Colorado Dawn

Author: Kaki Warner
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Pub. Date: January 3, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0425245224
Pages: 304
Digital Price: $9.99
Print Retail Price: $15.00
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The next in Kaki Warner’s sweeping new series about unlikely brides who make their way west-discovering newfound freedom and rediscovering love…

After only three letters and one visit during her six-year marriage to a Scottish Cavalry Officer, Maddie Wallace decides to build a life without him. Accepting an assignment from a London periodical to photograph the West from a female perspective, she sails from England, determined to build a new life as an independent woman.

After injury ends his military career, Angus Wallace returns home to find his wife gone, his family decimated by fever, and himself next in line to an earldom. His new mission is clear–find his wife and sire heirs. His search takes him across an ocean and half a continent, but he finally tracks her to Heartbreak Creek, Colorado. There his biggest challenge awaits–to convince his headstrong wife to return home as his viscountess.

Amidst statehood struggles, claim jumping, and railroad disputes their passionate battle rages…until word comes that Angus has become the earl. Now they must decide between a life in the mountains of Colorado, or in the glittering ballrooms of London…and between duty and desire.

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REVIEW

In Colorado Dawn, Kaki Warner’s trademark humor, grit and attention to detail come together in a beautifully vibrant, entertaining, and emotionally gripping story.

Maddie and Angus Wallace have spent only a few nights together in their six-year marriage. The last time Angus deserted her to rejoin his regiment, Maddie struggled unsuccessfully to make a life with his family in Scotland. She finally leaves and strikes out for Colorado Territory, where she becomes a celebrated photographer introducing the world to America’s west through a female eye.

She tells her new friends in the failing mining town of Heartbreak Creek that she’s a widow, a lie that catches up to her when Angus (now Viscount Ashby, or Ash) seeks her out because he needs an heir.

But how can she even think about forgiving him, much less giving up a meaningful career, for a lazy life among the backbiting aristocracy? And how can Ash give up centuries of duty for a life thousands of miles from his family and heritage?

I’ve read all of Kaki Warner’s novels, and they go from strength to strength. Colorado Dawn is the second in her Runaway Brides series (Heartbreak Creek is first), and this novel cements Kaki’s place as one of my favorite novelists.

For me, one of the great pleasures of reading a Kaki Warner novel is the voice she gives her heroes. They’re rough, rugged and funny, but they’d do absolutely anything for their heroines. Unlike their Victorian England counterparts, there’s nothing polished about them. They’re survivalists, and it’s a good thing because hoo-boy! Kaki throws a hell of a lot of conflict their way.

Though Ash is a new member of the British aristocracy, he has much more in common with the sheriff and ranchers of Kaki’s previous novels than he does with English toffs. Ash is a Highland warrior, a soldier, who has suffered grave injuries and losses. Although he devoted most of his life to his career, and was devastated to lose it, he has managed to keep his sense of humor, as shows in this scene when he’s driving Maddie back to town after a night of passion.

They spoke little. It was one of those highly charged female-type silences that eroded a man’s confidence and had him scanning through recent events to determine what he might have done wrong. Ash tolerated it as long as he could, then looked over at his wife. “It was the uniform, right?”

In the slanted light, her eyes were as brown and clear as the medicine bottles that had lined the windowsill beside his hospital bed. Filled with promises and hope. Addictive.

“Uniform?”

“That caught your eye.” When she still showed no understanding, he explained. “I can feel you drifting away, lass, and I’m seeking a way to draw you back. The ladies always seemed taken with the uniform. As once did you. Shall I send for it?”

“Drifting away? You can say that after what we—you and I—when we—after last night?” She clasped her gloved hands in her lap and looked away, her cheeks as red as strawberry ice in a paper cone.

“So it went well for you then, love? You dinna say, so I wasna sure. But with all the squealing and carrying on, I should have known.”

Her head whipped toward him. “I did not squeal or carry on.”

“No? Then it must have been me.”

And the scene just gets better from there.

I love that Ash is a man of his time, completely befuddled at first by the fact that his wife doesn’t want to give up her photography for a lifetime of leisure and balls. But I also love that he learns how important her career is and strives to find ways to support her in it.

If you haven’t read Heartbreak Creek, I recommend you start there to get a feel for the friendships and the secondary romance that run through the series. I highly recommend this series.

