Review: This Heart for Hire by Elysa Hendricks
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2012
Betrayed by his fiance' and half brother, Jake leaves the ranch he and his brother have invested their life savings and the hearts into. Alone, with no other family, he lives a life of secrecy. While he tries to infiltrate a murderous gang of thieves and gunslingers he finds himself the unwilling savior of an innocent young woman.Christina has left the convent she was reared in after the death of her mother to travel back to the Texas ranch she will inherit when she reaches her majority. As she and her brother are caught up in the manipulations of her stepfather, she realizes they must flee or forfeit their lives. Her step-fathers greed for the ranch and all it contains, including Christina, forces them on a clandestine journey to St. Louis.Two weeks into their journey Christina and her brother take rooms above a saloon for a night of rest after nights spent by the campfire. To her horror things take a turn for the worse and she is once again in mortal peril. Jake comes to her rescue and together they must cross the desert in an attempt to escape pursuit. On their journey, Jake loses his memory and they both lose their hearts.The set is Texas in 1870 this is a western period romance that feels current. The characters and situations are presented in a way that draw you into the story without the era or old west locale being in the way of a good story. Setting the story with such a well drawn backdrop enhances the tension and makes room for a broader brush.The secondary characters are well developed. They allow room and movement of the plot while keeping the focus on the story line. I was particularly entranced by James, who brings a unique and occasional welcome comic relief with quirky and fun dialogue and interference.This is a very good romance with an old west setting that will keep you turning the pages. It did for me. Very enjoyable book.Karen Bryant Doering,Parents' Little Black Book