Title: Devil in Texas
Series: Lady Law & the Gunslinger (#1)
Author: Adrienne deWolfe
From: Review Copy
Genre: Western, Suspense, Romance
Release Date: 12th July 2016
Challenges: 2016 New Release Challenge, Summer COYER 2016
Links: Goodreads - Amazon
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Pinkerton Agent Sadie Michelson poses as a casino singer to investigate a Texas Senator. Before she can cozy up to her quarry, she must get past his bodyguard, William Cassidy, her long-lost lover. An outlaw seeking redemption, Cass was lured to Texas by the promise of a Ranger badge. But he hasn't forgotten the sassy siren, who toyed with his heart. When Sadie proposes a truce, Cass suspects she's hiding something.
With assassins dogging their heels, Cass and Sadie uncover a murder conspiracy in the senate. To stay alive, they must do the one thing they're dead set against: trust each other.
Series: Lady Law & the Gunslinger (#1)
Author: Adrienne deWolfe
From: Review Copy
Genre: Western, Suspense, Romance
Release Date: 12th July 2016
Challenges: 2016 New Release Challenge, Summer COYER 2016
Links: Goodreads - Amazon
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Pinkerton Agent Sadie Michelson poses as a casino singer to investigate a Texas Senator. Before she can cozy up to her quarry, she must get past his bodyguard, William Cassidy, her long-lost lover. An outlaw seeking redemption, Cass was lured to Texas by the promise of a Ranger badge. But he hasn't forgotten the sassy siren, who toyed with his heart. When Sadie proposes a truce, Cass suspects she's hiding something.
With assassins dogging their heels, Cass and Sadie uncover a murder conspiracy in the senate. To stay alive, they must do the one thing they're dead set against: trust each other.
My main issue with writing this review is where to go first! I was already excited to dive back into deWolfe's writing because it's been a while, and Devil in Texas was definitely worth diving into! It has plenty of suspense, drama and romance and it all keeps you wanting to turn pages until the very end. Basically once I started Devil in Texas I didn't want to put it down at all.
I love Sadie! I mean I'm pretty sure I loved her already from Shady Lady, a prequel of sorts to Cass and Sadie's love story, but in this book she came into her own. She was a strong and independent woman who knew what she wanted and would get it. She didn't need protecting and to top it off she was a Pinkerton (pretty much an undercover policeman).
Cass on the other hand had a devilish charm, but despite his reputation being a big thing for the other characters, particularly with women, I never once thought that he wouldn't stand by Sadie. He was protective of her, but he was also protective of Collie (effectively his sidekick) and the other people around him. He let Sadie be herself though, including helping her out of trouble not saving her.
The romance between them was almost a subplot really. I mean they clearly loved each other a lot, but the other things going on in the book took a more central role. I liked it as it meant that they could really grow as characters, and because they already felt that way about each other at the beginning of the book.
Collie (and his pet coon, Vandy) definitely provided a bit of comic relief too! Though for some reason I kept imagining him younger than he was even though I knew he was 18. While this is the start of a new series, Cass and Collie have been characters in a different series, Velvet Lies, too and it helped knowing their backstory too.
This was an exciting and highly enjoyable read, I'd definitely recommend it!
