Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Gideon (Devils on Horseback) by Beth Williamson

Gideon Blackwood is on the run-from Tanger's meddling matchmakers. With no intention of following the rest of the Devils down the aisle, he heads for the hills to reassess a life spent leading and caring for others...and runs smack into the business end of a shotgun. At the trigger: a curmudgeonly woman with a broken axle and a load of responsibility.


In Chloe Ruskin's experience, men take what they want and leave a mess of trouble behind. The safety of two orphans and her granny is at stake, and the last thing she needs is Gideon's "help." This time, though, she has no choice but to allow the big cowboy to fix her wagon.


As they work into the night, grudging admiration grows into attraction-and desire. Gideon finds he can't dig his boot heels in hard enough to avoid falling for the opinionated little female.

When Chloe's family disappears, her suspicion threatens to destroy any spark of love before it catches fire. Gideon finds himself making promises his pride won't let him break-even if it costs him the love of the woman who owns the missing half of his soul.

Type: Historical Romance/Western/Erotica
Heat: 4/5
Rating: 4/5
Also Writes As: Emma Lang
The man drove her to be a hussy, and damned if she didn't like it. 
I've read a couple books by Williamson now and gotta say I'm really loving her style. She weaves stories that are so easy to get lost in. That'll have your heart pounding and your emotions reeling all at the same time. Her woman are fierce, the men honorable and their unending strength and determination to survive is truly inspiring. Really, what's not to love about that?


Williamson has a way with her heroines. They're never what you expect or really what would be considered 'proper' ladies for the time period. They're strong, full of sass and attitude and will do whatever they have to to protect the people they love. Chloe might be a bit much for some people but I really liked that she said whatever she was thinking no matter how brash and shocking it might be. She's doesn't have a lick of polish or tact but I found it pretty damn endearing just like Gideon eventually did. 
"If'n you don't want to help, then be on your way." 
"I told you I'd help, but I think we need more than just me." 
She snorted. "Then you ain't no kind of Southern man I know. Be on your way, then." The woman had the audacity to turn her back on him.  
Gideon didn't know weather to laugh or be insulted. This little bird had a lot of gumption, that was for sure.
I really enjoyed all of the interactions between Chloe and Gideon. She's sassy and doesn't take to being bossed around and for the first time Gideon has met someone who doesn't jump at his orders which frustrates and sets the man all out of sorts. These two were just excellent for each other. There's so much tension and snark and oh the steamy bits are delicious. And the sweet bits impossible not to smile over. 
He stared at her, his blue eyes drinking her in, up and down, and again, until she thought she'd have to kick him. Gideon walked toward her, then circled her as he continued to stare.  
"Much better than the burlap one." 
She would kick him. 
He picked her up, his arms holding her tight against his firm body. Leaning in until their noses touched, he spoke softly so only she could hear. "You're exquisite. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen." 
His heart thumped against hers, and she knew he was telling her the truth. That silly lump decided to come back to her throat for a second time. This time it wasn't because of sadness.  
"Let me down, you big oaf." She swatted at his shoulder, trying to regain control of the emotions running rampant through her.  
He kissed her hard, twice, then set her on her feet. The grin he turned on the Newtons was nothing short of blinding.
There were a couple of nice twists along the way that really snuck up on me and surprised me. I absolutely love it when I don't see something coming and then it hits me. And both times were pretty stunning and made my heart ache something fierce. Chloe deals with some unbelievable emotional turmoil but damn if her strength and perseverance getting through it aren't just stunning. 

Even though Gideon is the last of the Devils on Horseback series it's really easy to read as a stand alone. There's cameos from the other Devils that totally piqued my interest in all of them. It's an interesting lot of characters that'll definitely have me reaching for the rest of the series. 


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Beth has always been a dreamer, never able to escape her imagination. It led her to the craft of writing romance novels. She’s passionate about purple, books, and her family. She has a weakness for shoes and purses, as well as bookstores. Her path in life has taken several right turns, but she’s been with the man of her dreams for more than 20 years.

Beth works full-time and writes romance novels evening, weekends, early mornings and whenever there is a break in the madness. She is compassionate, funny, a bit reserved at times, tenacious and a little quirky. Her cowboys and western romances speak of a bygone era, bringing her readers to an age where men were honest, hard and packing heat. For a change of pace, she also dives into some smokin’ hot contemporaries, bringing you heat, romance and snappy dialogue.

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Do you have a favorite "cowboy" book? 
Have a favorite of Beth's books?

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53 comments:

  1. Awesome review!
    You guys definitely know how to hook a girl into wanting to read a book! I am not a huge western romance girl, but I do love a sexy cowboy now and again.

