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Midnight Rider
She Was His Captive
As soon as the tall, handsome Spaniard leaned down from his stallion to offer her a rose, Carlee McConnell knew California held danger. But all too quickly she was forced to deny the heat Ramon de la Guerra had sparked. Determined to please her uncle who had saved her from poverty, she resigned herself to marrying a man he had chosen for her... and ignored what was in her heart.
He Was The One Man She Was Forbidden To Have...
Behind Ramon's dark eyes throbbed the memory of his lands, stolen by the beautiful Americana's uncle. He had sworn to reclaim them- riding by night as the ruthless outlaw, El Dragon. In a moment of rage and revenge, he stole Caralee away to his mountain lair...but there, in a passion as sweet as California wine, he would reveal a secret that could cost him his life- and his hearts freedom.
As soon as the tall, handsome Spaniard leaned down from his stallion to offer her a rose, Carlee McConnell knew California held danger. But all too quickly she was forced to deny the heat Ramon de la Guerra had sparked. Determined to please her uncle who had saved her from poverty, she resigned herself to marrying a man he had chosen for her... and ignored what was in her heart.
He Was The One Man She Was Forbidden To Have...
Behind Ramon's dark eyes throbbed the memory of his lands, stolen by the beautiful Americana's uncle. He had sworn to reclaim them- riding by night as the ruthless outlaw, El Dragon. In a moment of rage and revenge, he stole Caralee away to his mountain lair...but there, in a passion as sweet as California wine, he would reveal a secret that could cost him his life- and his hearts freedom.
372 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
25 people are currently reading
687 people want to read
About the author
Kat Martin
197books3,115followersKathleen Kelly Martin (aka Kathy Lawrence, Kasey Mars)
Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.
Published since 1988, she signed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.
Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.
"I've always loved books. I was an avid reader, with any number of my own stories rolling around in my head. Writing them down seemed a logical step."
"I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."
Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.
Published since 1988, she signed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.
Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.
"I've always loved books. I was an avid reader, with any number of my own stories rolling around in my head. Writing them down seemed a logical step."
"I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 4, 2022
THIS WAS SO FREAKING GOOD.
June 24, 2023
2.5 stars
The potential is readily present, but the execution is flawed, I was initially very excited about Midnight Rider, for its atypical historic California setting, as well as the positive reaction from trusted readers. I've since cooled my expectation after a less than satisfying experience with another Kat Martin novel (The Bride's Necklace), which was a good call, because after reading this one I believe Kat Martin's stories just might not be for me.
Once again, there's something about they way Kat Martin builds her romance that fundamentally doesn't work for me—the absence of communication. We have pages of internal monologues of the hero and heroine processing their emotion, only to come to the conclusion they have to hide it and display a false facade of disinterest. Miscommunication is a typical trope in romance, but in Kat Martin's stories I was never given a convincing reason that would prevent a mature conversation from happening (Apparently the hero was cheated once and now he distrusts all women—this guy needs to grow a pair). The third act conflict is also annoyingly old-fashioned (of course the hero immediately faults the heroine despite 200+ pages of build-up), I would've been more forgiving it I wasn't already quite bored by other aspects of Midnight Rider.
The pacing of Midnight Rider also doesn't work in its favor; I was initially very much invested in the mysterious bandit and land ownership subplots, but the book ran out of creative steam two-third of the way through, with the remaining 100+ pages being a monotonous location-hopping for some government documents, and conjuring a never-previously-mentioned character just to keep the mystery/conflict going. The book slows down at the worst time when it should be ramping up to the grand finale, hence souring the overall reading experience (even though I genuinely enjoyed the first third).
I don't know... Kat Martin really makes me question my stance on preferring a historical romance with a dense plot (laughs). Perhaps her storytelling just doesn't age well with time, as for me both Midnight Rider and The Bride's Necklace share the same issues: uneven plotting (quantity over quality), and a romance that is contrived and unnatural. I'm still kind of intrigued by Night Secrets from her, but right I need a Kat Martin detox after two consecutive duds.
***Historical Hellions Book Club | December 2022 Selection***
The potential is readily present, but the execution is flawed, I was initially very excited about Midnight Rider, for its atypical historic California setting, as well as the positive reaction from trusted readers. I've since cooled my expectation after a less than satisfying experience with another Kat Martin novel (The Bride's Necklace), which was a good call, because after reading this one I believe Kat Martin's stories just might not be for me.
