Sunday, December 9, 2012

Virtual Blog Tour - The Preacher's Outlaw by Patricia Bates


Welcome to my stop on Patricia Bates Blog Tour for The Preacher's Outlaw.  Please make sure to leave a comment or question below to let Patricia know you stopped by.  You can enter the Rafflecopter form below for her tour wide giveaway.  You can follow all of the stops on the tour for extra entries here.

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Title: The Preacher's Outlaw
Author: Patricia Bates
Genre: Western, Romance, Historical
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Ebook
Words: 15,000

Purchase:

Decadent Publishing | Amazon 
| Barnes & Noble 



Book Description:



Escaped convict Abigail Murphy’s on the run while plotting revenge on the man responsible for her imprisonment and the deaths of her parents. When she gets to Freewill, Wyoming, she gets lost in the bustle until she comes face to face with Daniel Yuleman, a man who could ruin everything.

Daniel is a man wearing two hats. Preacher and lawman, he’s been in Freewill for a couple of months waiting to pick up the trail of two killers when Abigail arrives. Told to watch her, he’s drawn by the shadows in her eyes. The closer he gets to her, the more dangerous it becomes. As her secrets come out, he finds himself fighting to keep her and their burgeoning love alive.

Can an outlaw capture the heart of a preacher turned lawman, or will they both end up on the run?

Excerpt:

Abigail cringed at the faint ping of metal on metal as she settled on the edge of a bench before the hotel. Nervous, she scanned the street. Experience was a bitter teacher, and she wasn’t about to be drawn into O’Neill’s game. Smoothing her palms over her skirt, she chewed on her lip. There were two things she needed—a blacksmith and a horse. Somehow she couldn’t see herself finding either one with everyone out on the street.

“Goodness, child, you look lost.” A shorter, plump woman bustled up to her, a big smile on her face. “Can I be of some help?”

, Abigail leapt to her feet, her eyes widening. She stared down at the woman, her head coming up to her chin. “Um, thank you but no. I was to meet my brother, but sadly, he doesn’t seem to be here just yet. I think it best if I just—”

“Nonsense. You’re waiting to meet kinfolk, why not come in and sit and have a cup of tea?”

“Oh, I couldn’t.” Abigail glanced around, desperate for an opening. If this woman found out the truth, she’d get a one-way ticket back to Bucksaw, and she wasn’t in a big hurry to go back. “I spent the few coins I had for my ticket on the stage. I’ll just sit here and wait.”

“You poor child. Come inside this minute. Why, ain’t right a lady being left alone in this cold weather. Come, I’ll get you situated and we’ll wire your brother.”

The woman, Abigail shuffled inside, her gaze darting through the glass to appraise the street. Across the frozen road, she caught sight of a tall, dark haired man. His hat pulled low over his face, he lounged against a support column next to the marshal’s office. Blue eyes stared through her as he straightened his coat. The weak sunlight flickered and danced over the badge on his chest. Her heart in her throat, she hurried after the still chattering woman, the weight of those blue eyes heavy, almost as heavy as the fire licking through her blood. “Don’t be a fool, Abigail. He’s a federal marshal. He’ll string you up before you’d get a kiss out of him.”


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About the Author:

Patricia Bates currently lives in a small city in Canada with her husband, son, and a multitude of four legged friends. An avid reader, she loves historical movies, books...and is hard at work on the next book.















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Review 

With just a smidgen of heat, Patricia Bates brings the Old West alive with her tale of love between a bible quoting lawman and an escaped female prisoner in The Preacher's Outlaw.  Likable characters, a tale of good versus evil and a fast pace kept me turning the pages of this short story until I reached the end.  I found this to be perfect for a lunch time break or quick after dinner read.

An escaped convict, Abigail Murphy arrives in a small Wyoming town determined to get justice.  Wrongfully convicted, Abigail escaped and now waits for her her youngest brother to meet her so they can continue making plans for the future and the justice they seek.  Allowing herself to fall for a U.S. Marshall was not part of Abigail's plan.

A former preacher turned U.S. Marshall, Daniel Yuleman lives in Freewill, Wyoming and waits for the opportunity to get justice for a deceased friend.  When Abigail Murphy arrives in town pretending to be someone else, he grabs the chance to both use her to get justice against the same man she hates and at the same time protect her from those on her trail.  Falling in love with her wasn't a part of his plan.

The scenes between Abigail and Daniel are sweet, have an underlying current of heat and are easy to read.  With a fast moving plot, Ms. Bates introduces her characters and quickly moves their romance along.  Though a short story, I never felt as if things were being rushed or overlooked.  Staying true to the time period, the romance between Abigail and Daniel is chaste and innocent.  Their attraction to each other is well drawn.

When Abigail's pursuers arrive in town, will Daniel reveal he's known who she is all along?  Will both Daniel and Abigail get the justice they seek from the law?  And will Abigail forgive Daniel for not telling her all of the truth?  You'll have to read The Preacher's Outlaw to find out.  I liked it and I think you will too. 

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Crowns




FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a blog tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.




Please make sure to leave a comment or question below to let Patricia know you stopped by.  You can enter the Rafflecopter form below for her tour wide giveaway.  You can follow all of the stops on the tour for extra entries here.  


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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