Lady X's Cowboy

Archer delightfully twists historical romance convention in her winning debut. Lady Olivia Xavier, an inveterate reader of American dime-novel westerns, abruptly finds herself living one when Will Coffin, a Colorado cowboy who's come to England in 1883 to seek relatives, saves her from hired thugs sent by a nefarious business rival, George Pryce, who's after her late husband's brewery. In short order, Olivia hires Will as her personal bodyguard, inviting him to live in her sprawling London home. Olivia's beauty and "gumption" impress the reluctant cowboy, who's shocked and stymied by the strictures of Victorian England. Olivia, in turn, thrills at Will's lust, good humor and steely resolve, honed over years of life on the range. As George's attacks on the brewery escalate, Will and Olivia wind up camping out cowboy-style in the countryside and orchestrating a final showdown between heroes and villains. Archer deftly balances diverse cultures in this fast-paced, lighthearted romp that, like a Wild West shoot-out in a staid English drawing room, both tickles and thrills. (Feb.)