Heart of Mine (Bandit Creek) [Kindle Edition]

Michelle Beattie (Author), Carla Roma (Editor)

Book Description

To avoid a forced marriage, Laura Gibbs has little choice but to go along with her controlling father's plan to deceive the man she's secretly loved for years.

Jake Evans has been burned in the past and has learned the hard way that nobody is interested in him, only his money. So when he wakes to find Laura in his bed, he's convinced that she's yet another in a long line of women who only wants his share of his recently inherited gold mine. A fact soon confirmed when her father storms in the room and demands Jake make an honest woman out of Laura, lest he be charged with rape and hanged.

As Laura gains freedom from her oppressing father, she also gains courage. Determined to make a real marriage with Jake, she refuses her father's demand that she steal from her husband and instead concentrates her efforts on showing Jake the woman she truly is.

Despite Laura's deceptions, Jake can't deny his attraction to her. With the physical attraction sizzling between them, Jake begins to believe he's finally found the woman for him.

But there's trouble brewing. Hugh, neck-deep in gambling debts with no money in sight, seeks drastic measures that won't only risk Laura and Jake's marriage; it'll risk her very life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for books by Michelle Beattie

Another Chance   "Known for her Berkley pirate series, author Michelle Beattie proves she's equally at home among the cowboys and frontiersmen of the old west in her new novel, 'Another Chance.'  The author pulls you into the world of her characters, deftly weaving in the historical feel, with heaps of sexual tension. If you like cowboys, and enjoy a good romance, you'll love, "Another Chance."  5 stars, Roxy Boroughs, author and playwright.

Love By Accident "The characters are warm and the true-to-life story touching.  You can feel the emotions jumping off the page.  As the book unfolds, your heart breaks for the characters all the while cheering them on for a happy ending.  A must read."  Jody Trovao, 5 stars, via Amazon.

A Pirate's Possession  "Beattie has made her reputation creating fast-paced, exciting high-seas adventure romances with fesity heroines, daring heroes, rapid-fire dialogue and a heady mix of passion, pleasure, and exploits."  4 stars, Romantic Times.

Romancing the Pirate  "Beattie's passion for the seas sparkles on every page, as does her loe of adventure and of creating a sensual love story between headstrong characters."  4 stars, Romantic Times.

What A Pirate Desires  "This fun romance features a fesity heroine, a tortured hero and a sassy parrot along with string doses of betrayal, action, and plenty of cunning."  Publisher's Weekly.

From the Author

This is the firsrt novella I've written and while I prefer the length of a full length novel, this was a fun project and really tested me as an author.  Writing shorter lengths makes you really have to choose your words carefully so that each one counts.

Product Details

• File Size: 364 KB
• Print Length: 103 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Michelle Beattie (April 12, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007TX62R6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,191 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written, brought out emotions in me June 9, 2012

By Sue Reviews

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a shorter novel and I wasn't expecting much. However, I was drawn in so quickly to the characters. The author describes everything so vividly you understand their motivations and what their life is like. I admired the main characters strength. I was really touched by the book and even brought to tears for the main character. For a short book that is very surprising. The romance between the two characters makes you want to swoon. A lovely story overall.

On a side note, I would not recommend this book for young adults as their is a physical relationship spanning several pages of the text (within marriage).

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a page turner April 14, 2012

By Brenda Sinclair

Format:Kindle Edition

Laura Gibbs' abusive father forces her into a marriage with Jake Evans in hopes of getting his hands on a substantial portion of Jake's wealth. But Jake vows his new wife's lazy, good-for-nothing father will never see a penny.

After Jake's attempts to totally ignore his new bride fail miserably, he showers her with gifts and attention. She'd rather have his love.

Laura's scheming father won't be easily put off, and the nasty fellow places his daughter's life at risk while carrying out his next escapade.

Ms. Beattie keeps the reader turning the pages from the opening paragraph right through to the heart-warming conclusion of this classic good verses evil historical western.

- Brenda Sinclair, writer of contemporary and historical American West romance

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars very good story September 6, 2012

By tab4bama

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved the story line in this book. It grabbed me from the start. But the one thing I didn't likes was the sex scenes. They were way to graphic. I didn't want to read that. If I did I would read 50 shades of grey!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A very unsympathetic heroine June 10, 2012

By Read, Rinse, Repeat TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I had a major problem with this book - I found the heroine's behavior despicable. Laura's villainous father wants money, and he enlists Laura's help to extort it from wealthy, kind, and handsome Jake. Laura has been in love with Jake from afar, and this, unfortunately, does not give her any incentive to refuse to go along with her father's plot. Her father drugs Jake and puts him naked in his (Jake's) bed, alongside a naked Laura.

(No spoilers - the events in the following paragraph occur in the first few pages.)

