Love, Cherish Me
1983
- collectionid:wbodice_ripper
- fiction, romance, historical, general
- western romance
- bodice ripper
- fiction, romance, general
The story
Storm was her name and her destiny. Born on a night when lightning flashed and thunder rolled, the raven-haired beauty was sixteen before the promise of her name became the path of her life. Born to wealth, the belle of five counties wagered away to a middle-aged rancher by her wastrel uncle. On her way to Texas to marry Gabriel North, she was captured by outlaws -- and wagered away again by her captor to a blue-eyed bounty hunter, a dark-skinned gunslinger called El Lobo, the wolf. A man who could kill in cold blood, then take her with fire and tenderness when she whispered to him. Related Books - 3 - 1
What it’s like
Lush, heat-drenched historical romance with the rolling, overheated voice of 1980s bodice rippers: lavish sentences, sweeping descriptions of frontier heat and dust, candlelit interiors, and a lot of sensual interiority. Think sun-scorched Texas plains and dusty roads giving way to sultry dusk and firelit nights, with the emotional temperature running high throughout. The vibe is melodramatic and escapist, a fever-dream of desire and danger rather than quiet realism. Pacing is brisk and episodic, driven by captivity, wagers, and shifting allegiances, with long stretches of charged interiority between them. The arc follows a headstrong heroine passed from one hard man to another, her defiance slowly softening into surrender and a fierce, grudging intimacy with a dangerous outlaw. Intensity is considerable: explicit sexual content is central and frank, there is coercion and abduction that sits uneasily in the frame, and violence is present, including killings and gunfights, though not graphically gory. Written for readers who want steamy, old-fashioned western romance with a strong dose of drama and a tolerance for its troubling power dynamics.
More books like Love, Cherish Me
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved Love, Cherish Meand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
