Customer Reviews

Stolen Wishes (Zebra Splendor Historical Romances)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Living deep in the woods of Oklahoma, Mary Goode watches over her brood like a mother hen. Sometimes tiring of their game of Robin Hood, Mary nevertheless puts up with their antics for the sake of her brother Robin and his friends "Little John" and "Friar Tuck." Mary is the only family Robin has left and being what was termed in the 180os as "slow" he needs her more than he sometimes thinks.

Stumbling into their camp which the group has christened, "Sherwood Forest" is U.S. Marshall Shane Latimer. He's on the trail of a group of outlaws who steal from the rich and give to the poor and believe he has found who he's looking for. However, a run-in with a rattlesnake puts his plans on hold. As Mary tenderly and expertly cares for Latimer (who Robin has christened Will Scarlet), an attraction develops between the two. Shane fakes amnesia in his quest to infiltrate the band of outlaws - or at least to find out what antics Robin and his friends are up to. He believes them to be up to no good, but also believes Mary to be innocent of any wrongdoing.

Adding to the appeal of this story is Robin's romance with Little John's sister, Walks with Sunshine, who is also "slow." The author has created these two special characters with a great deal of depth and insight making them very real to the reader.

Deb Stover, whose forte has been her sensual time travels, makes the transition to historical romance in this doozy of a good yarn. Fans will also welcome the appearance of Sam Weathers from her 1996 time-travel, A WILLING SPIRIT. The great storytelling, tight prose, sexual tension, and rich characterization all combine for a very special book which readers will find difficult to put down once started.

Although a departure for Ms. Stover, STOLEN WISHES does not disappoint her legions of fans. Charming, tender, and absolutely fabulous, this is a keeper in every sense of the word.

Stolen Wishes has it all: a good plot, likeable characters, a very bad guy and wonderful messages about healing and tolerance. Mary and Shane are good for each other and with each other. The references to Robin Hood are delightful and gave a fairy tale quality to what, in lesser hands, might have been a hum-drum western. I would have preferred a bit more romantic tension between the two characters, but I liked it too much to quibble. All in all, a wonderfully done tale!

I bought this book mostly because of the cover and the reviews, and I couldn't be more pleased with the story. It's "Robin Hood" written as a western, but with a wonderful twist. The character of "Robin Hood" is very slow and challenged, and his guardian is his younger sister, who is also the heroine of the story and called Maid Marian. "Little John" is a tall Indian brave who's hard of hearing, and "Friar Tuck" is a midget (I'm not sure of the right term) and a famous scientist. The hero is a US Marshal sent to arrest the "Merry Men." This is a touching and very clever story, and a steamy romance, too. Stolen Wishes has it all!

One of my favorite authors is back with a mind-bendingly original re-cast of the Robin Hood myth. Her cast of characters became a part of me as I read, and her matter-of-fact rendition of persons with disabilities was both poignant and realistic. What a grand romance, too! Highly recommended.

I bought this book a few weeks ago and put it on my TBR shelf, but the comments and reviews made me pull it out and start it sooner. I'm really glad I did! What a wonderful read. The character of 'Robin Hood' is the heroine's grown brother who is very 'slow' and institutionalized by the town after their parents die. The heroine is only 13 at the time, but she rescues her brother from the asylum, along with two other characters who become 'Little John' and 'Friar Tuck'. This story made me laugh and cry all the way through, but it's also very sexy! Though the story about the family and the 'Merry Men' is important, Deb Stover never let me forget that Stolen Wishes is a romance of the first order. Actually, there's also a secondary romance between Robin and a Native American girl who is also 'slow'. Talking about this book makes me want to read it again. I think I will.

This book is not only a keeper, it's a treasure.

In 1888 Kansas, thirteen year old Mary Goode watches her parents die from a fever that she barely recovers from. At her mother's deathbed, Mary swears to take care of her simple-minded brother, Robin. When she finds him in an abusive asylum, he is telling the story of Robin Hood to a gigantic Indian and a midget. Mary rescues Robin and his men, taking them to a remote forest where they live peacefully together for the next eight years.

However, Mary's sibling and his friends live out their fantasies by thinking they truly are Robin Hood and his Merry Men, living in Sherwood. Unbeknownst to Mary, they rob the rich to give to the poor. U.S. Marshall Shane Latimer has entered Sherwood to arrest Robin and his gang. However, Shane is injured and Mary, known as Marion in these parts, tends his wounds. Shane falls in love Mary, but feels a duty to uphold the law and arrest the criminals even if it costs him a lifetime relationship to do so.

Deb Stover is renowned for her superb fantasy and time travel romances. She enters the historical romance realm as if she has been there forever. STOLEN WISHES is a great story that propels forward due to fabulous characters and the incredible interaction between them. Building a western romance on the Robin Hood mythos adds to the fun even as it demonstrates the guts and talent of the great Ms. Stover. Sub-genre fans will flock to their bookstores for this winning tale.

Harriet Klausner

Stolen Wishes has it all: a good plot, likeable characters, a very bad guy and wonderful messages about healing and tolerance. Mary and Shane are good for each other and with each other. The references to Robin Hood are delightful and gave a fairy tale quality to what, in lesser hands, might have been a hum-drum western. I would have preferred a bit more romantic tension between the two characters, but I liked it too much to quibble. All in all, a wonderfully done tale!