Hot Western Nights

Karen Michelle Nutt, J. Arlene Culiner, Elizabeth Clements,
Angela Raines, Julie Lence, Kaye Spencer
Genre: 
Historical

Jewel Murphy runs away from her uncle because he wants her to marry an old man. Nash Landry does not believe in marriage. Jewel’s solution? A fake marriage! Essie’s husband wants a divorce. Almost penniless, she leaves for Blake’s Folly to become a piano player in a saloon and finds love. Dan Loomis is looking for a deserter. The clues lead him to a ranch where Miranda Foster is caretaker. Instant love ensues. Angela Summers loves her Opa, even though he is a bit eccentric. When her Opa is murdered, Jack Williams investigates and wishes Angela could feel for him as he feels for her. Amy Jansen and her husband have been estranged for months. Now she desperately wants Ryan back. Federal Deputy Marshal Clint Callahan finds a dying man and takes him to his wife, Rose Griffin. She is in the fight of her life protecting her land from an unscrupulous buyer. Love is waiting for all of these ladies in the West.

“Hot Western Nights” is a delightful anthology allowing the reader a peek at the lives of six ladies from the old West and the tales of how they find their perfect loves. The stories are short, leaving little room for character development, yet are complete with no loose ends to leave the reader wondering. Several of the stories are quite similar, with the theme of desperate women working in saloons – Oh the scandal! Although these are strong women, emotion is weakly drawn and does not reflect the seriousness of the situations in which they find themselves. There are some brilliant descriptions of individuals in some stories. One can imagine the hot, dusty little towns portrayed in so many of these tales. “Hot Western Nights” anthology is a great way to introduce readers to several worthy authors they may not have read before. 

Belinda Wilson