Customer Reviews

A Kiss to Die for (Leisure Historical Romance)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really enjoyed Claudia Dain's TO BURN, but A KISS TO DIE FOR is light-years beyond that. Very strong in creating characters, leads and supporting, Claudia score of powerhouse knock out with this Western. And when you compared the two heroines it is amazing. In TO BURN, her heroine is a warrior woman in spirit, willing to die rather than be conquered. Anne Ross is precisely the opposite.

Dain's writing is mesmerizing. Let's say I am not a big fan of Westerns. Give me a Highlander in a Kilt or a Knight in Amour and I am one happy lassie. From the start, this book hooked me and would not let me go. I would get SO exasperated with Anne's "yes, ma'am"s that it about made me scream, but Dain balanced Anne's timid mouse with a gamma rouge of Anne Stuart's bad boy league quality: a bounty hunter the whole town of Abilene shuns. Jack Scullard was such a marvelous character that he kept me reading even when Anne ticked me off. Anne lets the whole town treat her like some half-wit, her grandmother demoralize her and browbeat her, so I wanted to smack her. But Anne slowly starts to change, as does the whole town, after Jack comes to stay, and her slow transformation from a milquetoast to a grown woman who will fight for what she wants keeps you spellbound to the end.

Anne Ross meets every train that comes to Abilene, watching, waiting. So she is there when Jack Scullard comes to town, shoving his latest bounty prisoner before him. The whole town is ready to jump and blame Jack for everything happening in the town, and he does little to correct this reputation. When it slowly becomes knowledge there is a serial killer following the old cattle trail, killing young beautiful women as he goes, suspicions falls on Jack. Or is it Bill doing the killing, the sly land dealer who courts Anne when he comes to town?

Anne lives in a house of abandoned women. Her grandfather left her grandmother, though we could hardly blame him. Her father left her mother; a lawman that turned bad and became an outlaw. Her uncle left her aunt, driven off by a woman too weak to stand up to her mother. And Anne, a beautiful woman too timid of her own shadow, watching the trains coming and going in her life, waiting, hoping for someone to come or to someday get enough spine to run away from a house of abandoned women, from a town that was dying.

At first, she hopes to use Jack to scare Bill away from proposing marriage, but she is drawn to Jack. But she knows to love a man is to watch him leave and never come back, to grow old before your time. Jack is on the trail of the killer and will not rest until him catching him. Jack knows he is not the kinds of a man a woman like Anne wants, but that does not stop him from wanting her, and from being determined to protect her.

Anne and Jack will take over your heart. The mystery is strong enough, but does not overpower the romance. The writing is vivid, rich in historical details, provocative, moving, mesmerizing, and once again, shows Dorchester Publishing has some of the best writers around and gives them the freedom to produce works from the heart that are fresh and original.

Wow. This was a truly great book. The twists were totally unexpected, several things occurred near the end that was just one shock after another. The characters were well-developed and extremely likable. And the hero's friends deserve books of their own. Unfortunately, Ms. Dain says that probably won't happen until western novels regain popularity...
I want to read it again...several times, in fact...maybe even right now... :)
(This review was written Nov 7, 2004)

Note: I did actually pick it up and read it again right after I had finished it. Although I already knew all the surprises and twists, I still loved it, still rated it a 5, and still enjoyed the suspense. It is an extremely well-written novel. There is a little too much detail in the love scenes, but otherwise, excellent story!

This book kept me up until 2 AM, I just couldn't put it down. I don't usually read westerns and I've never read Ms. Dain before, so this was wonderful surprise. Though Anne's character was often frustrating, it was believable and well done--and it also made possible the efforts of an amazing hero, determined to make her stand up for herself and defend herself if it's the last thing he does. This is one of those books that really has it all--a good plot, complex characters, and lyrical writing. I'm dying to read some more of Ms. Dains books to see if she captures medieval England as well as she did the old west. Though I read and enjoy historical romances frequently, I rarely come across romances that deliver more than escape and enjoyment--this book ranks up there with Laura Kinsale and Connie Brockway in that it delivers much more than a simple escape--but a wonderful story and characters that stick with you long after the story is over.

I could only get through the first 120 pages then quit. It may have gotten better so I'll give it three stars, but I came to conclusion that I just didn't care how this book ended or who the bad guy was. By the time I quit the book the hero and heroine were still hardly developed and had only exchanged a handful of meaningless dialog, and there wasn't anything in the story compelling me to care about these two. The heroine hardly spoke or interacted with anyone without just standing there like a fence post. Maybe it got better, but after nodding off TWICE while reading this book, I decided to move on to another novel I've been itching to read. I am sure there are many who would enjoy this slower paced book, but it was not for me.

I have not read a Dain book in awhile and did not know what to expect. As the other reviewer, I am not one for Westerns, but did enjoy this one. The characters were well developed, even though I spent a good part of the book being annoyed at the dependent personality of Anne. Good devlopment of the secondary characters, and this important since the story takes part in a small dying town in Kansas. Loved the hero, Jack. The mystery was pretty good too. Was worth it to read.

You don't often find romances willing to explore "timid" women, even in historicals. This Western historical romance tackles a timid woman who comes into her own by the end. In many ways, it's not just a romance but also a coming of age story. Anne, the heroine, has a beautiful character arc and that was the part of the story I enjoyed reading most. Claudia Dain not only creates lovable characters, but characters that are accurate to their time period. This was a pleasure to read and I can't wait to read Dain's The Courtesan's Daughter next!

Legendary bounty hunter Jack Skull arrives in Abilene seeking a serial killer stalking women in the area. To Anne Ross, Jack is the MAN, as he seems so exciting. Anne especially notices the way people healthily avoid Jack and that when he forces interaction, most people are uncomfortable around him until they can safely get away from him. Knowing that failed marriages run throughout her family and she doesn't want to add to the family legacy, Anne believes he can keep her from marrying someone she refuses to spend her life with.

Jack has enough on his plate tracking the murderer who has killed young ladies' all over the state. He has no time for this innocent miss, but also feels he needs to keep the feisty Anne safe from his prey as she fits the victims' profile. However, insuring her safety from a killer seems mild compared to keeping her protected from him.

This is an engaging Western romance that stars two delightful lead protagonists who the audience will cherish. Jack is an intriguing hero who believes he has crossed the line too often for Anne to love him. Anne is an intrepid individual who loves deeply but does not trust in forever. Though the final emergency seems improbable, readers will relish this charming story.

Harriet Klausner