Customer Reviews

The Bounty (Malloy Family, Book 1)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Not sure when or where I picked this one up. The Bounty is the story of a bounty hunter sent out to bring back a person accused of murder and theft. Surprised when he learns it's a woman he's been hired to find, the hired gun sets out on his mission. After locating the girl, he is forced to decide between what is right and what he's being paid to do. They both struggle with their feeling, desires and dreams on the journey back to face her accuser. I liked the plot. I liked most of the characters. The reason I didn't rate the book higher was they it was somewhat repetitive. Same conflicting emotions, same fights with one another, same struggles to figure out what the other was thinking. It worked for a while, but by the end I was tired of it all and was just looking forward to wrapping things up.

I adore Western Romances and I must say, this was one of the best written I've read in a long time. The setting was well-detailed and believable. The story was exciting and authentic in many ways. And I really enjoyed the two main characters. Nicky was a fun female lead- she maintained a vulnerability while still proving herself as a strong character. Tyler was definitely a sexy, interesting alpha male type. The chemistry between the two was just enough -- hot and realistic but not over-the-top.

The story follows a simple enough tale. Tyler is a bounty hunter and his most recent assignment (and most rewarding - which makes it even more tantalizing) is to recover a young woman "outlaw" on the run, Nicky, who has managed to avoid other bounty hunters for three years. Tyler is reluctant to hunt down a female for obvious reasons, however, he is ready to settle down and the money offered is a fortune. When he finds her, sparks fly, and Tyler is torn between the bounty and the female. He doesn't waste too much time debating, which serves him well as a likable character.

So why the three star rating? I honestly couldn't get over the idea that Nicky was the baby of her family- and had FIVE living, older, alpha male brothers and a strong rancher father who did nothing to find her. Since the rest of this series is about her brothers and their love lives, I find that a tad disappointing because I already don't respect them too much. In fact, at the very beginning of the novel Tyler runs into two of her brothers who seem very aware that he is about to go after her and all they do is give him a nasty look and a stern warning. She described her relationship with her brothers as the definition of loyalty and went into detail about the loving, closeness they all shared. So I was confused as to how they could allow their baby teenage sister (however tomboyish she may be) to simply vanish into the frontier and allow dangerous bounty hunters to hunt her down.

That being said, I WILL read the rest of this series because I absolutely loved the story, the writing, the style, the excitement and the chemistry... and so I'm wanting more of that. I just hope these brothers can make it up to me, yeah?

What I love about The Bounty is the characterization. Nicky and Tyler felt very real to me. I could understand their motivations, their quirks, and there is a strong sense of who they are and what they are capable of. Nicky and Tyler surprise each other a few times, yet they don't surprise the reader in the sense that you get to know them so well, that you see what the other characters ignore.

Once I started reading, I was pretty much hooked. Then, I had to go out and buy the second book in the series, The Prize, because I didn't want the adventure to end. I'm more partial to The Bounty just because I LOVE Nicky and Tyler.

Nicky Malloy is a tomboy who witnesses her brother's murder and kills the brother of a neighbor she despises when he tries to rape her. There's more to this, but I won't give the plot away. So, she goes on the run and lives as a man for three years. Many bounty hunters have been sent after her and all have failed. Except for Tyler Calhoun.

Tyler thinks it will be very easy to catch a woman. The thought was so ridiculous to him that he almost doesn't take the job. But, six thousand dollars is a lot of money--enough for him to retire. So, he sets about finding her and gets caught by a group of banditos (Mexican outlaws) and is tortured. He is rescued by the very woman he is hunting down. She sets him free and kisses him before she runs off. Tyler is quite confused by this (what kind of outlaw would set a bounty hunter free and kiss him on top of that?). Nicky proves to be a series of contradictions that Tyler has trouble figuring out.

Ultimately, the two are very much alike. They both have witnessed terrible tragedies, both live lives on the road, and they have this intense inner strength that enables them to deal with hardships and come out on top.

One of the things that is great about Beth Williamson's books is that she draws parallels between the heroes and heroines. She also connects the characters through dreams. There is a strong sense in both The Bounty and The Prize that the couples are meant for one another. Only Nicky is unintimidated by Tyler who terrifies people with his menacing look and large frame and only Nicky can handle Tyler's bounty hunting profession. Only Tyler would want a wife who is fast with a gun, dresses like a man, and talks like a sailor.

(Don't worry, I didn't give much away. Most of what I described occurs in the first two chapters)

I definitely recommend this book. It made me fall in love with cowboys and westerns again.

I read alot so I know within the first several pages if a book is going to be good or not. And this one is. I have since read all of Beth Williamson's other books in this series and they are just as good. This is a great read. If you like sexy men, damsel's in distress, great action and sexy romance you will really love this book as much as I did. You won't be disappointed.

I read the entire series and loved each and every book. Not the most erotic - true - BUT some very HOT spots and lots of wonderful dialogue and family interaction. I would recommend this series to anyone looking for true 'calgon take me away' reads.

I thought the first half of this book was great, I was totally engrossed with it, then I started to get kinda bored with it. So if the author had made this book half as long, I would have rated it 5 stars. I'm undecided whether or not to order the next in the series, in the hope that it's better.

Beth sure kicks off a great series with this book. A pretty little murderer (or is she?) and a hunky, cowboy bounty hunter... this will warm you right up.