Scorpion Blues

Wow, I enjoyed this one so much! It's an adventure novel, in a fantasy/Old West setting, with a good amount of romance and character development woven skillfully with action and magic. The main characters spend most of the novel alone together. Getting to know each other is a slow and emotional process in a miserable environment, but the pacing is excellent and the story never dragged, even when the characters were sharing their dark pasts with each other.

I really empathized with Love and Scorpion both and was glad that they found each other. They were also both likable to me; I'm not usually a big fan of constant bickering in romance novels, but it worked well here. The plot was very good and I really didn't know how it was going to be resolved until near the end - I didn't know whether they would find the missing man alive or not. Love's inner struggles were also an important part of the story, and I felt that the author handled a few sensitive subjects deftly.

In the end, I definitely felt hopeful about Love and Scorpion's future together, even though Love clearly doesn't seem to have any soft edges. I could see how they fit together, and it was surprisingly sweet, after such a difficult beginning. I'm just sorry that I've now read all of this author's excellent fantasy novels, because now I need to wait for her next release!