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A Wanted Man
Sam Duncan was too young when he marched off to war and was brutally imprisoned. He's witnessed and experienced a lifetime of cruelty and he's lost too much to care about anything ever again. While he was captured, his entire family died, leaving him with the only person he cares about - his cellmate, Griff. As a result, his steely nerves have made Sam one of the most famous and feared hired guns in the west. Then Griff disappears inside the gates of Hamilton's fabulously profitable Silver Spur ranch. Sam figures that posing as a bodyguard of the Baron of Banking's daughter, who's come to visit, will be the simplest solution to finding his way in. Little did he expect that fighting a war would do so little to prepare him for an encounter with the very adventurous and alluring Laura.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 14, 2016
A WANTED MAN won the 2004 Rita for Short Historical Romance and after you read this book you'll know why. Laura Hamilton was the only child and pampered daughter of a wealthy businessman. Her childhood was marked with continual illness and, until now, she had never been able to spread her wings. With two bodyguards and a chaperone in tow, she started a journey on a train trip across America. Her aim was to paint landscapes of her 'true' young nation. Even at 25 years of age, she was naive because of her protected upbringing. Little does she know that her adventure was just the beginning and nothing like she had intended.
Sam Duncan was both a soldier and prisoner of the Civil War. Hardened from being held as a POW, he becomes a man for hire when the war ended. Now, at 37, he had no ties except to the one soldier, Griff Judah, who was with him in captivity. Griff had been captured under mysterious circumstances by an associate of Laura's father.
Sam tried to find out what was going on only to be thwarted at the first chance. He realized that he must come up with another plan. Claiming to be a bodyguard hired by her father, Sam intended to be near Laura only long enough to visit the Silver Spur ranch where his friend was being held. Sam soon found out how much protection Laura's caretakers bestowed on her.
A heartwarming romance, A WANTED MAN is the story of one man's journey to redeem himself. A secondary story between one of the bodyguards and Laura's guardian only added to the plot. In each of their own ways, Sam and Laura have had a hard life. The give-and-take struggle between the hero and heroine empowered them to grow closer. They deserved some love and finally found it with each other.
Sam Duncan was both a soldier and prisoner of the Civil War. Hardened from being held as a POW, he becomes a man for hire when the war ended. Now, at 37, he had no ties except to the one soldier, Griff Judah, who was with him in captivity. Griff had been captured under mysterious circumstances by an associate of Laura's father.
Sam tried to find out what was going on only to be thwarted at the first chance. He realized that he must come up with another plan. Claiming to be a bodyguard hired by her father, Sam intended to be near Laura only long enough to visit the Silver Spur ranch where his friend was being held. Sam soon found out how much protection Laura's caretakers bestowed on her.
A heartwarming romance, A WANTED MAN is the story of one man's journey to redeem himself. A secondary story between one of the bodyguards and Laura's guardian only added to the plot. In each of their own ways, Sam and Laura have had a hard life. The give-and-take struggle between the hero and heroine empowered them to grow closer. They deserved some love and finally found it with each other.
October 10, 2015
Western Romance Contrived
Another one that starts out strong, but turns predictable and sappy about half way through. I was actually more interested in the secondary characters than Laura and Sam. The plot felt tired, and the bad guys were flatly two-dimensional.
I'm not sure if this holds true for the paperback, but the kindle version flips point of view without notice throughout the book, very disconcerting. There isn't even space between the last paragraph and the new perspective, making it hard to follow. The new perspective never starts with the person's name, i.e. "Sam thought about that cold, dark cave...," instead you have to wade fairly far into the next paragraph to know who's talking.
The book is not clean, there are a few bad words, and the Lord's name taken in vain at least once. There are intimate scenes, but they pop up in odd places and seem out of character.
Another one that starts out strong, but turns predictable and sappy about half way through. I was actually more interested in the secondary characters than Laura and Sam. The plot felt tired, and the bad guys were flatly two-dimensional.
