cover image Captive Angel

Captive Angel

Cheryl Anne Porter. St. Martin's Press, $5.99 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-312-96906-6

Good Samaritan Wallace Daltry rescues Angel Devlin, the wild child of the town whore, from a Texas lynch mob after she kills her would-be rapist. Angel is grateful to Daltry and puzzled when he offers her his entire ranch. Wary of such generosity but eager for a place of her own, she agrees to accompany him. On the way, Daltry is murdered in his sleep, and Angel takes shelter at the abandoned ranch. When Jack Daltry arrives, looking for his father, he doesn't believe Angel's weird tale nor her claim on his legacy. The two are quickly at each other's throats, but they agree to work together to find out who ransacked the ranch and killed Jack's father. Jack's gritty facade gives way to a kind interior, and underneath all the shouting, Jack and Angel inevitably begin to care for each other--but they refuse to admit their love. When Jack finds out that his outlaw brother, Seth, is behind everything, he sets out after him, leaving Angel alone to defend the ranch. Porter (Seasons of Glory) keeps readers on the edge of their seats with this action-packed, fast-paced western romance. (Apr.)