Captive Angel [Mass Market Paperback]

Cheryl Anne Porter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1999

Angel, the feisty 18-year old orphaned daughter of an "upstairs girl" in a saloon has only known the seamier side of life. When she kills a drunken cattle rancher in self-defense, she faces a hanging. A mysterious man saves her life. She reluctantly accompanies him to his ranch, only to find him dead the next morning. The man's estranged son shows up and accuses her of murder. Angel defiantly stands her ground promising to find the killer and wonders whether she is losing her heart to the man with enough motive to have committed the crime.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Good Samaritan Wallace Daltry rescues Angel Devlin, the wild child of the town whore, from a Texas lynch mob after she kills her would-be rapist. Angel is grateful to Daltry and puzzled when he offers her his entire ranch. Wary of such generosity but eager for a place of her own, she agrees to accompany him. On the way, Daltry is murdered in his sleep, and Angel takes shelter at the abandoned ranch. When Jack Daltry arrives, looking for his father, he doesn't believe Angel's weird tale nor her claim on his legacy. The two are quickly at each other's throats, but they agree to work together to find out who ransacked the ranch and killed Jack's father. Jack's gritty facade gives way to a kind interior, and underneath all the shouting, Jack and Angel inevitably begin to care for each otherAbut they refuse to admit their love. When Jack finds out that his outlaw brother, Seth, is behind everything, he sets out after him, leaving Angel alone to defend the ranch. Porter (Seasons of Glory) keeps readers on the edge of their seats with this action-packed, fast-paced western romance.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (April 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312969066
• ISBN-13: 978-0312969066
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #608,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A plot unlike any you have ever read!, May 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Captive Angel (Mass Market Paperback)

Angel Devlin is not your typical romance heroine but you will be a fan of hers from the beginning to the end. The trials she must endure include ones that I have yet to find in other novels. Porter offers characters that are flawed enough to be real but deep enough to be loved. This is my first Cheryl Anne Porter novel. I am so excited to find her and plan to pick up her other novels.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A magnificent story of young girl's triumph!, May 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Captive Angel (Mass Market Paperback)

Captive Angel is a wonderfully-written novel about a young woman's search for love and acceptance in the 1870s in Texas. It is a harsh life for both men and women. The heroine is subjected to travesities that shock you, and you yearn for her to win over her unbearable circumstances. Ms. Porter is an excellent writer. I felt as if I were transported back in time agonizing and cheering for this beautiful young woman, who finally finds what's she yearning for. . .a home of her own and love.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Western romance will be held captive by this wonderful tale, February 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Captive Angel (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1870 Texas, Angel Devlin mourns the death of her mother, a woman who worked the upstairs rooms of saloons. However, before she can truly grieve her being left alone in the world, the eighteen-year-old defends herself from the advances of a drunk by killing the inebriated rancher. Rank proves more important in the hierarchy of Texas justice than circumstances. Being the daughter of a prostitute leads to her conviction and the sentence of hanging for the killing of a rancher.

Just before the rope is placed on her lovely neck, rancher Wallace Daltry, a stranger to the teen, rescues her. He explains afterward that he promised her mother to keep Angel safe. Though bewildered by the events and intervention, Angel goes to Wallace's ranch. However, by morning, an assailant kills Walter. Jack, Wallace's half breed son, accuses Angel of the crime. She knows she did not kill her benefactor. Angel wonders if Jack, who had the most to gain with Wallace's death, killed his father. That mutual mistrust fails to stop the duo from falling in love with one another.

CAPTIVE ANGEL will captivate the hearts of western romance fans due to lead protagonists who garner much empathy. The story line is exciting, romantic, and loaded with a who-done-it that enhances a warm novel. Cheryl Anne Porter demonstrates that her highly regarded trilogy (JACEY'S RECKLESS HEART, HANNAH'S PROMISE, and SEASONS OF GLORY) was not a passing fancy, but the real thing.

Harriet Klausner