Lawson’s review of The Rebel and the Lady by Kathryn Albright
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 Sep 08

I read this book over a month ago, but I put off writing the review. Why? First, I grew up around and currently live in San Antonio, Texas where much of this book takes place. Second, I didn’t really know how objective I could be since I’ve heard the history for many years. Third, it was hard to figure out exactly what to say about this book. Or maybe I was distracted by the oh so beautiful cover . . . It was better than expected and gives another reason for anyone, including myself, that Harlequin Historicals are a wonderful source of historical romance.

Wendy has already written a review of this book, so I’ll keep the summary to a minimum. Victoria Torrez has been sent by her family to San Antonio de Béxar (pronounced BAY-har) when the Mexican army marches through their ranch on the way to stop the Texian revolt. She meets her cousin Juan Seguín (pronounced seh-GHEEN), whom she tells of the march of the army into Texas, most likely on the way to San Antonio.

Jake Dumont is in San Antonio to look for his brother. He feels it’s his fault his brother fled from South Carolina, and he wants to take him back to his fiancee. Following his brother to Texas and tracking him to San Antonio, Jake has only one thing on his mind and when he gets caught in the Texian’s fight, he doesn’t know really what to do, but like everyone else he flees into the Alamo in the hope that he can protect Victoria and lend some help, where it’s desperately needed.

What I enjoyed about the book was the history that was woven into the story, but it didn’t overwhelm it. Those of Spanish decent living in Texas at the time were just as likely as the American immigrants to want to overthrow the Mexican rule. The portrayal of Victoria and Juan’s fervor for the fight as well as her friend Esteban’s desire to remain in Santa Anna’s good graces are not overdone, though Victoria, like anyone not used to fighting or lengthy wars, is naive about what the outcome of the Alamo could be.

Jake fit the bill for a loner hero who has a noble streak. When things get tough, Jake is still enough of a realist to know what the future probably holds and instead of dreaming of what can’t be, like Victoria tends to do, he instead protects what he holds dear. His realism and Victoria’s idealism play off each other well, and though Victoria does act young some times, she’s not afraid of the sacrifice for her dream of a free Texas.

They do get separated for a time during the last half of the book and Jake does seem to take too long to have his turn around, but that is because of Victoria’s haughty manner at times and also her demand of Jake’s trust without sometimes giving her own. Which is probably the one thing that bothered me the most in reading the story. Things work out well enough at the end, but Victoria still goes more with her station rather than her heart.

The history itself, while more accurate than most movies made about the Alamo, is more of a setting rather than a major part of the story. Some of the historical figures may not have been presented as they truly were (most notably Capt. Travis, who has more of a backbone and drive than historical accounts have given him), but they are just characters in the story helping the setting, again, rather than being there for anything more. I do admit that another thing that might be nitpicky that bothered me was the mention of the Guadalupe River in Goliad being “cold from the snowmelt”, which many people may assume, but the Guadalupe is spring fed, there is not enough snow in the places where snow does fall to feed a river (this applies to all rivers that originate in Texas). 

[Ed. Gwen: Leave it to Texans to find the errors.    The San Antonio River is what goes thru Goliad, not the Guadalupe. Plus, this part of Texas very seldom, if ever, gets any snow (we're roughly on the same latitude as Northern Africa), not even further up-river at the Guadalupe's headwaters in what is now Hunt, Texas - my home town.  But we're reading for the romance, not the history, right folks?]

It’s a good story and though it does a few minor problems, it’s nice to see Texas in a historical that’s more than just cowboys, ranches, and cattle drives. Kathryn Albright is an author I would buy again for good characters, an interesting setting and a good love story.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Victoria Ruiz is on the run. Fleeing Santa Anna’s army, which is invading Texas. But Victoria is a lady, of aristocratic descent. And this is no place for a lady.

Jake Dumont is a rebel. A loner. And a crack shot. He’s never stayed in one place for long. Never let anyone close enough to break through his guarded heart. Until now…

When Jake lays eyes on stunning Victoria, he’s rocked to the core. Here is a woman who will lay her life on the line for what she believes. Finally he’s found something worth fighting for. The lady has stolen his heart. But can a rebel gunslinger claim an aristocrat as his bride?

Read an excerpt.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of The Rebel And The Lady by Kathryn Albright
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 Sep 08

I’ve made no secret of my love for Harlequin Historical westerns. They’re my comfort read. The books I keep coming back to time and again. Earlier this year I read Kathryn Albright’s debut novel for TGTBTU, and I liked it. It didn’t knock my socks off, but it was a pleasant read and I thought it was a decent debut. Little did I know that the author would take that “pleasant” debut and follow it up with an epic.

