Review: Fun Historical Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 11, 2012
I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.With just a smidgen of heat, Patricia Bates brings the Old West alive with her tale of love between a bible quoting lawman and an escaped female prisoner in The Preacher's Outlaw. Likable characters, a tale of good versus evil and a fast pace kept me turning the pages of this short story until I reached the end. I found this to be perfect for a lunch time break or quick after dinner read.An escaped convict, Abigail Murphy arrives in a small Wyoming town determined to get justice. Wrongfully convicted, Abigail escaped and now waits for her her youngest brother to meet her so they can continue making plans for the future and the justice they seek. Allowing herself to fall for a U.S. Marshall was not part of Abigail's plan.A former preacher turned U.S. Marshall, Daniel Yuleman lives in Freewill, Wyoming and waits for the opportunity to get justice for a deceased friend. When Abigail Murphy arrives in town pretending to be someone else, he grabs the chance to both use her to get justice against the same man she hates and at the same time protect her from those on her trail. Falling in love with her wasn't a part of his plan.The scenes between Abigail and Daniel are sweet, have an underlying current of heat and are easy to read. With a fast moving plot, Ms. Bates introduces her characters and quickly moves their romance along. Though a short story, I never felt as if things were being rushed or overlooked. Staying true to the time period, the romance between Abigail and Daniel is chaste and innocent. Their attraction to each other is well drawn.When Abigail's pursuers arrive in town, will Daniel reveal he's known who she is all along? Will both Daniel and Abigail get the justice they seek from the law? And will Abigail forgive Daniel for not telling her all of the truth? You'll have to read The Preacher's Outlaw to find out. I liked it and I think you will too.