Customer Reviews

Nobody's Darling

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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*)

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.

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.

This was the first Teresa Medeiros book that I've read & it certainly won't be the last. I would probably put this book in my top 5 favorites. This book had me laughing out loud so many times.

Description from the back of the book:

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

* I highly recommend this book. It's a definite keeper.

Set in 1878, Esmerelda Fine is a 25 year old spinster who is a music teacher in Boston. She travels to the small town of Calamity in the Wild West to confront the man who she believes ruthlessly gunned down her baby brother. In a run down saloon in Calamity she finally comes face to face with Billy Darling and as the local sherrif refuses to arrest Billy, she is left to do the job herself. She points her little derringer at Billy and fires straight at his heart and faints at the same time.

Esmerelda wakes up in the local jailhouse and is again confronted by Billy Darling, the outlaw. He manages to convince her that he has never seen her brother in his life, let alone gun him down in cold blood. Esmerelda hires Billy to track down her brother, Bartholomew Fine III. Together they set off to find Bartholomew and have an adventure of their lifetime, coming across the Darling gang (Billy's four older brothers) and a crooked marshall.

This was a fabulous read. I love Westerns when they are well written and Nobody's Darling is one of the finest Western romances I have ever read. Billy is a real gentleman outlaw cast against the lady Esmerelda. Their romance was a pleasure to read and there was plenty of humour to keep you chuckling along. The secondary characters,especially Billy's brothers were also a real hoot to read about. A highly recommended read.

Lea Ling Tsang

First and foremost, I am not a fan of western romances. Second, Ms. Medeiros' Breath of Magic left me loathe to read another of her novels. Leave it to Amazon.com to convince me to try Nobody's Darling -- I am glad that I took their recommendation.

Nobody's Darling features a tough but tender hero to fall in love with and a heroine just innocent and prickly enough to adore. The chemistry between the two main characters is perfect, and the added attraction between two minor characters is equally balanced. This novel is peppered with well-timed humor (a basset hound in a bonnet!)that is extremely visual; and the settings are dynamic and plot enhancing. All in all, Ms. Medeiros' Nobody's Darling is a highly entertaining, amusing, and charming read that is hard to put down.

Being the namesake of the protagonist might have influenced how I view the book, but even if my name wasn't Esmeralda I still would judge this book as wonderful. Maybe it has something to do with Billy being naughty, humorous, flawed and impossible; maybe it's about the unexpected glimpses of tenderness from Billy like the way he dotes Sadie - or maybe it's just me.

I love the book, Miss Medeiros. I've read two other of your books, and they show the same brand of funny romantic writing that I really enjoy. I hope you keep on writing this well.

Let me start out by saying that I'm not particularly fond of romances, probably because the first one I read was a VERY sex-filled one by Stephanie Laurens. I tend to gravitate more towards stories where friendship comes first, then love, then sex, as opposed to ones where the main characters just jump into bed together. So I laid off the romances for awhile, but after reading the summary of this book and seeing it's great reviews, I gave it a try. I'm so glad that I did!

The is a story that mostly takes place in the wild wild west. I thought that this was refreshingly different from the stories that are completely centered around the 'ton' in England (what is the ton, anyway?) that are all repetitions of each other. One reason why I like and respect Teresa Medeiros as much as I do is that she writes beautifully, her stories are all different from each other (one is a time travel, one takes place in Australia, one in medieval Scotland, and this one in America's southwest), and she usually throws in one or two sex scenes that the reader can handle, as opposed to the dozen or more in some of the trashier novels I unfortunately fell across. This story is centered around two finely developed characters who truly care about each other, with so many interesting and funny supporting characters. I truly enjoyed reading this novel.

One thing I really liked is that the hero, Billy, didn't have that notorious "mane of silky black hair brushing his shoulders". It's one of, if not the most, cliched descriptions of a male protagonist in a romance novel. This one was sun-browned and golden, and wore dirty, faded cowboy clothes. Not the crisply clean pinstripe suits in stories of Victorian era England or France. The heroine, Esmerelda, in this story was (Thank God!) not blue-eyed with blonde ringlets, who "oooh"-ed over that bad boy. This one had a mind of her own, and wasn't going to jump into bed with the first man she found attractive. Not that the main character really pressured her too- he respected her. I was completely happy with the main characters by themselves and together, they were perfect.

The supporting characters were great, too. I really liked Aunt Anne and Drew, and they had a sweet side romance of their own that I liked because it showed that the author wasn't completely focused in on just two people. The dog Sadie, Billy's mother, the Darling gang of Billy's brothers, and Grandpapa were all fun additions to a whole crew of great characters.

As for the sex (which is inevitable in any romance novel), there was only ONE sex scene! I was so very relieved, because though some might not agree, it really made the relationship between Billy and Esmerelda that much more loving. That's not to say that there weren't several scenes of kissing and there was some intense sexual build-up. It was fun to read the build up of attraction between the characters, which, to me, is far better then where it leads to.

The plot of this story was, of course, hammed up a little bit, but still very fun to read the banter exchanged between the two protagonists and the great "Western" expressions were a hoot. The story was a bit shallow, perhaps, but very few people reading romances are looking for a in-depth book on serious issues. This one was just a fun, sweet story for a Friday night or at the beach. I definately recommend you read this book. I love Medeiros's writing, and this is my favorite of her novels yet. This book was a rare treasure.

Do yourself a favor - run to the store or library and READ THIS BOOK! It is so achingly sweet it took my breath away. After reading this book, I wished Billy Darling were real - he was the epitome of the tender, rugged cowboy. Esmerelda was also a sweet woman that anyone can relate to. The sparks between them practically flew off the pages, and made me wish the story would never end! Medeiros knows how to write beautifully, with smart dialogue and doses of humor everywhere. I wish I could give this 20 stars!

This book has all the elements Medieros fans have come to expect and to love; a misunderstood hero, the heroine who doesn't realize she is beautiful and loving, the faithful sidekick, the bad guy getting what's coming to him in the end. The book had a lot of tender moments and quiet moments that added to the depth of the characters. Issues of self denial, self worth, family history, search for indentity, those are all things that people today are struggling with, as did people way back when, and I think that "the search" is one reason why Teresa's books touch people the way they do. Billy and Esme were lost souls and I am glad that they found each other and were able to enjoy each other for a lifetime. In the end, it's not what you did for a living, or how much money you made, but the legacy you leave behind and the people whose lives you touched. The humor was enjoyable, the love scenes were very enjoyable, and I am happy to place Nobody's Darling on my shelf in my collection of Ms. Medeiros's books. I hope to continue to add to my collection as the years past.