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Stolen Heart
FIRE AND ICE
It was an act of vengeance, but Chad McClintock finally knew how to get even with his father. He'd seduce the young copper-haired beauty who was about to become his stepmother! Kristy Donovan was nothing but a fortune hunter anyway, and he had no qualms about carrying her off to an isolated cabin in the woods.
But Chad was not prepared for the feisty young woman whose flashing green eyes turned his angry passion into helpless desire. And even as Kristy cursed her arrogant captor, she warmed to his sensual touch. Soon the cabin prison became their haven... far removed from the forces that might destroy forever the bonds of their undeniable love.
It was an act of vengeance, but Chad McClintock finally knew how to get even with his father. He'd seduce the young copper-haired beauty who was about to become his stepmother! Kristy Donovan was nothing but a fortune hunter anyway, and he had no qualms about carrying her off to an isolated cabin in the woods.
But Chad was not prepared for the feisty young woman whose flashing green eyes turned his angry passion into helpless desire. And even as Kristy cursed her arrogant captor, she warmed to his sensual touch. Soon the cabin prison became their haven... far removed from the forces that might destroy forever the bonds of their undeniable love.
- GenresHistorical Romance
374 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Barbara Dawson Smith
27 books98 followersFrom http://www.barbaradawsonsmith.com/bio...
A member of Romance Writers of America since 1981, Barbara Dawson Smith sold her first historical romance two weeks after sending it to a publisher. Her books have won the Golden Heart Award from RWA, and Best Historical Romantic Suspense and Best Regency Historical from Romantic Times. She has been a finalist for the National Readers’ Choice Award, Romance of the Year by Affaire de Coeur magazine, the Golden Quill, and the Booksellers' Best Award. She has also been a five-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award, and realized a lifetime dream in 2002 when she won the award for TEMPT ME TWICE. Barbara also writes romance as Olivia Drake.
Barbara lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, two daughters, two cats, and who knows how many neighbor children running up and down the stairs. When she's not finishing a chapter or teaching a seminar on writing, she enjoys browsing in her collection of over a thousand research books.
A member of Romance Writers of America since 1981, Barbara Dawson Smith sold her first historical romance two weeks after sending it to a publisher. Her books have won the Golden Heart Award from RWA, and Best Historical Romantic Suspense and Best Regency Historical from Romantic Times. She has been a finalist for the National Readers’ Choice Award, Romance of the Year by Affaire de Coeur magazine, the Golden Quill, and the Booksellers' Best Award. She has also been a five-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award, and realized a lifetime dream in 2002 when she won the award for TEMPT ME TWICE. Barbara also writes romance as Olivia Drake.
Barbara lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, two daughters, two cats, and who knows how many neighbor children running up and down the stairs. When she's not finishing a chapter or teaching a seminar on writing, she enjoys browsing in her collection of over a thousand research books.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 2, 2025
rtc!
~
I've been reading Barbara Dawson Smith's Stolen Heart off and on for at least 3 years now. When I first tried, I was resistant to the western trope (I used to be strictly Regency Romance!) so I stopped. I tried again and realized the writing was really good, but I think I just never finished it because I switched reading devices, and wasn't sure where my iBooks app went.
All this to say is that I finally read it start to finish. Barbara Dawson Smith's Stolen Heart is a western romance about down-on-her-luck Kristy who needs to marry well to care for her younger brother after their father passes away. All she has to her name is a ranch, and she is fiance to one of the esteemed gentlemen bachelors in town. When we first meet her, she is at the bank where she catches a very insolent cowboy staring at her. Unbeknownst to her, her fiance is interested in her because of the property that comes with her hand, and his estranged son is therefore interested in her.
The beginning of the novel is great, and I quite enjoyed getting to know Kristy and her whole situation, as well as her relationship with Chad. She is a plucky heroine who is focused on survival. Chad, meanwhile, has an earthy appeal, and their chemistry together is palpable. It is a revenge plot against his dad, and his scheme is decently evil. The tension between Kristy and Chad is good, especially when he believes she's just a golddigger.
Up to a certain point, however.
I wish someone would write an essay on why the big misunderstanding trope just doesn't work for modern readers. In older romances, much of the conflict is based on the hero not believing the heroine based on heresy, highly circumstantial evidence, or just plain wanting to (I swear a Johanna Lindsey book had its male lead admit that he knew she probably wasn't a maid or a servant, but he didn't want to admit it).
I find it quite unsatisfying from a plot perspective. Many times what the heroine argues in her case is very reasonable, but the hero chooses not to believe her, like in a viking novel by Catherine Coulter when the heroine is threatened by her stepfather not to tell the viking that she will not be marrying him and he believes she deceived him and therefore takes revenge. I find it unfair and it makes me want to shake the hero.
The best uses of the big misunderstanding is when the reader can understand why the hero or the heroine continues to believe it.
Chad believes Kristy is an experienced seductress who wants to marry his dad for the money and social standing. He doesn't believe her when she tells him the truth. It is only when he realizes she is still in tact that he realizes that he must be wrong about all the other things...
