King's Fancy

Wild West #1

by Sable Hunter

Kingston Ramsay needs a good woman, even if he doesn’t know it yet.
Building a life in the wild west can get mighty lonely for a man who has vowed to never fall in love again.
Lonely days. Lonely nights. Lonely bed.
Lucky for him, he has friends who are determined to help him out. While King agrees to hire a housekeeper, his compadres decide he deserves more - a beautiful wife, ready and able to fill those lonely hours with all the excitement he can handle.
Not telling King about his surprise…might have been a mistake, for when Fancy arrives, she isn’t exactly what they bargained for when they arranged for a mail-order bride for their friend.
Half-starved and homeless, Fancy Grace is ecstatic for a chance at a family of her own. In her estimation, Kingston Ramsay, the man who has chosen her, is the epitome of perfection. She can’t believe her good fortune and is determined to make him the happiest of men…until she learns the truth.
Kingston didn’t choose her, he thinks she is there to make his bed, not warm it.
Determined to make the best of her bad situation, Fancy sets out to prove she can be exactly what King needs. She might not be a beauty, but she has plenty to offer the right man. Sparks fly in this battle of the sexes when these two strong-willed individuals clash. King is forced to reevaluate his definition of perfect when he learns a valuable truth - sometimes true beauty can only be discerned when looking through the eyes of love.
***
Hotter than Hell Yeah!, Sable Hunter’s Wild West is a series where cowboys are king, yet their women can bring them to their knees. Full of adventure and heart-tugging emotion, these books have enough sensual heat to start a Texas wildfire. Holding out for a hero? Look no further, meet seven men you’ll never forget: King, Boone, Clay, Gentry, Domino, Jericho, Reno, and Joss.

Genres: Historical Romance, Westerns, Historical, Romance, Slow Burn, Western Romance, Amazon

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 11, 2017

About the author

Sable Hunter is a New York Times, USA Today bestselling author of over 60 books in 11 series. She writes sexy contemporary stories full of emotion and suspense. Her focus is mainly cowboy and novels set in Louisiana with a hint of the supernatural. Sable writes what she likes to read and enjoys putting her fantasies on paper. Her books are emotional tales where the heroine is faced with challenges. Her aim is to write a story that will make you laugh, cry and swoon. If she can wring those emotions from a reader, she has done her job. Sable resides in Austin, Texas with her two dogs. Passionate about all animals, she has been known to charm creatures from a one ton bull to a family of raccoons. For fun, Sable haunts cemeteries and battlefields armed with night-vision cameras and digital recorders hunting proof that love survives beyond the grave. Welcome to her world of magic, alpha heroes, sexy cowboys and hot, steamy to-die-for sex. Step into the shoes of her heroines and escape to places where right prevails, love conquers all and holding out for a hero is not an impossible dream.

Reviews

[Sometime · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice mail order bride story. And Fancy is what made the book so good. King was such an a$$ that I wanted to kick him in the nuts for most of the book. Fancy has lived a very hard life but hasn't let it get her down. She's smart, kind, funny and she works hard. The only problem is that she's so plain looking. Don't worry, once she gets some food in her, takes a bath, and gets some decent clothes she turns out to be beautiful

King wasn't expecting a bride but his friends decide to order him one and hope for the best. This does not turn out well. It also made me so angry at the friends that they would play with the life of a woman this way. She left everything to come to them and do they notice or care? King is not pleased to see her and he lets everyone know. He really says and does some cruel things and poor Fancy just takes his crap likes she's done all her life. There were a few plot holes Like why they didn't just tell Fancy that she would just be the cook/housekeeper instead of going with the bride story. Or why they didn't just put her up in one of the other cabins and have her work in the main house during the days only? King slowly gets pulled in by Fancy and her good soul and he can't resist her. He didn't score any points with me in the way he handled that, in fact I lost all respect for him. King takes her to his bed with no intention of ever marrying her. He does this in full view of all his friends and coworkers. He knows she expects him to marry her after this but continues to have sex with her and doesn't even bother to worry about pregnancy until someone brings it up. They have an 8 year old boy staying at the ranch and this is the example he is setting? And if the time came that he didn't marry her his friends would have lost all respect for him. He treated her like a whore in his own mind and it wasn't until the bitter end that he finally decided to ask her to marry him. Ugh. He is not my type of hero.

If you don't mind a hero with his head up his rear this is actually a fun little story. I liked it for the most part but the hero kinda dampened my enthusiasm.

