, as he believes he is unworthy, is a major factor in the narrative and is done beautifully and realistically. I quickly found myself wanting a HEA for Willow and Lobo.
The other secondary characters in the book were also sympathetic. There are two secondary romances in the book which do not detract from the main romance or the plot but enrich it. One is between Dr Sullivan, Willow’s friend, and Marisa, the daughter of Alex Newton. This romance has echoes of that of Lobo and Willow’s situation, as Dr Sullivan believes that he has little to offer Marisa. The other members of Willow’s adoptive family also have interesting back stories and it is heart warming to witness how their characters react over time to the events and the actions of other characters, principally Willow and Lobo. I also enjoyed how the actions and opinions of the townsfolk also play a pivotal role throughout the book.
There are, as expected from a romance, a number of sex scenes. I found these to be very well done as they reflect the growing emotional connections between the characters. The story made me eager to turn the pages to find out what happens next, not just in relation to the main romance, but also the sub plots involving the other characters.
I would recommend this book to romance readers in general, particularly those who enjoy sweet, western romances with a strong heroine and hero who come together in adversity and in doing so find their soul mate.
Read
February 18, 2013I didn't get very far into this one before realizing I just wasn't into it and didn't care what happened. School marm heroine who takes in strays and orphans is sitting on land that two powerful men are feuding over. Villain hires hero to drive her off land, naturally leaving out the important bits - like, oh she's a saint and there are kids in the house. The hero has some interesting baggage, but I couldn't quite figure out why he just didn't tell the villain to go to Hell and ride off into the sunset. Oh yeah, then there wouldn't be a book! I was completely uninterested in the heroine, and the hero rescues one of the plot moppet children TWICE within the first 40 pages of the story. I was bored and not in the mood.
There's nothing overtly "bad" here, and I really didn't get very far into it. But yeah, I was bored and didn't care. So giving up and moving on to the next book in the pile....
There's nothing overtly "bad" here, and I really didn't get very far into it. But yeah, I was bored and didn't care. So giving up and moving on to the next book in the pile....
November 18, 2021
J'ai adoré !
C'est une romance qui a été édité pour la première fois en 1999. Je l'ai sentie que je me replongeais dans mes premières romances d'il y a vingt ans. Celles qui m'ont rendue accroc au genre.
A la fin du siècle dernier, l'érotisme n'est pas dans l'air du temps. On privilégie uniquement la passion. Ici, je peux vous dire qu'il y en a un paquet. Après tout tient dans le magnétisme du couple principal et le sex appeal du héros qui est ….
Il ne ressemble à aucun autre. Je suis tombée sous son charme comme lui est tombée sous celui de Willow qui est également un magnifique personnage. Ce retour dans cette vielle romance est -bizarrement une bouffée d'air frais et de renouveau. Car oui, je trouve que le romance actuelle s'épuise à s'enfermer dans des codes qui fonctionnent. On tombe trop souvent sur des histoires sans saveur qui se ressemble toutes.
Ici, vous découvrirez une histoire belle et unique. Qui m'a captivée du début à la fin !
Bref, un énoooorme coup de cœur !
https://www.lachroniquedespassions.com/
C'est une romance qui a été édité pour la première fois en 1999. Je l'ai sentie que je me replongeais dans mes premières romances d'il y a vingt ans. Celles qui m'ont rendue accroc au genre.
A la fin du siècle dernier, l'érotisme n'est pas dans l'air du temps. On privilégie uniquement la passion. Ici, je peux vous dire qu'il y en a un paquet. Après tout tient dans le magnétisme du couple principal et le sex appeal du héros qui est ….
Il ne ressemble à aucun autre. Je suis tombée sous son charme comme lui est tombée sous celui de Willow qui est également un magnifique personnage. Ce retour dans cette vielle romance est -bizarrement une bouffée d'air frais et de renouveau. Car oui, je trouve que le romance actuelle s'épuise à s'enfermer dans des codes qui fonctionnent. On tombe trop souvent sur des histoires sans saveur qui se ressemble toutes.
Ici, vous découvrirez une histoire belle et unique. Qui m'a captivée du début à la fin !
Bref, un énoooorme coup de cœur !
https://www.lachroniquedespassions.com/
April 20, 2021
Family is what you make it! Love covers all.
Author, Patricia Potter, hit another home run with this story! It was a beautiful story about School teacher Willow G.Taylor who lost her father and has no other family. She goes out west to Colorado to teach. She makes a family with orphans and those on the fringe of society. She is deeded a ranch from a man whom she taught to read and lands in between two feuding ranchers. One rancher hires a gunslinger to scare her off her land because she lets the other rancher use her water sources. Well, it back fires and you will have to read the story to learn the outcome! I highly recommend this book.