I'm not sure if this holds true for the paperback, but the kindle version flips point of view without notice throughout the book, very disconcerting. There isn't even space between the last paragraph and the new perspective, making it hard to follow. The new perspective never starts with the person's name, i.e. "Sam thought about that cold, dark cave...," instead you have to wade fairly far into the next paragraph to know who's talking.
The book is not clean, there are a few bad words, and the Lord's name taken in vain at least once. There are intimate scenes, but they pop up in odd places and seem out of character.
October 28, 2010
Western (or Americana???) romance about a woman painter, daughter of a robber baron millionaire type, who is working on a panoramic painting of the American railroad. She is joined by a hired gun who needs her to get entry to a silver mine where his friend has disappeared. This was a very interesting book; the mystery/action/adventure aspect of it was really well-done and I loved the ending.
April 4, 2023
Nice western romance with a different setup than usual.
Heat level: 3🌶️. Sexy times as cure for claustrophobia lol.
Heat level: 3🌶️. Sexy times as cure for claustrophobia lol.
October 28, 2024
This one didn't quite work for me. Started off interesting, after reading the sample I thought I'd be in for quite a treat so I bought it, though sadly quickly regretted it only after a few more chapters in.
Characters fell flat, they needed more fleshing out. Too much telling and no showing what these people experienced or felt. Sam & Laura both had different stories, emotional and somewhat complex stories, but we are told of this and not shown. There could have been a lot of depth and passion between these two, but instead I got a luke-warm, boring and uninspiring romance. Even the plot was monotonous and lackluster, I found myself skimming which is never good.
Disappointing.
Characters fell flat, they needed more fleshing out. Too much telling and no showing what these people experienced or felt. Sam & Laura both had different stories, emotional and somewhat complex stories, but we are told of this and not shown. There could have been a lot of depth and passion between these two, but instead I got a luke-warm, boring and uninspiring romance. Even the plot was monotonous and lackluster, I found myself skimming which is never good.
Disappointing.
November 21, 2016
4.5 stars. Just a really good book. It was slow at the start, but the relationship built naturally and realistically. By the time we got to the ending I was totally immersed. Very well written, a compelling story once it got rolling.
February 27, 2023
rep: Chinese side characters
cw: ptsd, panic attack, poverty, grief, racism, slavery, labor abuse, awful sex work experiences
The plot should’ve been more interesting but it wasn’t bad at all!
cw: ptsd, panic attack, poverty, grief, racism, slavery, labor abuse, awful sex work experiences
The plot should’ve been more interesting but it wasn’t bad at all!
June 14, 2019
This is a great story about Sam Duncan, a hardened, ex-Civil War soldier and hired gun, who plans to use Laura Hamilton to find out what happened to his friend (his jail-mate from Anderson Prison). Laura is an artist who spent years ill in bed with rheumatic fever. Now, her parents have finally allowed her to travel over the West while pursuing her craft. She has three long-time attendants: A companion and two bodyguards.
Sam has already tried to discover the whereabouts of his friend, Griff Judah by himself and was almost killed for his efforts. The answer lies on the Silver Spurs Ranch, a spread of thousands of acres, a fence and hordes of killers protecting the property. Now disguised, he plans to act as
Laura's assistant while she visits one of her father's business partners (the owner of the Silver Spurs Ranch).
Readers get to learn lots about the two main characters through the slow build-up. Sam is brave, a person who values his friends and deadly with a gun. Laura is very likable; she's a trustworthy helper to her friends and steadfast in a fight. Although they come from shockingly different
backgrounds, they meet and recognize the special qualities of the other.
I felt that this book deserved a 5-star-rating until the end. This author can really build tension in a story. I simply couldn't put aside the book, once the pair arrived at the Silver Spurs Ranch. I could hardly stand the tension and the danger they faced.
After getting to know the characters at a leisurely pace, the story moved into high gear at the ranch. The final chapters were just too quick and too neat.