Safety h is a virgin. H has limited experience, I think mostly from whores. He's been celibate for a long time (years). His fiance betrayed him and married his brother and he is angry about that. I thought he hung onto it for waaaay too long. There was a OW but the H never had any interest.

[Jac K · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Ugly Duckling Stars

I’m still on the arranged marriage/mail order bride kick and am a sucker for a cowboy named King. It’s like when I see a PNR with a H named Lucian… I can’t not click. 🤷‍♀️Ironically, as with my last read… we have a Robin Hood theme and a H & h that takes almost 30% to meet. (after the prologue)

King’s Fancy is a second-chance, ugly duckling, unwanted mail order bride romance between King and Fancy. In the prologue, the mc’s have a chance encounter as kids in NYC where they spend the day playing Robin Hood. Then, it picks up 18 years later. The beginning drags, but the story picks up once they reunite. (neither recognizes the other)

Fancy has had a terrible life. She was an orphan turned indentured servant and recently bought her freedom. Things start to look up when she’s informed that a Texas man (King) selected her as a bride. She’s described as quite ugly, so she assumes that her groom read an article where she saved children in a fire. What she doesn’t know is that the man in charge of bride program HATES King and purposely switched the request for the pretty bride for her.

Meanwhile… King is a grump. He returned from the war to find his fiancée married to his brother. He’s looking for a male cook, but his men decide to play matchmaker and enter him in the bride program. We know of the trainwreck coming, but both are blindsided when the truth comes out.

Fancy is sweet but VERY door-matty. She’s lonely, desperate for love, and has no self-confidence, so she just takes all his crap with a smile. King is jerky but not abusive or cruel.

Potential issues- This isn’t really historically accurate or totally PC. There’re mentions of oriental moves, mullatto, they are ex-confederate soldiers. There’re savage Injun’s running about… Stinky Rodiguez the cook, and mention of masters and slaves vs. gentlemen and ladies. IMO, there wasn’t any malice present. I think this is just outside the author’s wheelhouse and she didn’t do much research or consider that parts could be off-putting to readers. The sex scenes read more contemporary with his big cock and “Fuck baby”-s.

Bottom Line- Ok read, but no feels. I skimmed some and almost DNF’ed early on. King was a jerk which I liked. I wish Fancy would’ve had some grit and pushed back… even a little rather than always being accepting.

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.35*
I kept wavering between 3 and 4 so this is appropriate.

The story is barely a 3, and the H is even less so...
But the h is pretty unique and so (unbelievably) unworldly despite being an orphan since she was 5 yo. She lived by her wits on the streets, then when she was 8, she was sent on an orphan train to be an indentured servant.
It's heartbreaking to see her cling to her humanity and sanity by cheerfully living in a dream world.“Don’t mind me. I’m pretending again. I’ve spent most of my life in a dream world because I’m unhappy in the real world I exist in.”
On top of that, she's very plain or 'butt ugly'. Although we know that the starved and abused duckling is only waiting for some food and care to transform some. But she gets a lot of undeserved and hurtful ridicule in the book. (Thankfully, that also kept her safe in a whorehouse?)
"... wondered at Fancy’s tendency to put herself down. She seemed to do it quite often, maybe she said those things before someone else could say them."

Now, as she travels west to be a mail order bride, she's unaware that the H never asked for her and it were his concerned friends who wrote for a mail order bride - only there was a mixup.
The H has been PTSDing for 2 years not just from the war but also because of his former fiancee's betrayal who married his bother while he was away at war.
He then travelled west to Texas and established his own town and ranch - Kingsland and King's Ransom. Fancy that!
And the h's name is fancifully Fancy too. And she's spent her own life being bullied for that mismatched name.

Anyways, she arrives to a shocked and angry H who tells her to return on the very next coach.
Through some circumstances, her departure keeps getting delayed while she tries her hardest to prove her worth to the H. Predictably, a lot of angst is injected by his continual rebuffing of her overtures.
“She felt like Sisyphus, who was condemned by the Greek god Zeus to push a boulder up a hill, then watch it roll back down, only to be required to repeat the move again and again, with the results never changing.”
Even when he gives into his attraction to her, he ends up giving her mixed signals, raising her hopes.

Incredibly and sweetly (in the past), the h/H had shared a heartwarming connection as children when they met briefly in NYC.

