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Wild Burn (Wild State #1)

by Edie Harris (Goodreads Author)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 63 ratings · 27 reviews

Shoot first. Ask her name later.

Wild State, Book 1

Infamy weighs heavy on Delaney Crawford’s broad shoulders, first as a supposed Confederate turncoat, then as a relentless hunter of Cheyenne dog soldiers. Summoned to the small mining community of Red Creek, the exhausted, embittered Del is doing what he does best—ridding the town of its savage scourge—when one of his bull...more

ebook, 283 pages

Published January 15th 2013 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (first published January 13th 2013)

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Mar 20, 2013 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jill by: Karla

Shelves: historical-romance-american

3.75 stars

For full reviews please check out Karla's review and Wendy's review

Thanks girls!

Steam: 3

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Mar 18, 2013 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cowboys, historical-fiction-romance, kindle, western, favorites

I'm not a big reader of western romance, but I found this to be a real treat, right down from the plot, the setting, wonderfully vivid characters and best of all, the delicious sexual tension between Moira and Delaney.

They stood together in silence as it grew ever darker around them, or so it seemed, their eyes locked and searching.

Then, so tentatively it made her want to growl and groan simultaneously, he settled one wide palm at the small of her back and pressed. Pressed her closer. Pressed he...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Karla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: western-romance, wonderful-secondary-characters, yummy-men, awesome-alpha, exceeded-my-expectations, favorites, historical-romance, made-me-rawrrrr, needed-an-epilogue, passionate, possessive-alpha, second-chance, sensual, sexy-men, sizzling-romance, strong-willed-heroine, determined-heroine, terrific-dialogue, tortured-souls, witty

4 1/2 GUNSLINGING GOOD STARS!! I blew through this book! Delaney Crawford...RAWRRRR!!

I pretty much loved everything about this damn book! Amazing characters, captivating story, and the knowledge that there will be more, more, more…I can't wait, wait wait!!!

Moira Tully and Delaney Crawford are now one of my favorite couples. They meet when she gets in the way of one of Delaney’s bullets…sort of!

“And? How bad is it?”
“Perhaps a little more than a nick.”
“What does that mean?”
She heard the splash...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Stephanie Collins rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to say thank you to all my Twitter friends who had read this and made me really really want it. I was lucky enough to be one of the winners that Edie picked out and got my greedy little hands on this early. I must say how can you go wrong with an ex-nun who gets shot by the hero the first time she meets him… Ok.. It was a mistake but...

Moira is enjoying her morning ritual of walking in a clearing near her house when a strange man rises out of nowhere with a gun cocked and pointed at her h...more I have to say thank you to all my Twitter friends who had read this and made me really really want it. I was lucky enough to be one of the winners that Edie picked out and got my greedy little hands on this early. I must say how can you go wrong with an ex-nun who gets shot by the hero the first time she meets him… Ok.. It was a mistake but...

Moira is enjoying her morning ritual of walking in a clearing near her house when a strange man rises out of nowhere with a gun cocked and pointed at her head. She isn't a fainting type of woman so stands up to him and puts him in his place. After this momentary distraction he melts back in to the forest and she continues her walk until she hears a noise and feels something sting her ear. In a bit of shock she realizes she's been shot and instead of fainting, gets pissed. Yeah this mystery man shot her but then finding out he also shot her friend just pisses her off even more. She's got her own problems as the reason she renounced her vows and moved to the wild west becomes clear as the book continues. I really liked her and loved watching how strong she was in the face of horrible things but also how even with their less than perfect first meeting she never felt like she wasn't safe with our hero. She is a very strong woman and doesn't like anyone to tell her what to do no matter why they are doing so. It was refreshing to see such a strong woman emerge from the hell she was put through in Boston.

When we first meet Del he's a bit of a rough soul. I mean his job is to hunt and kill Indians who are terrorizing and killing settlers. He's a tortured soul and as you get to see more of his history your heart will bleed for him. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders even though he doesn't deserve all the rep he has. He's labeled as a deserter/turncoat by those who don't know the real story and by others who just know his current profession a cold killer. He is torn up by shooting Moira and as he quickly learns the shooting of an innocent Indian. As he gets to know the town better and all the people in it he's torn by need to move on (he's not the family kind) before he hurts Moira or staying to put down roots with a woman he is finding it harder to resist every moment he spends with her. What he does when he finds out her past was heartwarming and watching the true man come out and shine was wonderful.