Once again, there's something about they way Kat Martin builds her romance that fundamentally doesn't work for me—the absence of communication. We have pages of internal monologues of the hero and heroine processing their emotion, only to come to the conclusion they have to hide it and display a false facade of disinterest. Miscommunication is a typical trope in romance, but in Kat Martin's stories I was never given a convincing reason that would prevent a mature conversation from happening (Apparently the hero was cheated once and now he distrusts all women—this guy needs to grow a pair). The third act conflict is also annoyingly old-fashioned (of course the hero immediately faults the heroine despite 200+ pages of build-up), I would've been more forgiving it I wasn't already quite bored by other aspects of Midnight Rider.
The pacing of Midnight Rider also doesn't work in its favor; I was initially very much invested in the mysterious bandit and land ownership subplots, but the book ran out of creative steam two-third of the way through, with the remaining 100+ pages being a monotonous location-hopping for some government documents, and conjuring a never-previously-mentioned character just to keep the mystery/conflict going. The book slows down at the worst time when it should be ramping up to the grand finale, hence souring the overall reading experience (even though I genuinely enjoyed the first third).
I don't know... Kat Martin really makes me question my stance on preferring a historical romance with a dense plot (laughs). Perhaps her storytelling just doesn't age well with time, as for me both Midnight Rider and The Bride's Necklace share the same issues: uneven plotting (quantity over quality), and a romance that is contrived and unnatural. I'm still kind of intrigued by Night Secrets from her, but right I need a Kat Martin detox after two consecutive duds.
***Historical Hellions Book Club | December 2022 Selection***
June 8, 2013
"I love you, my heart. I love you as I never have loved before."
I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this one, so I was crossing my fingers. It didn't take very lone before I was totally involved in the story. There were many things that I liked about Midnight Rider. I don't think I have enjoyed a book so much in quite a while. The setting of the story I found to be instantly appealing, and I felt as if I had traveled back to the 1800's in California. What I really loved about this story is seeing the way the author mixed rich culture, history, and a fictional love story that only added a extra spice to the story.
Ramon de la Guerra, is determined to get his land back, land that has belonged to his family for generations. He knows that despite Caralee's beauty and charm, her uncle stole his land, and he means to do whatever it takes to get it back. Alongside his brother, he goes on a ride disguised as the "El Dragon", an outlaw known as stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Ramon ends up stealing horses from Carly's uncle, and Carly seeing what is happening, raises the alarm. In the chaos Ramon's brother ends up being killed, and Carly taken hostage by a man who blames her for his brother's death. He then forcibly takes her to his mountain lair, hidden away and near impossible find. Even though Carly in the past, has felt a spark between herself and Ramon, she knows that Ramon is dangerous she can't seem to help feeling a passion for him. Ramon at first sees Carly as a rich spoiled brat, but after he kidnaps her, he sees that Carly is anything but. He can't help but falling hard for her, even knowing that her uncle would never allow them together, since he despises Spaniards. But will their love be strong enough to withstand danger around every corner.
Ramon is a super alpha male, and is full of sensuality and has a aura of danger that surrounds him. Ramon tends to act before he thinks, and at first you see him as almost brutal, but when his head clears, he becomes sensitive and caring and I couldn't help but love the way he is with Carly. Carly is not the spoiled brat he thinks her. When they first meet at a party, her uncle forbids her to be kind to Ramon. So she appears to be cool and aloof, but she craves passion and love and something real. Carly is hardworking having been raised working hard along side her parents, until they passed away. She has a very appealing personality, she is stubborn and passionate, but she also has a sweet side to her that makes it seem easy to relate with her.
This was such a thrilling adventure to read!! I had such a blast seeing these two characters interact, and the conflicts that arose that only challenged them and their relationship. I found that I could hardly put this one down last night. Once I really got into it, it was almost impossible to put down. My heart just went out to this couple. I felt like it was one of those styles, where pretty much everything is against the couple, and they somehow manage to get their HEA. It was great seeing how this author incorporated a variety of different cultures, and it was obvious that she did her research of the time. It definitely appealed to my love of history and past cultures, and the uniqueness to each grouping, the little aspects that made them unique. A perfect blend of sexual tension, suspenseful plot, a enticing love story that is bound to blow you away!! CHARMING UNTIL THE LAST PAGE!!
