The Renegades: Cole

All he wanted this morning in Pueblo City, Colorado was a cup of coffee. Instead a fifteen-year-old wannabe, Kid Dolby, challenged him to a gunfight. When you have Cole McCord's reputation with a gun you can expect idiots to come out of the woodwork. Just before the gunfight is to begin, a woman driving a buggy speeds into the center of the action. Cole rescues her as the Kid blasts at anything in sight before being arrested. The surprisingly calm woman Aurora Benton offers Cole the job of being her bodyguard on a cattle drive to the Texas Panhandle. She explains that the pillar of society Lloyd Gates plans to first take the cattle away from her and then take her ranch next. Initially, Cole rejects her offer of employment, but to avoid another senseless killing of the young teenager, he agrees. On the trail, he finds himself faced with the usual perilous dangers from gunslingers, outlaws, and more sophisticated criminals, but it is the threat that Aurora poses to his heart that frightens Cole the most. She too is not immune from falling in love. Already deservedly renowned for her tender Native American romances, Genell Dellin may have scribed her best novel to date with the exciting THE RENEGADES: COLE. The western romance is non-stop action as readers will feel they are along for more than just the ride; the audience will believe they are part of the cattle drive. The lead characters are amiable and bright and the supporting ensemble enhances the story line with color. The first novel in Ms. Dellin's "Renegade" trilogy is so good, sub-genre fans will demand Avon release book II early.Harriet Klausner