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    1. Thanks Penni! I never thought I'd be much for them either but oh. my. word. Yep. I'm loving em ;)

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  2. I'm usually not a fan of the westerns however this one sounds like one I've gotta read. I enjoy a man who is loyal and has some sense at least most of the time ;) thanks for the intro to a new author and possible series.
    Lori

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    1. LOL "at least some of the time" Bwhaha.

      Hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!

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  3. I haven't read any book by Beth yet and i only have one cowboy book so far ( i havent read it either^^)so i'm quite curious after reading your review

    thank you a lot for sharing

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  4. Love the cowboys!
    modularmates(at)comcast (dot)net

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  5. Nice review. Another one for the TBR pile.

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  6. Oh, I love me some cowboys. PLAY IT SAFE by Kristen Ashley is the last cowboy romance I read and I loved it. Beth Williamson is a new to me author and she's definitely going to be added to the top of my 'authors to try immediately' list.

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    1. Alright I'm gonna have to try Kristen Ashley in 2013. I know you've really been loving her!

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  7. Devils on horseback. Love that! Great review. Sounds like a wonderful read.
    lisakhutson @ cox. net

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  8. Another great book, I think...

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  9. I love reading cowboy books, but its really hard to choose one favorite, because they all are very interesting. I haven't read Beth's books, but I would like to read them.

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    1. Very true. All of the ones I've tried so far by different authors have been very different from one another. Love that!

      Hope you get a chance to read Beth this year!

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  10. One more for my collection!! :-)

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  11. Love you Miz Beth ;) I'm slowly but surely working my way through your booklist. Anyone and everyone should read your books you are amazing!

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    1. Agreed! I'm working my way through too and loving each one even more than the last!

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  12. Love the book cover. Sounds like a really good book.
    Sue B

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  13. I love cowboy romances; I also enjoy reading tough women and their alpha men!

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    1. I don't generally read western romances, though I used to read Zane Grey when I was in high school and loved them. I have read Medeiros's Nobody's Darling, which I enjoyed.

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    2. Mmmhmmm. Just something about those men :)

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    3. JMC= I really hadn't read any until Beth/Emma's books and she totally hooked me.

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  14. Oooooh, I love Gideon's cover. I haven't read any of this series by Beth. Maybe it's time to change that. My favorite cowboy book is Matthew and it's my favorite book by Beth. There's just something about Matthew that I fell in love with.
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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    1. Aw I loved Matthew (but Brody's my favorite- would totally make me swoon). I thought this one was a little more spicy than the Circle 8 but definitely still has her style and draws you in completely. Hope you love them just as much!

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  15. Ooo I just saw that on her site. Can't wait to read it :)

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  16. I'm drawing a blank on cowboys but I do remember reading some westerns when I started reading about 20 years ago. This series sounds like a hoot! "The man drove her to be a hussy, and damned if she didn't like it." That had me cracking up!

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    1. LOL. Leah it had me rolling. These two were such a good time :) Great combo of action/adventure/humor/romance (and great sexy bits!)

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  17. I love the DOH's!!! lol

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  18. Great review, thank you! I am not so big on cowboy books anymore, but as a teenager I devoured them. Winnetou by Karl May, sigh. Or those by Louis L'Amour, those Sacketts, I loved them.

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    1. Ahhh not read those yet. I'm just starting my cowboy obsession :D Thanks for the heads up!

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  19. Wonderful review, seems like a great read...Thanks for sharing :)

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  20. I haven't read any book by Beth yet, but i like stories bout cowboys. I usually buy cowboy books with author Diana Palmer, my favorite, Linda Lael Miller, Kaki Warner, Linda Howard and Carolyn Brown Books.

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    1. OOoo I've heard so many good things about Diana Palmer. One day soon I'll get to them hopefully :) And love LLM! She's awesome!

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  21. Great endorsement! Good to know that the stories holds up to the promise of that wonderful cover.

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    1. Thanks Di! Oh yes they very much hold up to the covers in every way :)

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  22. Ooo, never heard of this series but I do LOVE a tough, sassy heroine. None of that prissy miss stuff for me. Adding this series to my list.

    Adria

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    1. LOL aren't they fun?! Im not one for the "prissy Miss" either. LOL

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  23. Love cowboy, always *sigh

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  24. I don't have a favorite cowboy book, but I do enjoy Linda Lael Miller's stories. I haven't read any of Beth Williamson's books yet.

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  25. Great review...I love cowboys!

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    1. Thanks PC! Me too! There's something so damn yummy about em!

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  26. As long as he´s Alpha enough =D i love them all!! *rawr*

    Happy New Year!
    //Linda

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  27. Sounds like it contains great characters, worth checking out.

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  28. Good review. I've really gotten into cowboys/westerns lately. This one really looks HOT. I'm going to have to add it to my TBR mountain for sure (yes, I past pile, and am to mountain now, lol.)
    Thanks for pointing us to the great read!

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