Nobody's Darling [Hardcover]

Teresa Medeiros (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998

Dear Reader,

I never enjoyed being a wanted man until the day Miss Esmerelda Fine marched into the Tumbleweed Saloon and pointed her derringer straight at my heart.  Who would have guessed some duke's granddaughter--an awfully pretty one at that--would come gunning for the likes of me, a notorious bounty hunter with a taste for whiskey and a fondness for peach pie? Lucky for me, she was a mighty poor shot.  Instead of killing me, she hired me to find her runaway brother.  Little did she know she was about to make the acquaintance of a flea-bitten basset hound named Sadie, the infamous Darling Gang, and my shotgun-toting kinfolk.  And little did I know she was about to lead me on a merry chase that would take us from a bungled bank robbery to the very first Wild West show to tour London, England.  

I should have turned down her offer.  I should have resisted her charms.  But I didn't.  

Because there comes a time in every man's life when he's got nothing left to lose...but his heart.

Yours,
Billy Darling

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Spinster Esmerelda Fine is intent on arresting Billy Darling, the man she believes killed her little brother. When the police can't get the job done, she leaves her home in Boston and travels to Calamity, New Mexico, where she confronts Billy in the Tumbleweed Saloon. When the town sheriff refuses to arrest Billy, Esmerelda takes matters into her own hands and aims her pistol right at him. Unfortunately, she faints at the precise moment she pulls the trigger. When she awakens in a jail cell and finds Billy leaning against the wall outside the bars, Esmerelda is incensed. But she quickly calms down when he tells her that her brother is alive. Esmerelda doesn't trust the handsome youngest brother of the infamous Darling gang, but Billy convinces her to hire him to find her beloved brother. Billy gets more than he bargained for in Esmerelda, for the prim and proper lady has him aching with desire. Meanwhile, Esmeralda struggles to maintain a suitable distance from the charming Billy and is dismayed to find that she is losing her heart to the outlaw. Full of lovable characters, outlandish instances, and Medeiros's trademark humor, Nobody's Darling is a delight to read. --Lois Faye Dyer --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Love stories between educated spinsters and cowboy rogues set in towns with silly names seem to be the romance-western flavor of the year. Millie Criswell's Dangerous matched a short, bounty-hunting horticulturist with a rangy Texas Ranger. In Calamity, N.Mex., Medeiros leaves time-travel mode to pit another hero in "sinfully tight... Levi's" against a reedy music teacher. Esmerelda Fine, the impoverished granddaughter of a duke, has sold her Boston music school to track down the varmint who murdered her little brother, Bartholomew. That grizzled outlaw turns out to be tall, handsome Billy Darling, "part legend and all man," who lives in a whorehouse?Miss Mellie's Boardinghouse for Young Ladies of Good Reputation. With Billy's help, Esmerelda discovers that her brother isn't dead, but has metamorphosed into the notorious "Black Bart", who breaks laws in order to research dime novels. Medeiros's outstanding sense of humor, sexual tension and steamy passion save a silly plot, which seems artificially prolonged when the duke takes Esmerelda to London and Billy follows, in a traveling Wild West show.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: San Val (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141771607X
• ISBN-13: 978-1417716074
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,051,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Teresa Medeiros wrote her first novel at the age of twenty-one, introducing readers to one of the most beloved and versatile voices in romance fiction. All of her books have been national bestsellers, appearing on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She currently has over 10 million books in print and is published in over 17 languages. She was chosen one of the "Top Ten Favorite Romance Authors" by Affaire de Coeur magazine and won the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for 'Best Historical Love and Laughter'. She is a seven-time RITA finalist, two-time PRISM winner, and two-time recipient of the Waldenbook Award for bestselling fiction. Teresa lives in Kentucky with her husband and two lovably neurotic cats. Her latest Scottish historical THE DEVIL WEARS PLAID was released in 2010 and her first contemporary women's fiction novel GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART was released in January 2011. You can join her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/teresamedeirosfanpage or follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/teresamedeiros . You can visit her website at http://www.teresamedeiros.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected, September 13, 2004

By 

Laura Bellamy (Greensboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nobody's Darling (Mass Market Paperback)

Okay, so I've never been much for westerns. John Wayne never exactly excited me. So I was a bit trepidatious at first in reading this novel -- in spite of the fact that I love Teresa Medeiros so avidly. I was still afraid she'd disappoint.

Well, I was wrong -- thank goodness -- she did NOT disappoint! Quite the contrary, I found that this book went right up among my other very-favorites of Medeiros. I read it twice in the same day -- after reading it the first time, I was so gleeful at how good it was that I just flipped back to the beginning and started up again.

Medeiros certainly knows how to write a good romance that warms the heart and tickles the romantic nerves. The characters were lovable, the plot fun and enjoyable, and the romance solid and believable. And there were some scenes -- I will include no spoilers, but I loved how it ended! -- that just made me giggle with giddiness.

If you love romance, read it! (Even if you can't stand westerns. *wink*)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great read from Medeiros, December 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Nobody's Darling (Mass Market Paperback)

Nobody's Darling is another original story from this author. Billy Darling is the quintessential romantic hero. He's tough, honest, sexy, misunderstood, underestimated and a great lover. Esmerelda is a good match for him. The plot is good, the dialogue is fun, the love scenes are perfect. I was really sorry to finish this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just shy of 5 stars, actually, but classic TM, May 26, 2004

By 

S. Reader "scibarfan" (Franklin, TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Nobody's Darling (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm not usually a big fan of romances set in the American West, but Teresa Medeiros does a bang-up job with this one. Her characters are always memorable: the gun-slinger hero with the mountainous mom and a cringe-worthy quartet of brothers, the music-teacher heroine who sings like a cat screeching but plays a heart-rending violin, the little brother who just wants to experience life so he can write about it, the sheriff who wants to be a dandy, the hilarious residents of Calamity, NM, and so on.

The reader really gets to know and like the main characters as they get to know each other. Although they spat, they eventually bring out the best in each other. And Billy Darling is such a romantic at heart; how can Esmerelda keep from falling in love with him?

Although it contains elements of danger and heartache, Nobody's Darling is a sweet book, a book that leaves the reader with that pleasant feeling of having spent time with good friends. All the secondary plot elements fit seamlessly. The 120-years-in-the-future epilogue was unique; I'm not sure it worked as well as it might have, but parts of it fit beautifully with the rest of the story.

Another triumph for Teresa Medeiros.