Touch the Wind

by Janet Dailey

Hardcover in dust jacket. First hardcover edition. Deluxe SIGNED edition - all edges gilt, in slipcase.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Westerns, Historical, Contemporary, Historical Romance, Enemies To Lovers

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Janet Anne Haradon Dailey was an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey (her married name). Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold over 300 million copies worldwide.

Born in 1944 in Storm Lake, Iowa, she attended secretarial school in Omaha, Nebraska before meeting her husband, Bill. Bill and Janet worked together in construction and land development until they "retired" to travel throughout the United States, inspiring Janet to write the Americana series of romances, where she set a novel in every state of the Union. In 1974, Janet Dailey was the first American author to write for Harlequin. Her first novel was NO QUARTER ASKED.

She had since gone on to write approximately 90 novels, 21 of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List. She won many awards and accolades for her work, appearing widely on Radio and Television. Today, there are over three hundred million Janet Dailey books in print in 19 different languages, making her one of the most popular novelists in the world.

Janet Dailey passed away peacefully in her home in Branson on Saturday, December 14, 2013. She was 69.

Reviews

[Birjis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In every way this book was perfection to me. I was sucked in it and never realised I had few more pages left. Reading this my first thought was it had similarites to the Wolfkeeper's Woman by Lisa Day, although the genres are different. The kidnapping, a strong heroine, a rememberable hero and the dry dirt with horses is just pulling me into the book.

Touch The Wind is a western romance, if I'm being specific the story happens in between Texas and Mexico. I don't know why some reviews labelled it as Harlequin but I'm keeping this book under western shelf. An outrageous plot, kidnapping, horses as transport, living in huts and using pottery, senseless outfit, an irredeemble hero and a heroine thriving - books with these ingredients are my drug, if the writing is good I can never forget the book.
Sheila Rogers is an only child, an over indulged spoiled child by a pair of loving rich parents. She was engaged to be married to her boyfriend. Her parents didn't agree, wanting her to wait until a year to marry. Her boyfriend sweet talked to her into eloping and they married later. Onn her wedding night her husband changed into a different man. He turned out be the money hungry man her parents warned her about. On her way to honeymoon their car breaks down and her husbands greed gets him killed and Sheila kidnapped by the band of highwaymen/robbers.

Ráfaga is the leader of robbers. He is unforgiveable, loyal and dangerous. I like how he was introduced, very mysterious and less talkative. After he broke out of prison he gathered many followers, they stay mostly out of loyalties. Ráfaga doesn't shy away from punishments nor making others do what he wants. He drags Sheila on foot while riding the horse, kills her horse when she tries to escape and whips her as punishment. While he is not cruel for unnecessary wants, he expects things the way he prefers. Ráfaga is possessive and a jealous man and it's obvious he starts having feelings for Sheila after they sleep together considering how he stops his mistress from coming to his home and buying Sheila clothes. It's saddening how he never trusts Sheila until too late, when she was attemped rape many times by the man who killed her husband.

The ending...was that an ending? I thought some pages were missing for how abrupt the book ended. I'm taking away a star for the HNF which didn't feel like the end. Even if the ending blurred, it was satisfying for we know Sheila's decision at the end. The title of the book is beautiful, it's related to the hero and I can never be more smitten as how everything is perfect.

[Melluvsbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gather round, my Romance Friends, while I tell you the story of how an innocent 13 year old Mel got her hands on this scandalous book...

It all started at my Christian school located in the Bible Belt of the USA. You see, this building that housed this very conservative school used to be an old public high school, and it was purchased for the use of the religious school in the early 80's. This old public high school apparently came with all the old books in the library, but this was before we cataloged books digitally, so the new owners of the school had no idea what utter filth was lurking on the shelves.





Well, sweet 13-year old Mel liked libraries, and had time to kill after school, so she would hide out in the back and peruse the old forgotten books... and low and behold, she stumbled upon a treasure trove of vintage romance. Here is the original cover that was on this book when I read it for the first time in 1992.




