Lisa Lancaster

"The Lawman's Vow", by Elizabeth Lane, took me on a grand romantic adventure to the beautifully rugged Northern California Coast of the mid-nineteenth century! Flynn O'Rourke is a tough as nails San Francisco lawman determined to bring his sister's murderer to justice. He thinks the killer is Aaron Cragun, a salvage and scrap dealer with a less than stellar reputation, so he sets sail for Cragun's home on the coast. A violent storm wrecks Flynn's boat, and he awakens with no memory of who he show more is, or why and how he ended up stranded on the beach. He is rescued by a lovely blonde angel and her precocious little brother. Slyvie Cragun names him "Ishmael", and she and her brother Daniel provide him with care and shelter while he struggles to regain his identity. As Sylvie and Daniel await the return of their father, Ishmael gradually regains his strength and begins to make much-needed repairs to the family home, which is actually built from the hull of shipwreck. Sylvie's father is a man of intelligence and imagination, if not high morals, and he has created an amazing place for his family to live. The salvage he gathers from wrecked ships and other sources is sold to provide the family finances, but Sylvie is unaware of her father's other, less savory predilections for obtaining money. Ishmael is drawn to Sylvie's beauty and caring heart, and she is attracted by his strength and inner gentleness. Bits and pieces of memory return as the days go by, and Ishmael is torn by a desire to stay with Sylvie and Daniel, and the need to leave in search of returning to his real life. He has only a few clues, including the sapphire ring he still wears. Sylvie grows increasingly worried as her father does not return as planned, and threatening intruders add to her alarm. Ishmael cares deeply for Sylvie and Daniel, and he would give his life to protect them from all harm. The love between Sylvie and Ishmael becomes a blazing passion, one that the two of them know could end when his memories finally return, but they are caught up in a lover's spell. "The Lawman's Vow" is exciting, richly-detailed, and very romantic--perfect for lovers of great historical romance! Recommended for dreamers and adventurers who may have wished for a handsome hero to wash ashore in need of the giving and receiving of some passionate TLC! show less

Apache Fire is my first read by Elizabeth Lane and a good introduction to her work. It’s an American frontier/western story that also contains an element of mystery and suspense. The hero is shot while guiding two U. S. government agents on a tour of the San Carlos Apache Reservation. The agents were killed, and knowing that he would be blamed, our intrepid hero goes on the run. The only person he thinks he might be able to trust is a man whose life he’d saved a few years earlier, so he show more heads for the man’s ranch, not knowing the man had recently passed away. Instead, he finds the man’s lovely widow, who is extremely wary of Apaches. The two forge a tentative friendship that gradually turns into something more as they investigate her dead husband’s connection to illegal activities being committed by a group known as the Indian Ring and try to clear the hero’s name. Apache Fire is chock full of action and adventure with a lot happening to keep the reader engaged. There’s also a mystery that slowly unravels. While the reader will know right away who the bad guy is, it takes our hero and heroine a while longer to figure things out. Also, the extent of the villain’s treachery and how they expose his unscrupulous activities, as well as how they avoid falling victim to the Ring themselves, leads to a lot of edge-of-you-seat suspense. While not a perfect read for me, this was still a good book that kept me reading and engaged my attention throughout.

Latigo is half Apache/half Spanish Basque. Of course, he’s considered a half-breed and doesn’t really fit neatly into any one cultural world. As a very young child, he spent some time in Mexico, but never really knew his father. Later he and his mother returned to her people in the Arizona Territory, where he spent most of his childhood until she died. Then he was sent to live in the White world with a minister and his wife, which was a traumatic experience for him. Despite suffering abuse at their hands, the opportunity to learn to read and write inspired big dreams in him of doing something significant for the Apaches. That was all dashed, though, by the need to make a hasty escape from his living situation. After that Latigo became a scout for the U. S. Army, which eventually led to where he is when the story opens, wounded and riding toward the ranch of a man who owes him a debt of gratitude in hopes that he’ll help. I liked Latigo. He’s smart, very conscientious, and good at what he does. He deserved far better than what life has handed him, but like most Native Americans and half-breeds of that era, he found himself the object of gross racism and discrimination. Just being near Rose was a huge risk, as he could have been hung simply for touching her. Although it was very hard to read other characters in the story expressing extreme racist views, I felt that it made the story more realistic.

Rose is a brave and feisty heroine, who still has moments of vulnerability. She came west with her parents when she was just seventeen, but they were killed in an Apache raid on their wagon train. She was found a couple of days later by John, the man who became her husband, wandering the desert in shock. John took her to his ranch and later married her. He was a good man in his own way, whom Rose deeply respected, but he definitely wasn’t a particularly good husband. He was considerably older than Rose, and only cared about her as someone who could keep house for him and produce the heirs he wanted, so when she failed to do so, he blamed her. One day while he was out riding alone, John sustained a serious head injury from presumably being thrown by his horse. He became an invalid who Rose nursed until he passed away. Not long after that, Rose finally gave birth to the son he’d always wanted. She viewed her husband as a hero, and wanted to keep his legacy alive for their child, but when Latigo shows up, he tells her things that begin to place John’s goodness and respectability in doubt. Not too surprisingly, Rose is afraid of Latigo at first and doesn’t like him much, but I liked that her Quaker upbringing helps her to gradually come to accept him. As Latigo helps her around the ranch and offers his protection, she comes to realize that not all Apaches are bad, just like not all Whites are good. He’s also able to give her the passion and gentleness that were missing in her marriage to John, and cares deeply for her infant son as well.

