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Tin Angel

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LAWLESS NIGHTS
"Jessica Taggert had come West seeking adventure, and no hard-drinking, easy-living rogue like Jake Weston was going to stop her from finding it--even if it meant being his partner in Tin Angel, the most notorious brothel on the Barbary Coast. Even if she had to resist his sensual seduction, when all she really wanted was to melt his arms.
Jake had no intention of sharing the Tin Angel with a know-it-all female from Boston. But Jessica's spirited independence. . . and lush, responsive beauty. . . made him swear off other women forever. And when Jessie proceeded to get shipwrecked, kidnapped, and almost killed. . .Jake swore to do whatever was necessary to keep her safe--whether she wanted his help or not!

note: Kat Martin/Kathy Lawrence are pen names for the same author.

10 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1989

353 people are currently reading
380 people want to read

About the author

Kathy Lawrence

7 books7 followers
Kathleen Kelly Martin (aka Kat Martin, Kathy Lawrence, Kasey Mars)

Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and History from the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.

Punlished since 1988, she singed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book incollaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Marx for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.

Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.

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5 stars
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4 stars
157 (30%)
3 stars
119 (23%)
2 stars
49 (9%)
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12 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Laurie  (barksbooks).
1,955 reviews803 followers
October 11, 2016
Tin Angel and I didn’t get along all that well but I fear it may be more of a case of “It’s me, not you”. I'm giving it a 2 1/2 and here's why.

I found it rather cliché and generally ho-hum and it gave me a sense of “haven’t I read this many times before?” But it’s entirely my fault for reading so many of these in my younger years. Even though I found it mostly meh I kept listening so, really, I only have myself to blame.

If you haven’t read a zillion historical romances set in western times you may find this somewhat entertaining but don’t blame me if you don’t. There is nothing extraordinary or charming about it but there isn’t anything terribly awful about it either. It’s stuck smack in the middle of “mehville”.

The story is about an innocent young lady named Jessie who inherits 51% of a bar/brothel and heads out to take charge of things. Only she thinks she’s inherited a respectable restaurant. But no worries, once she realizes the truth, she doesn’t let the cleavage and the creepy men stop her from bossing around the other owner, Jake Gorgeouspants. And because Jake is a typical alpha type waiting to be tamed by the love of a feisty gal, the sparks they do fly. Deny them they do not.

Jessie AKA “Little Baggage” (Jake’s not at all charming nickname for her) does many a TSTL sort of thing, meanwhile misunderstandings and miscommunication abound but it’s all good in the end because, you know, “love” wins the day and there’s not much more for me to say.

Oh wait, that’s an untruth. You must be wary of the narrated version, lest you dissolve into a fit of hilarity. The narrator gives it her all and she isn’t terrible, by any means, but her voice is too young, too chipper and too gritless for so gritty a tale of lust in the Wild West. Her attempts at accents, especially the French accent of a jealous working girl, absolutely slayed me. Yes, I am writing this from the grave but it was worth it for this gem alone.

“YOU are the son of a Beeeeeach!”

And on that note, I shall zip it.
Profile Image for KatieV.
710 reviews499 followers
June 9, 2014
There was nothing wrong with the writing and the story moved along with plenty of action, etc. I suppose it would have made a cute, light romantic western movie. And I understand that some would enjoy this immensely. It just wasn't my thing.

The story just didn't grab me. It took me forever to finish because I kept losing interest. Just seemed like a bunch of fluff and there was no great tension/angst between the H/h, except in a cutesy 'opposites attract' sort of way. Also, there was so many unlikely eye-rolling moments with Jess and her ridiculous antics. Example: She nearly single-handedly prevented a gang war in China Town and then saved the gangs from another gang of racist whites. Chick was THE great white hope. I think we need a new acronym TSTD (too stupid to die). Because, really, there's no other excuse for her being alive.

This was my first Kat Martin and I wonder if it is a typical example of her work?