Isn't it glorious? 😍😍

What's a naive 8th grader to do but steal the sh*t out of those books? 👀🤷🏼‍♀️ I mean, Young Mel was doing them a favor, really. They didn't know the books existed, and we wouldn't want the books to get in the hands of other unsuspecting kids. So basically, she was doing a good deed. 😇 ALLEGEDLY.

Friends, she read this book and The Rogue, and Nightway so many times that they all but disintegrated. Oh the ballz on young Mel. Such luridness she read without batting an eyelash. Just in this book alone: Murder, Dubcon, kidnapping, captive, noncon, whippings, pregnancy, attemped sexual assault, etc.... This book is so chocked full of all the ish that I love. So much drama. 😈


And now you know the "why" behind my peculiar reading tastes. 🙈😅 I came by it honestly. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Ok, not really *honestly*, if you're being a stickler, but whatever... Why are you such a hardass? What's a little stealing in the scheme of things?? 🤡



Bottom Line? this book still holds up as a very entertaining read. Little Mel had good taste. If you like captive books with a possessive anti-hero who takes what he wants, and high drama, you'll like this vintage read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️

- no cheating or sharing
- OW drama - the h overhears the H having relations with the maid very early in the book, before they are intimate or there are any feelings involved - this OW causes problems for the h later
- OM drama - the h is married for a day to someone who isn't the H - she also attempts to seduce another man in effort to get him to help her escape
- the h has (bad) sex with husband one time, she was virgin
- the H is experienced but that isn't belabored other than the scene described with OW
- dubcon and noncon - this is more implied, as the sex isn't super detailed.
- the h is a victim of attempted violent sexual assault by OP twice

[Naksed · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the HELL was that ending? It totally ruined what had been until then a solid, un-putdownable, hell of a surprise of a book.

I went into Janet Dailey's Touch the wind with zero information about the book. The element of surprise was therefore a highly enjoyable part of reading it. I started what I thought would be a run of the mill, old-timey Harlequin romance. Then BAM, in a surprise twist, the plot took a sharp turn into pretty terrifying territory. The villain became an anti-hero. The annoying heroine turned kick-ass. And the author cleverly left the reader unsure of the ultimate denouement.

This story had bone-chilling moments, a very plausible suspenseful tension. The setting and characters were vividly rendered. I was sucked into it all and believed in it, despite the pretty outrageous plot with murder, kidnapping, etc.

Then BAM, it ended abruptly, without a clear resolution. I felt the author pulled the rug from under me and I was the jackass victim of a massive April Fool prank, with that abrupt, did they or didn't they get their HEA, ending. There seemed to be an equal number of clues that could imply either the h and H got their HEA, or that they died in a hail of bullets.

I don't need to be spoonfed a unicorn and rainbow epilogue. I don't even mind an ambivalent or tragic ending. There is a difference between that and an incomplete ending. The book felt cut off at the end in a very aggressive and disrespectful way to the reader. I read around and found out that this author is known for these very abrupt endings. If that floats your boat, then great. You will probably enjoy her books because, like I said, she is a very good writer. But for me, personally, that was a complete slap to the face.

[Fre06 Begum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book I love an anti hero who falls for the heroine hard and won't let her go, this was a great oldie and will be on my keepers list.

[Azet · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You have bewitched me,lioness” he murmured again against her mouth, a roughness still in his tone, “into wanting you. It is only right that i make you want me.” -Rafaga

I gotta admit, the gorgeous sexy cover lured me in and wow was i in for a awesome surprise!! "Touch the Wind" is a epic adventure that is filled with romance in every turn. Reminded me so much of the old classic The Sheik only this was set in Mexico where our beautiful heroine Sheila elopes with a man she quickly regrets marrying but gets kidnapped by a band of renegades with them also killing her husband. She tries to escape at every turn, only to late realizing that the biggest threat is the leader, her dangerous captor Rafaga whose every look is a caress to her soul. Janet Dailey indeed knows what to deliver in a romantic story, i am just blown away by her fantasy of it. This is my first non-harlequin book by her and i am amazed! One of the best books i have come across this year. Rafaga made my heart sing, oh man what a alpha he is. His dialuge, his stance, his relentless character and the way he does eventually love his captive...his beloved lioness. He is every woman`s dream man, and he made me swoon like butter. I loved many of the supporting characters as well and like many reviews stated the ending may be a bit off, but i think it still shows clearly that there is a happy ending and that Sheila does get saved by Rafaga. It is though clear that more is left out of the story (my only guess is that the author was unable to finish it in a more "fitting" way") especially Rafaga`s real identity and what his actual name really was.

[KristenReviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first romance novel I read when I was younger and the reason I reading and love romance books today. It's more sentimental to me than anything else. Would I give it 3 stars if I read it today? Nope. Not even close! But like I said, it's a sentimental read for me and I love it because of that:)

[Cleta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that got me started reading when my exhusband and I was starting out we didn't have a washer and dryer so I was at the laundrymat and I picked this book up there and couldn't put it down here it is 25 years later and I still have that very same book I read it over about once a year.

[Chels]

Janet Dailey's first mass market paperback, and it is very much a case of "what if a category romance author wrote a bodice ripper?"

Much less laborious, a quick read, and heavier on the cheese.

[Love love · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a pretty fun read,you have to keep in mind that it is very dated though. It's full of likeable characters .....and a few not so likeable. I would like to know if Laredo ever got his own book.......

[Mateus Bandeira · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've bought this book because a friend of mine told me it was really, really, REALLY good. She told me about the story, and I was like "Oh, okay, this sounds interesting." And it was good, at the beggining. I mean, the main character, Sheila (Fun fact: I could only imagine her as Dianna Agron), seemed like a strong female character, and the story was going great... until she was "kidnapped" (I don't even think I should call it that way).

Then, during the entire book, I was reading it with this same expression:



Seriously, I never was so glad I finished a book in my whole life. It was so retarded, Sheila is retarded, Laredo is retarded, even Ráfaga, who was my favorite character in the beggining, turns out to be even more dumb than any of them.

This book is a romance for old ladies. The end. I really wish I had liked it, but I didn't. Wich is sad, because my friend love this book. So, yeah. This is it.

(With all respect)

[Penney · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books, I love this story

[🅙𝔲𝔩𝔷 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. The heroine was a bit annoying at times but I really liked the hero.

[sydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

read this because someone on letterboxd said it had the same plot as highway, which it sort of does but not really. it's an interesting companion to it though. like an exploitation movie that is indefensibly toxic but feels low key radical in some ways. kept thinking 'this is so stupid i should stop reading it' but i couldn't. i like the part where the author says the heroine has a 'petite brain'

[Margaret Perry · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a sale and thought I would review it on here. Remember back in the day, when women used to write stories about men who treated women appallingly but the woman loved him anyway. Remember when women used to like a story line that has the heroine being tied to a post and whipped ( though it did only take about a day to get over) but forgives and forgets. Or when the hero shoots her galloping horse from under her to prevent her escape unmindful of the cost to her, but thank God,( considering the horse was really going some,) she was fine then forgives the hero (and I do use the word hero loosely). Remember when the man rapes the woman but yes, you guessed it, she forgives even that. Remember when women were stupid enough to say "BEST BOOK EVER". One can only assume it was their ONLY book ever. Utter rubbish.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can usually forget the cliches, sexism, etc. in romance novels, but this one was a bit much. Maybe I needed to tap into my love of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers to get into the romantic aspects of Stockholm Syndrome and rape...

I read this for a class. And I am not embarrassed to admit that I needed to justify why I read it. However, I'll voluntarily and gladly read another romance novel.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rafaga=Unforgettable hero

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

this has to be ny favourite book ever.this book is not your typical predictable book.the ending my gosh janet it could have ended better.love rafaga his a different hero,all in all a g8t book

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read!

Sheila Townsend married to a man only wanting her money. Her new husband is killed and she is taken captive my renegades living as outlaws.
Sheila falls in love with one of them. What a twisted crazy ending. I'd rather not give much more of the story. It took some turns I did not expect, lot of action and scenery. My first read by Janet Dailey. Growing up I never picked up one of her many books I saw, now I wish I had.
Great story teller. Looking forward to reading more of her books.

