For one of the most engaging, unusual, galloping historical westerns I’ve read this year, grab this novel for an addictive chase through the old west. Green-eyed beauty, Cat O’Banyon is a tough bounty hunter by circumstance who hooks up with a sharp-shooting, charm-the-pants-off-you, sexy master of illusion Alexi Romanov. The question will be, who is protecting whom, and will they live or die by the bounty?
Once Upon a Time in the West, Book 1
Available October 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-0451238276 | Rated 5 out of 5 Stars
Book and review courtesy of Romance Junkies.
Farmer Cathleen Chase becomes the infamous bounty hunter Cat O’Banyon when she decides to track her husband’s killer. The killer’s words invade her dreams and haunt her days, while one by one Cat hunts down bad men who may or may not be “the one” she’s determined to find.
Master of illusion and former sharp-shooter Alexi Romanov craves the game of deceit, cheating others becomes his way of survival…even though he looks at it as taking what’s offered. When Cat came into his life, she was tattered. By the time she left him, she had purpose and skills only he could teach her. They had an agreement, her body for his training, but he never agreed for her to steal his heart.
They’ve moved on as individuals, trying to stay alive, until Alexi discovers a sizeable bounty for Cat, dead or alive. Not able to leave a former colleague and lover to fend for herself, Alexi and his companion, Mikhail, go to Cat’s aid. Not that Cat wants or needs their help, and if truth be told, helping her can be just as dangerous as being Cat O’Banyon yourself.
Cat and Alexi make a great team once they decide to work together, but how long that lasts depends on whether it’s safer to be together or apart. Just like there’s a certain addiction to danger for these two independent hellions, there’s a spark of attraction to each other that neither of them can deny for long. Never quite sure who’s charming-the-pants-off of whom, their one-upmanship is very entertaining. But, with a bounty on her head, Cat isn’t safe to be around and she intends to keep Alexi and Mikhail safely out of her way. The question is, can the student of disguise outfox the master and live to tell about it?
You know you’ve read a great book when you can’t figure out exactly how the author transported you into her world and left you there stewing about it, wanting more, needing more, long after the last page was turned. Alexi and Cat’s story was captivating and it’s very hard to let it go when a novel is as magnetic as this one. Lori Austin’s style is so convincing that you can’t imagine her story told any other way other than exactly like she layered it for our reading pleasure.
BEAUTY AND THE BOUNTY HUNTER is a galloping kick-off to Lori Austin’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST historical series. Witty, adventurous, loving, heart-breaking, fast-paced with unexpected characters sure to entrance, BEAUTY AND THE BOUNTY HUNTER is so fun and addictive!
Taking place in 1870, this novel will easily draw in new readers with its fresh storyline, as well as capture the hearts of western historical lovers. For non-stop action, an irresistible, but tough, heroine with a heart-rending story, and the tempting man we all hope she gets in the end, BEAUTY AND THE BOUNTY HUNTER is highly recommended as the next book you’ll add to your keeper shelf. There’s not a dull moment and I’m not ashamed to beg for book two, AN OUTLAW IN WONDERLAND, to magically arrive on my doorstep tomorrow! Doggone it, I read that sneak-peek excerpt for book two and now I’m toast! Back to re-reading book one…again.
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