Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad.
Review: I thought this was going to be a very good book but it was a little slow. I am surprised it got such great reviews. It was not that bad though.
Rating: 
Summary: Just shy of 5 stars, actually, but classic TM
Review: I'm not usually a big fan of romances set in the American West, but Teresa Medeiros does a bang-up job with this one. Her characters are always memorable: the gun-slinger hero with the mountainous mom and a cringe-worthy quartet of brothers, the music-teacher heroine who sings like a cat screeching but plays a heart-rending violin, the little brother who just wants to experience life so he can write about it, the sheriff who wants to be a dandy, the hilarious residents of Calamity, NM, and so on.The reader really gets to know and like the main characters as they get to know each other. Although they spat, they eventually bring out the best in each other. And Billy Darling is such a romantic at heart; how can Esmerelda keep from falling in love with him? Although it contains elements of danger and heartache, Nobody's Darling is a sweet book, a book that leaves the reader with that pleasant feeling of having spent time with good friends. All the secondary plot elements fit seamlessly. The 120-years-in-the-future epilogue was unique; I'm not sure it worked as well as it might have, but parts of it fit beautifully with the rest of the story. Another triumph for Teresa Medeiros.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and funny!
Review: I've never read Teresa Medeiros before but this book received excellent reviews on Amazon[.com] so I thought I'd give it a try. Medeiros writes like a cross beween Julia Quinn, Jill Barnett and Julie Garwood. She evokes smiles, outright laughter, sympathy and compassion. Believing outlaw Billy Darling to be her brother's murderer, soft-spoken piano teacher, Esmeralda Fine, journeys West from Boston to gun Darling down. She almost succeeds but instead spawns a partnership with Billy to locate her brother, Bartholomew, who it turns out is not dead at all, but is a famous outlaw, too! There are wonderful scenes like Esmeralda, pointing her little Derringer at Billy in a smoky, lowlife saloon and then pulling the trigger; after being ambushed in a canyon, Billy tells her that their best escape method will be to pretend that Esme is his prisoner. Suddenly, he ties her hands and stuffs a bandana into her mouth. She stamps her foot in fury! "That's perfect, angel. Pretend you hate me!" says Billy. "I do hachoo," mumbles Esmeralda. I laughed out loud!! You know their animosity will turn to love because this is a Romance Novel, after all. But it has depth of character and wonderful, warm genuine scenes that endear Billy and Esme to the reader's heart. Bravo Teresa - I'll soon give your other books a try.
Rating:
Summary: Another fine read from one of romance's greats
Review: In 1878, Billy Darling, the youngest brother of the infamous Darling brothers gang, met Miss Esmerelda Fine in Calamity, New Mexico when she boldly entered the Tumbleweed Saloon holding a gun at Billy's heart. Esmerelda believes that the gunfighter killed her brother and wants the law to do something about it. When the local sheriff refuses, she closes her eyes and fires her derringer, but misses her intended target. Instead of Billy being behind bars, Esmerelda is placed in jail for attempted murder. Billy gets her released and convinces her that he never killed her sibling. He agrees to help her find him. The couple begins an odyssey that soon leads them to love. However, can the granddaughter of an English Duke and an outlaw have enough in common to cement a lasting relationship? NOBODY'S DARLING will be historical romance fans' darling due to its phenomenal story line, two majestic lead protagonists, and a healthy assortment of supporting cast members. The brisk plot brilliantly blends yet contrasts elements of a Victorian romance with that of an Americana romance into one of the year's best novels. Teresa Medeiros confirms she is one of the leading writers of the nineties with her ability to smoothly move her tale back and forth across the Atlantic. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: A Darlin' Good Romance!