[Carla Parreira]

Melhores trechos: "...Sheila obedeceu, o coração batendo como o de um coelho numa armadilha. A pele ao longo da espinha parecia arrepiar-se toda enquanto o olhar dele descia pelo seu corpo. Sentia-se como uma mercadoria que estivesse sendo inspecionada em busca de defeitos. Ouviu o barulho do largados na mesa junto à cadeira... O rosto que Sheila já considerara bonito havia se modificado, de alguma maneira. Não sentia nenhuma excitação, nenhum estimulo na carícia dele. Não compreendia essa mudança na sua reação, em Brad... Segurou a curva arredondada do traseiro e apertou a carne macia da nádega. Forçou os quadris a se ajustarem à sua rigidez de macho, o tecido fino da camisola fazendo o papel de uma segunda pele. Uma onda de nojo subiu à garganta de Sheila, um bolo nauseante que quase a sufocou... Tomando Sheila no colo, Brad carregou-a até a cama e deitou-a nas cobertas já dobradas. Ela respirava ofegantemente. Ele ficou parado diante dela, fitando seu corpo despido na cama. Sheila permanecia imóvel. Ficou olhando enquanto ele se despia, a mensagem transmitida para o seu cérebro num borrão irreal. Era um pesadelo, algo que estava acontecendo com outra pessoa, não com ela. Se fechasse os olhos, quem sabe acordaria e encontraria o Brad com quem pensara ter-se casado, ao invés desse estranho indiferente. Baixou os cílios por uma fração de segundo, erguendo-os bruscamente quando a cama cedeu ao peso dele. Engoliu o grito abafado que subiu à sua garganta enquanto ele acomodava o corpo nu na cama ao seu lado, fechando uma das mãos sobre a saliência do seu seio... Ao sentir a pontada lancinante de dor, Sheila começou a gritar, mas a boca dele cobriu a dela para abafar o som, até que ela mal podia respirar. Possuiu-a como um javali no cio, rolando para o lado quando ficou satisfeito. Lágrimas de vergonha e de um estranho sentimento de degradação inundaram as faces dela, já úmidas pelas lágrimas iniciais de dor. Sentiu-se usada, diminuída de alguma forma por um ato que deveria ter sido a consumação do amor deles... Seu organismo estava chocado, suas emoções abaladas pelo conhecimento carnal de um homem, um homem que era seu marido. Sheila imaginara que sentiria dor e uma certa dose de desprazer, mas não esse nojo e rejeição que a varriam. O sexo não era uma união íntima de dois amantes. Era uma violação, um ato compulsório de subserviência à vontade de um homem. Brad a possuíra egoisticamente para o seu próprio prazer e satisfação. A pergunta mesquinha permanecia: teria sido por causa do porre que tomara! Seria diferente quando estivesse sóbrio! Quanto do nojo que ela sentia agora era uma reação exagerada a uma experiência traumática? E quanto era justificado! O frescor do ar noturno perpassou pela sua pele nua. Sheila afastou-se da janela, confusa e incerta. A camisola transparente jazia no chão. A moça hesitou, depois apanhou-a e enfiou-a pela cabeça. Quem sabe na manhã seguinte a lembrança dessa experiência se abrandaria, e tudo ficaria bem de novo... Porém Sheila não achou graça nenhuma. Todos os seus gloriosos planos para o futuro estavam se desintegrando, um por um. Estava começando a se dar conta de que sempre haviam sido planos 'dela'. Brad simplesmente concordara com eles, provavelmente porque sabia que era o que ela queria ouvir... Cansada e desanimada, sentia-se encurralada pelo destino. A seda cor de creme da sua blusa era fria de encontro à pele nua, um lembrete físico do tipo do homem que era Brad. Os arredores de Juárez, com as suas favelas esquálidas, logo ficaram para trás. Um grupo de operários que consertavam um pequeno trecho da auto estrada forçou Brad a diminuir temporariamente a velocidade. Logo a seguir, recomeçaram a correr. A cada giro do volante, dentro de Sheila crescia a certeza de que havia cometido um erro terrível. Trataria de arranjar uma anulação, um divórcio, qual quer coisa que pusesse fim a esse casamento de farsa. Tendo tomado a decisão, uma exaustão que era a um só tempo física e mental começou a dominá-la. Logo adormecia, embalada pelo ritmo constante do motor e o girar das rodas. Foi um sono pesado, sem sonhos. Horas e quilômetros se passaram antes que o desconforto do banco do carro começassem a incomodá-la, forçando-a a acordar. O pescoço estava duro e doído, e a cabeça sacudia-se contra o encosto. Esfregando o pescoço, Sheila abriu os olhos devagarzinho. Com dificuldade, fixou o olhar na paisagem. Lembrava a do oeste do Texas em muitos aspectos, mas a imponência das montanhas da Sierra Madre à sua frente confirmava que estavam no México. Não estavam mais viajando na auto-estrada. Uma trilha de chão batido irregular se estendia diante deles, em meio à vegetação rasteira, esburacada, que provocava solavancos. Sheila olhou confusa para Brad... Sheila percebeu a ironia da sua desgraça. Estava nesse fim de mundo, casada, e agora viúva por causa da