Victoria Torrez’s land along the Rio Grande has been in her family for generations. Her blue-blooded lineage can be traced all the way back to Spain. However she soon finds her land and legacy threatened when Santa Anna rolls into town looking to quell the rebellion to liberate Texas from Mexico. Victoria does not want to leave her parents, but her father tells her she must travel to her cousin’s home near San Antonio. Not only will Juan keep her safe, but she can also warn him that the Mexican Army is heading right towards the Alamo.

Victoria makes it to Juan’s home only to become increasingly frustrated by the Texians. They are not heeding the warnings, and very little is being done in preparation for the arrival of the invading army. It’s during these frustrating times when she meets Jake Dumont, a southerner from Charleston who has only come to Texas to look for his wayward younger brother.

The fight between the Texians and Santa Anna isn’t Jake’s fight. In fact, Jake has fought for very little over the course of his entire life. He’s a loner. The kind of man who leaves when the going gets tough, and the kind of man who does not get roped into lost causes. But when Santa Anna arrives, he finds himself spiriting Victoria behind the walls of the Alamo. And when he has a chance to leave, he finds he can’t, because he’s too drawn to a woman well above his station in life, and one that is surely going to be the death of him.

I was awed by the scope and depth of Albright’s story. This one has all the makings of a good, old-fashioned, sweeping historical epic. Victoria is a woman of standing, with family pride, and the tenacity to fight for that legacy. Loyalty is everything to her, and she’s not about to back down from a fight.

By contrast, Jake is a man with a wandering spirit. Life has taught him to not get too close to anyone, because inevitably he’s always disappointed. His father didn’t love him, his mother abandoned him, and when a woman drove a wedge between them, his brother took off. However, Jake makes a promise to that woman to find Brandon and bring him home, and finally realizing that his brother is all he has left, he intends to do just that.

As much as I adored this novel, I can see it not working for all readers. Albright has a lot going on in this story and because of that the romance has a tendency to land in the back seat. Also, the couple does spend quite a bit of time apart from each other in the latter half of the story. I felt it worked in the context of this particular book given the sheer scope of the conflict, but it may not work for readers who want the romantic couple to spend every waking moment together. Also, Jake falls into the old habit that befalls many romantic heroes – he thinks Victoria betrays him when she really doesn’t.  While I tend to have little patience for this sort of thing, I did think it worked well here because the author uses it to ratchet up the emotional intensity between the romantic couple.

My only regret is that this story wasn’t longer. I think Albright does an amazing job given the scope of the external conflict, and the word count she had to adhere to for the Harlequin Historical line. However, if ever a story begged for the revival of the big, meaty historical romance heyday of the 1970s, this one is it. And generally speaking, as a reader who doesn’t get all that excited over “big books,” that’s truly saying something.

The author dedicated this book to her husband by saying, “Here’s your western honey.” Boy howdy, does she deliver. I cannot recommend this one strongly enough to western fans and those historical readers who lament the rise of the wallpaper historical. Do not miss this book.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Two weeks before the eventful day at the Alamo in San Antonio de Béxar, Victoria’s land on the Rio Grande is overrun by the Mexican army. She heads north to warn the Texians unaware that the very person who has helped her escape is now using her to spy on the Alamo’s defenses.

Jake Dumont is good with a gun, but he doesn’t care one whit about the fight for freedom happening in the Texas territory. He just wants to find his foolish brother and haul him back home. Yet when he meets the beautiful señorita, Victoria, and steals a kiss, he’s rocked to the core. Here is a woman who will lay her life on the line for what she believes. Finally he’s found something worth fighting for. How can he leave when protecting her suddenly means more to him than protecting his heart?

Read an excerpt.

This just makes me sqqquueee so much because I don’t think I have ever seen a Texas Revolution setting in anything other than James Michener’s Texas and those wonderful books I had to read for Texas History in college. Yes, I had to take Texas History in college, to be a history teacher in Texas, you have to take Texas History. Anyway, one of the few interesting parts of Texas history is the revolution. And isn’t that cover beautiful?

Two weeks before the eventful day at the Alamo in San Antonio de Béxar, Victoria’s land on the Rio Grande is overrun by the Mexican army. She heads north to warn the Texians unaware that the very person who has helped her escape is now using her to spy on the Alamo’s defenses.