I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this one, so I was crossing my fingers. It didn't take very lone before I was totally involved in the story. There were many things that I liked about Midnight Rider. I don't think I have enjoyed a book so much in quite a while. The setting of the story I found to be instantly appealing, and I felt as if I had traveled back to the 1800's in California. What I really loved about this story is seeing the way the author mixed rich culture, history, and a fictional love story that only added a extra spice to the story.
Ramon de la Guerra, is determined to get his land back, land that has belonged to his family for generations. He knows that despite Caralee's beauty and charm, her uncle stole his land, and he means to do whatever it takes to get it back. Alongside his brother, he goes on a ride disguised as the "El Dragon", an outlaw known as stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Ramon ends up stealing horses from Carly's uncle, and Carly seeing what is happening, raises the alarm. In the chaos Ramon's brother ends up being killed, and Carly taken hostage by a man who blames her for his brother's death. He then forcibly takes her to his mountain lair, hidden away and near impossible find. Even though Carly in the past, has felt a spark between herself and Ramon, she knows that Ramon is dangerous she can't seem to help feeling a passion for him. Ramon at first sees Carly as a rich spoiled brat, but after he kidnaps her, he sees that Carly is anything but. He can't help but falling hard for her, even knowing that her uncle would never allow them together, since he despises Spaniards. But will their love be strong enough to withstand danger around every corner.
Ramon is a super alpha male, and is full of sensuality and has a aura of danger that surrounds him. Ramon tends to act before he thinks, and at first you see him as almost brutal, but when his head clears, he becomes sensitive and caring and I couldn't help but love the way he is with Carly. Carly is not the spoiled brat he thinks her. When they first meet at a party, her uncle forbids her to be kind to Ramon. So she appears to be cool and aloof, but she craves passion and love and something real. Carly is hardworking having been raised working hard along side her parents, until they passed away. She has a very appealing personality, she is stubborn and passionate, but she also has a sweet side to her that makes it seem easy to relate with her.
This was such a thrilling adventure to read!! I had such a blast seeing these two characters interact, and the conflicts that arose that only challenged them and their relationship. I found that I could hardly put this one down last night. Once I really got into it, it was almost impossible to put down. My heart just went out to this couple. I felt like it was one of those styles, where pretty much everything is against the couple, and they somehow manage to get their HEA. It was great seeing how this author incorporated a variety of different cultures, and it was obvious that she did her research of the time. It definitely appealed to my love of history and past cultures, and the uniqueness to each grouping, the little aspects that made them unique. A perfect blend of sexual tension, suspenseful plot, a enticing love story that is bound to blow you away!! CHARMING UNTIL THE LAST PAGE!!
April 27, 2017
Was it cheesy, predictable, and clichéd? Of course it was, but despite that I still enjoyed it. The characters felt real, the tension was organically created, and the story was well-told. I enjoyed the setting as well, seeing as I just moved to California. Plus, I had asked a friend to give me a story with a sexy Latino and this book definitely delivered that. Some parts were silly, but it felt like I was reading a soap opera, so I could easily look past such things like ... plausibility. There is plenty of drama, lots of delicious sexual tension, a dashing hero and a feisty damsel in distress. This is pretty much what I think of when historical romance comes to mind, but this novel had the added advantage of being well-written.
As for the characters, Caralee is the type of female character I love reading about. She comes from a poor family but she tries to make herself better by working hard. She's kind, generous, and humble, but she also has a spark inside her. She's stubborn and quick-witted, and she doesn't give up easily when she sets her mind to something.
Ramon is the tall, dark, and handsome hero, but with a bit of a shady side too. Some might think it strange that I like him because of the rough way he treats Caralee, but his treatment of her doesn't seem strange or particularly out of line. Grief-stricken people will do and say things they normally wouldn't, and although this doesn't excuse his behavior, he more than makes up for everything in his actions towards her after.
One of the main reasons I enjoyed this novel was because of the interactions between the characters. A lot of times I've found, in any sub-genre of romance, the two main characters will hate each other but then fall into bed. Or the man will abuse the woman but she'll spread her legs anyway even though he doesn't exactly redeem himself. This really bothers me and will sour my feelings toward the rest of the book. What I loved about this one though is Ramon is awful to Caralee and she despises him for it. She doesn't come around right away and she practically spits in his face at every turn. And it makes sense. A begrudging respect builds between them first before they let their attraction to each other take over.
