In this captivating sequel to Desert Rose, popular novelist Linda Chaikin takes readers out west for a spirited romance. Callie Halliday glitters as she sweeps across the stage in Virginia City. With her career on the rise, Callie is determined to find a respectable husband. And Rick Delance, a gunfighter with a dangerous reputation, doesn't fit the bill. But when someone breaks into Callie's dressing room and she survives some mishaps, it's obvious someone wants to harm her. Turning to the only man who can protect her, she contacts Rick Delance. As the actress and gunslinger face danger together, will the young woman's heart soften? Will she become a glittering star in the desert...or will she follow her heart?
Linda Chaikin is a Christian fiction author with a focus on historical fiction. She sometimes publishes using the name L.L. Chaikin.
Linda was the youngest of 10 children and her father died shortly after she was born. She wrote her first full-length novel with pen and paper at the age of 14 - this novel was later rewritten as Wednesday's Child, part of the Day to Remember series.
She met her husband, Steve, in a Bible study, and they were married 6 months later. They both went to Multnomah School for the Bible, now known as Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon.
I was a bit disappointed in this story. I read Christian Romance for the romance but there wasn't much in this story. I found it to be more of a mystery than a romance novel. The hero and heroine don't even have any interaction until the 13th chapter which is half way through the book. I personally like more interaction and relationship building in my romances. That being said, it was well written and believable.
My only other complaint is that there were so many characters that I had to keep a hand written list in order to keep track of who everyone was. Reading the first book is a must in order to understand who everyone is.
These were my first Linda Chaikin books and I did like them enough to try more by her.
A part of my personality pushes me to finish things I start. Even if I'm not enjoying a book, I feel a need to finish it (unless it has bad content that I don't want in my mind). Anyway, in the case of Desert Star, I'm glad I kept reading because the last 1/4 or so was pretty good. But, I really struggled to get to that point. The word hombre was SO overused. Initially it just brought to mind a cheesy western movie, but then it got annoying.
The second one in the Desert series. I liked the first one better, but that's probably because I liked Annalee's character best. This one, however, is good too.