The two of them share a great sense of humor and banter with one another which was refreshing but I would have loved to have this be a bit longer cause I wanted more of them together. Yeah so I'm greedy… *heh*

Thanks again to Edie Harris for giving me my copy and I can't recommend grabbing this enough. Pre-order it today….(less)

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Jan 31, 2013 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I blame my Goodreads friends/people I follow for my overly high expectations of this book. I found it just OK, but I suspect I under-rated it because I thought it was going to be great. Also, it wasn't uniformly average, but a mixed bag of good and weaker stuff, and the good stuff was good enough that I will try Harris again.

Good: a setting you don't see much these days, and I loved the idea of the characters. Ex-nun and gunslinger, each haunted in their own way by the Civil War, in Colorado Ter...more I blame my Goodreads friends/people I follow for my overly high expectations of this book. I found it just OK, but I suspect I under-rated it because I thought it was going to be great. Also, it wasn't uniformly average, but a mixed bag of good and weaker stuff, and the good stuff was good enough that I will try Harris again.

Good: a setting you don't see much these days, and I loved the idea of the characters. Ex-nun and gunslinger, each haunted in their own way by the Civil War, in Colorado Territory? Yes! Harris writes good love scenes, the physical hunger and desperation, the desire to be touching all the time that can be part of new love--she made me feel that. There's some really nice writing.

Not so good: looking back on this book, it seems like one big hot make-out session occasionally interrupted by plot. I like my romance the other way around. Beyond the physical, I could see logically why this couple fell for each other, but is was told more than shown. Only the physical part was fully there on the page. I didn't entirely buy the characters (yes, war changes people, but nothing about Del said "scion of a wealthy Savannah plantation" to me; Moira's position was precarious and she wanted safety, so I found some of her actions with Del pretty hard to believe, or at least I would have expected her to consider consequences more. Secondary characters were even skimpier. What was the villains' motivation? What was John White Horse's background? (I wonder if he is a future hero, which could be great, but I wanted to know more about him now). And the plot around the Dog Soldiers was disappointingly truncated. Just when I thought Del and the Marshal (also possible sequel bait?) were going to work on solving the mystery, boom, big action scene and it was all over. I was left with a lot of questions and no sense that this is a to-be-continued plot arc. There were also more than a handful of sentences that needed an edit, and some puzzling word choices (an "unprepossessing kiss"?).

In a word, uneven.(less)

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Feb 14, 2013 Brunette Librarian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads

Find the full review and more at @ the Brunette Librarian

Wild Burn is such an interesting mix of romance and adventure in the Wild West. Pairing a Confederate soldier hunting Cheyenne soldiers with an ex-nun from the East was a gamble that ultimately paid off.

Moira Tully is an ex-nun living in Colorado teaching the children in the small town. She is attempting to create a rapport with the local Indian tribe. One day as she is out walking, she is actually shot, well zinged really, by Del. D...more

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Jan 26, 2013 SaturNalia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: _its_electric-baby_, _americana_, don-t_hurt_me-baby

Crawford's first day in town and he shoots the ex-nun, school teacher. This story was great from start to finish. Both Crawford and Moira are haunted by their pasts, and do what they can to live day to day. The sexual tension betweeen them was the best, I wanted the couple to get together and cursed when their foreplay was interupted.
Moira was stubborn, strong and had a clear vision of justice. I liked her a lot. She didn't cry and moan about her terrible lot in life, she said good bye to her o...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Has rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bad-boy-heroes, book-crack, historical-romance, hot-hero

Full review to be posted soon/at The Book Pushers.

Quick thoughts/mini review:

Wild Burn was a fun and sexy romance, with a wonderful heartfelt romance between a gunslinger and an ex-nun. The chemistry between the two leads were wonderful, with a romance that at times was tender and sweet but also filled with great banter and humour which sparkled with tension.

The hero, Delaney was a great romantic protagonist, I liked his gruff and stoic demeanour and I totally melted towards him when he fell hea...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Mandi Schreiner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, western

This book grabbed me from page one as we meet gunslinger and rumored confederate turncoat Delaney Crawford and former nun turned school teacher Moira Tully. Even better, the book starts with Delaney accidentally shooting Moira in the ear.

Delaney Crawford is known as the “Dog Man Killer,” killing Indians who threaten harm to settlers. He has killed a lot and has seen devastation during the civil war. He has been called to the mining community of Red Creek near Denver to eliminate the threat of a...more This book grabbed me from page one as we meet gunslinger and rumored confederate turncoat Delaney Crawford and former nun turned school teacher Moira Tully. Even better, the book starts with Delaney accidentally shooting Moira in the ear.

Delaney Crawford is known as the “Dog Man Killer,” killing Indians who threaten harm to settlers. He has killed a lot and has seen devastation during the civil war. He has been called to the mining community of Red Creek near Denver to eliminate the threat of a Cheyenne tribe nearby. His soul is tarnished and he hasn’t even thought of dating or sleeping with a respectable woman until he spots Moira Tully.

