Hannah Benning was raised by her con man father after her mother died when she was young. He taught her the tools of his trade and forced her to help him with his schemes. Eventually he was caught stealing and killed by an angry mob. After that Hannah's only wanted to be safe and to have a chance to make up for the crimes she had committed, so she joined a convent intending to become a nun. She spent most of her time in prayer until one day the Mother Superior requests that she accompany the local priest and one of the other sisters to the notorious local prison to check on rumors that the inmates are suffering some type of sickness and not receiving appropriate care. Hannah is loath to leave the convent, especially to go to such a horrible place, but she musters her courage and does as she is asked. When the trio arrive they find that the situation is worse than they ever imagined. When the inmates rebel against their mistreatment Hannah's companions are killed and she is take hostage by a man with nothing to lose.
Four years ago Quinn Landry was betrayed by his brother and sentenced to life in prison for a murder he didn't commit. The only thing that has kept him alive is his thirst for revenge and his determination to regain control of the Texas ranch that is his birthright. He has no desire to hurt a nun, but he needs a hostage in order to get away and can't afford to release her until he's back home. Hannah is horrified to find herself once again hunted by the law and is determined to escape. However, when she realizes that Quinn is sick and helpless she can't bring herself to abandon him. By the time he's strong enough to be on his own the warden is convinced that Hannah was part of the escape plan and she's in as much danger as Quinn is.
They make a pact to help each other with an agreement that Quinn will help Hannah return to the convent as soon as he has cleared his name. Their situation becomes even more complicated when they are captured by an outlaw couple who have their own reason to hate the warden. Circumstances force Hannah and Quinn to depend on each other to survive and as they grow closer they find themselves fighting an attraction that may put them in more danger than they can handle.
I enjoy western historicals which is how this book, set in 1895 New Mexico and Texas, ended up on my TBR. I pulled it out when I was looking for books for last month's TBR challenge. I didn't chose it was my official challenge book, but I was intrigued enough to keep it on the top of the pile and I'm glad that I did. There were quite a few elements of this book that were pretty standard fair. The beautiful young woman who is isn't quite a nun yet, the handsome man wrongly accused and bent on revenge, the evil brother consumed by jealousy and the evil warden consumed by greed. However, I enjoyed Ms Crook's writing style and she threw in enough unique elements to keep me interested. This is my first book by Ms Crooks and I look forward to reading more.
Grade: B+
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