Review: Review from Closed the Cover
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 7, 2013
After being separated from her twin brother, Bill, during the Orphan Train selection, Serena Sullivan tried to piece her life together.  She found work as a schoolteacher but always longed to be reunited with her only living family member.  She had been searching for her twin for over 15 years when she finally gets a lead on his whereabouts.  Unfortunately, the excitement is short-lived as she falls victim to a crooked sheriff in the Wild West and is set to hang for murder.  Her only hope lies in an impulsive stranger who comes to her aid.  Daman Rutledge is an English playwright who came to America on business but unexpectedly finds himself on the run from the law.  As a fan of western fiction I'm always concerned about western's because they can so easily become clichéd writing full of stereotypical cowboys, saloon girls and wild west shoot-outs.  Outlaw Muse was able to avoid all of that and instead telling a wonderfully romantic story with a western flair.I appreciated that Linwood included the history of the Orphan Train in her novel.  It is a true part of the history of the emerging west but it is often overlooked in literature, television and in film.  The orphan train's relocated children (abandoned children, orphan children, etc.) from the big eastern cities to the developing western towns and into the first foster homes in America.  I loved that Linwood included that and used that piece of history to develop the backstory to Serena and her brother Bill.  It added a depth to the characters that otherwise would have been lacking.Initially I was skeptical about the plot devices necessarily to make an English playwright in the old west a plausible storyline.  It was similar to the character that arrived in the western film, Tombstone and other than a touring group of actors I wasn't certain how it was going to be done.  Linwood once again wove historical fact in with her fictional romance and created a very lovable story!Serena and Daman are truly great characters; I wish that Serena's twin brother Bill and the corrupt Sheriff were as well-developed.  I would have liked to have read deeper into their own lives as well but they are only supporting characters to the plot and the story isn't lacking without their rich history.  The emotions that the story pulls out of a reader are true, genuine and heartfelt.  The romance is tender and protective.  It felt really wonderful to read a romance in which the main male character is protective without being possessive or obsessive.  Beautifully written and I believe it is a novel that will appeal to readers who love romance stories even if they are not usually fans of the western genre.Review by Ashley LaMar