All said, it does stretch credibility that she can be so sweet, untouched and upbeat despite her hard life - but then she's a fictional character.
And her uninhibited honesty and candidness can be a bit too much at times. Like the way she doesn't/cannot hide her attraction towards the H or when she openly admires his good looks or body. Worse is 'enjoying' nursing him while he was unconscious >> creepy vibes.
If a man was doing that, we'd certainly judge him differently, more harshly, I feel.

[Cheesecake · Rating 4 out of 5]

.
3.5 stars rounded up

King (the man with his head up his ass), and Fancy (the girl used to getting the shit end of the stick).
There's a nice progression from King belligerently resenting her and planning for her to leave, to him noticing that she's actually pretty and wanting her, to him realizing that he feels a lot more for her than just lust. They also find that they have quite a bit in common.

We open with a sweet prologue where King and Fancy meet as kids and have a lasting impact on each other.
The main story starts with King and his friends (the confederate soldiers under his command) returning from the civil war. None of them return to the homes they remembered. For some they were destroyed, and for King there was his brother and fiance stabbing him in the back.
So off the friends go to make a new life out west (Texas). And they do.

Fancy had a much harder life than King. Orphaned young she has spent her days in indentured servitude and near starvation to one jackass after another. Finally having a bit of luck she ends up being a mail order bride for King that his friends set him up with.
He is NOT pleased. For one, she looks like something the cat dragged in. Waaay too skinny, ugly ill fitting clothes etc. For another, he is dead set against marrying ...EVER.
But Fancy, while very disappointed, is not surprised by the rejection and manages to fit in as the 'housekeeper'.

There's a villain who has a pathological dislike of King, and there's some snooty towns people. But all of King's friends like Fancy a lot.
After the half way mark, things start to go more Fancy's way. They don't actually meet til 27% and it doesn't go well, to say the least!

Even though Fancy is used to being treated poorly she's no doormat.

This book was written in 2017 and although there are all of King's bachelor friends for more books, this is still the only book in the series. Hope SH writes more!

Safety is surprisingly good King has been celibate for years. He had a fiancee who married his brother while he was at war. He didn't love her though and they had never done more than brief kisses. He hasn't been with a woman since and I think he was celibate during the war to avoid venereal diseases. (smart man!) Fancy is a virgin. She's 26 and he's a couple years older. There is a brief threat of an OW wannabe, but King is decidedly not interested.

[Monika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago and really liked it but am disappointed to realize some of the undertones in this. Was really disappointed when I realized that King was a Confederate soldier & the way Native Americans are playing into the 'savage' stereotype. Overall 3.5/4 stars but lowered it to a 2 because why is there a need to make him a Confederate soldier? Like, he just as easily could have been a Union soldier looking for a new start in Texas. And this wasn't published like 20 years ago so there really isn't an excuse for King to be that.

Edit: LMAO this was published in 2017, I swear some of these authors are ridiculous with their Historical Romances

Edit 2.0: wanted to revise my sentence “ the way Native Americans are playing into the 'savage' stereotype.” Because the way it reads sounds sketchy to my own ears, almost like it’s absolving the author of the responsibility of making their own choice in this characterization/depiction. I think a better way to say it is, the author wrote Native Americans in a super stereotypical light, specifically the imperialist idea that they were savages. In retrospect, it didn’t even need to be written in to the story because that plot line went absolutely nowhere if I’m remembering correctly and served literally no purpose.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/10/2020)! 🎁

[Mehak · Rating 1 out of 5]

The racism in this book is so incredibly blatant I thought I was reading something published in 1930, not 2017.

“You and your fancy-ass Oriental moves.”

This is page 14!!!

King kept a protective eye on Jericho as they moved on down the trail. He’d been watching over him his entire life. Most didn’t know it, and you couldn’t tell by looking, but Jericho was a mulatto. His mother was Mattie, the mammy who’d raised King from a baby. No one ever said who sired him, but King was highly suspicious that he and the young man shared a father. Only Mattie knew for sure, and he didn’t know if she’d ever confided the truth to her son or anyone else, for that matter.

Here, the MMC who we're supposed to root for reveals that he has a half brother who's mother was an enslaved woman.

Kingston considered the thought for a moment, then dismissed it. “Mattie wouldn’t leave, we’ve always treated her like family. She runs the whole household, nobody tells Mattie no about anything.”

Look! A mammy stereotype!

"Damn Injun’s signaling for help.” “He’s gonna need it.” King yanked his rifle from the scabbard, standing to his feet in the stirrups to see over the next rise, scouting the area. There were too damn many places a man could hide in this hill country. “We’re taking him in, I refuse to lose another calf or pig to this conniving thief.”

