Henry ‘Lick’ Stetson never expected to be given the task to ensure the enemy's daughter doesn't run after his outlaw gang took her for ransom. He definitely didn’t expect to fall in love with her, especially when he believed it was not meant to last. But Lord, how he needed her.
Clementine Strauss never expected to find herself where she is. She definitely didn’t expect to love the life she was forced into, and she one hundred percent did not expect to fall in love with the man who is supposed to make sure she doesn’t run, even though she knows this love will lead to disaster.
Eventually, they go their separate ways, but one thing is for sure. They’ll always find their way back to each other, no matter the dangers or the cost.
Gabriella Vides is an avid writer and reader of a wide range of genres. She not only considers herself a mood reader but also a mood writer—what catches her attention in a particular moment is what she enjoys.
When she isn’t busy reading or writing, she is spending time with her family and dogs in California while also attending university full time for her master’s degree in public administration.
She has always loved to read and write, and she used fanfiction to build her skills before she started the real thing. For more information and updates, please sign up for her newsletter.
Am stopping at 75% because it feels like I've been reading this book since last year. The miscommunication is killing me and so is the hero and the heroine.
Not a bad book, writing is ok, practice makes perfect! If you like western romances, and have the time to read like 500 pages, and don't mind a lot of things happening so fast, give it a read.
SPOILERS BELOW
This book. Is so long. My mind has been on Henry and Clem for so long, that I don't think there are any other couples in books. It's all Henry and Clementine.
In all seriousness, it's not a bad book, just a long book, which is interesting considering there are so many time jumps. I wish there was more sexual tension between the two MC's, I wish their problems wouldn't have been resolved so soon, and lastly, I wish I understood Mr. Strauss' reasoning for why he wanted Clem to just stay put. He said she was dead to the papers, so why did it matter if she was with the gang or not? It doesn't make sense to me.
Speaking of the gang, I wish we would've had more interactions between them and Clementine or Henry. I know it's their story but the gang members are with us for most of the story, and it would've made their deaths more impactful. But any sort of interactions between Clem and the gang is thwarted by time skips. Even in the beginning when Henry and Clem were just starting to catch feelings for each other, it confused me because they had only interacted a few times. He was so down bad for her and he only knew her for like 4 or 5 months.
So many things happened. So many. Very plot driven. The sex scenes though? Top tier. But this book is so much more than it's spicy scenes. The writing is okay, but with practice, I'm sure the author will get better. Please keep writing! I wouldn't mind reading another western romance :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Immediately decided to read this book when I saw the mention of Red Dead Redemption 2, and this book definitely feels like Red Dead.
I love Henry and Clem's story, from their rocky start to the pinnacle of their growth through love and difficulty. I'm also so thrilled about Clementine being a fiercely strong female lead.
I definitely think the book could have been split into two, if not three, with more world building added in between. I feel like this would be a great addition for someone who doesn't have prior context to go on.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend giving it a go!
First and foremost, the ratings. *drum roll please* 🌶️ 4.75/5 (my only complaint is that I wish there was more but we still love a good plot with porn novel) ⭐️ 5/5
So, fair warning, I created the art for this book. I also helped edit it. However, as proud as I am of Gabriella in her newest publication, I will attempt to remain as unbiased as possible.
I saw this book when it was still an aimless idea, a love for cowboys and the old west, and not only has it come a long way from the notebook ideas and brainstorm sessions, it is also a creation of love, adoration and the culmination of a shit ton of hardwork.
This book is amazing, and I wish I was just trying to support my best friend, or my artwork, but it truly is an amazing read (take it from me, someone who cannot reread the same book unless given at least 6 months to forget the plot; and I reread it twice— three times if you count every new chapter update I was lucky enough to receive).
Gabriella took beauty and brawn and gave us heartwarming and badass, for both the MMC and the FMC. Which is something I appreciate. One thing I have found with spicy/erotic/smutty books recently, is that they are oddly one sided, and lean very heavy on veiled misogyny and the whole “damsel in distress” idea. This book is polar opposite, the two main characters (and their chosen family) support and lean on each other at every moment possible (except when they are both being entirely stupid).
