Nobody's Darling

4.5 stars


I’m not what you would consider a Western fan, so I use that as the reason it took me so long to finally get around to reading this book. Nobody’s Darling tells the story of Esmerelda Fine who travels out West to find the man who killed her brother: Billy Darling. She finds him in Calamity, New Mexico and intent on killing him attempts to shoot him. Next thing she knows, she wakes up in a jail cell with Billy staring down at her; she had fainted as soon as the first shot was fired. Esmerelda discovers that her brother is actually alive and she promptly hires Billy Darling to help her locate him. Throughout their travels together in search of her brother, Esmerelda realizes that Billy is something much more than she had originally thought and she fears that she’s falling in love with him… but he’s an outlaw. Why would he ever want anything to do with a woman like her?

I have been a fan of Teresa Medeiros for quite some time now and I’m always pleased when I read yet another lovely book by her. Her characters always have chemistry that’s so honest that you can’t help but be touched by their love. This one certainly did not disappoint. :)
( )

Esmerelda Fine's parents died when she was 13, leaving her to care for her younger brother alone. The only family she has left is an aunt and uncle (a duke) in England, to whom she frequently writes. Now a grown woman who sacrificed her own happiness for her brother's sake, she is distraught when he turns up missing. The detective she hires tells her he was killed by a notorious outlaw named Billy Darling. Esmerelda sells her music school and all her belongings to finance a trip from Boston to the Wild West to locate this outlaw and bring him to justice. When she finally meets up with him (in a hilarious saloon scene), she finds out that Billy Darling is not who she thought he was and her brother might still be alive. Now in need of someone to track her lost brother, who better to ask but Mr. Darling himself? When he accepts her offer, Esmerelda encounters bank robbers, Billy's renegade brothers, and finally, love.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most romantic stories I've ever read. From the first page, I was interested in the characters. Their interactions are sometimes so hilarious that I caught myself laughing out loud at them. Esmerelda and Billy do not trust one another at first, but they are so drawn to each other that when they finally kiss, sparks fly. Billy is the perfect hero. He's been a hired gun, but he desires more--specifically, a badge. He's tired of fighting on the wrong side of the law, but his brothers' reputation has soiled his own. There is a clear turning point when Billy is wounded and Esmerelda takes care of him. She sees a gentler side to his nature, and...well, to continue would be to spoil the plot for you.

There are plenty of twists and turns along the way. Nothing comes easily to the couple, but in the end their love and Billy's persistence are rewarded. It's a most satisfying ending to a beautifully-written story. I started this one afternoon and stayed up late into the night to finish it. It's one of those books that leaves me a little sad to have to part with these characters. If you enjoy historical romance, do not hesitate to try "Nobody's Darling." ( )