Lawless Love (Lawmen and Outlaws)

Andrea
Downing
Genre: 
Historical

WESTERN:  After receiving a wire Marshal Dylan Kane sets forth from Cheyenne to trail an outlaw accused of stealing a horse.  The horse thief might also hold the answer to a dead man.  When the trail grows cold, Dylan doggedly follows a lead into a small Wyoming town, where matters are about to get complicated and significantly hotter.    Dylan is an upright lawman, diligently following the law to the letter.   Lacey Everhart, the beautiful and spirited boarding house owner, unlocks Dylan’s longing for a home life and suddenly presents shades of gray in his comfortable black and white world.  

 

What a darling short story!  Ms. Downing deftly spins an engaging story about love and justice.  Set in the mid-1880s, readers are transported to the Old West, where stealing a horse was a hanging offense and resourceful women had to brave the harsh elements.   “Lawless Love” features a bold heroine tenaciously handling what life has dealt her family.  This lovely romance also provides an earnest hero with a steady moral compass who quietly yearns for the seemingly out-of-reach goal of wife and family.    Dylan and Lacey are charmingly penned characters brought together by a set of coincidences, which may occasionally feel too convenient.   They present winding trails to build suspicion and foster anticipation.    Overall, Andrea Downing cleverly weaves a unique and fulfilling romance that will have readers seeking more of her talented work!  

 

Anna Fitzgerald