Pieces of Sky (A Western Romance, #1)

by Kaki Warner

A woman with no one to rely on finds a man she can trust with her heart in the first “flawlessly written”(Chicago Tribune) western romance in Kaki Warner’s Blood Rose Trilogy...
 
Jessica Thornton is a long way from her native England. An authoress and milliner, she carries the weight of a scandalous secret—a horrible shame that has brought her to the West on a desperate search for the only family she can trust: her brother.
 
No one prepared Jessica for the heat and the hardships—or for a man like Brady Wilkins. Despite the rancher’s rough-hewn appearance and her own misgivings, Jessica must put her life in Brady’s hands after their stagecoach crashes.

Soon, she begins to see the man behind the callused hands and caustic wit—a man strong enough to carve out a home in the wilderness and passionate enough to restore Jessica’s faith in herself...

• ISBN10: 042523214X
• ISBN13: 9780425232149
• Publish Date: 5 January 2010
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425232149

Reviews

[Stephanie]

This review was originally posted on Once Upon a Chapter



"The rules of attraction are about to be broken in the first book of the Blood Rose Trilogy. This winning new novel depicts the unpredictable West, and the men and women who brought it to life - against all odds..."

Jessica Thornton has been through hell and back. She has crossed an ocean and put up with intolerable circumstances to escape the past that haunts her even all the way from England. Even after enduring the most degrading act any woman can ever go through, she remains strong and refuses to give in to the one man she fears most. All her life men have failed Jessica; her father, her brother, and now her sister's husband. She is traveling through New Mexico Territory on her way to find her brother in the hopes that he can help her with her unfortunate circumstances. What she didn't bargain for was a man who would change absolutely every facet of her life.

Brady Wilkins has depended on himself for all of his life. While his father was in the war, Brady was the man of the house and RosaRoja, the family ranch. RosaRoja brings with it plenty of beauty but also demands much in return. A blood feud has taken several members of Brady's family. Sometimes Brady wonders if the price is too high. Brady takes on a lot of responsibilities and a lot of guilt that he feels is his to bear. When he encounters Jessica for the first time, he takes quite a nasty hit. From first impressions, he doesn't expect he has found a woman who will stick with him through thick and thin. Not that it matters much anyway because Brady tries not to let too many people past his barricades.

Jessica and Brady's relationship is awkward in the beginning. After all, they both have personal issues that they have to work past. Brady wants to protect Jessica and Jessica wants to be his. Time together changes things and they both learn to trust each other but can their love last in the harsh West?

Wow. Really, that was all I could think for a good 20 minutes after I had finished this book. From page 1, Kaki Warner grabs your attention and she doesn't let up. I found myself laughing out loud with her characters and crying for their hurts. I held my breath through several of the intense parts wondering what was going to happen. This book was "unputdownable" from start to finish. Jessica and Brady and the RosaRoja are so real to me, I feel like I can go and stay for a visit. I cannot recommend this book enough and as my copy is a library copy, I'm going to have to go out and buy a copy so I can specifically have it on my keeper shelf and of course to lend to my mother! I am eagerly anticipating Hank's story which comes out in June!