Kansas and Texas, 1868-1872. Courtney Harte is young and bodacious. She sees herself as an ugly duckling. Her father, once a successful doctor, has let his practice and personal life go since the Civil War. He remarries and moves to Kansas for a fresh start, but will it be too late? No sooner do they land as guests in a ranch then there is a major Indian raid, killing all of the local people. Courtney almost meets that same fate. An Indian, a very fascinating one with dark skin and magnetic blue eyes, almost kills her, but then decides not to. Her father disappears, assumed dead after the Indian attack. Four years later, Courtney has blossomed into a lovely honey-blonde, golden-eyed swan, and every man in the county wants to make her his wife. Her stepmother remarries and washes her hands off her stepdaughter. When Courtney sees a man who looks like her father in a local newspaper, she decides to travel to Waco, Texas, to reunite with her estranged father. But who will escort her through such rough roads? The journey to Texas would involve possible run-ins with Indians, after all. Chandos is the perfect escort. A brooding, taciturn and gorgeous gunslinger, he is the only one who can give her a safe journey to Waco. But who is Chandos? Who is the man with the bronzed skin, dark hair and magnetic blue eyes? Has she met him before? And why does he want to meet with certain people with such urgency? Chandos has some scores to settle, and nothing will stop him until he's found peace for himself and for his family. Falling in love with the beautiful young woman with cat eyes isn't part of his plan, but some things can't be helped.

I read a medieval romance by Lindsey not so long ago and hated it. Before that, I had read a novel set during the Western/frontier of the 1870s. Perhaps Lindsey is better at writing Americanas because I enjoyed this book as well. Chandos is dark and passionate, and I enjoyed his scenes very much. Courtney has some spunk in her, but she is not quite as annoying as Lindsey's other heroines. There is a lot of chemistry between the protagonists, and their turn from attraction to lust to love is quite believable. There are some word repetitions and I didn't quite get the little twist regarding Calida, the Mexican harlot-slash-troublemaker, almost toward the end, but everything else, including a deep look into Chandos's past, entertained me from beginning to end. I read some romances over the weekend. I had looked forward to some good beach reading, and was disappointed with the way authors seem to write their novels these days. A Heart so Wild reminded me of times when romance authors wrote with passion. Lindsey fell in love with her hero and storyline and it shows. Why can't we get that from the latest batch of romances? I guess I will have to stick with the oldies but goodies. And this one is definitely a goody.

A Heart So Wild................


A gunslinger with one name and one purpose .. To avenge the tragic deaths of his loved ones
A innocent timid young woman trying to forget the tragedy that took her father from her leaving her in a cocoon of insecurities
Unknown to them, the two tragedies have them linked , forever bound to each other

Four years later... Chandos the gunslinger loaner enters the little town of Rockley, Kansas. Where the beautiful Courtney Harte is living with her stepmother. Immediately Courtney sees the stranger and feels a warmth of safety in his eyes..... Chandos's need to protect the innocent beauty leads them on a path to Waco, Texas. To find her once thought, dead father.

I loved this book .. It had all the qualities of a romance novel, A hero of Strength, Integrity, and the Unspoken words of intense passion . A heroine of Inner beauty, to match the beauty on the outside ,the hidden Courage and Strength that busts out with her maturing

The timeline was nice JL takes the reader on a ride through the old west with its vast assortment of open land and she grabs you with the feel of traveling the tough terrain with nothing but trees and rivers and the occasional threat that stirs the feelings of Unbridled passion when you see, I mean really see that the person your traveling with is yours ....

Read the book!!
It will leave you Breathless and wanting more!!!

I have been meaning to review this for ages, and I'm finally getting around to it! If I could I'd give this book like 20 stars! I think I have read this one 8 times. I've read almost all JL's (Love her!) and this is the best. If you like romance, this story is a must. I came across this book in a hotel when I was twelve years old. I was a bit shocked by it at first, but I ended up loving it. This is the book that got me hooked on romance. I loved it then and it is still my favorite book. The characters are extremely memorable and there is loads of chemistry between them. The way their relationship evolved and they fell in love was very believable and convincing. I love westerns, but sometimes the plots are confusing/ repetitive. Not this one!

Chandos is the hottest fictional character ever written, in my opinion. I REALLY WISH HE WERE REAL! What's so engaging and memorable about him is that he's extremely manly, strong-willed, and even sometimes brutal, but he is very protective of Courntney, and "gentle when it matters". It's so cute the way he calls her "Cateyes"!

Courtney, the woman he falls in love with, is adorable. She starts out quite shy and timid around him, which is understandable, considering he's a studly, macho gunfighter-type guy. It's a wonder she even manages to ask the intimidating Chandos to guide her across Indian territory in the first place. However, as their journey progresses, I was glad to see courtney show a side that wasn't originally apparent-very passionate and brave.

It's very romantic how these people meet after a chance encounter four years prior, and fall in love. The plot was deep, complex, and greatly enriched by the story of chandos's past and his struggle for revenge and justice. Some might say the ending is sappy, but I loved it! this book is terrific from the first sentense (even though it's kind of graphic!) to the last, including all the components of a great and memorable romance: passion, true love, adventure, heartbreak, an engrossing plot, interesting secondary characters, a happy not sappy ending, an engaging leading lady, and an extremely hot, on-fire, out-of-this-worldly attractive hero. READ IT! YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED! YOU WILL END UP READING IT OVER AND OVER!

Loved it, loved it, loved it!
Chandos was the perfect hero. This is my all time favorite Johanna Linsey romance. The story had everything you could ask for in a romance - adventure, tension, suspense, danger and above all love and passion!
I read it in one sitting, (till 5am) I couldn't put it down. I wish I could read it again and again as if I hadn't read it before. I try, I read it every year or so. This is the kind of story that you hold in your heart for a long time after you have finshed reading.
A pure gem!

I enjoyed this book, but I hestitated to give it 5 stars since the characters could have been written with a little more depth. Chandos is the dark, strong, and brooding hero that romance fans continue to slobber over. Of course his heart is melted by the too beautiful herione before the story ends.