"I don’t like this. We’d made peace with these bastards, agreed to live and let live. Why would they start stealing from us now?"

During this horrific time, the Comanches had pushed the white settlements back almost a hundred miles. The tribes around the ranch weren’t part of the raiding parties, but Indians were Indians.

Reno and Boone exchanged looks, both knew what happened to white women in the hands of the Comanche.

“They’ve got Stinky Rodriguez cooking for y’all."

Such relationships had existed between some masters and slaves, but not between a gentleman and a lady. And he could not deny that Fancy Grace was a lady in every way that counted.

You mean ... She's white? I would exactly call a sexual relationship between an enslaved person and an enslaver a relationship, I would call it rape because that's what it is.

Also, back to 'Not between a gentleman and a lady'. From the MMC, who was raised by an enslaved woman had a child with her enslaver. The MMC, who's half brother and best friend's mom was an enslaved woman???? He is literally saying the woman who raised him and his half brother ISN'T A LADY IN THE WAYS THAT COUNT?? BECAUSE SHE WAS ABUSED BY HER EMPLOYER?? WHAT???

[Hopeless Romantic Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the year!

This story pulled my heartstrings in every direction. Been crying, laughing, annoyed and giddy as i read this. Not to mention that i appreciate the simplicity, positive attitude, faith and determination of the characters. Fancy and King are awesome in their own ways, opposite yet explosive together. I fell in love with them both even though i want to give King a beating for treating a lady that bad! His prejudice is so bad he can't see the goodness and beauty of Fancy right away but when he did he is shameful with want and craving for her. The intimacy that they shared was written in taste, wanton yet romantic. Love this story! Definitely deserving a 5 star. How about stories of the other gentlemen? Thanks Sable!

[Kit Sinatra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fancy was so cute! I loved her as a heroine. She was like an optimistic and happy version of Lo Down from Silver Lining by Maggie something. It was a little hard hearing about how ugly each guy found her, but she became pretty to everyone through her personality. Love that Maid Marion got a happy ending with her Robin Hood.

I hope the author continues on with the series. I would love a book about Reno.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the trope of an actually ugly heroine, but the way this was written was like a fan fic. All the women were mean to the heroine, the dialogue was so over explainy, the language was anachronistic like, "fuck, baby" during sex. And the sex was ridiculous. Blinding lights, screaming, and a big dick. Right. Masculinity at it's finest.

[CB · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW

Rating: 3.5/5
POV: 3rd person; dual
Heat Level: 5+/5
Tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine; American Historical Romance; Mail-Order-Bride; Found Family; Virgin FMC; Class Difference
Kinks: N/A

Likes:
* The FMC, Fancy, is strong, sweet, funny, sunshiny and just deserves the best. You'll love her and be eagerly wanting her to get her HEA
* The crew of men that live on the estate (?). Not sure if estate is the right word but whatever. All the men fought in the civil war (on the union side!) and moved to Texas after the war to all start over together. They're a great band of brothers and the men really help make the story

Dislikes:
* Look this is definitely grump/sunshine trope, which I love, but man this MMC is an asshole literally all the way up until like 85-90% of the book. Which honestly would be fine if he wasn't such a true asshole. Not like in a redeeming way but just in a heartless way. It really made me just not like him and hard to feel like he deserved his HEA with Fancy. She was too good for him.

Conclusion:
This was a good mail-order-bride HR WITH spice! It started off a bit rough for me as it was reading a bit plain but it really started to pick up once Fancy joined with the men on their estate, compound, whatever you want to call it. This FMC was so brave and funny. She gave sass while maintaining her sunshiny self. Fancy came from an extremely rough background, was an orphan, and treated horribly her all adult life. To see her just remain steadfast and true to herself was really nice.
As I said above the MMC really played his asshole role well. A bit too well where he was just more heartless. Our couple does get their HEA and it is very sweet.
This was a good story and i'm glad I chose to read it!



3.5/5

[Serial Romance Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awww I really liked this book. King sure was a royal a$$ to Fancy! My angst-loving heart loved it.

[Lori ◡̈ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for being a great love story!!

New author for me, her storytelling was great, looks like the story was actually edited before publishing (hard to find lately) and was a cowboy western story that was very steamy (even harder to find). There were actually curse words, which wasn’t a bad thing for me because it came across as how I would assume the cowboys would naturally speak at that time.