Review: Let me start out by saying that I'm not particularly fond of romances, probably because the first one I read was a VERY sex-filled one by Stephanie Laurens. I tend to gravitate more towards stories where friendship comes first, then love, then sex, as opposed to ones where the main characters just jump into bed together. So I laid off the romances for awhile, but after reading the summary of this book and seeing it's great reviews, I gave it a try. I'm so glad that I did! The is a story that mostly takes place in the wild wild west. I thought that this was refreshingly different from the stories that are completely centered around the 'ton' in England (what is the ton, anyway?) that are all repetitions of each other. One reason why I like and respect Teresa Medeiros as much as I do is that she writes beautifully, her stories are all different from each other (one is a time travel, one takes place in Australia, one in medieval Scotland, and this one in America's southwest), and she usually throws in one or two sex scenes that the reader can handle, as opposed to the dozen or more in some of the trashier novels I unfortunately fell across. This story is centered around two finely developed characters who truly care about each other, with so many interesting and funny supporting characters. I truly enjoyed reading this novel. One thing I really liked is that the hero, Billy, didn't have that notorious "mane of silky black hair brushing his shoulders". It's one of, if not the most, cliched descriptions of a male protagonist in a romance novel. This one was sun-browned and golden, and wore dirty, faded cowboy clothes. Not the crisply clean pinstripe suits in stories of Victorian era England or France. The heroine, Esmerelda, in this story was (Thank God!) not blue-eyed with blonde ringlets, who "oooh"-ed over that bad boy. This one had a mind of her own, and wasn't going to jump into bed with the first man she found attractive. Not that the main character really pressured her too- he respected her. I was completely happy with the main characters by themselves and together, they were perfect. The supporting characters were great, too. I really liked Aunt Anne and Drew, and they had a sweet side romance of their own that I liked because it showed that the author wasn't completely focused in on just two people. The dog Sadie, Billy's mother, the Darling gang of Billy's brothers, and Grandpapa were all fun additions to a whole crew of great characters. As for the sex (which is inevitable in any romance novel), there was only ONE sex scene! I was so very relieved, because though some might not agree, it really made the relationship between Billy and Esmerelda that much more loving. That's not to say that there weren't several scenes of kissing and there was some intense sexual build-up. It was fun to read the build up of attraction between the characters, which, to me, is far better then where it leads to. The plot of this story was, of course, hammed up a little bit, but still very fun to read the banter exchanged between the two protagonists and the great "Western" expressions were a hoot. The story was a bit shallow, perhaps, but very few people reading romances are looking for a in-depth book on serious issues. This one was just a fun, sweet story for a Friday night or at the beach. I definately recommend you read this book. I love Medeiros's writing, and this is my favorite of her novels yet. This book was a rare treasure.
Rating:
Summary: A book to absolutely treasure!
Review: My first thought after reading the book was...I wish Billy Darling is real!!! Anyway, I don't think I have ever enjoyed reading a Teresa Medeiros novel as much as this one. I fell in love with Tristan & Arien in "Breath Of Magic", but I went ape over "Nobody's Darling". I must say, this is truly one of a kind!!!
Rating:
Summary: Another great read from Medeiros
Review: Nobody's Darling is another original story from this author. Billy Darling is the quintessential romantic hero. He's tough, honest, sexy, misunderstood, underestimated and a great lover. Esmerelda is a good match for him. The plot is good, the dialogue is fun, the love scenes are perfect. I was really sorry to finish this book.
Rating:
Summary: Better than expected
Review: Okay, so I've never been much for westerns. John Wayne never exactly excited me. So I was a bit trepidatious at first in reading this novel -- in spite of the fact that I love Teresa Medeiros so avidly. I was still afraid she'd disappoint.
Well, I was wrong -- thank goodness -- she did NOT disappoint! Quite the contrary, I found that this book went right up among my other very-favorites of Medeiros. I read it twice in the same day -- after reading it the first time, I was so gleeful at how good it was that I just flipped back to the beginning and started up again.
Medeiros certainly knows how to write a good romance that warms the heart and tickles the romantic nerves. The characters were lovable, the plot fun and enjoyable, and the romance solid and believable. And there were some scenes -- I will include no spoilers, but I loved how it ended! -- that just made me giggle with giddiness.
If you love romance, read it! (Even if you can't stand westerns. *wink*)
Rating:
Summary: Everybody's Darling
Review: Set in 1878, Esmerelda Fine is a 25 year old spinster who is a music teacher in Boston. She travels to the small town of Calamity in the Wild West to confront the man who she believes ruthlessly gunned down her baby brother. In a run down saloon in Calamity she finally comes face to face with Billy Darling and as the local sherrif refuses to arrest Billy, she is left to do the job herself. She points her little derringer at Billy and fires straight at his heart and faints at the same time.
Esmerelda wakes up in the local jailhouse and is again confronted by Billy Darling, the outlaw. He manages to convince her that he has never seen her brother in his life, let alone gun him down in cold blood. Esmerelda hires Billy to track down her brother, Bartholomew Fine III. Together they set off to find Bartholomew and have an adventure of their lifetime, coming across the Darling gang (Billy's four older brothers) and a crooked marshall.
This was a fabulous read. I love Westerns when they are well written and Nobody's Darling is one of the finest Western romances I have ever read. Billy is a real gentleman outlaw cast against the lady Esmerelda. Their romance was a pleasure to read and there was plenty of humour to keep you chuckling along. The secondary characters,especially Billy's brothers were also a real hoot to read about. A highly recommended read.
Lea Ling Tsang
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: Since I bad-mouthed one of her other books, I wanted to make sure I was honest to give raves to her others. This is the third one I have read by her and though I didn't enjoy it as much as Charming the Prince, this one was very good. I enjoyed the hero and heroine and crazy supporting characters. I would definitely recommend this one.
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