Sam has already tried to discover the whereabouts of his friend, Griff Judah by himself and was almost killed for his efforts. The answer lies on the Silver Spurs Ranch, a spread of thousands of acres, a fence and hordes of killers protecting the property. Now disguised, he plans to act as
Laura's assistant while she visits one of her father's business partners (the owner of the Silver Spurs Ranch).
Readers get to learn lots about the two main characters through the slow build-up. Sam is brave, a person who values his friends and deadly with a gun. Laura is very likable; she's a trustworthy helper to her friends and steadfast in a fight. Although they come from shockingly different
backgrounds, they meet and recognize the special qualities of the other.
I felt that this book deserved a 5-star-rating until the end. This author can really build tension in a story. I simply couldn't put aside the book, once the pair arrived at the Silver Spurs Ranch. I could hardly stand the tension and the danger they faced.
After getting to know the characters at a leisurely pace, the story moved into high gear at the ranch. The final chapters were just too quick and too neat.
December 29, 2016
It is always wonderful to find a new author whose work you enjoy. This is my first book by the author, and I will be seeking out more.
Both hero and heroine are compelling, and the secondary characters are equally interesting. There is quite a lot of description, but it fits in well because the heroine is an artist, used to paying attention to visual details. The heroine's profession and her background add an interesting dimension to the story, however there are a few shortcomings, hence not a full five stars.
1. The heroine's character is not quite clear. She starts off as a sheltered, inexperienced daughter of wealthy parents. She has never been alone with a man and has no idea how to flirt. However, as the plot enfolds, she seems to be quite skilled at flirting, and equally competent at pretending to be an flighty, empty-headed woman used to batting her eyelids at men.
2. The morality of the heroine's actions seem at odds with the historical period. The book is set in Victorian times when well brought-up women had little idea of what went on in bed, and even a hint of intimacy before marriage could ruin a woman's reputation. And yet, the heroine seduces the hero, behaving almost like a sexual predator. She seems to know exactly what to do, what goes where and she has no hesitation in demanding that the hero complies.
3. The same lack of period authenticity comes through in some other aspects of the story. For example, some expressions sound too modern, some thought patterns unsuitable for the era.
4. The resolution of the romance seems a bit rushed. They can't be together because of his past history and her family background. But then they change their minds and all is rosy within five minutes. This turning point is glossed over, which seems a bit too sudden and easy.
That said, I enjoyed the book. Four stars is a high rating from me.
Both hero and heroine are compelling, and the secondary characters are equally interesting. There is quite a lot of description, but it fits in well because the heroine is an artist, used to paying attention to visual details. The heroine's profession and her background add an interesting dimension to the story, however there are a few shortcomings, hence not a full five stars.
1. The heroine's character is not quite clear. She starts off as a sheltered, inexperienced daughter of wealthy parents. She has never been alone with a man and has no idea how to flirt. However, as the plot enfolds, she seems to be quite skilled at flirting, and equally competent at pretending to be an flighty, empty-headed woman used to batting her eyelids at men.
2. The morality of the heroine's actions seem at odds with the historical period. The book is set in Victorian times when well brought-up women had little idea of what went on in bed, and even a hint of intimacy before marriage could ruin a woman's reputation. And yet, the heroine seduces the hero, behaving almost like a sexual predator. She seems to know exactly what to do, what goes where and she has no hesitation in demanding that the hero complies.
3. The same lack of period authenticity comes through in some other aspects of the story. For example, some expressions sound too modern, some thought patterns unsuitable for the era.
4. The resolution of the romance seems a bit rushed. They can't be together because of his past history and her family background. But then they change their minds and all is rosy within five minutes. This turning point is glossed over, which seems a bit too sudden and easy.
That said, I enjoyed the book. Four stars is a high rating from me.
May 9, 2010
She's a panorama painter & only child of wealthy family, he's an outlaw that's using her to gain entrance to a secure ranch/mine.
June 22, 2015
Tedious.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews