Bride Gone Bad

Gone Bad #3

by Sabine Starr

HE'S HUNTING FOR GOLD. . .

Not many people can keep a secret from Lucky Devereaux. He's a triple threat of outlaw, treasure hunter, and Native American mystic. But something in Tempest Templeton's beautiful, heartbroken eyes intrigues him, and he's determined to unravel the mystery. . .

SHE'S HUNTING FOR A MAN. . .

Tempest has to remind herself that handsome men like Lucky bring only pain. She learned that when her groom ran off before the wedding night—taking her family's money with him. Now she's hunting him down. But a lady alone in Indian Territory is asking for trouble, and Lucky promises he's just the man to keep her safe and show her everything she's been missing. . .

PRAISE FOR SABINE STARR'S LADY GONE BAD

"A fun read—Old West style!" –USAToday.com

"An exciting read!"— New York Times bestselling author Bobbi Smith

"If you're a fan of sexy cowboys, mysterious outlaws, historical settings, and HAWT romance— definitely grab this one up." —JenRen's Review

"Readers will enjoy. . . Lady Gone Bad. " — Genre Go Round Reviews

"This book is perfect for a romance reader." — Nocturne Romance Reads

"One of the best historicals of the year!" — Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries & More Review

Genres: Romance, Western Romance, Historical Romance, Westerns, Historical

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Sabine Starr rides the trails of her ancestors by horseback, four-wheeler, and jeep when she explores Wild West myths, legends, and mysteries to locate authentic excitement for her novels. She lives near the Old Shawnee Trail in Texas and in the Kiamichi Mountains of Oklahoma where she writes about lawmen, outlaws, Indians, and honky-tonk gals with a penchant for fast guns, hot guys, and daring adventures.

Reviews

[Michele · Rating 1 out of 5]

There aren't many books that I can't finish (no matter how bad), but this book was just too ridiculous for words. I didn't mind the paranormal aspect mixed into a country western theme. I actually found that a little intriguing. My main complaint with this author is making the lead female character, Temperance, act like an idiot. How many women, especially those from the 1800's use the line, "Is there anything wrong with me that I can't get a man to spread my thighs and ram it home?" (This was not the first time that I flipped to the front of the book to check that the author was indeed a woman and not a man.) But then after begging Lucky to have sex with her, gets outraged that he lied and used her just to have sex. The inconsistencies in this book were just too exhausting.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy western historicals, and this one had a very promising start but took a strange paranormal turn that left me scratching my head. It was a fun read at times, but ultimately I felt like the characters weren't very well fleshed out, the relationship was poorly developed, and the plot was outlandish. Be very ready to suspend your disbelief if you pick this one up.

[Rubina · Rating 3 out of 5]

She…..



She is Tempest. A hurricane with a cause. To stop ‘whiskey, poker and Tobacco’ from The Bend. A crusader for temperance. But she found herself in a tricky situation when she entered Red River Salon and chopped ‘Lulu’ into half. [Hilarious!!] But rather than repent about it, she stuck to her guns and justified her actions claiming to fight for families whose bread earners squandered their finances on Salons. But when the other ladies of The Ladies Benevolent Society did not come to her rescue, she was left alone in the Delaware Bend with no family or money. She had to reach the Indian territory for returning home to Jefferson was out of the question. Not only she had family members depending on her for money but also had left a bad marriage behind. But was that her only motive to undertake this journey or did she have a score to settle with someone?


He…..

He is Lucky. A treasure hunter? Or was this a cloak to hide the true nature of his work. When he came for Tempest’s rescue he had no idea about her paranormal ability. But after he did find it out, he was sure she was the only one who would be able to help him out in his quest. But would she agree for the journey which would be full of danger- both in terms of life and in matters of the heart?

The Story….

