Review: Life's purpose, not always as it seems
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 5, 2012
Desperate Hearts, is the sequel toHomeward Hearts (Topaz Historical Romances), I loved the first book and on the author's website, it promises to catch up with the hero and heroine from the first book. And it did, just in the same way as Sabrina Jeffries links her books. We meet the hero and heroine and get a glimpse of their new life and the hope to see a former close friendship which was broken to become a close and deep friendship again.InDesperate Hearts, the hero is the bounty hunter who was after the hero ofHomeward Hearts (Topaz Historical Romances). At the end of the first book, our current hero knows he has made a mistake and sets out to rectify this mistake.He is not your average 6 foot something hero, he is small in size, 5.6". Because of his size, he was picked on by other children as well as by someone he should have been able to depend on. He first picks up a "wanted" poster, I believe only to receive the money and with that independence from his tormentor. However, he is so good at it, people began to fear him and show him the respect he had craved as a child. When his sister is murdered, he believes the word of his stepfather that her husband and his best friend is the murderer. When a deathbed confession of the stepfather recants his original testimony and his brother-in-law and former friend is released from prison, he set out to catch him; we are never sure what he intended to do when he caught up with him as in this book, he states, he clearly prefers to hand villains over to the law. After the confrontation and now believing his former brother-in-law, he sets out to find the killer. The two years, he followed his brother-in-law and the year, he was searching for the real murderer, have been the only his focus in life. He is feared and constantly challenged by those who want to best him.The heroine catches up with our hero when he is confronting his sister's murderer. She is dresses as a lad and there are some bullies making fun of her. The hero who had expected to feel some kind of victory feeling, steps in. The heroine explains to him that she wants to hire him to help her gain her inheritance back which was stolen from. He really does not want to do it but she mentions a name, apparently the foreman on her ranch, who had been a friend of the hero. The person who stole her ranch also killed that friend.He finally agrees but makes it clear it will be done his way or not at all and that he will first go to see his friend to give him the news about his late wife's murderer. The hero is certain that the lad has not told him the full truth and waits for the other shoe to drop. While heading to the small town where our hero believes his former brother-in-law is, they are ambushed in a store and the lad is injured. Now, our hero knows that that Kyle is actually Kyla. While he is not amused, he grudgingly respects her.  When they arrive at his brother-in-law's home, where he wants the heroine to recuperate, they find it abandoned. Now the hero is forced to become close to the heroine by taking care of her. He does not want anyone to know that he is a she, as he has heard that her enemies are looking for her and for some reason also for him. Due to a nosy neighbor, they have to leave sooner than the hero wants; he wanted her to be in better shape.As they get to know each other better, he learns the reason why she is so good in her disguise as a lad.  He begins to admire her more and more but can't admit to himself that he loves her. He never knew a happy home life and feels it is way too late for him to think about one. It does not stop him of dreaming of one. The heroine, who has good reason to not trust men in general, slowly but surely falls in love with the hero and she hopes, she can make him stay once they have dealt with their enemies.It takes another near death experience of the heroine for the hero to take a job offer which would let him stay, one he had told her previously, was not for him.Again, the s*x scene were beautifully written, not shy, not flowery or clinical, just beautiful.