LOGAN'S OUTLAW was a first for me on many levels. I cannot say that I have ever been a big Western fan and this is the first of author Elaine Levine's stories that I have read. I was honestly caught off guard within the first few pages when I realized that I was getting in to this story! Not only was I getting into it, but I found myself flying through the chapters so engrossed by the Dakota Territory that I had read half of the book before I ever took a breather. While there are a few love scenes I feel that I should warn you that if you are looking for the steamier side of romance you will not find it here. However, if you are looking for a story of strength, survival, and new beginnings you have come to the right place.

My initial reaction to Logan was not a very good one. I thought here is the typical male hero: quiet, shy, strong, gruff, protector of a man who has a hard time expressing his feelings. I thought I had it figured out. Yep my version went somewhere along the lines of him finally realizing he loves her at the last few chapters or pages of the book. I was very shortly proven wrong. Logan began to evolve into more than the macho man I thought he was. I was very pleasantly surprised by the depths his character ended up having.

There were tender emotional filled moments when I was so grateful for his presence in Sarah's life. There were moments when I could not imagine being in his shoes and looking beyond the pain to find the hero in his heroine. Sarah was definitely not the typical heroine. First she was hurt by her past husband, then abducted by Indians, tortured, and managed to escape. Many women would have lost their minds and given up hope by this point. But not Sarah, she is still evading them, plotting against them, and fighting to stay alive long enough to make her place in the world. Picking up a protector like Logan does not seem like such a bad thing, but when he begins to open her heart Sarah finds that he could be so much more. If only she would let him.

For all intents and purposes the romance story of LOGAN'S OUTLAW is enough alone to make me encourage you to read it. The strength of Sarah, the development of these characters, and the life that they are leading is another reason to read it.

But the way that Levine manages to create an underlying plot of exactly how harsh life really was for both the settlers and the Sioux Indians should be the convincing factor. Levine has definitely done her homework and kept the story true to fact, where other writers would have stuck with fiction. LOGAN'S OUTLAW is the one Western that will be staying on my shelf.

Book Summary

Sarah Hawkins survived capture by the Sioux, but after her escape she faced public scorn. Now, she'll do anything to start over, and the small town of Defiance promises the anonymity and security she needs. Before she melts into the shadows, though, it's her mission to put a great injustice to rights, and that means jeopardizing her safety once more.

But this time, she's not alone. Without meaning to, Sarah has fallen under the protection of Logan Taggert, a rough- and-tumble trader unused to caring for others - and yet unable to ignore the tempting, tenacious woman's plight. Though she refuses to trust him, Logan won't leave her side, keeping her one step ahead of danger...even as she takes hold of the very thing he never thought he'd risk: his heart.

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