Running from the law and a false accusation of murder, Christabel Van Alen is abducted by a gang of outlaws and auctioned off to the highest bidder, a U.S. marshall working undercover. 30,000 first printing. $30,000 ad/promo.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
McKinney ( Lions and Lace ) delivers plenty of strong frontier flavor in this melodramatic but entertaining historical romance, her hardcover debut. In the 1880s, New Yorker Christabel Van Alen, falsely convicted of the murder of her wealthy, illustrious parents, escapes from an asylum for the criminally insane and flees to Wyoming territory. The real killer, she knows, is her dastardly, mustache-twirling uncle, and she is more afraid of him than of the law, sure that only her death will leave him satisfied. Enter a gang of brutal thieves, who waylay a stagecoach and take Christabel hostage. Christabel is attracted to the outlaws' unacknowledged leader, handsome Macauley Cain, but when he turns out to be an undercover U.S. marshal, she fears he will despise her if he learns of her past. She runs away again, this time becoming a dance-hall girl in a frontier town. Of course Macauley finds her, but so does an assassin sent by her uncle. The bodice-ripping grows tiresome and the plot creaks at times, but all the ingredients for light diversion are solidly in place.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
From Kirkus Reviews
Historical-romancer McKinney sets her sixth novel--but first hardcover--on the Western frontier circa 1875. Beautiful, blond, and only 19, Christabel Van Alen is a dispossessed heiress who's been on the run ever since her escape from the asylum, where she was sent when wrongly accused of her parents' murder. Her plan is to save enough money to hire a lawyer and bring her wicked uncle--the true villain--to justice. But while traveling west, Christabel's carriage is hijacked by a band of outlaws and she becomes the property of the notorious gunslinger Macauley Cain. There's an immediate attraction, of course, between Christabel and Cain, and though Christabel tries to resist his moody, brooding appeal, she finds herself increasingly drawn to her captor. What she doesn't know is that Cain is actually an undercover agent working to capture the very gang he has infiltrated. When she finds out, she's horrified that, once Cain discovers her secret, he'll turn her over to the authorities. So Christabel flees to the town of Noble, where she sells dances and fends off the advances of cowboys as she painstakingly sets aside her pennies in the hope of one day clearing her name. Macauley Cain tracks her down, however, and won't leave her alone until he's unraveled the mystery of her troubled past. Christabel must decide whether she can trust the man who has the power to send her to the gallows for a crime she did not commit.... The early chapters of Christabel in captivity hold some titillation, but finally the plot contrivances leave one feeling more manipulated than swept along by the romance. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just Maybe Her Best,
By lgbdx3 (VA heartland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fair is the Rose (Mass Market Paperback)
Wow. Very well done story.It always bugs me a bit when someone is ready to die of love 24 hrs after meeting. In this story the chemistry is almost immediate but the relationship is very believable. The storyline is unique and engaging and just a great romance. Definitely one of Meagan's best, on a scale with Penelope Williamson, who holds #1 in my heart right now for great romance-writing for grown-ups.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fair is the Rose by Meagan McKinney (is more than Fair),
By
This review is from: Fair Is the Rose (Hardcover)
Action packed, mysterious heroine, sullen and brooding but confident gunslinging special agent hero, and a 'whole pasel of outlaws and villains' make this 1875 western a real winner! Christalbel Van Alen has escaped a mental institute and is being pursued by a relative who wants her dead! She, the only witness to a murder, disguises herself as a widow and is traveling to find the smallest ghost town in the west to create a new life for herself. However, her dreams are disturbed when her stagecoach is captured by outlaws and the prisoners are taken captive for ransom. There Christal comes face to face with a real life gunfighter, an enemy whom also becomes her saviour. MacCauley Cain. But Christal runs again when she feels threatened of her past being discovered and true to life, her past finds her. If you enjoy outlaws, gunslingers, bounty hunters, saloon girls and cowbows (the genre) and mysterious heroines or heroes, then you'll love Fair is the Rose. Fair is the Rose keeps you turning page after page and on the edge of your seat. Personal note: I admit I own tons of Meagan McKinney's novels purchased from 'dime stores' and have never read any, until I read 'Fair is the Rose' and I began searching through my hundreds of romance novels to find ALL of McKinney's writings. She quickly became one of my favorites. But one thing I noticed in 'Fair is the Rose', the heroine never bathed! Talk about scent of a woman!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Up There with the Best of the Best,
By Bernadette (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fair is the Rose (Mass Market Paperback)
This book had it all and will receive a place of honor on my bookshelves next to Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught."It was a bad hanging." What an absolutely wonderful opening sentence. If that doesn't gain your interest, then I don't know what will. The best part was that the book kept on delivering page after page and never faultered. I hated to see it end. This was my second McKinney read, and needless to say, I can't wait to read more.
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