Review: Bride of the High Country by Kaki Warner

Title: Bride of the High Country
Series: The Runaway Brides, #3
Author: Kaki Warner
Published: June 5, 2012
Pages: 400
Genre: Historical Romance
Source: Publisher (Berkley Trade)
Rating: B
Reviewed by: Marq

Favorite quote: "I would have fought Doyle for you. Given you everything I had. I could have loved you. Hell, I probably already do. And I don't even know who you are."


summary from Goodreads
Margaret Hamilton escaped the Irish slums of Five Points as the ward of a wealthy Manhattan widow, but only marriage can make her future secure. Railroad mogul Doyle Kerrigan needs a well-connected wife. It seems a perfect match...until a shocking revelation sends her fleeing from the wedding reception.

Desperate to make a fresh start, Margaret takes on a new identity and heads West, finally stopping in Heartbreak Creek, Colorado, a dying mining town of little interest to anyone. Here, she finds new purpose, beloved friends to replace the family she’s lost, and a home at last.

But two men from Margaret’s past are on her trail. One is seeking vengeance, the other truth. When they both arrive in Heartbreak Creek, she must choose between the town she has come to love, and the man who might finally capture her heart…

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Marq's thoughts:
Bride of the High Country is the third book of the Runaway Brides series. I haven't read the two previous books but I had no problems following the plot. The book easily read as a stand alone with characters from the previous two books smoothly being a part of Tait and Margaret's story.

I really enjoyed Bride of the High Country. The romance is really well-written. The one thing that I heard about Kaki Warner's books is that there are no graphic sex scenes. The intimate scenes fade to black, something that I'm not used to reading but it worked for me. The focus was on the relationship and the romance.

Margaret has experienced a lot of hardship at a young age so as an adult, what she wants in life is safety and security. She thinks she's going to find that with Doyle but when she discovers a secret about Doyle, she takes off. Tait is tasked with bringing her back. Tait and Margaret's relationship has always been a tense one but the longer they are in each other's company, the tension begins to ease. Margaret is a strong-willed woman and knows her own mind. She frustrates Tait constantly with battling him at every turn. Margaret is a woman who must have the last word. Some of these scenes, with Tait and Margaret arguing back and forth, were some of my favorite.

"Take down your hair."
"It might get tangled."
"I'll brush it later."
"But it knots easily."
"I'll brush out every snarl. I promise."
"But-"
"Now? You want to argue about your hair now?"

 Because Tait and Margaret's relationship is written so well, I was not overly fond when the two were separated. I loved that Margaret met new friends and started establishing her life and independence at Heartbreak Creek but for me, it took too long for Tait and Margaret to get back together. I really liked Tait; he is written so well as the hero. You can't help but root for him to find his way back to Margaret. I was hoping the reconciliation would have happened sooner rather than later. Because of my impatience of the inevitable reunion, some parts of the book dragged for me.

At the end, it felt like the plots of the previous two books were quickly wrapped up while leaving us wanting more with the epilogue. I am definitely interested in reading more about Thomas and Pru. I liked Bride of the High Country a lot. I haven't read many historical romances that take place in America and it was refreshing. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.