"Vivid characters, fun dialogue"

A survivor of the War Between the States, Luke Savage is tired of killing and death. When he's forced into a gunfight and kills Japhet Breedlove, he vows to never again carry or use a handgun against another human being. Undecided about his future, Luke takes the job of bodyguard to a young woman returning to her home in Oregon.

Katie Lachlan is beautiful, headstrong, and self-reliant. She has "enough stubborn for three people and one cat". Katie has always been able to take care of herself, but when she catches the eye of wealthy and powerful Hamilton Steens Whitney III, she decides to return home to escape his advances. Whitney has decided that Katie will be his bride and nothing will stop him from having her. He follows her, trying to kidnap Katie and return to Boston with her.

Pursued by the Breedlove relatives who want revenge for their cousin's death and by the obsessive Whitney, Luke and Katie are on the run for their lives. Forced to depend on each other, but fighting their growing attraction, they travel the new transcontinental railroad, through a blinding snowstorm, and face a confrontation with the notorious Breedloves and the obnoxious Whitney.

I've purchased several books from Awe-Struck and I'm embarrassed to admit that I've overlooked Judith B. Glad. I won't make that mistake again. I have found a new author to enjoy. Noble Savage was a joy to read. The characters are vivid and well-written and seem to come alive. The dialogue was fun and didn't seem forced. It seemed as if this was a movie playing out in my head as I read the book. It takes a special gift for an author to do this and Judith B. Glad has it. I wanted to shake the villianous Whitney, tell him to go back to Boston and get a life.

Reviewed by Brenda Gill
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted September 18, 2002

Summary

Book IV of the Behind the Ranges series. Katie and Luke flee from danger only to find themselves in the middle of a war. Independent Katie Lachlan heads West to escape a wealthy, powerful suitor who won't take no for an answer. Luke Savage kills a man in a gunfight and vows he'll never carry a handgun again. As she flees her stalker and he runs away from his past, they discover that more than danger links them on their journey together along the brand new transcontinental railroad. Caught in a snowstorm, they are forced to travel on foot across a wintry landscape. While Katie learns that independence is no match for force, Luke discovers that saving Katie is more important to him than the vow he made. Striving together against wilderness, gunfighters bent on retribution, and a frontier town on the brink of riot, they find their strength, their convictions, and their very love tested by adversity and danger. Available August 2002 in trade paperback (ISBN 587492091).