Defiant [Large Print]

by Patricia Potter

Book Overview

Hailed as a shining talent * who soars above the rest, * * bestselling author Patricia Potter follows the success of Wanted and Relentless with a stunning love story that confirms her status as as master storyteller. * * * Only the desire for vengeance had spurred Wade Foster on, until the last of the men who had destroyed his family lay sprawled in the dirt. Now, badly wounded, the rugged outlaw closed his eyes against the pain... and awoke to a...

• Format: Hardcover
• Large Print: Yes
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786210478
• ISBN13: 9780786210473
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Thorndike Press
• Length: 571 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

YOU CAN'T DEFY LOVE!

I don't read too many historicals but this was an excellent book in the same vein as Woodiwiss and others of her era. The hero was so tortured and hurt but the heroine kept bringing him back from the brink of destruction. He showed her his bad side so often and tried to leave her but he kept coming back like a moth to a flame. She was a widow with a child and I usually don't care for children in stories but this "young man" fit perfectly. A wonderful read for a rainy afternoon or in front of the fireplace in winter.

A LOOSE FOLLOW-UP TO WANTED!

Mary Jo Williams and her son Jeff are leaving El Paso, Texas because of the death of Tyler Smith. Another Texas Ranger that was courting her after the death of her husband. Tyler was killed in a shoot-out in which Morgan Davis's girl was wounded. [Morgan Davis's story is in WANTED]. [I sure don't understand these covers as our heros and gals never dressed that way in the times written about.] Potter's Frontier Historicals are easily keepers. Wade Foster was a character that was great getting to know. Loved his interaction with Mary Jo and Jeff and their dog, Jake. Can really empithized with his feelings of guilt and self-disgust but he was a man of his times. Sure didn't stop the hormones - don't understand why she didn't get pregnant? Would have expected a lot more danger to Mary Jo and her son when Kelly showed up - him being a down and out killer. I also wonder if Matt Sinclair ever rated a story of his own? This was a great story plot - wonderfully excuted. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -M definitely one of the Keepers!

I am hooked!

This is the second Patricia Potter book I've read, the first being The Heart Queen. Both books are unique reading experiences, so good that I couldn't put each down until the story ends followed by a mad rush to hunt down more books by her. I love stories written with a lot of emphasis on the hero. If you like strong, dashing heroes with a sad past, wounded and yet able to do amazing things, Patricia Potter is your type of authoress. She fleshes out the hero and heroine so well, giving them each a psyche that is believable, likeable, strong and yet vulnerable. The ending wraps up everything well in this story, including the plight of a tribe of Red Indians called Utes for which the hero championed due to his past, the maverick sheriff who, even though he played a minor part in the story, shone with his intelligence and humanity. Even the dog gets a final airing with his brood of puppies. A must read for all who want a deeper experience in living with the wonderfully real characters brought to life in the book.

She loved him--could he really be a criminal?