Moira is an Irish lady from Boston who was a nun for six years before a devastating event took place one night which made her lose all belief in God. She leaves and finds employment out west as a school teacher. The Cheyenne tribe nearby seems peaceful to her and she encourages the tribe leaders to send their kids to her school. While the town Sherriff tells her he is okay with this, she doesn’t get a good vibe from him. While walking through the woods one day, all of a sudden she has a gun in her face. And when Del sees an Indian and immediately shoots, taking part of her ear off, she is more angered he tried to shoot one of her peaceful Indians than losing part of her ear. But she can’t help be attracted to this wild, dark man…

He was a man, a soldier. A growly, violent gunslinger come to her town on a mission of death. She shouldn’t respond to his nearness one bit.

But she does. She comes to learn he really is a gentleman, and yes he is a killer and has seen a lot of violence in his life, but he is willing to learn the truth about this native tribe. He is open to changing. His first need however is to keep Moira safe.

The thing that stands out most about this book is the most delicious sexual tension the author gives us. From the beginning Del is completely intrigued with Moira. I love that it goes against everything he is to harm her, yet he accidentally shoots her. He is a big, brute of a man who hasn’t been around a woman in a long time. He awkwardly tries to court her, yet has so much charm and a peek of an old southern gentleman that comes out, that Moira is in big trouble from the start. The author does a really nice job with portraying him as this wild, bearded, outlaw of a man who has southern gentleman manners. I just adored that combination.

Moira suffered an assault when she lived in Boston that makes her very wary of men, but she instinctively knows Del is one of the good guys. It takes a leap of faith on her part to let herself be wooed. As I said, the sexual tension in this book is so well done and the romance develops at such a nice pace. It’s all very intense and growly and a little over the top with their need for each other, but I loved it.

My one complaint is that the suspense with the ‘bad’ Indians kind of fell through for me. I wanted to see them a little more in the story. I did really like the Sherriff’s roll and his part not only with Del but how he affects Moira’s life as well.

Edie Harris has a really great voice and I can’t wait to get more from her.

Rating: B(less)

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Feb 09, 2013 Shelly LeCompt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay a short review b/c this was just a fast simple read. Nothing spectacular but not awful. When your out of books and looking for something fun....here you go. Good plot. Good character. Good sex scenes but not much, just a touch. When they happen though, nice a hot. Sexy cowboy. Recovering nun. Whole lot of Wild West indian hate and political manipulations. Nice plot w/some good issues to work through. Could turn out to be a decent series. Definitely an okay read (around 3-3.5 stars). As long...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Danielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, historical-romance, murder

This wasn't bad though it wasn't anything too spectacular either. I definitely felt like it was a love at first sight type of story. I also took issue with the fact that Del was obsessed with her freckles, it got annoying after the first couple mentions and this book definitely needed an epilogue!

I loved John he was my favorite character. Plus I think I would like to read a story with the same plot without the romance. Would have made for a more interesting story I think.

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Jan 24, 2013 Megan Erickson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! For some reason, I'm a sucker for a Western romance with a gunslinger hero.

I loved the heroine in this book. She was smart, funny, sweet, strong and had a huge heart. She wasn't a pushover, but she was loyal to the hero. I loved how they stood up for each other. It was so sweet. I also liked that it wasn't just a bunch of connected sex scenes. The few that were there were awesome and done well and really ADDED to the storyline of the couple.

Great read!

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Feb 12, 2013 Julia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, romance, historical, dropbox

This book and I were out of step in the romance department. Both Del and Moira are interesting characters, but their sexual chemistry is so out of control it kind of smothered any deeper appreciation of the story. I spent so much time being distracted by how they kept groping each other in public, which was at complete odds with the author's efforts to make this a believable, historical setting.

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Mar 17, 2013 Cora rated it 3 of 5 stars

3,5 Estrellas. Me esperaba un tipo más duro y una monja más monja (aunque sea ex).
Tengo que confesar que me ha entretenido y enganchado, me lo he leído casi de un tirón, pero es flojete y le podría sacar muchos fallos: el rigor histórico, el supuestamente duro héroe, que es un caramelito en cuanto conoce a Moira, y Moira que lo de haber sido monja, es absolutamente anecdótico. La trama del pueblo y los indios "malos" queda de relleno y el protagonismo se lo lleva la parejita que está "in lust" d...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Charlotte Stein rated it 5 of 5 stars

I hate cowboy stuff. So it's testament to Edie's talent that I looooved this book. Sexy, surly, gritty gorgeous hero, sexy, surly, gritty gorgeous settings - seriously, the descriptions somehow manage to be both dirty and dusty and lyrical and sensuous - and a great big bundle of tension throughout.