Rating: 4.5 (Excellent)

Heat-Level: 3 (Hot)

Reviewed by Kat Latham

Comment and enter to win your own copy of COLORADO DAWN

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By Berkley, Reviews38 Comments on Review & Giveaway: Colorado Dawn by Kaki Warner

38 Replies to “Review & Giveaway: Colorado Dawn by Kaki Warner”

  1. Thank your for your review. I’m really loving the cover for COLORADO DAWN. It has depth ,for want of a better word.

  2. I have yet to read one of Kaki’s books. I like the ideaa of these aristocrats coming to America and finding their individual strenghts. I love Lorraine Heath’s take on this idea.

    After reading your review, I’d love the chance to win COLORADO DAWN, Ash and Maddie’s story.

  3. Oh pick me please!!! I love Kaki’s books am a hugh fan of hers. I have read them all except this one and I can’t wait to get my little hands on Coloroda Dawn. She is one fabulous author and she writes the western romance which is my favorite read. Kaki’s books are AWESOME and her books covers are beautiful. To all readers out there if you love western romance you are sure to love Kaki’s book you don’t want to miss any of them.

  6. Haven’t read either, YET, but it sounds like a good time frame. One that I enjoy reading about struggles of those before us.

    Thanks for the review and chance to win a copy.
    Julie

  7. This book sounds excellent! I like it that the heroine takes off to photograph the west and be INDEPENDENT. I also love a good story that takes me to different locals. I’m going to read HEARTBREAK CREEK and then COLORADO DAWN. I hope to win the latter! Thank you for telling me about this book. Kaki is a new author. Hmm…unless it’s someone I know who is using a new nom de plume. 🙂

  10. I’m not usually a big fan of Westerns, so I didn’t expect to like this before I read the review, but now that I have read the review, I am seriously intrigued. I would actually really like to read this. Thanks so much for posting the review, because otherwise I probably would never have noticed this book!

  15. What a great review, Kat! Kaki is a new author for me, but this book sounds like a must read. I’ll have to check out her other books as well. Thanks so much for this giveaway!

  16. I have read all of Warner’s books and am really looking forward to this one. Thanks for the giveaway!

  19. This book sounds wonderful, the only problem for me is the Scottish language interspersed throughout the novel. In other Scottish novels that I’ve read the Scottish words and phrases get in the way of the story for me. Does anyone know if the hero’s Scottish burr in this story is over powering or is it hardly noticeable?

  21. Thank you for the giveaway.
    She’s a new to me author, I really like her name …..Kaki, pretty neat!

  22. I’ve heard about Kakis books and heard they are really heart-tugging. That’s a plus for me because I love books I can emotionally connect with and one of my favorit storyline is that of second chances. It sounds like this is the case here and I already want to root the couple on. Thanks for the review.

  24. Sounds like a great series. I’m unfamiliar with Kaki Warner; I’ll have to check her out on Amazon. Thanks!

  25. I’ll second your recommendation. I’ve loved everything that Kaki Warner has written. I think COLORADO DAWN is her best book yet. Can’t wait to see what she brings us next!

  26. Colorado Dawn sounds like a fantastic story, I love that the heroine got tired of waiting around and decided to take off and live her own life. I can’t wait to see how Angus convinces her to accept him back in her life.

  29. I’ve not yet read a Kaki Warner book. Colorado Dawn sounds great. I loved the excerpt. Thanks for the giveaway.

  31. I love the story about independent women that keep holding On their belief n what they want. Kaki always successfully creates many independent female character that keep fighting to fight for their belief. Thank you for the giveaway.:)

  33. I have her first series and really like her work. I look forward to all the books in this series being out so I can read them.

  36. I have never read any books by this author but this novel sounds very interesting. I would love to read this. The cover of this book is amazing and I love that the series is called Runaway Brides. Thanks for the opportunity to get a good historical book for free in this wonderful giveaway. Thanks Kat for an amazing review to an breathtaking new novel. I love Scottish men and Saasench women love stories.

  37. Ha, that little excerpt made me laugh. I love that he had to go hunt her down, this rugged Highland warrior who is also a Viscount. And I love that Warner makes the heros funny, that doesn’t happen very often. I really liked your review of this.

  38. I love the idea of a book where the man has to convince the women to come back to him. Too often it’s the man who is unsure and the woman figures out how to show him he’s wrong. A strong woman who will build her life alone like that sounds like one I need to read about.

    I’d love to win a copy. 🙂

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