Cold Night, Warm Stranger [Mass Market Paperback]

Jill Gregory (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 1999

She vowed not to love the gunfighter who made her burn with desire....

A shivering cold angel...

Maura Reed was all alone in her Montana hotel, curled up in her robe and slippers, when the blizzard hit. It was cold, quiet, and lonely--until a rugged gunslinger blew in from the storm demanding shelter. Just for this night--this wild, stormy night--Maura wanted someone, something. Recklessly, she abandoned herself in his arms, knowing he would be gone by morning. The last thing she ever expected was the need that drove her into the wilderness . . . to find the stranger who haunted her dreams. . . .

A hot, dangerous devil...

He was the fastest gun in the West, a man who feared nothing until he met the woman who touched his heart. Quinn Lassiter didn't even recognize Maura when she cornered him in a distant saloon months later. Never in his wildest dreams did he see himself married--until he said the words that made her his wife. He was determined to do the right thing by the woman he'd wronged, but he'd never reckoned on falling in love with her. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When a one-night stand with Quinn Lassiter leaves Maura Jane Reed pregnantAand desperate to leave the ramshackle hotel owned by her adoptive brothers, the DuncansAshe flees to a frontier town in pursuit of the mysterious gunslinger who has fathered her baby. After initial resistance, Quinn agrees to marry Maura and settle her safely on his ranch in Hope, Wyo., then return to his dangerous gun-for-hire life. Struggling against a mutual attraction, Maura and Quinn attempt to negotiate the terms of their arrangement; meanwhile, a local gang of outlaws and Maura's brutish brothers threaten the couple's chance for happiness. The outlaws kidnap Maura in hopes of trapping Quinn, but the couple is finally united in a rousing if obligatory heroic rescue. After this satisfying episode, however, Gregory (Never Love a Cowboy) adds a second, gratuitous threat to Maura's life that mars an otherwise engaging book, supported by a well-drawn cast of townspeople. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Few authors have command of the West like Jill Gregory . . . Adding a true feeling of the era and the setting is a gift.  Jill Gregory has that gift and we are lucky to have her share it with us."
--Romantic Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dell (August 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440224403
• ISBN-13: 978-0440224402
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.8 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm an avid reader and book lover who has written over thirty books since my first historical romance was published in 1980. I grew up in Chicago and have a degree in English Education from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and now live in Michigan. In addition to historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense, I've written thrillers with my best friend, Karen Tintori. My books have been translated and published in more than 24 languages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming, May 23, 2000

By 

Crazy for Words - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Night, Warm Stranger (Mass Market Paperback)

Trapped by a blizzard that enveloped the Montana countryside provided Maura Reed freedom. Her two abusive brothers were away, leaving her time to dream of a day when she could leave and never look back. The cold loneliness is preferable to her everyday life. Until Quinn Lassiter blows into her hotel.

Quinn is a loner, cold from the inside out. This hardened gunfighter was looking for a place to come in from the storm, and lucky enough to find a willing woman as well. Things are just as he likes them--hot and impersonal. To Maura however, abandoning herself to this handsome stranger, if only for one night, fulfills her dreams in a way she's never imagined.

When a desperate Maura tracks Quinn down a few weeks later, he doesn't remember her. When she asks that he wed her, he is stunned. Marriage was never in his future. However, he decides to marry her--in name only. Things go smoothly, until their growing affection gets in the way. While confronting their feelings, they must also face a dangerous outside threat that could shatter their fragile family.

Jill Gregory draws her reader in effortlessly with this delicious story. Great characters, familiar yet satisfying plot.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good, October 27, 2002

By 

avid reader (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Night, Warm Stranger (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. The hero was strong and very sexy and the heroine resilient considering the situation she found herself in.

Despite a previous review that stated the 2 main characters did not spend alot of time together, they spent very little time apart in this book. There was approx 1 chapter between when Quinn left Maura at the hotel and she found him later at a saloon in Whisper Valley.

Maura did not fall in love with Quinn immediately and her decision to confront him, based purely on a decision on what was best for the unborn child was quite selfless and was an indication of her strength of character.

That Quinn was initially belligerent when she first accosted him in the saloon was not unexpected and his treatment of her after the suspicion faded was very thoughtful and considerate. Really there was very little that I could fault him in his treatment of her - giving her money to buy a new dress to get married in, waiting aroung in Hope to set her up comfortably at the ranch, teaching her how to dance then taking her to the dance.

It's great seeing a strong and capable man being so thoughtful and caring and eventually so loving towards a woman and Quinn certainly was that. I would recommend this book to anyone.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining western romance, June 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cold Night, Warm Stranger (Mass Market Paperback)

All Maura Jane Reed knows is she desperately needs to escape from her vicious step-brothers, Judd and Homer. Due to her siblings, Maura Jane has no friends in her hometown of Knotsville, Montana. The dastardly duo beat up any suitor before running their victim out of town. Judd and Homer use Maura Jane to clean, cook and manage the family's Duncan Hotel. However, that wintry night, gunfighter Quinn Lassiter arrives, demanding a room. Al alone in the hotel with a blizzard outside, Quinn coaxes Maura Jane to sleep with him.

A few months later, Maura Jane realizes she is pregnant. She escapes from her odious relatives in search of Quinn, whom she finds at his Hope, Wyoming ranch. Acting honorable, he agrees to marry Maura Jane so their child could have a legitimate name. However, her nasty siblings have followed because they think she stole the diamonds they robbed.

Jill Gregory is one of the better writers of western romances because she instills traits in her lead characters that generate empathy from readers. Her current novel, COLD NIGHT, WARM STRANGER, is a wonderful tale that provides readers with two enthralling lead protagonists. Maura Jane is an intrepid survivor and the mighty Quinn is a tough man with a strong moral bent. The story line is complex with two major subplots that at times fail to gel. However, Ms. Gregory provides an action-packed tale that never lets up, leaving the audience fully satisfied and desiring more novels by this gifted writer.

Harriet Klausner