When Jake wakes up, he assumes he's taken Laura's virginity, and despite a chance to come clean, she stays quiet. The second step of the conspiracy has Laura's father bursting into the room ordering Jake to marry his "ruined" daughter or be hanged for "rape." With those two wonderful options, Jake decides to immediately marry Laura. And still, she does not speak up.

I understand she was afraid of her father, but that does not give her license to ruin an innocent person's life. When Jake expresses some minor irritation at having been forced into marriage, Laura has the nerve to feel offended. My opinion of Laura was sealed in these initial pages, despite knowing, as a romance novel reader, how it would end.

Much of the remainder of the book shows various ways that Laura tries to prove she is not after Jake's money (e.g. continuing to work at her job.) I guess this was an attempt to make her sympathetic, but it was too late for this reader.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Really loved this novella! April 16, 2012

By A. L. Palmer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I started this novella during my coffee break at work, and the day couldn't go fast enough so that I could keep reading (and finish) the story over my lunch. The story was compelling, and I felt sympathy for Laura, and also for Jake. Their relationship developed realistically, and unlike many romance novellas, didn't feel rushed.

I highly recommend this novella, and I know I'll be looking for more historical westerns from Michelle! (If you haven't yet read her novel 'Another Chance', you really ought to!)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Short Formulaic Western June 14, 2012

By English Teacher

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

3 1/2 Stars. The length of this story probably causes whatever shortcomings it has in terms of character development (another reviewer complains about the lead female's actions), but the least-satisfying element of the story is actually the plot. It's predictable and arguably uninspired. Otherwise, the writing flows, the male falls in love with the female (the story starts with her already in love with him) or he at least begins to genuinely care about her, and any threats to that love are effectively defeated by story's end. A sense of time and location is achieved. What I appreciated most though was that the story was clean of any "inspired" messages, a rare find these days in historically-set western romances. So, if the reader wants a simple, straight-forward romance set in the old west, without religious overtones or paranormal time travel elements or raw and explicit sex scenes (the descriptive language is relatively mild for today's market), this book should do. The writer has control of both her sentences and her story from the start so the reader can simply sit back and be entertained.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written Western Romance June 10, 2012

By teacher mom

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Laura's father is a no-good crook, and everyone in town knows it. She's working two jobs trying to prove that she's nothing like him, but there's no escaping the despicable plan he forces her into. Laura's loved Jake from afar since she was a girl, but now her father plans to force the wealthy young man into marrying his daughter and providing him with an endless supply of cash to fund his drinking and gambling habits.

When Jake wakes up from a night of drinking with Laura in his bed (without her clothes on), he's confused and wondering why he has no memory of bringing her home. Before he can get an explanation, her father's there, demanding he marry Laura. Jake realizes he's been tricked, and even though honor requires him to marry Laura, he'll have nothing whatsoever to do with the lying, scheming gold-digger.

This is a romance, so obviously it's about Laura trying to melt Jake's heart and get him to realize she can make him happy. However, with a father like hers, and the entire town gossiping about her, things won't be easy for either of them.

I enjoyed this read, and Jake was a fantastic character. The way he reacts to the situation is perfectly believable. He distances himself from her, hating what she's done, but he's enough of a good guy to not treat her badly. What I didn't like is how, once he made up his mind to give her a chance, he seemed to immediately fall for her. That part wasn't beleivable enough, because it happened too quickly. One moment he's sure she's a gold-digger, and after one conversation with his grandfather, he's offering to reconcile. I wish it had been drawn out a bit more and that his affection would have developed over time. However, that's one of the problems with a novella.... It's a pleasant read that kept me thoroughly interested and had a great ending. There's one sex scene, and it's very hot and sensual, but not overly graphic (no bad language or anything). Read more ›

More About the Author

Award winning author Michelle Beattie was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and raised on her grandfather's homestead near Beaumont, Alberta. She didn't fall in love with reading until after high school and then turned to historical romances, mostly westerns, for her romance fix. If you ask her why westerns, she'll say it's because of the chivalry. Of course men in boots and cowboy hats didn't hurt either!

It took 12 years and four completed manuscripts before she sold her first book, What A Pirate Desires, a historical pirate adventure. Since then she's sold two more, all part of her pirate series. Why pirates? Two words. Johnny Depp.

Not one who likes to be limited, Michelle likes to write any story that pulls at her heart and bulldozes its way through her mind, demanding to be told. And so, besides westerns and pirates, she also wrote a contemporary novel, Love By Accident, that takes place in her beautiful home province, Alberta.

DOUBLE WINNER OF THE STAR CONTEST FOR BEST SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS OF 2011. LOVE BY ACCIDENT WON THE PARANORMAL CATEGORY AND ANOTHER CHANCE WON THE HISTORICAL CATEGORY.