The Robin Hood scene was done very very cutely. I was hooked in wanting to find out how they would realize who each other was in the end.

The pace of the romance was done in a slow motion for the hero, while the heroine had love at first sight for the hero.

The heroine was definitely a people pleaser, tried to find the good in every situation and never acted nasty. And there were plenty of occasions when she could/should have snapped back at people. And the girl could cook up a storm! Every mealtime I read about left me more and more jealous that I can’t prepare anything close to her feasts.

The only negative I could say…. Damn, people were mean to the heroine Fancy! She had red hair, was starving skin and bones so didn’t look attractive as a skeleton. I was just shocked at strangers being so free to berate another’s looks so openly. But once her new friends started to defend her and she filled out, it got better.

The other Eh moment was that the hero resisted Fancy for so long, was very rude to her along the way and once he realized that he loved her, he didn’t need to grovel. Because the heroine was such a forgiving ray of sunshine, she immediately forgave him (she was just so excited to finally have someone to love)

Anyway, lots of feels and emotions in the writing. I look forward to the next story once it’s written.

[StellaR · Rating 3 out of 5]

He doesn't deserve her and he didn't grovel enough. The heroine was too kind, naive (or stupid) but I couldn't hate her.
Would like stories of the rest of the guys.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't really like old fashioned books but this was good. I'm going to definitely read the next one when it comes out. I need to know what happens with all the other characters.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Rags to Riches... or Something Like It
This book is like a bad rom-com, but with less rom and more com. Our heroine, let's call her Twiggy (because she's probably as thin as one), has had life hand her a lemon after lemon. She's the poster child for "unlucky in love" - except she hasn't even had love to be unlucky in. Then comes a ray of hope in the form of a newspaper ad. Turns out, hope is a cruel mistress because this "happily ever after" turns into a "happily ever after... not."

Our hero, on the other hand, is a grumpy grump with a face that could curdle milk. He's the kind of guy who would order a steak and complain it's too beefy. So, when Twiggy, with her sunshiny disposition and questionable fashion sense, lands on his doorstep, he's about as thrilled as a cat being forced to wear a tutu.

But here's the twist: This isn't your average Cinderella story. There's no fairy godmother, no glass slipper, and definitely no prince charming. Instead, we get a story about finding love in the most unexpected places - like in a grumpy man's stomach after he's devoured her homemade apple pie. It's a tale as heartwarming as a bowl of cold porridge, but somehow, it works.

So, if you're looking for a book that will make you laugh, cringe, and maybe even shed a tear (from laughing so hard), then this is it. Just don't expect a happily ever after that sparkles. This one's more of a warm, fuzzy glow kind of ending.

[Martha B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heroine deserved better

Some stuff was good but some stuff not so.
The heroine was a sympathetic person even if her misfortunes were a bit much. The story with the coin was a nice touch.
The narration was dragging and I skimmed through some parts like some descriptions ment mostly to add a buildup or sex scenes that were frequent in the other half. The ending was somewhat underwhelming. The H acted like a jerk and I would like for the heroine to stand up for herself earlier.
Overall I liked the concept of a plain heroine getting her hunk but at the same time I felt a little disappointed.

[Bonnie Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had potential

Story line was good but the use of the f bomb was in appropriate for the era or time setting of the story not sure why the author feels the need to ruin a good story with trash language.

[Becca Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheesy and predictable in places. But an easy enjoyable read. I didn’t think I’d like that fancy is quite ugly but it was a nice ugly duckling to swan situation. Skim read the end because it was shockingly explicit... would of been five star if it ended as well as it started.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Loved the mail order part of this story, but the undertones throughout the book were sketchy. I was hoping this was published decades ago to provide some understanding for the choices the author made regarding this story and the characters, but that is not the case.

- First the MMC (King) and his friends are confederate soldiers, and there's no need for the author to have made this choice for the story. They could have left it ambiguous or not had the war soldier a part of the story at all.
- King had a mammy (Mattie), and a half brother (Jericho). The mammy was Jericho's mother and King's father was Jericho's as well.
- On their way back from the war, one of King's friends mention that the North won and therefore his mammy may not be there when the King arrives home. King responds with "Mattie wouldn't leave, we've always treated her like family." I don't know American history well, and so it is unclear to me if before the war, Mattie would have been a slave in this household or not. This distinction is not discussed in the book.
- Jericho is referred to as a Mullato and is the 'dumb' one in the group who doesn't understand fancy or big words.
- The group moves to Texas and there are mentions of the Native American population. There are times where they are referred to as savages and the biggest plot point regarding them is that they have kidnapped a young white girl and could be doing unspeakable things to her. We do not encounter any other Native American people within this story, barring one male friend who does not like to talk about his family or ancestry.
- King at some point in the story was planning on having a casual sexual relationship with Fancy (FMC), not that this was known to Fancy. He mentioned having seen similar relationships between master and slave (though not gentleman and lady). I'm a firm believer that loving relationship can never develop out of a master/slave dynamic, when only one person has the freedom to make choices in their life.
- They find another cook, whose nickname is Stinky Rodriguez

