Harlequin Historical #327: Badlands Bride

Hallie Wainwright was upset, as a lot of women of her era, that wanted recognition for their brains and abilities. She did not want to be valued for her marriagability and femeninity. She wanted to be considered equal - not realizing the dangers she has been protected from. When she decided to go west [again to prove her ability to her father and brothers] she had to go under the protection of Cooper DeWitt. Neither wanting marriage at first. She was surprised and astounded, at first, when she realized that Cooper had been raised by the Sioux. Hallie was dismayed when she heard of the custom of taking a dead brother's wife as his own. Then she met Last Horse who wanted to trade for her. Oh,boy! Chumani, Cooper's brothers wife, and her son was under his protection. She taught Hallie many house-wifely, frontier methods of survival in her hut. Then came the story of Hallie's stone - the meaning, use and belief were great. Hallie gained a reputation for bloodying the outlaw's nose and shooting a bear - while she collected the stories of the mail-order brides and how they were surviving. Cooper would not give in to the strong attraction he felt for this white woman, she could not survive in this wild country. He was astounded at what she did survive while under his care. He was going to see that she got back safely to Boston. Yup! Uh-ha! Great love story -- definitely a keeper HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - worth reading again. No PMS until -----

but Hallie Wainwright wants more than an apron and some man's wedding ring. She's a reporter and is just looking for an opportunity to prove herself. Cooper DeWitt thinks he's found a woman who can make it in the untamed west as well as a woman who can find a place in his heart. Cooper and Hallie find that the path to their Happily-Ever-After is a bumpy trail indeed in Badlands Bride.As always, Cheryl St. John captivated me on the first page and pulled me along until the very last.

Simply wonderful! The heroine, Hallie, is a spunky, honest young woman who (thinks) she knows what she wants, and isn't afraid to go after it. Cooper is sexy, hard-working, and a true gentleman. Their differences seem to be too much to overcome, but love truly conquers all, as Hallie and Cooper find out. Ms. St. John brings the setting alive, and her characters are always so well done that I truly feel as if I know them. The sexual tension is sizzling - I couldn't put this one down!