Published by Avon on April 26th 2005
Genres: Historical Romance, American West
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
ISBN: 0060575328
Blackboard bestselling author Beverly Jenkins delivers another lush historical novel featuring brothers that were first introduced in her award-winning novel Always and Forever. This is the story that readers have been waiting for.
He was a wanted man.But no one wanted him more than she did.
Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, Olivia Sterling flees Chicago and heads west. She dreams of setting up her own seamstress shop in Henry Adams, a small all Black town in Kansas. But her plans are derailed when her train is robbed by Neil July and his notorious band of outlaws.
Neil is enchanted by the headstrong and lovely Olivia. No woman has ever set his blood on fire before, and he suspects no other woman ever will. When they meet again, Olivia is the town's newly elected mayor and Neil is still the wanted outlaw. With bounty hunters on his trail, he would be wise not to linger, yet he can't seem to leave her. Will Neil be able to convince Olivia to ride off into the sunset with him? Or will he finally lay down his guns for love?
Summary
Olivia Sterling seeks an escape. She has gone through an eduction, set up her own business as a dressmaker but when her father arranges a marriage with a much older man that only wants the money he can gain from their marriage. She flees into the night, with her savings sewn into her dress. On her travels to a new town, her train is robbed where she meets the famous twin train robbers and one in particular she has a chemistry with that she doesn’t expect. She has never felt such a strong connection to anyone. She knows he is “forbidden fruit” and knows that nothing can come from it but doesn’t expect to see him again. When she arrives in Kansas, to a small black town she settles in quite nicely. She gets involved in the community, and she ends up being mayor which is shocking and exciting. But what she doesn’t expect is to find Neil July entering her life again. Neil excites Olivia in a way she has never known in her life, and even though he is an outlaw and bounty hunters are after him, she can’t deny that she loves him and doesn’t wish to waste one moment without him but will she lose him forever when his enemies close around him?
Plot and Story Line
Something Like Love is a single title, although from the author’s notes in the book, there are quite a few other single titles that connect to this one that I am fully eager to read!!! So many fun side characters I want to know more and the women they fall in love with. Now the story begins a bit slowly, but it didn’t take much for me to get into the story and I loved Olivia and Neil. These forbidden romances are amazing, and Beverly Jenkins did great with the outlaw theme for the hero. Now our hero is a bit of a bad boy, but still has a good heart beneath his recent robberies of trains hehe He is Seminole, he worked for the government during the Civil War, but his people are starving after the war, and certain government officials betrayed them with fake promises, and he must feed what is left of his people including his brother and sister. Our heroine is a wonderful match for Neil. She is feisty, spirited and strong. She stands on her own and fights for what is right. It was interesting to see how she was torn between what was right and her feelings for an outlaw. I found their relationship fun and sexy, and I always had a smile on my face while reading this. I think what I fell in love with was how every aspect of the story just came together in the end and the final scenes of the story were simply superb!! I couldn’t have pictured a better ending and I felt a fascination with certain characters that have their own books. Quite a lovely love story with some historical authenticity to balance it out.
The Cover
LOVE this cover….such a western feel to it and yeah I adore the diversity of it. Love the field of wildflowers and her dress is so pretty, simple but I really like purple and it fits the setting.
Overall View
Something Like Love is brilliant, satisfying and sexy as sin from beginning to end!! I couldn’t get enough of this pair and the setting that Beverly Jenkins gives us.
How does that dress even stay on?
I love a perfect ending. The cover is awesome.
I’ve never read her but her books look so good!
This sounds great — I definitely want to read something by this author. Lovely review