Totally lived up to that stunning cover. Loved.

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Jan 19, 2013 Claudia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, read-in-2013, western

I loved everything in this book! It felt so fresh and the author's voice is so beautiful and the writing well done. I felt so right in the book all the time.
Why no 5 stars then? I think the end was a bit rushed and I would have loved to see more of the hero and heroine together to make their romance more believable.
But I'll definitely read the next one in this series!

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Feb 12, 2013 Suleikha Snyder rated it 4 of 5 stars

A badass former nun and a green-eyed gunslinger create a "wild state" indeed in the kick-off of Edie Harris' new series. Wild Burn is a fast read, finding its mark as swiftly and precisely as Delaney Crawford's bullets, and fans of AMC's Hell on Wheels will definitely want to pick this up!

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Apr 06, 2013 Silvia rated it 4 of 5 stars

its very short story for me..but i like it..its good that moira and crawford can fid each other..their past were really bad for them...but i love moira's spirit, funny, brave and inteligent..i was hoping that she can be with sgt hoope..hes more chalenging and hot he he he..or maybe theres another story for sgt hoope

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Dec 18, 2012 Nicole Helm rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-ll-reread, favorite-heroes

You'll notice I don't read a lot--okay, any--historical romance. Generally because the best reviewed romances are in time periods I'm not interested in. This book had a fascinating setting (time and place), great characters, and lovely writing. Del is perfect in all his flawed glory and Moira is a strong, resilient heroine. I loved that though at times they were afraid of what the other might think, they never deserted each other over it. I loved that the author didn't rely on any cliches. The t...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Lea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013, recommended-read

4.5/5.0

Wild Burn made me want to read more westerns, riveting plot, endearing characters (renegade Indians, spirited heroine and a cynical gunslinger). All around great old west fun! :)

Review posted at the USA Today Happy Ever After Blog. Recommended Read post.

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Jan 23, 2013 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, read-in-2013

I can't decide if this is my favorite quote:

"I dream about you every night. It's torture."

She could barely breathe between his kisses, but she clung to him, reveling in his admission and in the passionate greed inherent in every line of his lovely body. "Why torture?"

"Because I wake up knowing I didn't actually touch you."

Or this one:

He shifted and inched her closer, until her knees knocked into the chair seat. "There ain't never gonna be a time when I don't want you, honey. Not a minute, not an...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Tori smexys_sidekick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alpha-goodness, alternating-povs, classic, e-book, humor, historical-fiction, kick-arse-heroine, read-in-2013, romance-historical, tortured-hero

A wild, fun, adventurous romance between a gunslinger and an ex nun. I was hooked from page one and read straight thru till the end.

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Jan 21, 2013 Veronica rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book! Delaney and Moira were wonderful. As soon as I was finished, I wanted to read it again.

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Feb 28, 2013 RIF rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5-4, good, may re-read one day

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Apr 13, 2013 Giedre rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not a fan of westerns or western-themed historical romances... but how the hell could I pass up a gunslinger hero, who shoots the heroine by accident, and the aforementioned heroine, who's not only peeved to get a permanent notch on her ear courtesy of the hero's gun but also is an atheist ex-nun? Very promising indeed. Wild Burn certainly delivers. Ok, mostly. The ending felt too rushed. Still, very good. And U.S. Marshal Alonzo Hood looks like a promising hero for the next installment in this...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Ridley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012, ebook, western-historical, 4-star

I'm kind of a cheap date with this one since I fucking love westerns and an Irish Catholic heroine from Boston who's both a former nun and an atheist is wicked relevant to my interests. That said, this book was great, and you should read it when it comes out.

I'll review it at length later. I have a reading challenge to finish first. Have four more books to read before the year ends!

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Feb 10, 2013 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, arc, cowboys, historical, read-in-2013

4.5/5 stars
Excellent book

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May 18, 2013 Andrea marked it as to-read

May 09, 2013 Jennifer Hartman marked it as to-read

May 08, 2013 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

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About Edie Harris

Edie Harris studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Iowa and Grinnell College. She fills her days with writing and editing publishing contract proposals, but her nights belong to the world of romance fiction. An avid reader/tweeter/blogger, Edie lives and works in Iowa City.

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Quotes from Wild Burn

“There is nothing truly painful about this, except the knowledge that, eventually, you'll stop touching me. That's what hurts. Moira.” — 3 people liked it

“I dream about you every night. It's torture."
"Why torture?"
"Because I wake up knowing I didn't actually touch you.” — 3 people liked it

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Wild Burn (Wild State #1)

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