LADY X'S COWBOY

Author: Zoe Archer ISBN: 0843956666 2/2006 HISTORICAL Publisher: DORCHESTER/Leisure
Historical: Victorian London, 1883

To Lady Olivia Xavier, the cowboy who came to her rescue out of the foggy London dusk could have stepped straight from one of her favorite dime novels. But when she was thrown into his arms, his solid chest and strong embrace assured her he was very real indeed. She needed a helping hand to save her late husband's brewery from an ambitious rival, and even though she couldn't understand half of the American's curious expressions, something in his gentle touch told Olivia she could trust this stranger from the untamed West. As a Colorado cowpuncher, Will Coffin had never before encountered a genuine lady. Especially one trying to stave off three hoodlums with only a reticule. He'd been through some mighty sticky situations back in the US., but nothing had hog-tied him as effectively as Olivia's big violet eyes, beseeching him for help. He'd come to England to find his family—certainly not for high-falutin' tea parties or any other so-called society trappings. But he was being trapped, all right. With her oh-so-English ways, Olivia had lassoed his heart until all he could think of was becoming...Lady X's Cowboy.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Zoe Archer's debut book, LADY X'S COWBOY, is a sort of fish-out-of-water romance that's chock full of historical tidbits, riveting drama, and two lead characters whose social and cultural backgrounds contrast and collide at every turn.

Lady Olivia Xavier is a refined, English aristocrat, determined to make a go of the brewery business she's inherited from her deceased husband. Balancing the fine line between what is and isn't proper societal behavior for her as a Victorian "businesswoman" isn't easy, and to make matters worse, she's fighting against another aristocrat (Pryce), who's determined to see she's driven out of business. Her meeting with her penny dreadful cowboy hero—she's addicted to those magazines—comes as she's attacked in the beginning by a couple of Pryce's hooligans. Out of the dark night and London fog arises the Marlborough man of my...er...Olivia's dreams: A tall, lean, sinfully handsome cowboy in a Stetson (aptly named Will Coffin), with broad shoulders, cowboy boots and spurs, and that ever lovin' kiss-me-now-and-tickle-me, Tom Selleck mustache. I've got to tell you, with that beginning scene and the way it's written, Zoe Archer grabbed a hold of me and never let go.

I love the way this book shows the clashes and differences, not just between Olivia and Will, but between social classes, the sexes, and the English and American cultures. The English concept of just what a cowboy is—such as, they all come from Texas—is comical to read about, as are Will's efforts to counter the erroneous depictions of the penny dreadfuls. In the relationship department, both Olivia and Will know that there are too many obstacles to overcome for their attraction to be anything more than a brief, secret love affair—Will could never be accepted into British society, and Olivia is too highborn to settle for someone like him, though he's kind, honest, and a man of integrity. Ms. Archer doesn't give these two lovers any easy remedies, though at one point in the plot she very well could have, and my Stetson's off to her that she didn't. Finally, using the backdrop of the brewery seemed creative and proved interesting—what I didn't know about Victorian beer making before, I do know now.

Overall, LADY X'S COWBOY is a wonderful romance that's just a bit different and refreshingly original. Ms. Archer shows she has great style, a flair to create something different from out of the ordinary, and knows how to pull in and keep her readers tuned in. I highly recommend it.

Nancy Davis