ambição de Brad pelo seu dinheiro. No momento, talvez a única chance de sobrevivência dependesse desse dinheiro. Uma voz baixa falou qualquer coisa em espanhol, interrompendo-lhe o fio do pensamento. Buscou rapidamente com os olhos o dono da voz serena. Era o cavaleiro magro e moreno, que a olhava com as pálpebras semi-cerradas, o cavalo batendo com as patas no chão, inquieto... O calcanhar de Sheila enganchou-se numa rédea retesada. Ela deu um chute, fazendo a cabeça do animal virar bruscamente. Os cascos nervosos e inquietos tentaram acompanhar o movimento, mas a súbita mudança de direcção foi impossível. Sheila sentiu as patas do cavalo cederem antes que ele caísse ao chão pesadamente. Soltou-se do braço que a prendia enquanto caíam, e livrou-se, cambaleante, dos cascos desnorteados do animal. Desequilibrada, cambaleou para a frente, tentando correr. Mal percorrera três metros, ouviu passos pesados atrás de si. Uma mão agarrou-a pelo cotovelo e fê-la voltar-se bruscamente. Perdeu totalmente o equilíbrio e caiu ao chão. O assassino de Brad estava de pé, acima dela, as feições largas marcadas com a expressão da vingança. Dois cavaleiros pararam os cavalos, um de cada lado de Sheila, e desmontaram. Arrastando-se para trás, os olhos assustados de Sheila não se desgrudavam do homem chamado Juan. Ficou de pé enquanto ele se dirigia ameaçadoramente para ela. Instantaneamente, os outros dois se acercaram dela, segurando-a pelos braços. Ela dava chutes selvagemente, mordendo-lhes as mãos. Inesperadamente, foi solta. Sheila nem quis saber a razão: virou-se para correr de novo. Enquanto se debatera, o resto dos cavaleiros formara um círculo à sua volta. Arquejando com os esforços desesperados, Sheila deu meia-volta, desconfiada, alerta, sem saber o que viria a seguir. Seu olhar fixou-se no homem de rosto magro que comandava o grupo, a expressão impassível e distante. Os olhos negros semicerrados desviaram-se para os seios arfantes dela, a blusa de seda creme toda aberta. Imediatamente, ela ergueu os braços para se cobrir. A boca do homem retorceu-se ante a ação defensiva que chegara tarde demais para ocultar o que todos já tinham visto. Desmontando, soltou alguma coisa da sela. Parecia um cobertor e um laço para prender animais. Sheila crispou-se intimamente, mas recusou-se a deixar transparecer qualquer temor, quando ele se dirigiu para ela. A magreza dele era enganadora, percebia agora. Era muito mais alto e largo do que ela imaginara a princípio. Movia-se com a graça leve de um animal, uma fera predatória. Os olhos escuros e insondáveis não abandonavam o rosto de Sheila, hipnotizando-a de tal modo que ela não poderia correr, mesmo que tentasse. Parando à sua frente, desenrolou um sarape, tipo de poncho usado pelos mexicanos. Ergueu-o acima dela, enfiando-lhe a cabeça pela abertura. introduziu a ponta sob seus braços, deixando-lhe as mãos e os braços fora do tecido áspero. Com sua voz baixa, ele lhe disse algo em espanhol, uma inflexão zombeteira em tom sereno. O sangue fervia agora nas veias dela, os nervos à flor da pele com a sensação de perigo pela proximidade dele. O nó do laço foi-lhe passado pela cabeça. Seu coração parou de terror quando a corda roçou os lados do Seu pescoço, mas ele a fez descer até os ombros... A parede que separava os dois quartos não era espessa o bastante para abafar o ranger do catre ou os gemidos suspirosos de êxtase dos lábios femininos. Sheila tapou os ouvidos com as mãos, tentando bloquear o som dos dois fazendo amor. Com persistência nauseante, ele ficava martelando os seus ouvidos. Minutos intermináveis prolongavam-se, repugnantemente, sem sinal de nenhum dos dois estar satisfeito. Sheila gemeu ante a idéia repelente de que os ruídos poderiam continuar a noite toda, a intervalos, enquanto Ráfaga provava a sua potência na cama... A massagem feita pelos dedos fortes acendeu um fogo na sua desejo incandescente de conhecer a posse integral por parte dele. Uma das mãos deslizou pelas costas, abaixo da linha da água, enquanto a outra continuava a acariciar-lhe sensualmente o seio. A flutuabilidade da água fazia Sheila se sentir como se estivesse boiando, encostada nele. A mão desceu mais ainda, para se espalmar sobre as nádegas macias dela. Ao ser erguida contra o corpo dele, Sheila sentiu a rigidez máscula do seu desejo. Uma leve resistência se manifestou, e ela apertou as mãos contra o peito dele. A boca do homem se abriu sobre seus lábios, saboreando ao máximo sua doçura. Ela sentiu um ronco nos ouvidos ante a perícia exigente do beijo. No entanto, de alguma maneira, Sheila conseguiu se agarrar à sua frágil resistência. Enquanto os lábios se abriam sob as ordens da língua exploradora, manteve o resto do corpo rígido ao contacto dele. Podia sentir as batidas do coração dele sob suas mãos, e a rigidez dos músculos que poderiam tão facilmente dominá-la, mas não o fizeram..."