Apache Fire was a well-put-together story, albeit one that is more plot driven than character driven. There were a few times I thought perhaps the author could have let up a little on the suspenseful tension, in favor of more romance, but I can’t deny that it kept me reading. The characters had interesting backstories, but their pasts didn’t come into play in the story in an emotional way as much as I would have liked. The relationship also develops pretty quickly over only a week or two, so the declarations of love came pretty fast. There is some decent sexual tension, but not a whole lot of tender emotions or romantic interludes, so that’s the main reason I knocked off one star. However, there was just enough for me to believe in their HEA. On the upside, I could tell as I read along that the author had done her research very well. Although I didn’t know until looking them up later that some of the background characters mentioned, as well as the Indian Ring itself, were real, I could sense that they were, because there was an authenticity to those parts of the story. Also as someone who lives in the desert southwest, I felt that the author did a good job of making the setting come alive with her environmental descriptions. So, kudos to Elizabeth Lane for doing her homework and for her attention to detail. Overall, this first foray into her writing was a satisfying one that has left me open to trying more of her work in the future. show less

I am a longtime fan of author Elizabeth Lane's historical romances, and I was intrigued when I learned she would be venturing into contemporary romance with the Harlequin Desire line. "In His Brother's Place" is the first release, and I am happy to say that her characterizations, sense of time and place, and compelling story lines are just as vivid in a contemporary setting! Jordan Cooper has some deep regrets in his life. His guilt over his twin brother's Justin's death in a plane crash has show more haunted him for years. So has the way he treated Justin's fiance, Angie Montoya, whom he dismissed as a fortune hunter. What he couldn't dismiss was the one scorching kiss he shared with Angie when she was upset over Justin's drunken flirtation with another woman. Justin had always been the charming, devil-with-no-cares brother, and Jordan had been the quieter, level-headed one. Even though he doubted Angie's real love for his brother, Jordan desired her just the same. Four years after Justin's death, Jordan discovers a secret that will forever change the Cooper family legacy: Angie bore Justin's son. Determined to bring his brother's son into the family fold and see that the boy inherits his rightful legacy, Jordan pays Angie a surprise visit and makes her an offer for her and her son Lucas to live at the Cooper ranch. At first, she refuses, but unexpected circumstances force her to accept Jordan's invitation. Being under the same roof brings their forbidden attraction back to flaming life, and soon their passion cannot be denied. However, Angie also has guilt over Justin's death, and Jordan has a secret of his own that could keep them apart forever. They both love little Lucas, and his happiness comes first, but don't grownups deserve to be happy too? Jordan's mother has never approved of Angie and blames her for the events which led to Justin's death. Can facing the truth and overcoming old hurts lead the way to a lifetime of love and a happy family life? Author Elizabeth Lane always involves you with her characters, and her story lines compel you to see how those characters find resolution. You will adore Lucas and his dog, and you will admire Angie for her strength of character and her devotion as a mother. You will also enjoy seeing Jordan grow as a character as he leaves one lifestyle behind and reaches out for what his heart really wants.

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The title, "A Sinful Seduction", doesn't do full justice to this very compelling contemporary romance from talented author Elizabeth Lane. Cal Jeffords is an imposing figure, both in business, and in his personal life. A self-made man who turned his troubled childhood around and worked his way into unimaginable wealth, he now uses his financial clout to benefit those less fortunate across the globe. Devastated by the suicide of his best friend and business partner, Nick Rafferty, and the show more unsolved embezzlement of millions in company funds, Cal will not rest until he has the answers he seeks. For two years, he has searched for Nick's widow, Megan, who vanished immediately after Nick's death, leaving behind the shadow of suspicion of her own guilt. When Cal finds her, working as a volunteer nurse for his own foundation in East Africa, she is a much-changed woman from the glamorous socialite he once knew. Going by her maiden name, Megan Cardston, she devotes her nursing skill to the refugees and victims of the brutally violent regime that makes torture, rape, and death a daily fear in the African countryside. Scrubbed of her makeup, jewelry, and designer clothes, this Megan is even more beautiful than Cal remembers, but he can't bring himself to trust her--the painful loss of his friend is still very much on his mind. Megan knew that Cal would never give up looking for her--looking for answers that she didn't have. Marriage to handsome, charming Nick Rafferty had seemed like a dream-come-true, lifting her out of the memories of her very poor childhood and into a fairy-tale life. However, Nick was not the prince she had hoped for, and while their public image seemed happy, their private life was quite a different story. Once again face-to-face with Cal Jeffords, Megan must deal with all her demons, including a traumatic incident that has left her with recurring nightmares. Cal had come to Africa bent on revenge, using any means necessary--such as gaining Megan's trust through sinful, sensual seduction--but it is Cal who is entranced by this brave and beautiful woman. Always aware of the ruggedly attractive Cal, Megan knew that he never really approved of her, but now his concern and care are just what she needs. Can she trust him? Both of them have secrets to share, but when all the truth is told, will passionate attraction grow into love? Elizabeth Lane has crafted a well-told, involving romantic tale that is adventurous, enlightening and entertaining. The passion between Megan and Cal is seductive, indeed, but these two very appealing characters will have you rooting for their happily-ever-after.

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