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51st out of 236 books
—
409 voters
Pieces of Sky (Blood Rose #1)
by
Kaki Warner
Fall in love with the first book in the Blood Rose trilogy-a romance of the Old West by a phenomenal new talent
On a stagecoach traveling through New Mexico Territory, Jessica Thornton is a long way from the cool mists and lush gardens of her native England. An authoress and milliner, she carries the weight of a scandalous secret-a horrible shame that has brought her to...more
On a stagecoach traveling through New Mexico Territory, Jessica Thornton is a long way from the cool mists and lush gardens of her native England. An authoress and milliner, she carries the weight of a scandalous secret-a horrible shame that has brought her to...more
Paperback, 406 pages
Published
January 5th 2010
by Berkley Trade
(first published December 18th 2009)
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Wow..just...Wow! For the past few weeks I have been in such a "reading-rut",no matter what I tried to read nothing would grab or hold my attention past the first 100 pages. Then I came across this book at the UBS and thought "why not it will just go to the cant-get-into it-pile" What an absolute fabulous historical romance!! I cant remember the last time I have enjoyed a book this much,that I couldnt put it down nor did I want it to end. Not only did the author bring the backdrop of New Mexico t...more
21 likes · like · see review
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Kaki Warner is great writer. From page one, I was lifted out of my reading room and thrown into 19th century New Mexico. I could feel the heat, taste the dust. I love how Warner captured how miserable it was to travel by stagecoach through the barren Land of Enchantment. LOL
Also Pieces of Sky has great characters, especially Brady. He was written with nuance and depth. I could almost imagine what he was going to say before he said it. Warner did a good job of showing how tough he was without ju...more
Also Pieces of Sky has great characters, especially Brady. He was written with nuance and depth. I could almost imagine what he was going to say before he said it. Warner did a good job of showing how tough he was without ju...more
8 likes · like · see review
A great character driven story that brings the roughness of the wild west to life. It had a slow pace to it, especially in the beginning, but it just worked. I especially enjoyed the way the H/h could laugh and enjoy each other despite all the crazy hard times going on in their world. The dialogue between H/h was especially funny at times, and the story was told in a way that made you feel you were right there in the old west. I will read the next in this series for certain. Hope you enjoy it!
21 likes · like · see review
In my quest to read any romance (or western) set in New Mexico, I'm finding some real doozies. I went into this one with optimism. I wanted to like it. I really did, considering so many of my GR friends gave it 5 stars.
I'll try to keep this review short and sweet, something this book is entirely incapable of. Or at least only say what I need to say - these were the things that made me bail at pg. 146 after 4 days of slogging (Hey, you can't say I didn't give this book a chance!)
The painstaking d...more
I'll try to keep this review short and sweet, something this book is entirely incapable of. Or at least only say what I need to say - these were the things that made me bail at pg. 146 after 4 days of slogging (Hey, you can't say I didn't give this book a chance!)
The painstaking d...more
5 likes · like · see review
Jan 12, 2012
Misfit
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-romance,
western
"She looked at land and thought flowers. He looked at land and thought cattle. She was liveried servants and ivy-covered stone. He was hard-living cowboys and rough-hewn timbers. Champagne and Forty Rod. The two didn’t mix."
Oh, but they do…
Jessica Thornton is a very proper English lady who is very pregnant and on the run from her dastardly brother-in-law who wants to force her into signing over the family estate to him. Jessica comes to New Mexico hoping to find her long lost brother, but instea...more
Oh, but they do…
Jessica Thornton is a very proper English lady who is very pregnant and on the run from her dastardly brother-in-law who wants to force her into signing over the family estate to him. Jessica comes to New Mexico hoping to find her long lost brother, but instea...more
13 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Love it and love how Kaki make the story up, creating a hero that reader couldn’t reject his at all and combines all the flavors of sadness, joy, bitterness and pleasures into 1 book with the sweet happy ending ;).
And the important thing is that never ever run away from the problems you have and trying to open yourself, talking with the one you believe and face it even how really bad the problem is.
This story is about feud that begin only because 1 matter – “RosaRoja” but have to involve so many...more
And the important thing is that never ever run away from the problems you have and trying to open yourself, talking with the one you believe and face it even how really bad the problem is.