[shms · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*. I remember reading this as a teen and completely loving it. I also remembered that I hadn't liked the ending at ALL. Quite by chance I came by this again and really enjoyed the re-read. The heroine was annoying at times and admirably gutsy at others. The hero had a mexican Clint Eastwood vibe (in his spaghetti western days). The punishment scene was suspenseful and gripping, leaving us with admiration for the h and some sympathy with the decision making the H has to do. Best scene in the book for me. The book has shades of an old school bodice ripper at times, and the words 'Stockholm syndrome' kept going through my head. The ending wasn't as bad as I had thought it was going to be but still an incomplete feel to it.

[Poonam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has lots of ups and downs. Not everyones cup of tea. The h loses her virginity to her husband who marries her only for her money. h's husband is then killed off by bandits. The H is the leader of this bandit group. Its more of stockholm syndrome for the h. The h is raped by the H and her husband. Plus there was multiple rape attempt on the h by one member of the bandit group.
HFN ending

[Michelyn Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this 4 stars because of nostalgia and b/c it was not as horrible reading it a hundred years later like I thought it might be. This was one of 3 romance books that I somehow read way to young. I had the actual book forever, but lost it somewhere and now found again on Amazon. I'll probably reread it again sometime in the future:D

[Daniel Gyamfi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a story! Keeps you guessing to the very end. The twist and turns are unbelievable! A criminal falling in love with an innocent young woman. Hardly happens. Janet is one of the best. She has carved such a wonderful romantic story. I highly recommend it!