I was originally going to rate this book only a 2* star due to the undertones, but having written some of them out, I have downgraded the book to a 1* star.

[llamallamacallurmama · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Most of my reviews contain detailed Content Notes (including CW/TW) sections, which may include spoilers. I have tried to mark them appropriately, but please use caution.**
2.5

Ebook

Summary: When an unexpected mail order bride shows up at his ranch, Kingston Ramsay takes offense to her presence before injuring himself and finding himself trapped under her care.

Stats: HR western, M/F, open door, part of a series but can stand alone.

Notes: Ho boy. This wasn’t great. The plot wanders through the many goings on of the MMC’s friends (who presumably all have their own books later on) and generally hinges on random turns, the writing is clunky and leans heavily on expository narration and over-writing. The characters were one note. Add to all of that a former confederate MMC - and a lot of general racism (or racism adjacent) kind of stuff.

OTT and Spoilery Content Notes:
death of parents (mentioned), vague thread of SA against MMC as a child, child poverty/homelessness, 1865/6, descriptions of war, Confederate MMC, use of "Oriental" to describe a fighting style, MMC's family owned slaves, description of enslaved people, infidelity in past relationship, 26F/27M, tobacco, mention of death in childbirth (random person), fire, FMC is beaten by an employer, forced labour/indentured servitude, child labour, death of sibling (mentioned), use of "Injun" and "savages" to describe Native people (random, not really characters), side plot of Native group massacring/kidnapping/enslavement/implied rape of white family/girl, mention of abuse/threat of SA in prison, mentions of child abuse, injury, medical care, slut shaming of FMC by side character, mention of religion, animal attack, firearms, death of an animal (malicious, cow), snake, mention of contraception (not used), body shaming of FMC by strangers, some "crazy" talk, kidnapping, gagging, restraint with rope (not kink), knife violence/shooting, death

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers

Let me start with this; To call this man a “hero” is to call shit stake.

Shit isn’t stake, is it?

How about we call him a heartless pig?? “King” doesn’t suit him. It’s waaaay off, very misleading and out of his damn league. So, my point?

Fuck him!

Yes. I said it. And no(!) I’m not taking it back. Seriously, who rates his more than 2 starts? And that’s being nice. Not that this book needs nice, it needs a rude awakening.

How about this for a hero?

Offending her about everything (but mostly about her appearance), using, using and uuuusing in all ways including sexually the heroine that is abused, hungry, and unsure of the future?

This bastard isn’t a hero.

The heroine is embarrassing how spineless she is. Literally no spine, no self respect, no decency, no nothing. Gross. He treats her like absolute shit, worse than anything, and she asks to be kissed… 🤢🤮

Yeah, my feelings are very obvious.

I guess we should be thankful he likes at least her body right?? To keep her around enough to find her replacement.

Let me get something straight; This is a historical ‘romance’ (God forbid) and he ruins her and has NO intention of ever marrying her. Making that clear to her was never a priority as long as he was wetting his dick.

Seriously guys, who in their right minds rates this more than 2 starts? And two stars go for the sex scenes, which weren’t the best but I have to say something nice… at least try.

The writing? Bad. Not only because of the characters because it. Was. Draaaaaagging. How much can a book drag? Especially having those main characters? I liked better the secondary characters. It to mention the modern phrasing and wording choices. It’s historically inaccurate in many ways.

I’m disgusted, shocked and enraged by this books and its ratings.

That’s all from me.

I do not recommend for you waste your time and money. Absolutely not! But it up to you.