ETA: For those who care about the audio portion. Rebecca Cook is pretty good. I'm not too picky with the narrators. As long as the male voice is done fairly well, I can overlook quite a bit. The Irish bouncer at the Tin Angel sounded like he was from 'I don't know where', but he was a secondary character, so I didn't really are. Besides, it has to be a hard job doing a bunch of different voices/accents of different sexes.
Profile Image for Mary Gramlich.
514 reviews38 followers
June 19, 2011
TIN ANGEL written by Kat Martin
03/11 - Wolfpack Publishing - Barnes & Noble NOOK Book (eBook), 406 pages

Can a city girl fall for a country boy?

Jessie Taggart has packed her bags and left the quiet of civilized Boston for the wilds of San Francisco. Jessie had just lost her father and plans to lay him to rest, and settle the situation with her father’s partner Jake Weston. When Jessie arrives in town, she learns very quickly her new “partner” is not happy to see her. The next shock was finding out she does not own not a restaurant as she was thought but a bawdy house and allot property that is more interesting.

It appears that Jake wants Jessie back in Boston where he thinks she belongs and let him run the business as he sees proper. Jessie disagrees and fights him verbally and legally for her right to be the majority owner in their partnership. But when she is not driving him business crazy she is driving him crazy with passion and she makes him realize that the kind of business he has in mind for her has nothing to do with facts, figures, or balancing the business.

When accidents turn out to be pre-medicated murder attempts on Jessie the reality that not only Jake does not want her around and she wonders if maybe she should go home. Jake has other ideas and once he taps into both Jessie’s business sense and her passion there is not sending her anywhere but his bed.

The one lesson Jessie has learned from her time in the rugged west is that the men are rough but the one man she has fallen for is tender and loving. Jake may not think a woman has a place in a bawdy house but he knows Jessie is every ounce her father’s daughter and can handle anything that comes her way including murder attempts, kidnapping and love of a strong man.

After I started reading this book I realized how much I love the Western genre and need to tap into it more often. The men are tough cowboys with strong women always right by their side or at times standing in front telling them what to do. The only downside for this book for me was the repeat of a crime and there is a little difficulty figuring out who some of the back characters are. This book is worth the time and the love story is one you will remember long after the last page is read.
Profile Image for Jane.
Author 6 books89 followers
December 13, 2015
The setting for Tin Angel was San Francisco post gold rush 1872 and the boom town that developed. Main character, Jessie Taggart a proper lady came from Boston when her father died and she inherited 51% of his businesses, Tin Angel, a freight company and a small fleet of river scows that transported goods into the river deltas. Jake Weston, the other partner and manager of the partnership found his new partner stubborn, strong willed and with an exceptional ability to find trouble.

The plot went from one adventure to another for Jessie and rescue by Jake, she had to face that her father had been murdered and the owning a bar and brothel on the Barbary Coast area of San Francisco when it was in full swing. Jake a confirmed bachelor, and Jessie an independent minded woman find each other irresistible to give the story a romance. Parts offered humor and parts offered a look at the period of California history to make a good story.
Profile Image for Nina Reads Too.
132 reviews54 followers
March 2, 2013
Love, Love Kat Martin!! This is the only book written by Kat her husband. I totally love the dynamics of the two strong characters. It was so good I hoped there were be a part two or it would be party of a series. :)
Profile Image for Darlene.
17 reviews
June 13, 2011
Nice romantic western with lots of action, written by Kat Martin and her husband.
Profile Image for willaful.
1,155 reviews363 followers
dnf
January 8, 2012
I didn't get very far in this audiobook; the narrator wasn't terrible, but she sounded so young and girlish, I couldn't believe in the characters.
Profile Image for ann_zack_cee_am_ann.
303 reviews5 followers
December 28, 2025
I really loved the story up until the point where he slept with Monique (his longtime w**re* for 2 years) to chase Jessie out of his system, despite him not being into the interlude much. He even called for Jessie in the midst of their lovemaking. And this happened when they first had a verbal spar about the saloon. They made up, he decided not to see Monique anymore and about the last quarter of the book, they had an argument again. He was then thinking of making up with Monique and a widow at the end of town so he could sleep with any of them to forget about Jessie again. YUCKSSS! Why do authors ruin a perfect romance like this?!! Why the need to do that with other women, they could have made the hero gamble the night away or go off on a drunken stupor for all they care! Just please don’t bring OW into the story. It’s degrading and cheapens the hero’s moral integrity! this book could have been 5 full stars! And ohhh to think that he has the audacity to be mad at Jessie for being close to Rene La Porte when he was much a scoundrel as Rene was! But towards the end of the book, he did make out again with the bloody Monique (although he was in a deep slumber when Monique snuck in so he didn’t realise it wasn’t Jessie at first).
Profile Image for Kristen Lewendon.
8,429 reviews63 followers
November 30, 2018
I haven’t quite made up my mind whether I loved this story or if it just drove me mental. It’s fun and there were a lot of times that I found myself laughing at the story. But, light of heaven, Jessie and Jake made me want to take them both and shake some sense into them. And it’s another one of those times where I can’t decide which side of the coin I’m on, because I’m not sure if the sense I want them to have is to cut bait and run or to stop dithering and just get on with loving each other. There’s also something stopping me from fully investing in the plot to steal the business from them. It’s too complicated, and at the same time, too obvious. I guess that all comes down to a definite maybe. I didn’t love it but I did enjoy it.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
9 reviews1 follower
February 17, 2023
Story is fine and I’m definitely not a writer or English major but the formatting of unspoken dialogue was frustrating. One minute it would be in quotes and the next it would be in single quotes. I don’t think inner dialogue needs either, but that’s just my .02. Would have to go back to see if they were actually speaking to someone or thinking to themselves.