The novel spans from 1890-1893, not including the epilogue and bonus chapter. Gabriella lets us explore what feels like a lifetime between our characters in the limit of 400 some odd pages, learning themselves, learning each other, battling issues between old rivalries and new ones. Oh, and some truly hot sex.
We learn to want our own outlaw cowboys… and their wives🙈.
As always, research your tropes and trigger warnings, and never forget to practice self care before/during/after reading.
(P.S. People will die, I promise I tried to stop her and I also promise that at some points I even encouraged the bloodshed. Additionally, I did succeed in keeping some of the characters from meeting a more gruesome fate but alas, I could not save them all and neither could Henry)
(P.P.S. I for some reason have the hots for Tommy and would greatly appreciate the help in convincing Gabriella to give me his story)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is the first review I’ve ever written so that alone should say a lot. I am a strict fantasy reader but I wanted to explore the western genres because of my love for the game Red Dead Redemption 2. So imagine my surprise when the dedication mentioned the authors love for the game as well. This story was earth shatteringly beautiful. I wanted to find a book that would make me relive all of the emotions I experienced while playing rdr2 with a romantic focus and oh…my…god this did not disappoint. It was everything I wished for and more. What I loved the most was the realness between the 2 main characters. No one is perfect and especially no relationship is perfect but watching them grow over the span of the story was lovely. I was so attached and immersed to this world and its characters. Stayed up way too late into the night reading it cause I just could not put it down. Many tears of joy and sadness later…this is my book of the year. I felt a special connection to every single character, whether they were small roles or not. I fell in love with this world and the dynamic of the group. I was never once bored, nothing ever felt like a “filler scene”. Everything was just so raw and real. Just overall, a beautiful story about love, family, grief and personal healing/growth.
Overall thoughts: if you’re looking for a book based during the end of the Wild West this is a great grab. After playing Red Dead Redemption 2, I was able to make connections to the game and this book, enough so that I could “translate it” to my boyfriend to explain plot points to him. This book has a great story with love, betrayal, growth and spice. It took me the first 20% to really get into the book but once I was drawn in I struggled to put it down. I cried, laughed, kicked my feet and enjoyed it. It’s long but I think it’s worth it to push through.
Enjoyed: - The relationships, between friends, family and romantic relationships. It was fun, dramatic and entertaining. - The story itself is really fun, I ended up reading a few pages and went to describe the situations to my boyfriend. - the personal development of both MCs was nice to see. Have characters change and grow is always nice to see. - Spice scenes were spicy, and very descriptive!
Didn’t enjoy: - it is long, it took 20% to really get drawn in (hence the long reading period). I think the world and relationship building was necessary but felt long. - Miscommunication central, but I think that’s inevitable with 2 strong headed characters.
Gabriella’s ability to make the two mains so complex yet understandable is amazing. We first meet Lick as this somewhat arrogant thieving cowboy who’s quite literally capturing our main girl Clementine, who at the time is this “helpless” rich girl. However, they later become these two incredibly loveable, badass, root worthy characters in the end. I couldn’t help falling in love with them both. I was so invested in their relationship with each other, but also with the other characters. This world was built so well each minor character felt so fleshed out. I know it’s almost over, but this might be one of my favorite books of the year. Also, Lick Stetson may be a pain at times, but I'd still run away with him if he asked.
So grateful to have been able to review this book so early, thank you!
This book has destroyed me, I have gone through all kinds of emotions and when a story makes you feel so much it's an incredible feeling. There's ANGST and I was living for it although it killed me, I spent the last 20% of the book crying.
The characters are wonderful, they're all very complex and complete, both the main ones, the secondary ones and even the enemies, you know that a book is good when the main villain is pure evil.
The found family has filled my heart with warmth (it's SO heartwarming). Buck is the funniest and a man very advanced for his time, I love Tommy and Rebecca so much, and Margie is my idol (“Well, ya can't 'cause crying over silly men is just embarrassing.” Yasss girl👑).