[SamS · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like a instant angst dose if you’re on a slump and want that rush. Although the reason for angst is quite unbelievable tho. All the rejection and angst around Fancy was her being ugly and unappealing to the eye (ofcourse it was because of her harsh life and malnutrition) but this was the most prominent point of everyone around her treating cruelly. When in reality, men in those times in Wild west America where women were scarce would fuck a dry hole on the ground if it cooked and cleaned for them. That’s the whole point of mail order brides- the absolute desperation these men felt in those times for a female companion. Even whores were scarce. And getting few nights with a prostitute and a wife at home are two dogs things. Men in those times could kill for the later. And even though King rejected her because of his past, WTH was no one else offering to make her an honest woman? Even Clay the priest or Reno the half Indian? Honour and kindness was enough for a man in those times to offer for a woman no matter how she looked, and it was ONLY the looks she was lacking , but she was a perfect choice for a wife and given how they were desperate for a woman in that ranch, I m shocked no one else jumped at the opportunity to marry her. So all these men feeling absolute repulsion and not even “stomaching” her appearance is very unrealistic. Strange. The author seemed to be a little out of touch with historical characteristics.
Apart from that, the author did a great job in the angst factor. I was bawling my eyes out for Fancy. My heart went out to her. Although I expected more grovelling from the H and all others for the cruel words and how they treated her.

[Pollie Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this mail order bride romance

I absolutely LOVED Fancy the heroine. She was so sweet and kind and optimistic - just a total ray of sunshine but not only that, she was resilient in a way so many heroines are not. She has had such a rough childhood - sold into indentured servitude, yet this has not embittered or soured her and she continues to give people the benefit of the doubt despite meeting so many horrible employers.

I shed a tear for her at several points and I felt so bad for her that she ended up with King the supposed hero! He was not good enough for her! I wanted Reno or Boone (or even Jericho!) to turn around and say they would marry her every time that nasty horrible King bundled her into a wagon to send her back from where she came.

I get that he was supposed to start off mean and resentful but this guy had SO MANY wake up calls, it was ridiculous. Poor Fancy tumbled from one dangerous situation to another! Every time, King had his heart thudding in his chest and realized she meant something to him but the next moment he was telling her she'd have to go. I got so heartily sick of him!

The final straw was when he started sleeping with her with absolutely no intention of marrying her. All of his men were disgusted by this selfishness and so was I. Poor Fancy believed his intentions were honourable and despite another brush with death supposedly jolting him out of his stupidity, I was done with him.

[Beverly McCall · Rating 5 out of 5]

King’s Fancy (Wild West Book 1) by Sable Hunter is an old west romance involving a mail-order bride. Ms. Hunter created complex characters in Kingston Ramsey and Fancy Grace. They come from opposite ends of the socio-economic levels. King’s family were southern gentry while Fancy was an orphan who had to fend for herself. She lived in poverty. Both characters are flawed. In King’s case, his flaw pertains to betrayal and a broken heart. Vowing not to open himself up to future heartache, King decides to swear off women. He throws himself into building his ranch in the west. Fancy’s flaw is the development low self-esteem from the cruelty and harsh living conditions she endured. Fancy imagination safeguards her and helps her to carry on. King’s men are loyal to him but want to see him happy. They order a mail-order bride. Unbeknownst to Fancy, she was never the selected bride. She is used as a tool of revenge. Realizing that his revenge plan is not working Jubal stalks the ranch and kidnaps Fancy with intent to kill her. Will he succeed? Will King come to her rescue? Will Fancy and King find happiness?
The dialog was well done. I enjoyed the banter between the two lead characters drew me into each scene. Likewise, her use of descriptive language painted vivid scenes making the reader feel they were right there in each scene. The scene with the wild cat wherein Fancy was trapped in a cave seemed so realistic. The same is true when the lead characters faced off in arguments. It provided insight into these two lead characters while creating romantic tension.

[Tutu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both Fancy and King trapped in an inconvenient situation because of his good intention meddling friends. What Fancy wants is somewhere to belong while love is the last thing King expects to give. This is a low angst searching-for-love story. A bit tiring of King's adamant in refusing her to stay and Fancy's too ccommodating doormat personality. The big revelation is underwhelming. Later parts turn into erotica and no input to the plot. As for the writing style, some of the modern use of words kind of putting me off.

Notes: other characters background for future reference:

Kingston Ramsay: Comes from a rich family in Tennessee. Now the owner of a ranch calls Ransom, situated in Waco, Texas.
Jericho: a bastard child. King's half-brother, mother names Mattie - a house worker in King's old household. Protective and loyal to Kingston, hints that he is illiterate (not yet confirmed).
Boone: Son of a whore. No family left.
Reno: He and his brother fought the opposite of the war. Reno determined to find his missing brother.
Gentry: An Englishman, son of a duke. Been to law school.
Clay: the repressed reverend
Dominic: the ranch's doctor
Ace: a 13-years old boy caught stealing a pig, his family had been massacred and his sister Amelia had been kidnapped by the Indians. Now staying in the ranch.