Very very early on, they speak of the main female character as having dark hair and being a brunette. It’s mentioned multiple times. So of course the cover uses a blonde. 🙄 I enjoy Kat Martin books but this doesn’t really feel like one of hers.
542 reviews1 follower
October 22, 2019
Nice but cliched romance set in the post-civil-war time.
The heroine is of course beautiful and rather young, the hero is handsome (of course!) and tough.

The heroine wants to prove, she can do IT, the hero wants to prove the opposite. Both are irritating most of the time.

There was a little glimpse into the lives of Chinese immigrants of that time and their horrible circumstances of life, especially the Chinese women.

I heard this on Audiobook, the narrator did a fine job (including imitating a french and a Chinese accent).
114 reviews1 follower
December 28, 2021
A wonderfully informative western, history, love story & mystery

I've been a fan of Kat Martin's writing for quite awhile. Since this story was a western and written by her and her husband I thought I'd give it a whirl. It was a pleasant surprise! It has all the grace and tenacity of Kat's work along with the sandy grit of a truly exciting western that I assume is L.J. Martin. It's even more exciting to know that they live in Montana too.
110 reviews
October 14, 2020
Another winner.

It's a challenge to try to figure out who wrote which part of a book when there are 2 authors. This was a
A change of pace from her other books I have read but I enjoyed emenselly and will look at some of her other books written in this time period. Wish we knew if they kept the Tin Angel. We know they lived
HEA as all of her hero's and hero is do


Profile Image for Emily Pease.
239 reviews1 follower
April 2, 2024
Classic western with bar brawls and gun fights, interspersed with some sizzling romance and a murder mystery. Also tackles subjects like racism, xenophobia, and misogyny. An interesting tale of a hard headed woman constantly getting herself into messes and a hard headed cowboy having to get her out of it. A good read!
18 reviews
September 4, 2023
A great book. Kept me interested all the way thru. Had action and romance. I d recommend this book to those who like historical books. I let you read the book to get the info on what the book is about..
Profile Image for Jessie Bee.
605 reviews6 followers
September 5, 2023
entertaining

A look into the old days of America with everyone trying to make their living and settle down. A fiesty young woman and a handsome man who are thrown together as partners in Tin Angel.
969 reviews5 followers
July 12, 2018
What a fantastic story that Jake and Jessie take you on would highly recommend all Kat matins books 👍👍👍👍
Profile Image for Patricia.
94 reviews2 followers
April 19, 2022
Great

I love this author! I am always looking for new books by Kat Martin! She always manages to ensure a hot romance with an equally exciting mystery!
Profile Image for Paula.
1,293 reviews12 followers
June 19, 2010
This was a first book by Kathy Lawrence (aka Kat Martin). A good story that kept the pages turning.