Jake Dumont is good with a gun, but he doesn’t care one whit about the fight for freedom happening in the Texas territory. He just wants to find his foolish brother and haul him back home. Yet when he meets the stunning señorita, Victoria Ruiz, and steals a kiss, he realizes she has bewitched him. Is she a traitor and with the Santanistas or does she mean what she says about helping the Texians? How can he leave when protecting her suddenly means more to him than protecting his heart?

E-X-C-E-R-P-T

Victoria walked down the street carrying a kettle of chicken soup and grumbling to herself. She had been to the edge of town that morning and still there were no soldiers posted as lookouts. Didn’t the officers understand how close Santa Anna’s army was? Why did they not prepare? It had been four days since she’d arrived in town. She’d expected to help Juan secure his house here and move into the fort–and perhaps prepare the women. No one took her warnings seriously except Diego and Juan.

She glanced down at the heavy iron pot she held. All she’d done so far was take food to the hospital in Maria’s stead—not nearly the action she’d desired. Juan had dismissed his cook after hearing the news Victoria brought and smartly the woman had packed her things and headed back to her home west of town to warn her husband. The soldiers might enjoy this soup after the rations of corn tortillas they’d endured but what would happen to the injured and ailing men once Santa Anna invaded the streets?

Again she worried about the lack of readiness. Shouldn’t people be doing something? Preparing? It seemed a few Tejanos were, but not the stubborn and blind Americanos.

She strode past the barracks, making a bee-line for the stairs to the hospital floor. Just as she mounted the first step, a dark blur of motion dashed out from under the stairway. The large mud-colored mongrel bounded toward her with its teeth bared, a rumbling growl in its throat.

“No!” she cried out, teetering on the brink of losing her balance as the dog dove into her skirt and between her legs.

“No! Eyiee!” Hot soup sloshed out from under the kettle’s lid and over the edge to burn her fingers. She would lose it all if she dropped it!

Suddenly a strong hand gripped the kettle and then grasped her elbow, steadying her. She looked up into a face that hadn’t seen the sharp edge of a razor in weeks. His beard was the color of rich coffee but it couldn’t hide the handsome contours beneath. Anglo, she reasoned. Easy to spot with the dark hair, streaked blond by the sun, and cobalt blue eyes. His body tensed as he held tight to a ruff of fur at the dog’s neck and pulled it away from her skirt.

“Guess the smell of that soup was more than the poor mutt could take. You got that now?”

“Gracias,” she said, gripping the kettle to her like a shield.

Juan had warned her against being too familiar with the soldiers, saying they saw few women and were as uncouth a lot as he’d ever known. She sniffed. This man reeked of horse and sweat and days on the trail—not exactly a heady combination.

He tipped his hat. “Name’s Jake. Jake Dumont.”

“Gracias,” she said again.

He was blocking her path. She started to side-step to go around him but then he side-stepped and was in front of her again.

His eyes narrowed under his dark brows. “You don’t speak English? A shame.” His gaze slid over her, moving from the heavy blue cloak that covered her head all the way down to the base of her gray skirt where the tips of her boots peeked out. Angry heat flushed through her. He had nerve, this Anglo!

She raised her chin and gave him the haughtiest look she could muster under the circumstances. Repositioning her grip on the kettle, she started up the stairs, surprised when the man shoved the dog purposely to the side and followed her. She stopped and turned, putting the hot soup between them. If he thought to annoy her, she had plenty of protection.
He glanced at the soup and then back up at her. A devilish look came into his eyes. “You think that would stop me?”

She tipped the kettle in warning. A drop of hot liquid splashed onto his pants.

Faster than lightening, he grasped her wrist. “Careful woman. There may come a day you won’t want that part of me scalded.”

Oh! He was a wicked man!

“Look. Let’s not start a battle where there doesn’t need to be one. I’m just going in the same direction as you–to see the doctor.”

“You are sick?” He seemed like the last man on earth who’d be ill. His firm grip revealed only quick reflexes and crushing strength. Too late, she realized her ruse was up. She’d spoken her thoughts out loud—in English.
He smiled slowly, his gaze knowing. “No. But my horse is.”

Captured momentarily by the deep blue of his eyes, her heart thudded in her chest. He was different than anyone she’d known before and so sure of himself. Was this an American trait? She wasn’t sure she liked it. It bordered on rudeness. They had not been properly introduced and here he was still touching her wrist.

As if he read her thoughts, he released her arm and took the kettle from her hands. “Relax, miss. Although you are the prettiest señorita I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, I’ve got other things on my mind at the moment.” Then he passed by and continued up the stairs giving her a disconcerting view of his worn buckskin backside.

She frowned. She hadn’t expected him to suddenly turn charming. Drawing up the hem of her skirt, she followed.