Love’s Sweet Revenge

Bittner’s third installment in her Outlaw Hearts Saga (after 2015’s Do Not Forsake Me) follows the Harkner clan in the late 1890s as they establish their ranch in Colorado and deal with threats to their family. Jake Harkner, a former outlaw turned U.S. Marshal who’s now a rancher, enjoys working the land of the J & L Ranch. At 60, Jake feels blessed to have his wife Miranda “Randy” Harkner by his side along with their children, Lloyd and Evie, and their families. But Jake has made many enemies over the years, and he knows that he must protect his family when he learns that one of the men who raped Evie has been released from prison. Meanwhile, Randy’s afraid that he’ll let his lawless side take over and she’ll lose him once again to prison. Intense romance complete with the page-turning adventures of life in the old west propels this novel forward to its stunning conclusion, complete with the promise of a future installment. Agent: Maura Kye-Cesella, Don Congdon Associates. (Sept.)