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I am Lover of romance, who indulges in the romantic adventures of literature

My name is Renee, and I am the host of this site. I am a 34 year old woman, on the prowl for her mate, searching out the best of books, exploring the wilds of the imagination and delving into the heart of a beautiful love story.

 

Book Review-Love’s Sweet Revenge by Rosanne Bittner

by | Jul 1, 2016 | Book Reviews | 13 comments

Book Review-Love's Sweet Revenge by Rosanne Bittner

Book Review-Love’s Sweet Revenge by Rosanne BittnerLove's Sweet Revenge by Rosanne Bittner
Also in this series: Outlaw Hearts, Do Not Forsake Me, The Last Outlaw, Blaze of Glory
Series: Outlaw Hearts #3
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on September 6th 2016
Genres: Historical Romance, American West, Saga Romance
Pages: 512
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
ISBN: 1492631442
Goodreads
AmazonLibrary Thing
five-stars

3rd book in Outlaw Hearts series.
Their Passion Shaped a Nation
Over the years, Jake and Miranda Harkner have endured all the dangers a wild and brutal West could throw at them. Now, settled on their ranch in the beautiful Colorado hill country, they’ve finally found peace. But for a man like Jake Harkner, danger is always lurking, and the world may not be ready for an infamous outlaw-turned-lawman-turned-legend to hang up his guns.
Threatened by cruel men in search of revenge, the Harkner clan must be stronger than ever before. Yet nothing can stop the coming storm. With the Old West dying around them and the rules of this new world ever-changing, Jake vows to end the threat to his family no matter what it takes…
Even if it means sacrificing himself so his beloved Miranda may live.

My Review Updated

This review may contain some spoilers so be warned!! 🙂

Summary 

Jake and Miranda Harkner have endured triumphs and sorrows, have stayed true to each other for almost thirty years. They have endured all the dangers that the wild west could have thrown at them. But their story is far from over. Jake and Miranda are on the brink of celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary. They are now settled in the Colorado Hill Country, Jake is working along side with his son Lloyd. Sharing every spare moment with his beloved wife, children and grandchildren. Despite his age, Jake doesn’t look or act his age especially when surrounded by his family. But Jake is still haunted by his past especially by the nightmares his father evokes. He still doubts himself and his worthiness to be part of this beautiful family he has. Enemies of Jake and Randy’s are going to come back and cause their peace to be disrupted in the worst of ways. But Jake and Miranda have the strongest love that can stand the tide of any storm.

Plot and Story Line 

WHEW!!! I am still on a book hangover from this story….Rosanne Bittner has done it again and I can never get enough of these two together!! Their love is EPIC and different and so unique but both of these two will be challenged in ways they don’t expect to find. I read this in one sitting—it was so good!! Normally it takes me a couple of days to read a book from her, especially since they are longer in length than the average book however….I stayed up ALL night long to read this book and so worth it. It sets off with Jake and Miranda spending some quality alone time together in a small shack cabin that is their refuge.

Big and strong as you are on the outside, you’ve grown so much stronger on the inside”

He kissed her eyes “You keep me strong.”

Their lips meets again, their passion no different than it was nearly thirty years ago when he took her for the first time…when he was a lost soul…when she showed him everything he didn’t know about love.

Life soon interrupts them though. They receive word that one of the outlaws that was involved in their daugher Evie’s rape attack, has been released early from prison. Jake knows that he will be gunning for him and most especially his son Lloyd. But on the night of celebration in Denver, at a ball of dancing—the worst of the worst happens. Jake almost loses his son, and almost loses his mind in rage and pain.

My son is in so much pain–pain he shouldn’t be suffering! It rips my heart out every time I have to hold him down because of that pain. I can’t stand seeing him suffer! I failed him, Evie! I failed my Son! All those years we rode together and had each other’s backs…and then we go to a simple civilized affair, and he’s gunned down right in front of me! That man took my precious son in cold blood. The old old Jake came roaring back so now you know the man who fathered you, and you see why I can’t believe something as good and beautiful as you even came from my seed. I am what I am, Evie and everything I touch gets hurt. That young man lying in that bed is worth Ten of me—a hundred of me! His voice began to beak and he put his head in his hands.

“I do see that man, Daddy. I saw him when you pulled the trigger. But I refuse to recognize that man as my loving and gentle father. He’s not the man who is married to the most devoted and gracious woman I know–the man who has grandchildren who need to see their granpa come back home to the J&L, and when he does, they need him to be the only kind of man they’ve ever known as their grandfather. 

Jake will soon have to face the music of the law, and the whole Harkner family will need to come together like never before to keep their family together and show Jake Harkner the power of love and family. But their anguishes do not end there…there is much more in store for Jake and Miranda and their whole family. A event that will prove them in ways they couldn’t ever imagine, where Jake will need to be the rock for Miranda.

Man these two could cause a heart attack…I swear I couldn’t stop the tears or the bursts of laughter. This family is so heartwarming and I love their close ties to each other. They are such a close knit family and even the sweet moments were so precious to read. We get all of our favorite family members and friends of course!!! We get more of Jeff our fellow journalist that followed Jake’s career in “Do Not Forsake Me” and also a friend of the family, Peter. Then the two kids Lloyd and Evie and their spouses with their charming kids and of course we have Mini Jake. Now this grandson of Jake and Miranda’s, the son of Evie’s is a riot!! He is exactly like adult Jake only mini sized. Then we also have some of the ranch hands that have followed Jake and Miranda over the years and stayed loyal. What really impressed me is how Bittner can keep this story of Jake and Miranda so vibrant and real. This is a couple that will stay with you for years to come, and she did a superb job in creating more dilemma’s for these two. Their love gets really tested, and it doesn’t end with this book!! It does leave a bit of a teaser for the fourth book. What I did enjoy was seeing that Jake and Miranda are both individually tested. And yes there are moments especially toward the end that just about breaks my heart and I honestly couldn’t stop the tears flowing in certain moments. I did like the turn that Jake had to be the strong one of the two. Over the years, Miranda is the one that has been his strength, his rock and has kept him from going insane. But we get a turn of events, where Miranda needs Jake more than ever, and despite how he feels he is forced to put it all aside to be what his wife needs him to be—-a rock for her to lean on through the storm.

