Must-read romances: 'Where the Horses Run, 'Fanning the Flames,' 'Into the Shadows'
Where the Horses Run by Kaki Warner (historical). I love Kaki Warner, and Where the Horses Run is a great addition to her work. Rafe Jessup was a Deputy U.S. Marshal in Texas, but after being seriously wounded, he gives up that career and starts practicing another passion of his — caring for damaged horses. This leads Rafe to being hired by a Scottish titled gentleman to help him select thoroughbreds for his stables. To do this, Rafe travels to England to look over some horses for sale that are rumored to be quite magnificent.
Josephine's life has turned out not as she planned. After she accidentally gets pregnant by the man she loves, he dumps her and leaves her scandalized by society. Eight years later, her father's debts are so great, he wants to sell her beloved horses, which devastates Josephine. When Rafe shows up at her house to look at the horses, instead of hating him for taking something she loves away, she realizes she has respect for him. Rafe is a man of few words, but the words he speaks sit well with Josephine. He listens to her, respects her and her situation and she knows her horses are in excellent hands with him. They fall into an easy friendship that turns romantic. What I like about this book is that even though these two fall in love, it doesn't solve all their problems. Josephine wants to be with Rafe, and is even willing to move to America with him, but leaving her father and trying to distance herself from her son's father, who has come back around, is difficult. Rafe doesn't have a lot of money or a stable life back in America, so he can't just pick her up and go. But together they work out a plan and it's fun to see how it all plays out.
Fanning the Flames by Victoria Dahl (contemporary novella). In this short story, Victoria Dahl gives us a very steamy and cute romance between a firefighter and a librarian. Both protagonists are in their 40s, which is also a nice change. Lauren likes to sit on a bench and watch sexy firefighter Jake jog down the street with no shirt on. As he is good friends with her ex-husband, she has known Jake quite a while. When they meet up at a local bar, their friendship takes a turn for the hot and steamy. It takes a little confidence boost to get Lauren to realize this sexy guy is really into her, but once they get going, they make a great pair. I really enjoyed both Lauren and Jake, and I feel like we get to know them pretty well in a novella. Their romance is hot, and there also are some amusing scenes. The first full-length book of this series, Looking for Trouble, comes out at the end of this month. Excited to read it.
Into the Shadows by Carolyn Crane (romantic suspense). Oh, what a great book this is. We have Thorne, a trained killer who is looking to avenge his sister's murder. He goes undercover in a criminal gang known as Hangman and slowly rises to the No. 2 spot. His mission is to learn what government officials are being bribed by this gang, and then he is allowed to kill the leader, satisfying his vengeance. Along the way he meets Nadia, daughter of another criminal gang leader. She has played hostess to her father's parties for most of her young adult life. Her romance with Thorne was hot and heavy, and even turned into love, until a big miscommunication tore them apart. Now two years later, her father is dead and she is raising her young son, trying to get her life on track. Even though her father said her mother was dead, she learns she may be alive and working in a sweatshop. With the help of her bodyguard, Nadia starts secretly freeing these women, desperately searching for her mother. Thorne bursts back into her life, as his undercover mission with Hangman overlaps with her mission to free these women.
If you like gritty, dark, violent romantic suspense, this is the book for you. I'm not sure I breathed through several scenes in this one. The author writes the villain so darn creepy and I loved every second of it. On top of all of the suspense and action, the author delivers a very passionate, if not somewhat kinky, romance. Thorne has little self-worth and it turns him on to be called a low-life or thug while in the bedroom. While Nadia finds this a fun game when they first meet, years later, she just finds it sad. She wants him to believe he means something to her. Thorne is so broken and tortured, I love his journey to find true love with Nadia. Such a well-written book. I highly recommend.
Mandi Schreiner started romance review blog Smexy Books in 2009. She is obsessed with reading romance novels and collecting fictional boyfriends.