Her Bodyguard: An Anthology

I really enjoyed this book. Fans of historicals-don't miss out on this one. Best western I've read in a LONG time. :) Luke Garrett will be a hero that readers remember! I'm already looking forward to the next book.

Geralyn Dawson has quietly been gathering a lot of praise with Bad Luck Wedding Cake and Bad Luck Wedding Dress books. Well, she is back with another Bad Luck book, though lacking that appellation in the title. Her Bodyguard, the Bad Luck Curse jumps a generation as Trace's daughter Maribeth has her tale. Two sisters are featured in supporting roles, so fans of Ms. Dawson are guaranteed at least two more Bad Luck stories. The book takes up in San Antonio in the late 1880s. It's the eve of Emma's wedding, sister to Mari and Kat. They are the famed McBride Menaces. They go to visit a fortuneteller and is told their family come from Scotland, and in fine Highland tradition, the seer warns Clan McBride is cursed and only true love can break it. She warns the three girls they must find their one true love to end their doomed legacy. A couple years later, Emma is widow, so we assume her husband wasn't her true love to break the McBride's Curse. Kate's fallen for an actor, but Mari is more settled and owns her own candy store. Once day Luke Garrett comes into the store. Daddy dearest knows this blackguard and tries to stop him for flirting with Mari. In Kat's quest for love with her actor, she is trapped in a fire in the theatre. Only Mari refuses to believe her sister died. She is determined to find her, and dashing Luke won't permit the sweet miss from the sweet store to go gadding about. But this presents problems for Luke in more ways that one. The Brazos Valley Gang are tearing up the countryside, and while her father thinks Luke an Outlaw - he's just plan law, a Texas Ranger. So it's up to Ranger Luke to become Mari's bodyguard. Look has to protect Mari and his Outlaw cover so it make romancing Mari tough. It's a delightful tale. Dawson proves she is a wonderful writer, with a skillful weaving of this gentle heartwarming tale. Mari is a heart-stealer, with her caring about her sisters, especially Kat, never giving up hope when everyone else did. There are surprises along the way in a book that delivers from start to finish. It leaves the reader eager for Kat's and Emma's story. Dawson is one fine Western Romance writer, breathing new life into the genre.

Back in the Bad Luck Wedding Series, readers first met the McBride Menances, three mischief loving sisters bent on wrecking havoc and having fun. Emma, Kat, and Mari would give Huck Finn, the Weasley twins, and Tristan Farnon a run for the money and lives. Growing up hasn't changed them much. Love, however, as the song says, changes everything, at least to a degree. Emma marries and is widowed in only months, then loses her youngest sister in a tragic fire. However, Mari gets a clue that indicates Kat is still alive, and sets off to find the truth. With her is Kat's lover's brother. Luke fights with her at every turn, but she finds it stimulating. Once the mystery of what happened to Kat is solved, Mari might be willing to solve the mystery of love. Her Bodyguard is nothing new. Fans of this particular formula will find it an exceptionally pleasing book. Mari follows in the steps of Jo March as the unconventional sister who takes care of her siblings. Those who have followed the series that began with the Bad Luck Wedding Dress and Bad Luck Wedding Cake will enjoy seeing how the imps grew to adulthood. Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer

In 1888 San Antonio, on the eve of Emma's wedding, she ands her siblings (Mari and Kat), the renowned McBride Menaces visit fortune teller Baobh who tells them their two families go way back to Scotland together. Baobh explains that the Clan McBride curse can only be broken by true love; to find true love the girls must first find their own true nature. Two years later Emma is a widow while Kat believes she loves an actor; Mari loves her candy store. Outlaw Luke Garrett enters Mari's shop to purchase something for his sweet tooth, but instead compares Mari's kisses to her chocolate kisses over the protective objection of her father, who knows the bounder too well. Not long afterward, Mari rejects the common belief that Kat died in a theater fire. She vows to find her sibling; Luke cannot allow her to wander around as the deadly Brazos Valley gang is nearby although protecting her probably means revealing he is a Texas Ranger. As they travel from one caper to another, Mari begins to find out who she is and her essence reflects her love for HER BODYGUARD. The McBride curse turns to the next generation (see the Bad Luck trilogy) as Trace's daughter Mari stars with her two sisters providing strong secondary support. Luke is an intriguing individual who desires the confectionary store owner although he knows he must not compromise his cover. Still he cannot resist comparing chocolate kisses to Mari's kisses and when she goes on her quest, he knows where his loyalty lies. Fans of western romances will want to read Geralyn Dawson's latest Texas historical starring one of the Menaces and HER BODYGUARD. Harriet Klausner

HER BODYGUARD begins the Bad Luck Brides, formerly known as the McBride Menaces, with the story of Maribeth "Mari" McBride. Geralyn Dawson once again proves she is a masterful storyteller who keeps readers eagerly turning the pages. Mari is a strong, intelligent heroine with spunk enough for two women. She's a match for any man. Her father just wishes the man was NOT Luke Garrett. Must she choose between Luke and her family? If only she knew what--and who--to believe about him. It's a wonderful story with surprising twists and was over too soon. But it's a story I know I'll reread and I can hardly wait for the next Bad Luck Bride, Katrina's story in December 2005, HER SCOUNDREL.