Natchez Flame

Natchez Flame, by Kat Martin
Published by Bantam, October 2004
Grade: C+

Back cover reads:

A woman of courage and honor. She sold everything she owned to go west and
marry a powerful land baron she’d never seen. But Priscilla Wills hadn’t counted
on the gunfight—or the gun—fighter—who would change her life: the tall,
broad-shouldered man who killed her guardian in self-defense. Reluctantly he
agreed to take her through the dangerous Texas back country to her fiance's
ranch. She hadn’t planned on a journey that would take her into a stranger’s
soul as he delivered her into another man’s waiting arms.

A man
who lived by the gun. He was an outlaw—yet Brendan Trask unleashed in the prim
and proper Priscilla a fiery passion that matched his own. But a man running for
his life couldn’t afford a woman who hungered for the security that only her
wealthy fiance could provide.

Priscilla is on her way to meet and marry a man she has only written letters to. The man her fiance has asked to escort her to him is shot by the hero, Brendan. Now that she is alone with little money, Priscilla asks Brendan to escort her the rest of the way.
Thats the first reason I don't like this heroin. Even though Brendan is a nice guy, she doesnt know that he is. She trusts him because of his eyes. Hmm, sure. Brendan agrees with me about Priscilla not being too smart, so thats one of the reasons he agrees to escort her. Also, because he is the one who shot her escort (in self defence) that left her stranded.

They travel a long way and she never listens to anything he says. He had to save her life countless times. Off the top of my head here are things he had to save her from:
A group of men who wanted to rape her
A rattle snake bite
A raid of Indians who kidnapped her
When she caught herself on fire
When she let the carriage run out of control
Another man wanting to rape her.
And there are even more than that!!

So, Brendan delivers her to her intended. This guy named Stuart. Stuart is a bad man who got his riches through smuggling. Brendan and Priscilla don't know this yet though.
When Stuart finds out that Priscilla and Brendan had spent so much time alone together he decided to marry Priscilla as soon as possible. He is really possessive and didn't want Brendan hanging around, so he sent him on his merry way, and informed Priscilla that they would be married the next day. She tried to get him to wait a little longer before they wed, but Stuart wasn't about to listen to her.

Hours after the wedding while she is waiting for Stuart in her bed chamber, Priscilla breaks down and starts to cry because she has strong feelings for Brendan, yet she just married Stuart.
Brendan sneaks back to her, climbs in the window and asks her to marry him. It's too late though, she already married Stuart. He then asks her to run away with him and she does.
They spend a few days on the run, making love often.

Stuart catches up to them, tells Priscilla that Brendan is wanted by the law for killing a man, and she gets all mad at him about it. Brendan is is taken away by Stuart's men and thrown in jail, and then she goes with Stuart. He doesn't punish her, but he is angry with her and he tells her that Brendan is a killer, and reminds her of all the people Brendan has killed.

Brendan is asked by some marshal friends to help him bring down Stuart and they tell him about the illegal things Stuart is doing. Brendan is eager to help. For weeks he tracks Stuart, and is worried about Priscilla. He thinks that Stuart has been treating her badly and he is afraid for her.

When he catches up to her, he finds her looking wonderful. When she sees him for the first time after all these week apart she acts annoyed with him. Brendan is hurt and angry because she believes all the things Stuart has says.
I was annoyed, too. Brendan did kill those men, but he did it TO SAVE HER LIFE!
Priscilla you are a stupid girl!

From there we have a lot of back and forth stuff going on. She wants to have a life with Brendan, but she feels some sort of loyalty to Stuart.
She just made me so mad.

In the end she does settle with the right man. They are almost killed too many time because of her though.

There is a lot of action in Natchez Flame. Between them escaping bad guys, fighting smugglers, and trying to save the life of Priscilla the dim wit, there is not a dull moment to be had.

This is one of those time when I give a book I liked a so-so grade. Reason being that the heroine made me angry, and the ending upset me. Epilogue starts off nice and normal. It's been about 6 years since they are married and they have a couple kids. Except we find out that 2 years earlier one of their sons died of fever at only two years old. I understand that in the 1800's children often died young due to illness, I just don't like reading about it.
If the epilogue involves a dead child, then I would rather it be left out entirely.