This story is about feud that begin only because 1 matter – “RosaRoja” but have to involve so many...more
The first book in the Blood Rose series by Kaki Warner. I saw some reviews which made me curious to try this author. It had a lot of potential and I liked the beginning but after that it just got really slow for me.
2 likes · like · see review
May 10, 2013
♥ Vonda M. Reid ♥
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
western-historical
Overall Rating: 4.90 // Action: 3.0 / Emotion: 5.5 / Romance: 5.0 / Sensuous: 1.0 / Suspense: 4.0 // Historical Flavor: 4.0 // Laughter: 13 / Grins: 5 // Tears: 14 / Teary: 3
Pieces of Sky: 4.90:
This debut book won seven well-deserved awards. Although the terminology used in the book may have had a modern ring to it sometimes ("they hooked up with Jacob"), it was easy to overlook because the character development was so outstanding and the dialogue interjected during the telling of this deeply-f...more
Pieces of Sky: 4.90:
This debut book won seven well-deserved awards. Although the terminology used in the book may have had a modern ring to it sometimes ("they hooked up with Jacob"), it was easy to overlook because the character development was so outstanding and the dialogue interjected during the telling of this deeply-f...more
This is a character driven book and it's Amazing given it's a debut author. Frankly I was blown away, Brady and Jessica are people I will remember for a long, long time. There's this connection almost immediately between the two. Brady is everything I love in a hero if I had a hand in creating him. He's Tough yet tender, honorable, responsible with a wry sense of humor and a big heart. Jessica is resilient, loyal, smart, and best friend and lover to Brady when he believes himself undeserving. Th...more
Jessica Thornton has traveled all the way from England to the harsh New Mexico Territory to escape her brother-in-law, who in a fit of anger, raped her and left her pregnant. Because of his outstanding debts, he tried to force Jessica to sign over the deed to her very profitable property so he could mortgage it and pay off his creditors. She refused and he did the worst possible thing he could do to a woman. Jessica hopes to find her brother in this harsh desert landscape where she doesn’t know...more
6 likes · like · see review
4 and 1/2 Stars! Unusual, Worthy Western Historical from New Mexico Territory, 1st in the Blood Rose Trilogy
This is the first in Warner’s Blood Rose trilogy, named after the roses that surround the RosaRoja ranch owned by the three Wilkins brothers in New Mexico Territory. Set in 1869, it tells the story of Jessica Thornton, on the run from her home in England and the brother-in-law who raped her and left her pregnant with his child. She is trying to get to the only man she trusts, her brother....more
This is the first in Warner’s Blood Rose trilogy, named after the roses that surround the RosaRoja ranch owned by the three Wilkins brothers in New Mexico Territory. Set in 1869, it tells the story of Jessica Thornton, on the run from her home in England and the brother-in-law who raped her and left her pregnant with his child. She is trying to get to the only man she trusts, her brother....more
This was my first reading of Ms. Warner and I was impressed. I thought the story moved well and took one through so many emotions. There were times I wondered if they were going to get the HEA (But it is a romance so...)the suspsense was real, the ebb and flow of life was real.
I really liked that the hard sides of life in the west after the Civil War were portrayed as well as the good. Many books do not show that side - it was a hard life and travel was difficult at best in the years before the...more
I really liked that the hard sides of life in the west after the Civil War were portrayed as well as the good. Many books do not show that side - it was a hard life and travel was difficult at best in the years before the...more
I loved this so much, I'm going to do something I don't often do:goright into book 2 of the trilogy, Open Country.
p. 134: "It wasn't his best, Brady thought, feeling awkward and clumsy as a green kid. Yet it awakened within him a fire that sent heat rushing through his body. So he kissed her again. And suddenly he was so lost in the wonder of her, he couldn't think at all, and might have kept at it all day, if he hadn't felt her hands on his chest…
'That wasn't so bad, was it?'…
By the time Jessic...more
p. 134: "It wasn't his best, Brady thought, feeling awkward and clumsy as a green kid. Yet it awakened within him a fire that sent heat rushing through his body. So he kissed her again. And suddenly he was so lost in the wonder of her, he couldn't think at all, and might have kept at it all day, if he hadn't felt her hands on his chest…
'That wasn't so bad, was it?'…
By the time Jessic...more
Kaki Warner is a brand new author for me and I have to say that I was very pleasantly suprised and very impressed with her style of writing. