A Kiss to Die for (Leisure Historical Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

Dain's writing is mesmerising. Let's say I am not a big fan of Westerns. Give me a Highlander in a Kilt or a Knight in Amour and I am one happy lassie. But from the start, this book hooked me and would not let me go. I would get SO exasperated with Anne's "yes, ma'am"s that it about made me scream, but she balanced Anne's timid mouse with a gamma rouge of Anne Stuart's bad boy league: a bounty hunter the whole town of Abilene shuns. Jack Scullard was such a marvellous character that he kept me reading when Anne ticked me off. Anne let's the whole town treat her like some half-wit, her grandmother demoralise her and browbeat her, so that I wanted to smack her. But Anne slowly starts to change, as does the whole town after Jack comes to stay, and her slow transformation from a milquetoast to a grown woman who will fight for what she wants keeps you spellbound to the end.

Anne Ross meets every train that comes to Abilene, watching, waiting. So she is there when Jack Scullard comes to town, shoving his latest bounty prison before him. The whole town is ready to jump and blame Jack for everything, and he does little to correct this reputation. And when it slowly becomes knowledge there is a serial killer following the old cattle trail, killing young beautiful women as he goes that suspicions falls on Jack. Or is it Bill doing the killing, the sly land dealer who courts Anne when he comes to town?

Anne lives in a house of abandoned women. Her grandfather left her grandmother, though we could hardly blame him. Her father left her mother; a lawman that turned bad and became an outlaw. Her uncle left her aunt, driven off by a women too weak to stand up to her mother. And Anne, a beautiful women too timid of her own shadow, watching the trains coming and going in her life, waiting, hoping for someone to come or to someday get enough spine to run away from a house of abandoned women, from a town that was dying.

At first, she hopes to use Jack to scare Bill away from proposing marriage, but she is drawn to him. But she knows to love a man is to watch him leave and never come back, to grow old before your time. Jack is on the trail of the killer and will not rest until he catching him and sees him as dead as the young women he leaves dead on the trail coming straight for Abilene. He knows he is not the kinds of a man a woman like Anne wants, but that does not stop him from wanting her, and from being determined to protect her.

Anne and Jack will take over your heart. The mystery is strong enough, but does not overpower the romance. The writing is vivid, rich in historical detains, provocative, moving, mesmerising, and once again, shows Dorchester Publishing has some of the best writers around and gives them the freedom to produce works from the heart that are fresh and original.

This book follows the story of a bounty hunter named Jack 'Skull' Scullard. A man who is feared and loathed as soon as he steps off the train in Abilene, and Anne Ross, a mild mannered and, somewhat of a walkover, young lady from the town itself. Jack and Anne's eyes meet at that very first encounter and something begins to awaken in both of them.

Jack is made welcome by the Sherriff, and him alone. He understands Jack and can see that although he has a dangerous, gunfighting, no care attitude to others thoughts, he is actually just a guy who catches bounty for a living. Jack has been tracking a serial killer of young unwed women, and the Sherriff knows that the killer may be headed their way to Abilene. He asks Jack to stick around for a while. Much to the annoyance of the townsfolk.

Anne meanwhile, who is being courted by Bill Tucker, the local made good for himself, is unhappy. She lives with her Grandmother, her Mother and her Aunt all of whom have been left behind by their men. Anne wants no such heartache in her life and has therefore decided that marriage should be avoided at all costs. Her family don't realise what she really thinks of Bill's attentions and feel that things are all working out well for her, and that she will soon be 'happily' married.

Bill is a little slow at the courting game however which suits Anne to a T. Her Aunt however, who is the most understanding of Anne's family, can see that Bill may need a little nudge to move things along. She can see the attraction that Anne feels towards the new dangerous man in town and decides to use it to Anne's advantage. She approaches Jack and asks him to pretend to court Anne so that Bill will feel threatened enough to propose. Anne goes along with her Aunt's plans, as she always does, but both her and Jack begin to have real feelings towards each other.

While all this is going on, the killer is still at large and headed ever closer to Abilene. Jack refuses to let Anne out of his sight until the killer is caught. So he comes up with a plan of his own to keep her safe from harm. I won't spoil it, but let me just say that it will make you grin!

Towards the end of the story, there are a couple of twists and turns that kept me guessing who the killer might be. I finished the last few chapters of this book so fast because the suspense and romance reached an all time high. I even cried a little at one point! Add to all this the outstanding job Ms. Dain has done creating the atmosphere and setting the scene so very well and you have yourself a wonderful read!

If you like Western romance, this is well worth the read and if, like me, you have been sceptical for whatever stupid reason, do yourself a favour and order this title now. I can't stress enough how good this book was. I am one very happy reader! :o)