THE OUTLAW'S HEART

Sparks fly between a Boston socialite on the run and a quiet outlaw after a case of mistaken identity in this American historical romance.

Evelyn Perkins feels like she’s finally escaped from her abusive husband—until she’s kidnapped from a train in Wyoming territory. At first, she assumes her husband has found her, but it’s revealed that the outlaws had meant to grab a woman named Sarah Cummings. Now they must decide what to do with Evelyn. A ransom agreement would mean Evelyn’s whereabouts would be revealed to her husband, and she’s determined to avoid that at all costs. Gabriel Sloan is a man of few words. Stolen from his Cheyenne tribe as a child, he and Evelyn share the trauma of a sanctuary ruined, and he volunteers to be Evelyn’s escort to his fellow outlaws’ hideout. As Evelyn and Gabriel ride together across the West, they discover they’re being tracked; a darkening cloud of danger hangs over the couple. Because both main characters are reserved and prefer addressing their feelings privately, their romance is rather slow, with things being thought rather than said. The setting and building of the cast receive far more attention, making this the slowest of slow burns, to the book's detriment. Previous couples in Sandas’ (The Cowboy’s Honor, 2019, etc.) Runaway Brides series make important appearances as they usher Evelyn and Gabriel to their happy ending. Fans of the series will appreciate the callback, but newer readers may find them to be an unnecessary distraction. Evelyn and Gabriel are a lovely and well-matched couple; they deserve more page time.

A tender and compassionate romance that requires some patience.