Jessie has been in school in Boston when she learns of the death of her father and that she has controlling interest in his businesses. She doesn't know that her father was murdered. She has full intentions of traveling from Boston to San Francisco to run the company, which she believes to be a restaurant.

Jake holds 49% of the business and doesn't take to kindly to Jessie's letter saying that she will come and run the business. Jake thinks that she will be so overwhelmed by the trip that she will sign over her shares to him and he will own them outright. Once she sees that the Tin Angel is a bordello, she will be happy to sell out. He doesn't know Jessie.

This takes place in the 1800's when the Barbary Coast was a very dangerous place to be.
Profile Image for Amanda Bhear.
666 reviews4 followers
August 22, 2022
I thought this one was really good too, was the little twists & turns. There were some funny spots in there that were really good. Like when Jake gets back to the saloon & tells the bartender that the daughter that inherited the other half of their holdings thinks that the Tin Angel is a resturant not a saloon/whorehouse. Jake decides to let her see for herself hoping she will sell her half to him & go home. He plans a special dinner for her, the barkeep says "boss, you're suppose to scare the girl, not poison her! Wong's cooking would choke a mule!" Jake just says "You gotta do what you gotta do, my friend!" There are lot of funny spots in there. All he does is make her dig her heels in & stay to prove to herself & to him, she can handle it. If not, why would her father have lef't it to her? It's great!
173 reviews7 followers
August 28, 2014
When Jake Weston's partner is killed he doesn't expect his partner's daughter Jessica to come to San Francisco and try to help him run the business. Unfortunately, she has majority stake and refuses to sell out to him. As they but heads and end up closer than partners the mystery of who killed Jessica's father and is sabotaging their company continues.

I don't normally read this historical period and it was interesting to read the colorful background to the story, the rival Chinese gangs, the Polish crooks and a saloon that Jack and Jessie run. Also interesting was hearing about the different places in California as they were back then since I live in the Bay Area. I still like Kat Martin's regency historicals better but this was a fun listen on audiobook.
Profile Image for Ruth B.
676 reviews37 followers
January 30, 2016
If you like love stories set in the latest 1800 or earliest 1900, this is a perfect book!
Full of suspense, intrigue, action and romance, this book is one of those you can't stop reading!
I loved the two main characters, both so stubborn and open minded. They cared about each other. During the book the relationship between them is like a roller coster. And after many come and goes you see where they heading.
With a lot of twists in the story and "a bad guy" in the shadows, you cant'put the book down.

1,673 reviews17 followers
Want to read
February 15, 2016
484p It's a great surprise when young Boston raised Jessica Taggart discovers the restaurant her father left her is, in fact, a brothel. And worse, her new partner in it and several other enterprises is a rounder and a rake, if handsome and capable. But Jessie is trouble herself, and Jake discovers his will to protect her from the Barbary Coast's worst is stronger than anything he's ever been challenged with.
2 reviews
October 4, 2016
Not my 'cup of tea'

Sorry I' m afraid I didn't really enjoy this book very much. The story line was just OK and the history of the Chinese community interesting but I prefer more subtlety between lovers in a story leaving something to be left to the imagination of the reader rather than the way this was actually written. There were also quite a few spelling errors in the book which also added to my disappointment. Sorry but it just wasn't a good read for me.
Profile Image for MountainKat.
2,339 reviews107 followers
August 6, 2013
Good, but not great. Likable characters and a decent storyline. Worth the time to read or listen, but nothing special. I listened to the audio of this and I thought the narrator, Rebecca Cook, was ok. She was able to put emotions in her reading and differentiated the characters well. If it weren't for a few glaring mispronunciations, I would have said it was quite good.
81 reviews2 followers
June 12, 2012
Add a half star to that. The story was really good. I loved the two main characters and Paddy. I think she should have left out all the parts that were not Jessie's or Jake's POV, they were boring and quite unnecessary.
Profile Image for Barbara.
545 reviews
April 19, 2010
way over the top of stupid stubborn feminist woman, endless near death scrapes- isn't one enough. but kind of harmless in a never ending too much free sex and women's rights for the time period.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

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