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Shotgun Bride
Orphaned young, Kathleen Barns has struggled to survive only to end up in a New York mill, when an unexpected inheritance gives her a glimpse of freedom. But becoming the landowner of a coveted piece of land with precious water rights in New Mexico Territory threatens to destroy her only chance at love. Forced into a marriage to a man who believes she planned the shotgun wedding to gain control of his ranch, Kathleen flees into the wilderness. Yet it is her unwanted husband that keeps saving her life and threatens to steal her heart.
Mike Baca had finally reached his goal, his fighting days were far behind him now that the war was over, he owned a ranch and he was on his way home to marry the richest girl in the New Mexico Territory. A shotgun in his back had him married to a green-eyed girl who wanted his ranch! Furious with her trickery, Mike made sure she wouldn’t want to keep him. It was only after she had run, with her big-eyed gaze haunting him that he discovered she was innocent, and there was a plot on her life. Now he must race the clock and the wild badlands to try and save his wife – and convince her to stay.
Mike Baca had finally reached his goal, his fighting days were far behind him now that the war was over, he owned a ranch and he was on his way home to marry the richest girl in the New Mexico Territory. A shotgun in his back had him married to a green-eyed girl who wanted his ranch! Furious with her trickery, Mike made sure she wouldn’t want to keep him. It was only after she had run, with her big-eyed gaze haunting him that he discovered she was innocent, and there was a plot on her life. Now he must race the clock and the wild badlands to try and save his wife – and convince her to stay.
- GenresHistorical Romance
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 12, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 16, 2013
Interesting premise of mistaken identity and a forced marriage. However the book needs some serious editing. One ridiculous kidnapping after another. There is no time for the characters to settle before the next improbable shoot em up is cued. There should have been a slow burn from the villain instead of lurching from one scheme to the next.
June 15, 2013
Story:
Ms. Lopp’s story is action-packed. Bullets are flying (quite literally) from one chapter to the next. Kathleen Barnes is a resourceful heroine who is set for New Mexico Territory after an inheritance windfall. But she’s not the only person eager for the land.
The hero is Mike Baca, a gentleman cowboy/rancher who “never misses” with his gun. Among the attempted robberies and murders, Mike and Kathleen develop a bond and suspicions as they travel together.
Critique:
The writing was solid and Ms. Lopp inserts just enough Wild West nomenclature to keep it authentic but not weighted. The characters were sympathetic to the extent that I rooted for them. But I wished for more – I wanted to know more about Kathleen’s past. She seemed almost too resourceful for a girl who had lived in the city for years. Likewise for Mike, whose gun seemed to fire like magic.
And maybe that was my main gripe with the whole book. There were always bullets flying, always another disaster at the end of every chapter that I started to wonder how the characters could be so blind that they didn’t notice. And how could they keep going on with their lives as they were when there were dangers lurking everywhere? Most of the plot twists were predictable, though there were one or two that kept me guessing and the ending seemed a little too convenient. I needed better foreshadowing.
(There were also about half-a-dozen errors throughout the book. It made me concerned about the amount of editing. It took me out of the story every time I came across one.)
Heat Level: 2 of 5
Romance: 4 of 5
Overall: 3 of 5
Ms. Lopp’s story is action-packed. Bullets are flying (quite literally) from one chapter to the next. Kathleen Barnes is a resourceful heroine who is set for New Mexico Territory after an inheritance windfall. But she’s not the only person eager for the land.
The hero is Mike Baca, a gentleman cowboy/rancher who “never misses” with his gun. Among the attempted robberies and murders, Mike and Kathleen develop a bond and suspicions as they travel together.
Critique:
The writing was solid and Ms. Lopp inserts just enough Wild West nomenclature to keep it authentic but not weighted. The characters were sympathetic to the extent that I rooted for them. But I wished for more – I wanted to know more about Kathleen’s past. She seemed almost too resourceful for a girl who had lived in the city for years. Likewise for Mike, whose gun seemed to fire like magic.
And maybe that was my main gripe with the whole book. There were always bullets flying, always another disaster at the end of every chapter that I started to wonder how the characters could be so blind that they didn’t notice. And how could they keep going on with their lives as they were when there were dangers lurking everywhere? Most of the plot twists were predictable, though there were one or two that kept me guessing and the ending seemed a little too convenient. I needed better foreshadowing.
(There were also about half-a-dozen errors throughout the book. It made me concerned about the amount of editing. It took me out of the story every time I came across one.)
Heat Level: 2 of 5
Romance: 4 of 5
Overall: 3 of 5
March 8, 2015
The heroine needs a holiday.
Since her family was massacred when she was 12 she's been robbed of 2 inheritance, her designs stolen, kidnapped (several times), shot at (guns & arrows), forced into marriage. Her third life started, it all happens again.
I like an action packed western. However, there's no build up every time she turns around there's a new disaster happening and someone smearing her name. Total drama.
Since her family was massacred when she was 12 she's been robbed of 2 inheritance, her designs stolen, kidnapped (several times), shot at (guns & arrows), forced into marriage. Her third life started, it all happens again.
I like an action packed western. However, there's no build up every time she turns around there's a new disaster happening and someone smearing her name. Total drama.
June 22, 2013
SHOTGUN BRIDE was a fast-paced read, complete with a sexy gentleman cowboy and a determined independent woman who wind up being forced to marry one another. They go through a lot of disasters with the bad guys after them in the old west setting before they finally come to the conclusion that they were meant to be together. It was definitely a good read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews