The Bounty (Malloy Family, Book 1) [Paperback]

Beth Williamson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 18, 2006

Book 1 of the Malloy family series. What happens when a bounty hunter finds his prey only to discover she's his mate? Nicky Malloy is on the run--from guilt, fear, and a murder charge. After three years, the notorious bounty hunter Tyler Calhoun catches up with the elusive lady outlaw. The intensity of their dislike for each other is only matched by the growing passion they cannot seem to control. A loner by nature, a cold hard hunter by choice, Tyler fights his feelings for his prisoner the only way he knows how--by denying them. He's not prepared for how deeply his feelings will run, or how hard it will be to hold her life in his hands. Pursued by two hapless cowboys bent on taking Nicky in themselves, Nicky and Tyler are forced to turn to each other for aid, trust, and comfort as their journey progresses on its rocky road. Caught in a web of lies and murder, they hold on to each other as they travel to Wyoming to confront the man that brought them together. Tyler has to decide if his love for her is worth more than the bounty he was sent to find. Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, some violence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

4.5 Red Roses! "Rich with strong characterization, sexy scenes and fast paced. Westerns are still my favorite genre and The Bounty did not disappoint me. Hurray for Ms. Williamson and her writing." — Noemi, A Romance Review

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

Beth Williamson holds a B.F.A. in writing from New York University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Samhain Publishing (July 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599982099
• ISBN-13: 978-1599982090
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #528,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Beth Williamson, also writing as Emma Lang, is a multi-published, award-winning author of romance fiction including historical, contemporary, and erotica. She won 2010 Best Western Romance from The Romance Reviews, two 2007 CAPA Awards and one 2008 CAPA Award from The Romance Studio, nominated for the 2007 Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award in Historical Romance, nominated for the 2009 and 2010 Career Achievement Reviewer's Choice Award in Erotica by Romantic Times Magazine, and a PAN member of Romance Writers of America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars historical romance not erotica, May 18, 2007

By 

SistaSherry (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bounty (Malloy Family, Book 1) (Paperback)

This book gets a low rating for deceptive marketing. The story itself is worth the read if you can get it at a third of the list price.

The Bounty by Beth Williamson (Book 1 in the Mallory Series) is NOT erotica. It's a good book. It's an enjoyable book. It's a decent historical western romance. It's not erotica. It's a typical romance with some so so steamy sex - in fact I have read books by Linda Howard, Sherrilyn Kenyon (also as Kinley MacGregor), Angela Knight, Lisa Valdez (I could go on and on) that the steamy factor blows this out of the water and all for the price of a normal book. This book would not even be on the same book shelf as true erotica. If you would like to read historical western erotic then read Sarah McCarty's Promise Series: Promises Linger (Book 1), Promises Keep (Book 2), and Promises Prevail (Book 3).

You will find nothing more in this book than you would in any other romance book. All of this would be fine if that is what you think you are buying. I love reading all sorts of books so none of this would have bothered me except that the book comes with this; "Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, some violence." This warning, the contemporary cover, and the list price of $13.50 lead the buyer into believing that it is erotica. It simply is not. Not by my definition anyway. I'm not sure what the guidelines for erotica are or what other people's definition of "explicit sex" is so I suppose I could be jaded but the price of this book is just too much for what you are getting.

This is the second book I've read that was published by Samhain publishing that they mislead you with the book description. I've got three more books to read that were published by them (because I've already got them) before I can put the publishing company on the black list. I hope I'm wrong, dishonest companies are so irksome and I would image it's the author's that pay the real price in the end.

If you are looking for true erotica then peruse Ellora's Cave Publishing - believe me you'll be getting your money's worth and you know exactly what to expect. They have a rating system that explains exactly the content of the book and you choose what is for your taste.

**** About the actual book - post rant review ****

The most unfortunate part of this and why I'm so irritated is that this is a pretty darn good book with some very likable qualities. I think Beth Williamson did a good job at making me really want these two to work everything out. I wanted the bad guy to pay horribly; I wanted the lovers to find true love and happiness; I was very interested in the additional characters in the book. Some of the book read like an erotic novel, not the sex, but some silly dialog. Not the greatest writer but not bad. Regardless, overall I enjoyed the book. The interaction and tension between Nicky and Tyler is believable and I felt like they did fall in love with each other in spite of themselves over the course of the book rather than two pages into it. I LOVED how much Tyler respected and admired Nicky's tough attitude and abilities. He really actually liked and admired her as a person. A strong man admiring a strong woman is a very good thing.