So why only 3 stars? It didn't blow me away but it was a fun distraction. It was kind of a shallow enjoyment, like sitting through an hour of Days of Our Lives, or a telenovela in this case. I'm also bummed because as far as I can tell she hasn't written any other novels in this setting and time period, and I think I'm so used to reading series that a stand-alone novel makes me sad to leave the world behind.
As for the characters, Caralee is the type of female character I love reading about. She comes from a poor family but she tries to make herself better by working hard. She's kind, generous, and humble, but she also has a spark inside her. She's stubborn and quick-witted, and she doesn't give up easily when she sets her mind to something.
Ramon is the tall, dark, and handsome hero, but with a bit of a shady side too. Some might think it strange that I like him because of the rough way he treats Caralee, but his treatment of her doesn't seem strange or particularly out of line. Grief-stricken people will do and say things they normally wouldn't, and although this doesn't excuse his behavior, he more than makes up for everything in his actions towards her after.
One of the main reasons I enjoyed this novel was because of the interactions between the characters. A lot of times I've found, in any sub-genre of romance, the two main characters will hate each other but then fall into bed. Or the man will abuse the woman but she'll spread her legs anyway even though he doesn't exactly redeem himself. This really bothers me and will sour my feelings toward the rest of the book. What I loved about this one though is Ramon is awful to Caralee and she despises him for it. She doesn't come around right away and she practically spits in his face at every turn. And it makes sense. A begrudging respect builds between them first before they let their attraction to each other take over.
So why only 3 stars? It didn't blow me away but it was a fun distraction. It was kind of a shallow enjoyment, like sitting through an hour of Days of Our Lives, or a telenovela in this case. I'm also bummed because as far as I can tell she hasn't written any other novels in this setting and time period, and I think I'm so used to reading series that a stand-alone novel makes me sad to leave the world behind.
December 29, 2022
This was just not it for me and took me so long to get through. Picked this up for a book club and was looking forward to reading an older Kat Martin historical, but sadly the gorgeous double page fountain stepback was the highlight. Not sure if Kat Martin is for me after reading 2 books from her now and not enjoying either. I’ll probably give her one more try! 😅
Ramon de la Guerra, is known as "El Dragón" and an outlaw of sorts. After his younger brother gets killed in a raid, he ends up kidnapping the heroine Caralee (aka Carly). Carly’s mother died and her Uncle became her legal guardian, he sent her away to a finishing school in New York before inviting her to be with him in the West on her 18th birthday. Ramon realizes he misjudged Carly, he thought she was selfish, uncaring, and concerned only with money and the luxuries it could bring. But he quickly realizes there is more to her and shares how her Uncle stole the land from him and his family.
There is some good caretaking scenes when she gets ill and he takes care of her after feeling bad that he got lost in the grief over his brother and didn’t treat her well. He ends up returning her to her uncle but later on they end up in a marriage of convenience! I did like the Californio history in here!
Ramon de la Guerra, is known as "El Dragón" and an outlaw of sorts. After his younger brother gets killed in a raid, he ends up kidnapping the heroine Caralee (aka Carly). Carly’s mother died and her Uncle became her legal guardian, he sent her away to a finishing school in New York before inviting her to be with him in the West on her 18th birthday. Ramon realizes he misjudged Carly, he thought she was selfish, uncaring, and concerned only with money and the luxuries it could bring. But he quickly realizes there is more to her and shares how her Uncle stole the land from him and his family.
There is some good caretaking scenes when she gets ill and he takes care of her after feeling bad that he got lost in the grief over his brother and didn’t treat her well. He ends up returning her to her uncle but later on they end up in a marriage of convenience! I did like the Californio history in here!
Want to read
May 30, 2022the stepback...someone pass me a cigarette.
January 1, 2023
I think western historical just mostly aren't for me. This one was pretty boring and I really didn't care about the hero or his life. He was part of a group of vigilantes and was trying to get his land back. I did appreciate the historical importance of this story and the research the author did, but the story itself was dry and dragged on. There were definitely some funny and wild moments that I love in old school historical, but there was also A TON of miscommunication that was contributing to the conflict of the relationship and that got annoying really quickly. Overall I just didn't really care about the romance or the plot. It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't something I was dying to continue reading.
October 7, 2013
There is a huge difference between alpha male and asshole male and this "hero" falls more in the second category. He did not redeem himself enough for me to like him. I am upset that I wasted my time reading this story.