Wade Foster had finally avenged the murder of his Ute wife and son. The last of the men who had killed his family lay dead after a ten month search. And now Wade knew that he would soon die too. His wounds were serious, his horse was dead, and he was lying in the middle of nowhere bleeding from two gunshot wounds. Twelve-year old Jeff Williams was chasing his dog when he stumbled across the wounded stranger. The boy dashed back to the ranch house, screaming for his mother, hoping that somehow she could save the injured man. Jeff's mother, Mary Jo, was the widow of a Texas Ranger. She lived on a Colorado ranch with Jeff. The ranch was her inheritance from another Ranger, Tyler Smith, who had wanted to marry her after her husband's death. But Tyler, like her husband, had died in the line of duty, leaving her and her son alone on the frontier. Although Wade was badly wounded, Mary Jo would do her best to keep him alive. It was not simply that she believed in life. She had lost so many people that she loved, that she could not bear to lose even this dusty mysterious stranger. Without even knowing his name, she soon began to care about Wade. As her patient began to recover, Mary Jo learned that Wade Foster was a man with a past not to be discussed. He was a man of dark secrets; perhaps he was wanted by the law. But when Sheriff Matt Sinclair rode up to the ranch to investigate a recent murder, Mary Jo lied to him, saying she had seen no strangers. Wade was concerned that the Sheriff and his posse would discover his dead horse with the Ute-style bridle that his wife had made for him. He feared that the Indians would be blamed for the murder of the white man. Mary Jo went out in the rain to retrieve his goods, and only then discovered that Wade had had an Indian wife. Mary Jo had only bitter memories of Indians, and could not understand Wade's relationship with them. Mary Jo sheltered Wade. He was physically injured, to be sure, but the emotional wounds hidden behind his defiant exterior stirred her feelings far more than his visible wounds. More than merely protect him, she wanted to heal him inside and out. She devised a plan to have Wade stay with her and Jeff, pretending to be Tyler Smith's brother. She told people in her valley that he had been injured in a railroad accident, and that he had arrived on the ranch to help her and Jeff . In spite of himself, Wade began to care about Jeff, and even more for Jeff's mother. He did not understand Mary Jo's affection for him. He believed that a man with so much blood on his hands was unworthy of happiness or even forgiveness. When danger comes in the form of a Civil War criminal, Wade's new life is disrupted, and the welfare of the whole town is threatened. Wade must make a terrible choice. Should he trust Sheriff Matt Sinclair with the truth of his past , risking his freedom and perhaps his life, to protect the woman and child he now knows he loves?

In spite of herself, she fell in love with a criminal.

Wade Foster had finally avenged the murder of his Ute wife and son. The last of the men who had killed his family lay dead after a ten month search. And now Wade knew that he would soon die too. His wounds were serious, his horse was dead, and he was lying in the middle of nowhere bleeding from two gunshot wounds. Twelve-year old Jeff Williams was chasing his dog when he stumbled across the wounded stranger. The boy dashed back to the ranch house, screaming for his mother, hoping that somehow she could save the injured man. Jeff's mother, Mary Jo, was the widow of a Texas Ranger. She lived on a Colorado ranch with Jeff. The ranch was her inheritance from another Ranger, Tyler Smith, who had wanted to marry her after her husband's death. But Tyler, like her husband, had died in the line of duty, leaving her and her son alone on the frontier. Although Wade was badly wounded, Mary Jo would do her best to keep him alive. It was not simply that she believed in life. She had lost so many people that she loved, that she could not bear to lose even this dusty mysterious stranger. Without even knowing his name, she soon began to care about Wade. As her patient began to recover, Mary Jo learned that Wade Foster was a man with a past not to be discussed. He was a man of dark secrets; perhaps he was wanted by the law. But when Sheriff Matt Sinclair rode up to the ranch to investigate a recent murder, Mary Jo lied to him, saying she had seen no strangers. Wade was concerned that the Sheriff and his posse would discover his dead horse with the Ute-style bridle that his wife had made for him. He feared that the Indians would be blamed for the murder of the white man. Mary Jo went out in the rain to retrieve his goods, and only then discovered that Wade had had an Indian wife. Mary Jo had only bitter memories of Indians, and could not understand Wade's relationship with them. Mary Jo sheltered Wade. He was physically injured, to be sure, but the emotional wounds hidden behind his defiant exterior stirred her feelings far more than his visible wounds. More than merely protect him, she wanted to heal him inside and out. She devised a plan to have Wade stay with her and Jeff, pretending to be Tyler Smith's brother. She told people in her valley that he had been injured in a railroad accident, and that he had arrived on the ranch to help her and Jeff . In spite of himself, Wade began to care about Jeff, and even more for Jeff's mother. He did not understand Mary Jo's affection for him. He believed that a man with so much blood on his hands was unworthy of happiness or even forgiveness. When danger comes in the form of a Civil War criminal, Wade's new life is disrupted, and the welfare of the whole town is threatened. Wade must make a terrible choice. Should he trust Sheriff Matt Sinclair with the truth of his past , risking his freedom and perhaps his life, to protect the woman and child he now knows he loves? DEFIANT is t