Every time I touch you, it’s because I honor you and need you and adore you and love you more than my own life

This is a story for any romance lover, it doesn’t matter if you like historical romance or not—this is a MUST READ for any reader!!

The Cover 

What a beautiful cover!!! Sourcebooks has done a brilliant job with this cover and it relates with the book so well. I love how they made these two look more mature but not OLD. I love the backdrop with the sunset, and the pose on the grass. I love her yellow dress (which she wears one in the book)

Overall View 

Love’s Sweet Revenge is a tale that continues an epic love that is tested in bittersweet ways—a story that will entangle you through every emotion and make you fall in love like it was for the first time!! A love story that is epic and heart-stopping good!! TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY!

Books N’ Tunes 


Series Order (2)

About The Author Updated

About Rosanne Bittner

For those of you who have not yet read my books, my stories are generally set in the American West of the 1800's and feature vividly-described, historically accurate settings that span the US from Missouri to California, from Canada to Mexico. Many of my books portray the poignant history of our Native Americans, and though the characters are my own, I use real historical locations and events in all my novels. I must be doing something right, because more and more men are writing to tell me how much they enjoy my westerns, too. Louis L'Amour has always been one of my favorite writers, and I am very flattered that my male readers compare my books favorably with his!

As many of you already know, I was selected as the September 2013 Spotlight Author on fellow romance- writer Winnie Griggs' website, "Small Towns, Big Hearts, Amazing Grace." Winnie writes inspirational historicals for Love Inspired, and she conducted a very extensive interview with me about my life and my writing. If you missed it, you can still read the interview here!

Recently we lost an icon of TV westerns, James Arness, better known as Matt Dillon of the longest-running TV western ever, GUNSMOKE. I was very saddened to hear this, partly because Matt Dillon was my hero in my teens, and also because there are so few TV heroes left — actually, none that I can think of. TV sets no good examples of a strong line between "good" and "bad" any more. The old westerns did that. Cheesy sometimes, but kids understood that if you did something "bad" you had to pay for it. Respect, honor, manners — very little of any of that on TV any more. GUNSMOKE survived as long as it did because it had several characters with whom one could identify and empathize — like Doc Adams, Chester Good, Festus, and Matt Dillon's long-time "girlfriend" Kitty. The only western hero left as far as I can see is Clint Eastwood. When he is gone it will be a HUGE loss for quality movies as well as another icon of western movies and also TV (remember Rowdy Yates of RAWHIDE?). I always wanted to be able to meet James Arness in person, but now that will never happen. Still, he remains "alive" to me through continued re-runs of GUNSMOKE, which I watch every evening.

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13 Comments

  1. Michele H

    Great review! I definitely need to catch up on this series after reading about this. Whew…it sounds like such an emotional story, and I love that the hero/heroine are a bit more mature. 🙂

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      oh you would love this couple Michele!! They are amazing and one of my top favorites to read. I love that this is a mature couple. Its been a blast seeing them in love in their 20’s till they are older, married with a family and still working out problems together!! So much more depth and growth than you see in most other stories. You definitely need to pick up this series and NOW woman!! hehe

      Reply
  2. Blodeuedd

    I should read more Bittner, I did like the ones I read. Westerns are just nice

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      She is a great author, and writes the best westerns!!

      Reply
  3. Eva

    Great review! I have actually been in the mood for something in this genre so I’m going to check out the rest of this series

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      Thanks Eva! You definitely need to pick this series up, if I were to recommend any group of books to you…it would be this one.

      Reply
  4. Cyn @ Bookmunchies

    Ooh glad to see this is a 5 star read!! I have the first book and I’m excited to check this out! Great review!

    Reply
  5. Cyn @ Bookmunchies

    Ooh glad to see this is a 5 star read!! I have the first book and I’m excited to check this out! Great review!

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      oh Cyn, you would really love this couple so much!!! I definitely recommend reading book one. Jake and Miranda are one of my top fav couples I have ever read.

      Reply
  6. Carole's Random Life

    You’re killing me! I have a widget for this book that I have been trying to resist. I know that I will be clicking it after reading this review. I picked up the second one in the series after reading your for review for that one. I might as well get the whole series ready to go. Great review!

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      haha!!! That is my job. You definitely need to read this series for sure. Bittner is on fire with this couple and you would love reading these books.

      Reply
  7. Lola

    The first book in this series is on my wishlist and I got one of her books through netgalley, but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. I know how much you enjoy this author her books, so I am glad to hear you loved this one. And you read a 500 pages book in one sitting, wow it must’ve been really good then. It sounds like and emotional and heartwarming book! Great review!

    Reply
  8. Alyssa Susanna

    WOW! So much love for this book! I’m going to be honest – I hadn’t heard of this book before. It sounds incredible! I love historical romance, though I don’t seem to read enough from this time period. Wonderful review. =)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

    Reply

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