He believes it a little too long, but when he realizes he is wrong, it doesn't make the story anymore interesting, as he feels remorse that he entrapped her to be with him when she hates him. He decides not to be intimate with her anymore in order to spare her. This in turn makes her feel as though he is the one who regrets being with her.
The first half of the novel was great, but I was unable to keep my attention after I felt the plot became predictable. I skimmed to the end. There is also a Couple B plotline that I wasn't interested in.
~
I've been reading Barbara Dawson Smith's Stolen Heart off and on for at least 3 years now. When I first tried, I was resistant to the western trope (I used to be strictly Regency Romance!) so I stopped. I tried again and realized the writing was really good, but I think I just never finished it because I switched reading devices, and wasn't sure where my iBooks app went.
All this to say is that I finally read it start to finish. Barbara Dawson Smith's Stolen Heart is a western romance about down-on-her-luck Kristy who needs to marry well to care for her younger brother after their father passes away. All she has to her name is a ranch, and she is fiance to one of the esteemed gentlemen bachelors in town. When we first meet her, she is at the bank where she catches a very insolent cowboy staring at her. Unbeknownst to her, her fiance is interested in her because of the property that comes with her hand, and his estranged son is therefore interested in her.
The beginning of the novel is great, and I quite enjoyed getting to know Kristy and her whole situation, as well as her relationship with Chad. She is a plucky heroine who is focused on survival. Chad, meanwhile, has an earthy appeal, and their chemistry together is palpable. It is a revenge plot against his dad, and his scheme is decently evil. The tension between Kristy and Chad is good, especially when he believes she's just a golddigger.
Up to a certain point, however.
I wish someone would write an essay on why the big misunderstanding trope just doesn't work for modern readers. In older romances, much of the conflict is based on the hero not believing the heroine based on heresy, highly circumstantial evidence, or just plain wanting to (I swear a Johanna Lindsey book had its male lead admit that he knew she probably wasn't a maid or a servant, but he didn't want to admit it).
I find it quite unsatisfying from a plot perspective. Many times what the heroine argues in her case is very reasonable, but the hero chooses not to believe her, like in a viking novel by Catherine Coulter when the heroine is threatened by her stepfather not to tell the viking that she will not be marrying him and he believes she deceived him and therefore takes revenge. I find it unfair and it makes me want to shake the hero.
The best uses of the big misunderstanding is when the reader can understand why the hero or the heroine continues to believe it.
Chad believes Kristy is an experienced seductress who wants to marry his dad for the money and social standing. He doesn't believe her when she tells him the truth. It is only when he realizes she is still in tact that he realizes that he must be wrong about all the other things...
He believes it a little too long, but when he realizes he is wrong, it doesn't make the story anymore interesting, as he feels remorse that he entrapped her to be with him when she hates him. He decides not to be intimate with her anymore in order to spare her. This in turn makes her feel as though he is the one who regrets being with her.
The first half of the novel was great, but I was unable to keep my attention after I felt the plot became predictable. I skimmed to the end. There is also a Couple B plotline that I wasn't interested in.
July 31, 2022
This was a cute historical romance. Written 30 years ago so I'll forgive somethings like the heroine being 17 but considered a grown woman. Though, I guess in those days they were. Plus, she didn't have a cushy life so I'll give some leeway. Same with Honey. She's 17 and falls for Brett, one of the cowhands who is 35. So again, the time period it was written it this was the norm.
I absolutely adore this cover. The heroine's hair is gorgeous as is the color of her dress. Love the mysteriously handsome hero as well.
This starts out as a revenge story, as the hero wants to hurt the man who raised him and make him pay for his mother's death. We also have the age old 80s trope of the hero thinking the heroine is a slut and whore, no good. That doesn't stop him from wanting her, too. However, he feels horrid once he finds out the truth (at the moment of making love to her - she asked him to. It was all consensual) and has great remorse.
It of course had my favorite trope of pregnancy and a baby born in the book. There were sweet times between the hero and heroine but with most of these older historicals there aren't enough. I wanted more time with the two of them being loving to each other but they didn't admit their love til close to the end. And no epilogue, again the norm for the 80s.
Overall enjoyable and kept my interest. There were a few issues. Other than that, I enjoyed it.
Things to Know:
♦ The sister of the hero, Honey was
♦ The father of Honey was a pretty awful guy but at least
I absolutely adore this cover. The heroine's hair is gorgeous as is the color of her dress. Love the mysteriously handsome hero as well.
This starts out as a revenge story, as the hero wants to hurt the man who raised him and make him pay for his mother's death. We also have the age old 80s trope of the hero thinking the heroine is a slut and whore, no good. That doesn't stop him from wanting her, too. However, he feels horrid once he finds out the truth (at the moment of making love to her - she asked him to. It was all consensual) and has great remorse.
It of course had my favorite trope of pregnancy and a baby born in the book. There were sweet times between the hero and heroine but with most of these older historicals there aren't enough. I wanted more time with the two of them being loving to each other but they didn't admit their love til close to the end. And no epilogue, again the norm for the 80s.
Overall enjoyable and kept my interest. There were a few issues. Other than that, I enjoyed it.
Things to Know:
♦ The sister of the hero, Honey was
♦ The father of Honey was a pretty awful guy but at least
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews