A Wanted Man (Stone Creek, Book 2)

The past has a way of catching up with folks in Stone Creek, Arizona. Schoolmarm Lark Morgan and Marshal Rowdy Rhodes are determined to hide their secrets--and deny their instant attraction. This shouldn't be too hard, since each suspects the other of living a lie. Lark's too-fancy clothes and big-city ways inspire gossip all over town; Rowdy's blond good looks and impudent grin belong to a man sporting a gunfighter's coat.

Rowdy and Lark have one truth in common: the very real dangers they face, like the gang of robbers wreaking havoc on the railroad heading toward Stone Creek--the men Ranger Sam O'Ballivan expects Rowdy to nab. As past and current troubles collide, Rowdy and Lark must surrender their stubborn pride to the greatest power of all--an undying love.

A Wanted Man is a very enjoyable historical romance. Linda Lael Miller has written both Lark and Rowdy as strong, brave, yet human heroes. All the characters in this book fit in well with the story and at times they made me want to shake them and then hug them. A Wanted Man is a book I found myself not wanting to put down. As I read, I found myself wanting to be seduced by someone like Rowdy. I will most definitely be reading A Wanted Man again as well as looking out for more Stone Creek titles.

Barb reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I had such a great time reading this book! This author definitely knows how to capture your attention and hold it! This one, I would have to say, is one of her best!

Wow. Reading this book makes you think you were definetly born too late. They just don't make men like this today. As a woman you deinetly feel as if you are the heroine staring at Rowdy in your own bedroom.

I loved this book. It is a richly told story with great characters, both main & secondary. The plot is great. The tempo and complex storyline makes it worthy of buying a hardcover book. (Which I usually do not.) It is built slightly off of The Man from Stone Creek, but it isn't necessary to have read that one first, as each book can stand on it's own. I really cared for the characters and the trials they go through. Of course, love prevails in the end! I do hope that Linda Lael Miller continues the Stone Creek series and allows us to enjoy new characters and catch up with those we are already acquainted with.

The novel is set in Stone Creek, Arizona Territory, in 1905. Two people have arrived in town. Lark Morgan came to town a few months earlier and took the vacant position as schoolteacher in the local school. She is obviously well educated, but seems too well dressed to be a typical schoolteacher. She is boarding at Mrs. Porter's Rooming House. Then Rowdy Rhodes arrives in town, summoned there by an acquaintance to serve as town marshall and help in apprehending train robbers operating nearby.
He arrives at Mrs. Porter's Rooming House to rent a room for the week.

It is a small town where people gossip and speculate, but everyone has hidden secrets. Even the nosy madam at the local bordello does not know everything (although she does keep private records of her clients). Lark is obviously running from something. Rowdy has things in this past that he will not talk about. There is the question about Mr. Porter, who is not there, but who Mrs. Porter seems to be expecting at any moment. There is young Lydia, daughter of the local doctor, who does not get along with her stepmother. And there is the Chinese couple - the wife works as Mrs. Porter's maid.

People's pasts start to catch up with them. There are tales of spousal abuse, white slavery, child abuse, and reformed outlaws. The novel has fairly strong sexual content, and some amount of violence consistent with the story. There are a few surprises.