MUSTANG WILD

Author: Stacey Kayne ISBN: 0373294417 3/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: HQN
Time Period: Victorian Western - 1880's

No smooth-taking man is going to outwit her! With the deed to her land and kid brother to protect, Mustanger Skylar Daines shouldn't have tangled with the likes of Tucker Morgan. His stolen kiss scatters her senses, and quicker than a whirling dust devil, they're wed! What started as a joke is now Tucker's worst nightmare. He's keen to fix the marital slip-up—then he tells Skylar the deed she holds belongs to him, and him alone. Perhaps Skylar shouldn't be so fast to have their marriage annulled. She's not about to be swindled out of the one thing she yearns for most—a home. First they'll have to beat her father's murderer to Wyoming. Hearing the killer is after his ranch, Tucker teams up with a woman who has no trouble taking control of his mustangs—or his desire.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Finally! Someone to pick up the reins and ride alongside the likes of Maggie Osborne, Leslie LaFoy and all those other wonderful authors who have given us so many frontier romance keepers in the past. Stacey Kayne's debut novel, MUSTANG WILD, takes up where those talented ladies left off, and if this book is any indication you can bet there will be more entertaining westerns coming from Ms. Kayne as time gallops onward.

What a refreshing change of pace this book was from the current overflow of paranormals everyone else seems to be conjuring up these days. Sometimes it's a good idea to take a short breather every now and then, because too much of anything is usually never a good thing. Not that I have a problem with reading the other sub genres, mind you, but MUSTANG WILD was not only a welcome respite and change of pace, it was very impressive in every aspect that counts. It had a solid plot and fast pacing, strong characters in both the leading and secondary roles, and excellent dialogue which is a "must have" item for this reviewer. And even though Skylar, the heroine, came off a bit overly alpha in personality at times, that turned out to be not necessarily a bad thing. For not only does it show Skylar to be a capable and resilient heroine who can keep right up or best the menfolk she has to compete with, it also makes her an ideal match for Tucker, a man who needs a stronger, more masculine type of woman to become his equal. Tucker and Skylar are a perfectly matched set—they spar, they spark like flint when they get together, and sexually they're like match strikes to a trail of gunpowder. Kayne really knows how to make their love scenes sizzle!

As I said, I'm very impressed with MUSTANG WILD, with its dynamic, compelling characters set into the finely-tuned backdrop of the historical Old West. I can hardly wait to ride off into the sunset with Chance, Tucker's fair-haired twin brother in the upcoming, THE BRIDE OF SHADOW CANYON, the sequel that follows MUSTANG. If you're a big fan of western romance, then MUSTANG WILD should definitely be an added picker-upper on your TBB list.

Nancy Davis