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Cactus Flower

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This is a romantic adventure set in days of the Republic of Texas. Although the hero Jim Slade is a rancher, this is no "cowboy" story. The tumultuous romance of Slade and fireball Chastity Charlene "Charlee" McAllister is set against the background of the struggles of the young republic's efforts to resist Mexico's attempts to conquer it, the meddling of British spies (I had no idea the Brits were involved in that struggle), and the bloody raids of the Comanches, who hated the Texans as much as the Texans hated them. The love scenes are steamy and leavened with humor. In true fairy tale fashion, Charlee is transformed from Ugly Duckling into Beautiful Swan, provoking Slade to give a good imitation of Rutting Bull.

There is also a cast of colorful and intriguing secondary characters. Sam Houston who, apparently was in fact, bigger than life. The young Lee Velasquez, a sort of foster brother of Jim's, who encounters a haughty (and already fetching) twelve year old female, Melanie, who almost gets him beaten to a pulp. And we meet, the stunningly beautiful "widow" Deborah Kensington who has suddenly been reunited with her equally stunning husband Rafe Fleming. These last two pairings will obviously have their own stories in books two and three of the trilogy. There are no dull moments in this book. It's as full of excitement as the Texas Republic itself.

Charlee McAllister, a tomboy and at first glance a scrawny one at that, turns up at Bluebonnet ranch in search of a wandering brother. Jim Slade, the handsome owner of the ranch, feels sorry for the waif and gives her a job as cook. Poor thing, he thinks, she's homely as hammered mud...until he spies on Charlee skinny-dipping in one of the ranch ponds. Good lord! Under those baggy boy's clothes is a petite and perfectly shaped female body. And he had no idea so much hair could be tied up in the scraggily bun she always wears. Things have never been smooth between the arrogant man and prideful girl, but after the "revelation" the ranch crackles with sexual tension and male and female tempers clash, frequently with very funny consequences. When Deborah Kensington turns Charlee into the belle of San Antone, the powder keg explodes. This is a rip roaring romance (and given the tempers of the lovers, that's lots of roaring) set against a background of adventure and intrigue. You'll love it. Oh yes, as a bonus there is Charlee's battle-scarred tomcat, Hellfire, who raises as much hell fire as his mistress.

This book has a lot of emotions. The interactions between the hero and heroine are filled with passion, chemistry, and tension. I definitely reccommend this book. Shirl Henke is a wonderful author. She knows how to draw the reader in her world. Must read!