Author, Patricia Potter, hit another home run with this story! It was a beautiful story about School teacher Willow G.Taylor who lost her father and has no other family. She goes out west to Colorado to teach. She makes a family with orphans and those on the fringe of society. She is deeded a ranch from a man whom she taught to read and lands in between two feuding ranchers. One rancher hires a gunslinger to scare her off her land because she lets the other rancher use her water sources. Well, it back fires and you will have to read the story to learn the outcome! I highly recommend this book.
October 5, 2025
I love old western romance, and have read hundreds. I've enjoyed most, some truly awful. The plot is very important of course; but if the writing style doesn't grab you, the book drags. In "Lawless", the writing, plot, and character development are all excellent. I realize that everyone has different taste in their reading preferences. But this book, to my taste, is the best I have ever read, bar none. I wanted to read it fast because it had me on the edge of my seat. But then I knew I had to go slow because I didn't want it to end. I rarely write any reviews, but I needed to praise this book and author.
January 29, 2018
I sure do like her westerns. This is a redemption story, with feuding neighbors...
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November 6, 2020nice romance amricano love in westreon drama way
April 23, 2021
4,5/5 🌟
April 22, 2025
4.50 /5⭐
September 19, 2025
An old favorite
December 21, 2024
2024-Liked this feel good/entertaining story. Liked main characters: Willow, Lobo/Jess, doc, & the kids. After I finished this book I looked for other books by author that I might like. Seems the author likes to torture her main male characters making the books darker than I like.
January 7, 2019
On m'a recommandé cette "vieille" romance, c'était plutôt une bonne lecture !
June 4, 2019
This great story, by Patricia Potter, grabbed me from the first page! It wouldn't let go until I finished the book.
A white Apache gunslinger (Lobo) has been hired by a very wealthy landowner (Alex Newton). The goal is to frighten the local schoolmarm into selling her land and water rights. Just how hard can that be?
When Lobo goes to scope out the situation, he realizes that Alex Newton has lied and left critical facts out of the discussion. Willow Taylor, the teacher, is not some airhead floozy and there are young children involved.
Willow has taken in one of the town prostitutes, the town drunk and 4 orphaned children. They have merged into a cohesive and loving family.
I thought the most interesting part of the book related to Willow's acceptance of Lobo/Jess. She concentrated on his good actions - as Jess - and ignored his reputation as a dangerous gunfighter. At a point where Lobo/Jess must show his very dangerous side, Willow has a hard time accepting the whole man. The problem and resolution to this dilemma raised this book to a much higher level.
The only thing I thought "ho-hum" common was how Lobo's gunfighter status was resolved; it is always solved this way. I'd like to see a more original solution.
Otherwise, this was an interesting and gripping story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
A white Apache gunslinger (Lobo) has been hired by a very wealthy landowner (Alex Newton). The goal is to frighten the local schoolmarm into selling her land and water rights. Just how hard can that be?
When Lobo goes to scope out the situation, he realizes that Alex Newton has lied and left critical facts out of the discussion. Willow Taylor, the teacher, is not some airhead floozy and there are young children involved.
Willow has taken in one of the town prostitutes, the town drunk and 4 orphaned children. They have merged into a cohesive and loving family.
I thought the most interesting part of the book related to Willow's acceptance of Lobo/Jess. She concentrated on his good actions - as Jess - and ignored his reputation as a dangerous gunfighter. At a point where Lobo/Jess must show his very dangerous side, Willow has a hard time accepting the whole man. The problem and resolution to this dilemma raised this book to a much higher level.
The only thing I thought "ho-hum" common was how Lobo's gunfighter status was resolved; it is always solved this way. I'd like to see a more original solution.
Otherwise, this was an interesting and gripping story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
January 30, 2024
Love this story. He is a notorious cold hearted gunslinger and she is a strong willed and determined school teacher who runs a ranch with a few other outcasts she calls family. He was originally sent to scare her into selling her ranch but at the end he helps her fight against those that wish her and her family harm. A range war ensues and he is nearly killed while trying to save the life of a little girl that has grown to love him. At the end the town helps them both settle to a new life together. HEA ending. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of reading this story.
February 26, 2015
This book is pretty stereotypical, but sometimes those work just right and for me this makes a good comfort read. I've read it a few times now and when I read the last page, I'm left with a nice mellow feel.
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July 29, 2017Wonderful story
This was the first book by this author I have read and I have now downloaded all her westerners. A fabulous story of a feud, a gunslinger and love. Would make a great film!
This was the first book by this author I have read and I have now downloaded all her westerners. A fabulous story of a feud, a gunslinger and love. Would make a great film!
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