Customer Reviews

Tender Stranger (Harlequin Historical)

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

 

 

Erin runs from her dead husband's family, seeking a new life in the Colorado wilderness, for her and the child she is carrying. Quinn is a detective hired to find her and bring her back. Only when he does find her, he realizes everything isn't as he's been told. He finds a strong, courageous woman trying to make a home on the frontier, and he finds that he wants to be a part of it. Their relationship starts in heartbreak and builds trust between the two of them as they face the obstacles of the life they've chosen. This is a really sweet story, with an authentic frontier feel to it.

If you are someone who thoroughly enjoys the modern day version of an historical romance story, this book will probably not be very satisfactory for you. It is one of those older (published in 1999) books which places all its emphasis on showing a growing relationship and the emergence of love between the hero and heroine. It doesn't rip and romp, it simmers with warmth and affection. There is, however, a generous dollop of adventure thrown in.

Quinn Yarborough is a bounty hunter by trade and he prides himself on always getting his quarry. When Ted and Estelle Wentworth hire him to locate their daughter-in-law he is determined to find her and bring her back to New York City, no matter how long it takes. Quinn's mother worked for the Wentworths so Quinn and Damian grew up playing together. Now that Damian is dead, Quinn can't help but wonder if Estelle Wentworth is right and Erin just might have been responsible for the fall down the stairs which killed Damian.

Erin Wentworth has done everything she can to distance herself from the parents of her dead husband. She is now just outside Denver, living alone in a tiny cabin which clings to the side of a mountain. Winter is fast approaching but Erin doesn't have any other options except to stay. She knows her in-laws want her back in New York, but only so that they can have control of her unborn child.

Quinn finds Erin just as the winter storms begin to make travel down the mountain impossible. He and Erin are trapped together and they both discover that they need each other to help face the sorrows and troubles which are coming.

Set in Colorado in 1875 this Western historical romance is just the kind of love story I enjoy reading. Here the emphasis is on the love which develops between two people. There are huge turning points in the lives of the characters, but Carolyn Davidson wrote these turning points in such a way as to make them totally believable. These are not the impossible and improbable situations I frequently see portrayed in romance stories. This novel may move too slowly for some readers. It certainly will not be as sexually explicit as most romance fiction written today. Oddly enough, that is precisely why I rate this book as being over 5 stars in my personal rating book.

Description from the back of the book:



To her sorrow, Erin Wentworth had learned that lesson all too well when her society marriage had proved a sham. Now widowed and pregnant, she wanted only to escape the memories. But fate, in the form of Quinn Yarborough, had followed her to her mountain hideaway to resurrect the past-and offer her a future....



Bounty hunter Quinn Yarborough knew he had come face-to-face with a quarry unlike any other, for runaway widow Erin Wentworth was a prize beyond any price. And his heart ached to claim her as his very own....



* Well first of all I need to laugh at the reviewer who stated that this was "the best cowboy romance" that they'd read in a long time. I wouldn't consider this a "cowboy" romance by any means. They are in the Colorado wilderness & he's a Bounty Hunter from New York & yes, he rides a horse a couple times to & from places but that's the extent of him being a "cowboy". I just had to point that out because I know how exciting cowboy romances can be & I would be disappointed going into this book thinking it was a cowboy setting. It took place at an abandoned shack with not much more than 1 cow, 1 horse & some chickens.



Aside from that, I wasn't thrilled with this book. I didn't care for the storyline & Erin & Quinn never grown on me & some of the scenes actually made me gag. A woman getting a taste of her own breast milk kind of made me sick. Anyway, as I titled this review, it's o.k. but nothing too special in my book. Take it or leave it.

To me this book was very slow moving. I had a hard time to continue the book. I have never read a book from Carolyn Davidson before and after reading this one, I don't know if I will ever read one again for a while. Erin was hiding from her inlaw's, she was pregnant, Quinn was a bounty hunter hired to find her. He shows up on her doorstep and Erin was so willing to help him out. I don't know, it was just too easy going.

Erin Wentworth, pregnant, runs away from the parents of her former husband to a small shack in the mountains. Quinn Yarborough, a detective and friend of the former husband, was hired to find and bring Erin back to the parents. They want her baby. Quinn didn't know that she was pregnant but when he found her, he couldn't make himself drag her back to the parents after something tragic happens to her when he stays a few nights with her in the shack. What happens? Read the book! It's excellent!

Cute story as noted in other reviews. Likeable characters. Pretty much standard fare. Nothing special although "Quinn" deserves a medal in my book for being dashing, sexy and a saint.

This book was the best cowboy romance that I have read in a long time. It ranked up there with books from Jodi Thomas that I have enjoyed! The characters were strong and had morals. The story line pulled me along. I couldn't put it down until everything was settled in the end. Read it! You will love it and look for more books from her to read!