[Lovey LaRue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

When I read reviews I want this list of questions answered so that I can know if a book should be to my liking. Since these questions aren’t usually answered in reviews I figure it’s my job to do so.
Happily Ever After? Yes
Does the hero treat the heroine badly in the beginning? Yes
Does the heroine treat the hero badly in the beginning? No
If the answers for 2 or 3 are yes, then do they make appropriate amends for their bad behavior? Yes
Is this book Christian? No
Are there sex scenes in this book? Yes
If there is sex, are the sex scenes explicit? A little, it’s nowhere near erotica but there are descriptive sex scenes
Is the heroine a virgin? Yes
Is the heroine sexually assaulted? No
Is the hero a virgin? No
Is there non-romantic drama (as in a kidnapping, murder, feud, or other intrigue that isn’t centered on romance)? Yes
Is the end satisfying? Very
Is the book “icky” to modern ideals or sensibilities? (As in, a 15 year old marrying a 30 year old was acceptable in 1815 but might make a modern reader uncomfortable) No
*I usually hate books where our hero is unkind to the heroine but this book was different. I can’t lay my finger on why - Perhaps it was the heroine’s reaction and that the hero wasn’t trying to humiliate her. He was more like an injured bear lashing out in pain instead of specifically trying to hurt the heroine.

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I'll have sex with you but won't marry you" plotline at the end soured the whole experience. It's the sorriest excuse to have ever been born in real/fictional world. The worst was that the woman didn't even know and understand that the hero was still unwilling to marry her. Ughhh! I had a mind to dnf. Only because I was too close to finishing, I took a long break and continued. Ended up hating it.

Things I was willing to forgive- all the forced convenient coincidences, independent woman till adulthood suddenly becoming spineless- taking no stand for herself when she is taken advantage of, not leaving, instead coming back when she keeps getting kicked WTF, men being callused and apathetic whenever she talks about her tragic past, those loud pathetic prayers to make her character even more unrealistic and annoying, her being all learned and ladylike yet hardworking but expecting no pay. I am unwilling to believe that an indentured servant in the past who won her freedom with much hardship would be okay going back to being treated as a slave. In hopes of getting over Silver Lining book hangover, I would have forgiven all these things except for that mistress plot. Nope. Just no. Respect is more important than love any day. Forget the writing which is bad but expected, it's the lack of proper time and attention to plot that has me so riled up.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong premise but average execution: I love the idea that King is broken from his previous engagement, and that Fancy spent years trying to break the poverty cycle, and I'm always a big sucker for books with slow burn and plain heroines. I also love how they met as children, but were lost to each other over time.

However, I felt like a lot of these ideas were not properly developed. Especially for Fancy's rough past - I felt like Hunter was trying to sell us the idea of a sob story instead of showing us a sob story. It felt very much like she was trying to make Fancy's life as difficult as possible to make us feel sorry for her, and while usually I accept this, the execution made it feeling more jarring than heartbreaking. However, I will say the moment where Fancy gets abducted right after she gets her poor heart broken by King was well written, and I did cry like a little baby.

On another note, I also wish there was more character development, especially on Fancy's end. I really wish she grew more of a backbone, and demand for King's apology. Also the whole side plot where they met as children felt very convenient and just... not realistic. Like it was one time guys. How do you still remember.

[Garth Mailman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts with a seven-man Southern troop returning home to Tennessee in the wake of the Civil War minus four of their comrades. As they march across the South they find much missing and gone. Kingston Ramsay arrives to find a party going on at the Mansion that was his home celebrating the marriage of his younger brother Winchester to King’s fiancé. Breaking his brother’s jaw brings fat consolation and the gang under King’s leadership decide to head West. With the troops otherwise engaged Indian raids and rustling are rampant in the hill country south-west of Waco, Texas.

The parallel story of King’s childhood encounter with a homeless girl continues with her exploitation by employers. This being a romance we are about to discover how they miraculously meet up again. And when they finally connect it gets rather hot and heavy and so does the profanity. The book follows the traditional romance formula. The author is too busy describing the couple’s sexual encounters to let us know how Ace’s sister Amelia was returned to him.