December 27, 2022
I really enjoyed the story, the writing style and the Californio history. But ultimately my rating is because the hero didn’t do enough to redeem himself. He took machismo jerk to a whole new level.
January 19, 2010
One of my very first romance novels that I happened upon. I love everything about this book. From the setting to the characters. The action and different scenarios that occured made it different than your usual, the man and woman don't get along, and later they wind up together. Excellent read.
Read
December 29, 2022DNF @ 72% 🤷🏻♀�
December 23, 2023
It's been so long I've read a HR. But this book was a good reminder why I love HRs. The premise of this one is very different than the previous HRs I've read. I really enjoyed the this book.. need to write more but first I need to gather all of my thoughts about this one.
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
March 7, 2022
I wanted to like this so badly but this was 200 pages too long
December 29, 2022
Not the best, but not the worst. Took me too long to finish, but I did.
April 6, 2012
I have been pretty happy with the Kat Martin books that I've read, this one is the first that I didn't absolutely love. I loved that it took place in early California with a Spanish H and a American h but for some reason the story wasn't as strong or as suspenceful as I thought it could be.
Caralee (H) has gone to live with her uncle on his ranch in California after losing both of her parents. Though she comes from a poor background her uncle had sent her to school so that she will be excepted into society. When her uncle held a gathering at his ranch for his neighbors she meets Ramon de la Guerra from the neighboring ranch. She's taken with him and when her uncle notices he quickly tells her hat he's not good enough for her, that she needs to be with someone who is in the same social circle. Wanting to make her uncle proud of her and as a way to thank him for all he's done for her,she complies with his wishes and ignores Ramon. for the rest of the night.
Ramon (H) new what all gringas are like and he should have known better than to think for one minute that Caralee was any different.
There is a villain who is raiding all of the wealthy Americans, he's called El Dragon and when t
he comes to raid Caralee's uncles horses she riskes her life to warn everyone.
When Ramon sees her ringing the bell while he and his brother are raiding the ranch, he wittnesses his younger brother being shot down. He feels it's all Caralee's fault so he takes her away with them to make her pay.
Caralee (H) has gone to live with her uncle on his ranch in California after losing both of her parents. Though she comes from a poor background her uncle had sent her to school so that she will be excepted into society. When her uncle held a gathering at his ranch for his neighbors she meets Ramon de la Guerra from the neighboring ranch. She's taken with him and when her uncle notices he quickly tells her hat he's not good enough for her, that she needs to be with someone who is in the same social circle. Wanting to make her uncle proud of her and as a way to thank him for all he's done for her,she complies with his wishes and ignores Ramon. for the rest of the night.
Ramon (H) new what all gringas are like and he should have known better than to think for one minute that Caralee was any different.
There is a villain who is raiding all of the wealthy Americans, he's called El Dragon and when t
he comes to raid Caralee's uncles horses she riskes her life to warn everyone.
When Ramon sees her ringing the bell while he and his brother are raiding the ranch, he wittnesses his younger brother being shot down. He feels it's all Caralee's fault so he takes her away with them to make her pay.
August 29, 2011
I read this because it was the first romance novel I read as a teenager. Some of the scenes, I'm not sure what I made of when I was fourteen, but it's not a bad book and I'll be keeping it, if not for sheer sentimental value.
July 12, 2014
Loved it!
Midnight Rider is another fantastic book by Kat Martin. The story has lots of adventures, danger, passion and romance. I really enjoyed reading midnight rider and it was a page turner. Thank you Kat Martin
Midnight Rider is another fantastic book by Kat Martin. The story has lots of adventures, danger, passion and romance. I really enjoyed reading midnight rider and it was a page turner. Thank you Kat Martin
October 17, 2012
another keeper!! love this one!
December 15, 2020
By and1515
Caralee or Carly as she preferred to be called was a good Irish lass who'd made the long trip to California to live with her only living relative.
Her uncle tried to to paint her something she wasn't grant she'd spent time in a girl's finishing school but that didn't change who she was on the inside of where she really came from.
Ramon's family had been robbed of the lands and home and he and his brother would do what ever it took to get it back.
Carly couldn't believe her eyes there were bandits who were robbing her uncle.
So she did the only reasonable thing she could think of Carly rang the bell.
