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the lines between suspicion and desire, and
his urge to question her quickly transforms
into a need to protect her. The only flaw in
this intricately crafted historical romance
is the unbelievable speed at which the
connection between the protagonists
develops. Readers looking for a change
from Regencies will find this witty
Victorian tale refreshing. Agent: Courtney
Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary (Nov.)★ The Devil in the Saddle
Julia London. Berkley, $7.99 mass market
(368p) ISBN 978-0-451-49237-1
Friends get more than just benefits in
London’s second Princes of Texas contem-
porary (after The Charmer in Chaps), which
tackles dynamics of class, wealth, and power
while developing a gripping friends-to-
lovers romance. The Prince family, owners
of the Three Rivers Ranch in Texas, have
fallen on hardish times after the death of
patriarch Charlie, who gambled away much
of their money, and they can barely afford
to employ majordomo Martin Fontana.
Hallie Prince, Charlie’s daughter, still lives
like she’s rich, but that hasn’t stopped her
from befriending Rafe Fontana, Martin’s
oldest son. Rafe has been “quietly, privately,
and desperately” in love with Hallie all his
life, but he fears that acting inappropri-
ately could cost his father his job. When
Hallie catches her fiancé cheating, she turns
to Rafe for support, and, as usual, he’s there
for her. But when chemistry develops
between them and she challenges him to
admit how he feels, he holds back, knowing
they can’t escape the difficulties that their
professional relationship presents to their
personal entanglement. London beautifully
captures the essence of the couple’s friend-
ship and the depth of their emotions,
making the lovemaking that much more
intense. Hallie’s grandma, Dolly, is as
charming and funny as ever, and the Prince
family’s financial problems bring more
comic relief than pathos. Readers will
have a grand ol’ time revisiting Three
Rivers. (Nov.)The Outlaw’s Heart
Amy Sandas. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $7.99
mass market (384p) ISBN 978-1-4926-5203-8
Sandas concludes her Runaway Brides
historical western trilogy (after The Cowboy’s
Honor) with this emotionally satisfying tale
set in 1883. After Evelyn Perkins’s cruelOne of the main conflicts between
Hallie Prince and Rafe Fontana is their
social status: his family is employed by
hers. How do you address that?
Rafe and his family are Hispanic, and
Rafe’s father, Martin, is about my
age; they were viewed as second-class
citizens when he was younger, and I
think in his head he keeps feeling
that. Martin says to Rafe, “You know
she’s never going to be
interested in somebody
like you.” Also, the
Fontanas are not as rich
as the Princes. It’s been
drummed into Rafe
from an early age: you
don’t really measure up
to them, they’re better
than you. For Hallie,
she took her wealth and
privilege for granted. I
would hope at the end
of the book that she’s
looked back at that and
realized that people are
just people and class
doesn’t matter.Hallie longs to be a ballerina but has
no talent for it. What inspired that
aspect of her character?
I think it’s fascinating to be so in love
with something and to want to do it
so much, but you just can’t get there.
You’re not going to be the best. I used
to play a lot of tennis and I was pretty
good on the club circuit, but as much
as I loved it, I was never going to grad-
uate past that. There wasn’t enough
physical prowess in my body to be a
great tennis player. But everybodywants to be something. And in Hallie’s
case, she wanted it so bad. I wrote this
book before the college scandal came
out, but Hallie’s father bought her a
spot at the University of Texas’s dance
program, and she didn’t realize until
much later that she’d taken somebody
else’s spot. She just had to recognize
that she didn’t have the talent, and her
privilege got her there.Grandma Dolly’s a
hoot. What makes
a comic relief
character like her
work in a narrative
with serious
themes?
You just need
some of that, I
think. I have had
female relatives
that were very
irreverent. There
was one, she died
when I was really
young, so I don’t
remember much about her, but what I
do recall is that she was so funny. She
could break tension with just a couple
of quips. Her name was Aunty Clyde.
She must’ve been in her 70s or 80s,
and she had jet black hair and ruby
red lips, and she kind of stood out in
my mind. Sunday dinners at my
grandmother’s, somebody would be
fighting, and Aunty Clyde would be
zinging and everybody would be
laughing on the sidelines. I just like it
as a writer, to have somebody yucking
it up on the sidelines.
—Gwyn Plummer[Q&A]
PW Talks with Julia London
Love Across Class Lines
In The Devil in the Saddle (Berkley, Nov., reviewed on the page),
love blossoms between a wealthy rancher’s daughter and the son
of the ranch’s majordomo.