Cindy Gerard
Gerard, Cindy - MARRIAGE, OUTLAW STYLE (SD 1185) (4+)
This serious, yet fun and feisty romance, is the second
book in the Outlaw Hearts miniseries about the bad-boy
James brothers of modern-day Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Clay James is ready to settle down and enjoy the delights of marriage and fatherhood, and he even has the prospective bride picked out. But everyone knows this woman is wrong for him, including his longtime childhood rival, artist and gallery owner, Maddie "Mad Dog" Brannigan. Everyone knows that Clay and Maddie are madly in love with each other—Clay and Maddie just don't realize it yet! Their need to "one up" and outdo each other always gets in the way of their coming together (for example, Clay finds Maddie stranded by the roadside wearing a chicken costume and he milks this comical situation for what it's worth; and Maddie later enlists Clay's help in the annual hospital talent-show fundraiser, dressing him in a yellow skirt and heels and nicknaming him Banana Boy.) It takes the intervention of the other two James brothers, using their proven relationship-restoring technique of stranding lovers at a certain remote cabin in the mountains, to move things along...
Our stranded hero and heroine have seven days to determine the nature of their relationship and decide whether they have a future together—if they can survive without killing each other first! After a near-fatal accident during a snowstorm, they give in to the sexual tension engulfing them and slowly open their guarded hearts to love. When Garrett and Jesse James return seven days later, the longtime rivals are in love, but not yet ready to admit this to each other. After Clay exploits some of Maddie's secret fantasies, and she returns with a surprise of her own, they finally own up to their feelings. A very romantic scene on Christmas Eve brings the story to a wonderful close.
Beautifully written with witty dialogue, excellent pacing, and steamy sensuality, MARRIAGE, OUTLAW STYLE is sure to warm you up on even the coldest day. Cindy Gerard is a new discovery for me and I'll definitely be on the lookout for other books by this author. ~Debora Hosey for Bookbug on the Web
Gerard, Cindy - OUTLAW JESSE JAMES, THE (SD 1198 - 2/99) (4)
The thrilling conclusion to the Outlaw Hearts trilogy.
Rodeo star Jesse James, the youngest of the James brothers, is a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. He has nothing on his mind other than winning the bull riding championship title and enjoying himself along the way.
Driven by forces he doesn't understand, Jesse meets his match in Sloan Gantry, part owner of the Snowy River Rodeo Stock Contracting Company and single mother. Sloan had been attracted to Jesse seven years earlier, when she was a gawky, gauche, 17-year-old late bloomer with a mouthful of braces. But she had listened to the honeyed words and promises of another rodeo cowboy, and when the result was her son Noah, that cowboy had hit the road.
After several unavoidable encounters, Jesse discovers he's attracted to Sloan. He is determined to seduce her slowly and leave her quickly—until he sees Noah and Sloan together and realizes her responsibilities. But even then he wants her. Our heroine slowly realizes she's in love with Jesse and prepares for the heartache ahead by telling herself she's a mature woman, who can endure...if and when he walks out on her. It takes the severe injury of the hero's close friend to bring the two of them together. Jesse takes Sloan to the James' cabin, where she helps him search for the treasure that the James brothers sought as children...and as adults with the women they love. The solution to the treasure hunt is an emotionally satisfying conclusion to the search that began in the first book of the trilogy and continued through all three stories.
THE OUTLAW JESSE JAMES is a very sensual romance, which also gives a hard-hitting and realistic look at rodeo life. The bad boy cowboy definitely lives up to his name, and Cindy Gerard has written one of the most provocative love scenes I've ever read (Sloan is dressed only in Jesse's black hat, her black boots, and his black chaps when she greets him). THE OUTLAW JESSE JAMES can be read on its own, but I urge you to seek out the first two books in the series. You'll be glad you did! ~Debora Hosey for Bookbug on the Web
Gerard, Cindy - OUTLAW'S WIFE, THE (SD 1175) (5)
This first book in Cindy Gerard's Outlaw Hearts miniseries
is a tour de force in category romance writing. In the limited
word count of a series romance, Ms. Gerard skillfully peels back
the layers of the personal psychological and emotional scars of
Garrett and Emma James. These scars have contributed to the lack
of communication that has led to the breakdown of their marriage.
Garrett James has been working around the clock, totally involved in the family business. He loves and adores his wife of ten years, Emma, and their eight-year-old daughter, Sara, but realizes something has been wrong lately between him and Emma, although he's not sure what. Emma, too, senses something wrong between them, but it's not until she sees Garrett having lunch with a woman client that it clicks—he's having an affair. (This, indeed, is the great misunderstanding, but it's the catalyst that propels the story forward, leading to the healing of their marriage.) Stunned and deeply hurt, Emma prepares a seductive meal for the two of them. She puts Valium in Garrett's wine, and after he falls asleep, she shaves off all of the long, dark hair that she loves—the hair that she saw the woman client run her fingers through. Then she writes in crimson, on the top of his bald head, "I want a divorce."
Emma goes to stay with her best friend, Maddie Brannigan, and for the next couple of months, she refuses to see or talk to Garrett. He's desperate to find out what made his wife take such drastic actions. When he does discover the reason, he tries to convince Emma that he didn't cheat on her, but she won't listen to him. It's then that he decides to take extreme action because he believes in their marriage and his love for her. Garrett enlists the aid of his two younger brothers, Clay and Jesse, and they kidnap Emma. That night she gets very drunk, and because she's not much of a drinker, she goes out like a light. This makes it easy for Garrett to throw her over his horse and carry her away to a remote cabin on the Wind River. They have seven days to talk things through—seven days to save their marriage.
With the skill of a psychotherapist, Ms. Gerard has Garrett and Emma slowly realizing the personal demons that have possessed them. Bringing these demons into the light of day and owning up to them guides our hero and heroine to the path of healing their marriage. But will their love be strong enough for a happily-ever-after? THE OUTLAW'S WIFE is a complex, intense and sensual feast of a read. Definitely one for the keeper shelf! ~Debora Hosey for Bookbug on the Web
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