And then everything went down hill from there with her being whisked away as the bandits retreated.
Ramon had been furious at the girl everything was her fault from the moment that darn bell made its first sound.
And for a few minutes he did want to punish her but he did understand why she did what she did.
He knew most people probably would have under the same circumstances.
Carly tried to convince her uncle that she had no idea who was in charge of the bandits because she was kept blindfolded the whole time she'd been held.
Clearly her uncle thought he was going to barter her off to that over barring jackass and she'd would quietly let him do it.
Nope not going to happen especially when he'd gotten to handsy with her trying to force Carly to accept his triumph win over her.
However she'd out did him and her uncle when she changed the game chosing someone else.
Ramon honestly hadn't seen that coming until he was caught by the words that Carly spoke.
She knew things about him and if needed she could have sang like a canary.
And when Ramon played the only hand he could he went down in defeat.
However trying to juggle his responsibility towards his family and his relationship with Carly starts to hit a rocky point that they may never be able to recover from.
Caralee or Carly as she preferred to be called was a good Irish lass who'd made the long trip to California to live with her only living relative.
Her uncle tried to to paint her something she wasn't grant she'd spent time in a girl's finishing school but that didn't change who she was on the inside of where she really came from.
Ramon's family had been robbed of the lands and home and he and his brother would do what ever it took to get it back.
Carly couldn't believe her eyes there were bandits who were robbing her uncle.
So she did the only reasonable thing she could think of Carly rang the bell.
And then everything went down hill from there with her being whisked away as the bandits retreated.
Ramon had been furious at the girl everything was her fault from the moment that darn bell made its first sound.
And for a few minutes he did want to punish her but he did understand why she did what she did.
He knew most people probably would have under the same circumstances.
Carly tried to convince her uncle that she had no idea who was in charge of the bandits because she was kept blindfolded the whole time she'd been held.
Clearly her uncle thought he was going to barter her off to that over barring jackass and she'd would quietly let him do it.
Nope not going to happen especially when he'd gotten to handsy with her trying to force Carly to accept his triumph win over her.
However she'd out did him and her uncle when she changed the game chosing someone else.
Ramon honestly hadn't seen that coming until he was caught by the words that Carly spoke.
She knew things about him and if needed she could have sang like a canary.
And when Ramon played the only hand he could he went down in defeat.
However trying to juggle his responsibility towards his family and his relationship with Carly starts to hit a rocky point that they may never be able to recover from.
July 14, 2023
Weird character names like Two Hawks and Blue Blanket aside WHY IS THE MMC SUCH A GAPING BUTTHOLE?? the fmc was literally sexually assaulted THREE TIMES in the entire book AND HE HAD THE AUDACITY TO CALL HER A WHORE AFTER HIS ASSHOLE COUSIN TRIED TO RAPE HER?? LITERALLY HE BELIEVED HIS RAPIST COUSIN OVER HIS WIFE?!! THE ONLY REASON IM GIVING IT A TWO STAR IS BECAUSE OF THE FMC BUT HONESTLY SHE COULD'VE DONE BETTER THAN THAT SHITTY MMC
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2023
I loved it! Wonderful characters, wonderful romance, and interesting details about the history of California. I loved the dialogue and banter. It was a little slow in places, as the main character did not really have much to do at times. It was still an enjoyable read. - thank you Historical Hellions for having the read along.
November 7, 2022
H is a Californio Spaniard who is trying to get his land back from the Americans who stole it from him. He starts falling for an American girl whose Uncle stole his land. H is ver skeptic of h due to his past experiences with American girls and ppl.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2023
It's not often that you read a historical romance set in 1850's California. The combination of the setting, the high stakes drama and an enemies to lovers romance hit the target. Caralee and Ramon play out rage, romance and revenge to perfection.
November 5, 2017
Library Kindle e-book
July 29, 2020
The library gave me this book by mistake and while between books I gave it a read. I think I just don't like romance novels. Way too cheesy and rapey.
January 20, 2022
I loved this book!!! Love Ramon and Carly’s story ❤️
February 8, 2022
just wow
May 8, 2022
This historical romance had a very classic, very dated feel to it. For whatever reason, I just couldn't really get onboard with it. I think the miscommunication trope was used one too many times.
June 11, 2022
2.5 stars
November 19, 2024
2.5
mmc is too much of an asshole for a romance�
mmc is too much of an asshole for a romance�
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