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book!

It's harsh, I know, but it's also wonderful! Worth every word!

About the end: we couldn't ask anything more from Sheila and her love, it ended right where it should.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Janet Dailey is a word weaver and master storyteller.

This isn’t the first book I’ve read by Janet Dailey and won’t be the last. I’ve loved many of her books. This one is a fantastic story, with sweeping narratives and moves along at a great pace. The writing is good, and I didn’t want to put it down.

That’s not to say it was my favorite book. There are certainly triggers in this book. I must say I liked Sheila and seeing her humanized. At the beginning of the book, she’s a bit of an ice princess, but also yearning so much for something she’ll take anything to get it. She was a bit one-dimensional, and I liked seeing her grow. That also said, I didn’t care for the hero or the way she was treated. There are scenes of abuse, scenes of violence and I never quite got the connection between the hero and heroine. She was better off with him in some ways than her husband, but in other ways…I wasn’t so sure. I wasn’t a fan of the hero, that’s all.

I have to also add this is a book from 1979. It reads like a book of that era–it’s a bodice ripper and there is certainly an air of almost toxic masculinity. Keep that in mind while reading. It’s meant to be over the top, hyper masculine and raw. To some, this might be a bad thing, but others this might be the fantasy type of hero they want to read about.

If you’re looking for something of that era, something hot and with a touch of romance, then this might be the one for you.

[Rebecca Jaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book is good: little rich girl marries the wrong guy and through his stupidity she ends up in the hands of criminals in Mexico. I don't think the author did the best job with the setting. It was all very quick. Like one minute they're in the car on a dirt road, next in a secret corral in the mountains that requires no overnight camping or dangerous terrain that could affect the group, especially now that there's this hostage. The biggest issue I take with it, however, is that there never seems to be a moment of epiphany on the part of the heroine. She doesn't seem to recognize the issue within herself that caused her to choose so poorly in love the first time around. So, it makes the loving feelings she has for the hero hold a lot less weight. The characters didn't really seem in love with each other. They were just thrown together in lust and circumstance. It wasn't poorly written or anything like that, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Also, this book is a shorter read than many other romances. My particular copy only has 296 pages, so it is a brief love story. All in all, not a revisit for me.

[Helen Maicoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I read from Janet Daily. I thought this book really started from the middle but it was definitely fantastic even at that stage . It was alive , filled with hate/love , great passion, rules though they were outlaws , rules made for everyone with no exception. Sheila had it an eye opener as a rich spoiled woman but she eventually submitted to a certain extent to Rafaga . Who would not love the hero. I think the hero made this book 📖 excellent with his every move , everything he said, his compassion, his loyalty to his people. Though he loved Sheila the heroine he could not save her from the punishment that was due to anyone who broke the rules. I would love to believe that he and Sheila made it through. Yes 🙌 it ended with a cliffhanger but that’s what imagination is there for ,

[Terryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story but the end left me in shock. If there had been a sequel then it would have made sense but there isn't one. The story is full of action, suspense, romance with a lot of twists and turns. She is a rich spoilt brat while he is a wanted criminal who ends up holding her captive. It's like a love hate relationship. She even gets whipped for disobeying orders and trying to escape. It ends in a battle of gun fire leaving the reader wondering what happened to all the characters in the story. I would have scored 5 stars but the ending wrecked that idea.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published back in 1994 which is probably around the time I first read it. At the time, Janet Dailey was a go to author for me. I’ve been reading her since the Harlequin Romance days. I recently came across this book again and remembered how much I loved it so I wanted to re-read it again. It is definitely dated but I still enjoyed it a lot. It was told completely from the h’s perspective.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting

I gave this book four stars and not five stars was because even though it held action adventure and romance and complicated , strong characters for some reason the author left us at a cliffhanger when the adventure suddenly crashed to an ending. I would like to assume that these two characters somehow had a happy ending. They both had chosen love and somehow against all odds they got that happy ending.