Clementine and Henry have my heart, my soul and my everything. They're very real characters, with their struggles but also with their strengths.
I feel like I still left so much to say but conclusion: I love it🧡
I downloaded this on Stuff Your Kindle Day because I LOVED the cover. I started reading it and saw in the dedication that she was inspired by Red Dead Redemption 2 (my favorite video game of all time) so I immediately got hyped. This book was WONDERFUL. I had so much fun drawing parallels between the video game and the novel. I will say that the book certainly has its own plot, but I think a lot of the character archetypes are similar. Henry=Arthur Morgan Buck=John Marston Wyatt=Dutch Van Der Lind Rebecca= Ms Grimshaw And more!! I absolutely loved the found family vibes in this, the fierce loyalty and love, and the overall aesthetic.
Be warned though, just like the game, this book will make you cry.
This book is OK, I started off rating 3, then 4, but changed back to 3, it’s a solid 3.5 I’m not someone who often doesn’t finish a book, so I powered through despite the urge to DNF, but I’ve been reading this for what feels like an age, (and I read Fourth Wing in 1 day 😅) but the writing is slow, lots of plot and forced miscommunication, no one seems to learn any lessons and honestly although the ending was *nice* (and I mean nice and not amazing), I’m not sure I’d recommend it beyond it was an OK diversion from my usual genre. I’ve never read any western romances, and this has piqued my interest a little. It definitely go better towards the end.
This was such an exciting book! I stayed up past 1 am to finish reading it. The book begins with Henry kidnapping Clementine for ransom with the rest of his gang of cowboys and rebels. And it only gets better from there.
I recommend this book to fans of strong female characters, the typical Gabriella Vides angst, action packed adventures, and tender romances.
This book had me in tears some minutes and so angry the next! I loved hearing the love story between the FMC and MMC. It was an added bonus that she happened to be a plus size woman and to hear his descriptions of his love for her regardless and absolute adoration. The spicy scenes are 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ and will absolutely wreck you. With all new writers there is a growing period and I truly think Gabriella could be a phenomenal romance writer! This book is just the beginning.
I loved it! This was the first book that was set in the way past, like I was suuuuuper surprised to see 1880 and so on but it was super good. I got an arc of this book and I have to tell you, it is so worth the read!! The characters are chefs kiss and I love the family dynamic going on. It was such a beautiful and cute story and the title meaning made me want to cry. I loved every second!!
3.5 ⭐️ i love a good cowboy romance. this book easily could have been divided into 3 books with a few filler scenes and i’d eat it up as a trilogy. so so so much happened but i think henry is so cute. also clem is such a legend, i love her. p.s. buck is my fav though
Call me crazy but if a strange man kidnaps me out of the blue and continuously threatens to cut out my tongue, I’m gonna at least attempt not to fall in love with him right away 😂
The heroine had no business being so happy with her kidnappers.
I loved this western romance! The FMC was very likable and I loved her representation of plus size FMCs as well. Some of the dialogue was a bit cringey for me but I really enjoyed it! Definitely recommend. It is a long book, but if you are willing to read a long one it’s definitely worth the read!!!!
This was long. Not a bad book just a lot of time jumps and unnecessary things happening. Like an issue would pop up and 5 pages later it would be solved. I kinda wish it wasn’t so insta lovey.
Wow, this was a rollercoaster. Representation of my emotions –> 🤨😏😳🫣🥵🤩💀😭☺️.
Let’s just say I stayed up till 4am to finish this book. As I said before, LICK (Henry) CAN GET IT ANYTIME HE WANTS. Did I want to smack him for how he behaved? Yes. But would I let him absolutely destroy me? Also yes. He went from: “oh no, I have to babysit her😒” to “I’m gonna marry this woman☺️”, and I’m sooo here for it.
Clementine, you have my heart. Let me tell you, she did not come here to play (only with Henry). I loved her development, and how she was absolutely feral for her man. The last few chapters were very emotional and I had to go back a few times to make sure I read it correctly.
This book is very descriptive, so make sure to read the TWs before reading it.