Tempest and Lucky are brought by fate to live in the Lone Star Hotel, where Lucky finds out that she has a supernatural ability – an ability he has a desperate need of. He asks her for help in return for the money she desperately needs to help her family. Once the bond is established, they start on their journey. But the deal is not enough for him to save her from the other ‘Rattler” who would be looking for her. They must become one. She had to become his LadyLove.

And she does. But is it enough to save her from Crawdaddy and Haig [not telling you who they are] ? And what about the Soleil Wheel? What is the secret of Soliel Wheel?

Though the story starts beautifully and I even liked the unexpected paranormal turn what got me down with this story was not the story itself but the love scenes. I found them very crude and out of character in terms of the character etched for Tempest. I am not having a propaganda against the love scenes [ please we are all romance readers] but those scenes need to be woven in according to the situation. And I found that missing. It felt more like a Wham Bham to me…..Seriously Sabine? Did Lucky have to do that in the hotel room? [naughty!!!]

But if I could ignore the love making scene [God I sound such prude], the story is quite likable with all the ingredients thrown in. Love, suspense, revenge and cowboy in a paranormal situation [the wow factor]. Go for it Readers……… but be prepared for a cold shower…..

[Brianna]

DNF @ 60%

[Janell Sutherland · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected, and I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Set in Texas, 1884, the story follows a woman named Tempest and a man named Lucky. Tempest starts out as a member of the Texas Society for the Promotion of Temperance. Trying to be a stalwart member, she storms into a saloon and strikes the wooden bar with a hatchet, as proper society women do. When the drinkers get upset, she’s kicked out of the society. By the time she walks down the street to serve a night in jail for her crime (jail being a hotel room), she has been nicknamed Temperance Tempest, her actions have become legendary, and she is a town celebrity with free room, food, and gifts bestowed upon her.

Lucky is part French, part Indian, and he’s in town waiting for something. He sees Tempest and thinks she’ll be trouble. Poor Lucky can’t go two pages without his prick swelling at the thought of Tempest. And, once aroused, it has amazing staying power, always making his jeans feel tight. Anyhow, he escorts her to the jail/hotel, and ends up in the room next to her. Lucky takes care of his arousal with his hand and a towel (so many books have the men take cold showers instead, they never give in to masturbation, but I guess since there was no running water Lucky had no choice). Then Tempest screams because she thinks there’s a man in her room.

It turns out that Tempest sees and communicates with ghosts! Lucky declares her to be a Spirit Rattler. Coincidentally, he is a Sun Rattler, and he needs her to go to a burial ground to talk to the spirits and find an ancient artifact. Tempest agrees, and on their way out of town they are approached by some businessmen. They want her to be in a Wild West Show about chopping up bars. And then the saloon owner wants a painting of her to hang over the bar. Lucky jokes that they should pose naked together.

Things get more random and episodic. There’s a ghostly Indian Maiden who controls rattlesnakes. A bad whiskey smuggler guy. An artist who must be retrieved from another bar. Some poor relatives who need money. An ex-husband who has to be killed.

Through it all, Lucky and Tempest can’t fight their attraction. Even though Tempest was a proper lady and a virgin before they met, she becomes pretty adventurous and saucy with just a few touches of Lucky’s hand. Since they are both somewhat mystical, Lucky knows that when they have intercourse it will bind them together forever and make them powerful.

When he tries to slow down with her to give the moment some meaning, Tempest slaps him and says she’s finished with their crazy road (horse trail) trip, she’s going back to Texas. Then she cries and wonders, “Is there something wrong with me that I can’t get any man to spread my thighs and ram it home?” Yes, those anachronistic words come out of her mouth. She then says she’ll get a smooth stick or a banana to take care of her virginity. We know pretty much zilch about Tempest’s upbringing, but I don’t think her elderly aunts taught her about dildos so I don’t know where she got that idea. She even taunts Lucky by pulling a stick out of the fire and asking if it’s a good size!

So finally Lucky draws a magic circle around them and says some things and puts his prick inside her plump lower lips swollen with honey and they explode together. Then they do it again. Refusing to bask in the afterglow, Tempest notices that Lucky did not use a French Cap (I wish he would have, I didn’t know they had condoms then!) and she is pissed that he probably got her pregnant. She decides that he lied just to get her in bed (not that she was begging him, not that he could have done it without the magic circle). So she’s done with him again. But she’ll still help him find some spirits.

The book ends with some Raiders of the Lost Ark-type cyclone of fire and ghosts, and some shooting, and then Tempest decides that she loves Lucky and her baby after all.

As you can tell, I was flummoxed by just about every part of this book. The scenery was nice. I didn’t understand Tempest at all. It moved pretty fast. The grammar was correct. Ghosts and spirits and silver chains and whatnot, you don’t see that in every cowboy novel.

This is the third book in a series about the area, the next book will be about the artist who carves naked ladies onto bars. He’s also haunted by a ghost or something.

Grade: C-

This review originally posted on Red Hot Books at http://redhotbooks.com/2013/10/review...

[Les Romantiques · Rating 3 out of 5]

Posted on Les Romantiques - Le forum du site
Reviewed by Fabiola
Review Copy from the Publisher

It’s my first Sabine Starr and Bride gone bad is the third volume of Gone Bad series. I didn’t read the two first instalments, Lady gone bad and Angel gone bad, and except the mention of the previous heroes, I didn’t feel any particular hole.

Our heroine is divorced and wants to take revenge against her ex-husband because he ran away with all her and her relatives’ money. The hero is a treasure hunter and a member of a society assigned with preserving Indian antiquities. Tempest Templeton is White and Lucky Devereaux is half blood Indian.
I thought at first that Bride gone bad was a classical Western Romance. Then, I stumbled upon a scene that completely surprised me, at the point I had to re-read it in order to be sure that I understood correctly. In fact, the author adds some psychical powers owned by our two heroes to her story. This element isn’t mentioned in the plot, yet I would have loved to know about it. However, I quickly got used to it. The mix between Western Romance and psychical powers is well balanced and logical looking at the USA History.
The setting is well exploited by Sabine Starr, she talks about real places and the book can’t take place in another area nor era.

I loved the two heroes. They are nice and determined. Lucky believes in destiny and follows his intuitions. Tempest is more practical, she quickly accepts the help of the hero and follows his advices. A big positive factor for the author: the ubiquitous humour that made me smile and even laugh. There is a memorable scene including a stick but I can’t tell anything else. I thing everybody should read this book just for that. LOL

There isn’t any suspense in the novel but we know that there are two secondary characters very unlikeable including a villain who owns the same psychical powers as Lucky. There is also some action, especially in the end when Tempest and Lucky are confronted with these two villains. However, I found that the combat scene was quickly dispatched. And I didn’t like very much the end of the book because, according to me, one conflict was not entirely resolved.
There is also a scene that I found unnecessary; it was the last conflict between Tempest and Lucky. The heroine had a too much excessive reaction when she had to face a lot of things before that. So that means the author felt she had to include a quarrel and decided to insert it at this moment and that’s a pity.
Moreover, I found that our main characters admit their love for each other a little too early. I didn’t feel that their feelings were so deep. Yes, there was a very good physical attraction, the hot scenes were numerous and well written, but I had some doubts about their love at this moment.

The book was very stirring when the hero tells the History of the Indians, explains to the heroine that they are not considered as Americans and that they must fight to survive. That reminded me why I prefer not to read about the conflict between Indians and Whites in general. Fortunately, the author doesn’t remain on the facts but I had heartache for them.

The book was enjoyable and I had a great time with the characters. And I laughed too. But I had a problem with some details and that’s a pity because the story had a big potential.

[Michael K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty consistently, I've found that romance authors write out the main female character to be concise, driven, and with their own philosophy. Female readers want to be hooked into a story, and by creating females who are both understandable and identifiable, readers can then suspend themselves and take up that lead female's mantle (for the duration of a book). This book is not written that way. If anything, the main female is a jacket to be worn by the main male figure. It was impossible for me to appreciate this main female character; she's just too substandard. She has so much going on, her personality is so all-over that she seems to be possessed by various personalities.
I liked her at first, and hated her nine chapters later.

The content is another read flag; the paranormal element is sudden, and not well-defined. I guess I didn't read into the word 'mystic' mentioned in the blurb, but this puppy is MYSTIC. She's a 'Spirit Rattler' and apparently that's akin to a 'ghost whisperer.' The introduction of this major thematic portion of the plot is sloppy and all-encompassing; however that doesn't stop the author from throwing in three other plots (just to make it interesting, I'm sure).

Life's too short to finish badly organized books, so I'm calling it quits. The whole whoppin' two dollars I paid for this eBook would be better served editing this book, NOT writing a new book in what I now see is a series.

[My Book Addiction and More MBA · Rating 4 out of 5]

BRIDE GONE BAD by Sabine Star is an exciting American Western Historical Romance. #4 in the "Gone Bad" series, but can be read as a stand alone. A fun, but dangerous story involving Lucky Devereaux and Tempest Templeton. Follow them as they travel the road of outlaws, and romance. Tempest is determined to find the low down skunk who stole her family's fortune, and who was supposed to be her husband. Lucky is hunting for gold, he also has a bit of mystic going on through his heritage. Together, they face danger, and passion ignites. A fun story. If you enjoy sexy cowboys, high-spirited ladies, than "Bride Gone Bad" is right up your ally. Give it a try, so far I have enjoyed this series filled with high-spirited and troublesome ladies and their sexy,fierce cowboys. A great read! Received for an honest review from the publisher and Net Galley.

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: STEAMY

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, courtesy of My Book Addiction and More

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quick read in the Gone Bad series! I found this one to be a little slower paced than the first two books in the series. Here we meet Tempest Templeton who is traveling with the Texas Society for the Promotion of Temperance in order to gain access to Indian territory. She's looking for the husband who ran off before their wedding night and took all of her family's money! She is out to get him and the money back. She makes it to a tavern in Delaware Bend where she causes a commotion in the bar. Her Society ladies desert her and she is to spend the night in "jail". The women townsfolk take her under their wing. Unbeknown to her, Lucky Devereaux, an outlaw, treasure hunter, and Indian Mystic, has been there waiting on a woman that can help him with finding a certain Indian relic artifact. When He sees Tempest, he knows she's the one! He agrees to take her into Indian territory for she has a gift that he needs! This is their adventure! Enjoy.

[CDean Andersson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bride Gone Bad is third in Sabine Starr's innovative "Gone Bad" series, but it might as well be the first. You can read it without having read the first two, if you want. This book, as with the first two, is set in far north Texas and north across the Red River into "Indian Territory" (today's Oklahoma, in particular the southeastern part). According to Ms. Starr's bio, she lives in the areas she writes about. Maybe that's why she is able to make the country through which the characters travel so real. The characters themselves are not the stock characters you might expect from a historical western romance, either, nor is the plot. Recommended. Well worth reading. Leave your preconceptions at the door. Hold on tightly. You're going to have some fun!

[Asa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apart from the well-drawn characters, intriguing plot, and believable romance in this book, I really enjoyed the paranormal aspects of the story. Native American mysticism is always interesting to me. Having visited the sacred site in Oklahoma where the climax of Bride Gone Bad takes place made the book even more fascinating to me. I cheer the direction Ms. Starr's writing is headed and look forward to her next.

[Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read romances or westerns,but I love this series!It's exciting and this installment is the most fun yet!It's historical, which is great,and the characters and plot are believable.It's empowering.
Ms. Starr has a fast-paced,vivid and descriptive storytelling style,and you can tell she does her research.The only bad part is waiting for the next book!

[Kathy Heare Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good story that kept the pages turning by Sabine Starr. And I learned that their is a fourth book in the making!