I would give the actual book if I had paid a normal price for it, at least 3 1/2 to 4 stars.

I'm glad I read this book however it just wasn't worth the price. I want to read the others in the series but I'm not sure I like being suckered. Maybe I can find them at a bargain used book store.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Undecided, November 6, 2008

By 

Holly R (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Bounty (Malloy Family, Book 1) (Paperback)

Tyler Calhoun has just been hired to capture a bounty named Nicky and he is determined to bring the outlaw in. He's the best at what he does and he's made quite a name for himself, so when he finds out that Nicky is actually Nicole, he's insulted that someone with his considerable skills would be sent out after a woman. The reward covers up any ruffled feathers though and he's soon on his way, sure that this will take no time at all. When next we meet Tyler, he's being tortured by a group of bandits, facing certain death, only to be rescured by the very woman he's hunting. While Tyler is definitely grateful, he's soon back on her trail. He catches up with her and is determined to bring her in. Nicky is equally determined to not go back. She faces painful memories back home, plus a hangman's noose. She's going to make their trip as annoying and painful as possible for this overgrown bounty hunter and of course that just means the sparks are going to fly.

Eh. Kind of undecided on this one. It's definitely not erotica. Not even close. They don't even have sex until well into the story. The Old West setting that Beth Williamson created certainly felt believable, but other than that, I didn't really enjoy this book. I liked Tyler, he was okay. Nicky wasn't too bad either. I think I got mad at everyone's actions, to be honest, but then I don't like this type of book to begin with so I am definitely biased. I don't like the man being a bounty hunter who is sent to drag the murderous outlaw back to justice, who is in fact a nubile young woman (and always a virgin) who falls in love with her jailer/bounty hunter, and despite knowing she is probably innocent, the bounty hunter still drags her back to face certain death, realizing along the way that he loves her. Yawn. I've read this book before and this one is nothing new. Though there is an injection of the paranormal in the fact that Tyler swears he hears Nicky calling to him when she is in trouble. That was interesting but it didn't really go anywhere. What really set my teeth on edge is when right in the beginning, Tyler meets up with two men who try to warn him off the task of collecting a bounty on Nicky. It turns out that these men were Nicky's brothers. Now I'm sure their manly growling was tough and ferocious but it still didn't change the fact that Nicky's family never really got off their butts to go look for her. I just couldn't wrap my mind around that fact and since I suspected that those men were Nicky's brothers right from the beginning, it immediately soured the rest of my reading.

So I'm undecided on this one. It was okay. Nothing new or special. I liked Tyler and I liked Nicky. I just didn't like the parts they were forced to play. I'll try the next book in this series someday.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mutiny of the Bounty Hunter, August 18, 2007

By 

Foggy Tewsday - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bounty (Malloy Family, Book 1) (Paperback)

When he is contracted to track down Nicky Malloy, bounty hunter Tyler Calhoun assumes that he is on the trail of another just another wrongdoer. Nicky Malloy is, in fact, Nicole Malloy, a woman who has been disguising herself as a man while on the run. When Calhoun finally catches up with her, he finds himself falling for her ungainly charms.

This is Beth Willamson's first novel in her romantic western series featuring the Malloy family, and a rattling good read it is too. As the principal characters make their long journey across country, the author keeps the character development and punchy dialogue flowing perfectly: no need here for long, meandering prose describing the terrain and the weather.

Their situation is, of course, perfect for lots of comedy moments with sleeping arrangements and misunderstandings with local townsfolk along the way. The prose is often broken up for short bursts as we see events from each character's perspective. This is an effective device because during the middle part of the novel, the narrative is centered firmly on these two characters alone. The author builds up the tension nicely as Calhoun wrestles with his desire for Nicky against the bounty he would receive on completion of his mission.

The cover blurb warns that the book contains explicit sex and graphic language. The sexual content and graphic language is actually very mild. Certainly, there are some sexy moments, but I'd be amazed if many readers were likely to be offended by the contents of this novel. If you're a fan of romantic westerns, this book is definitely worth reading.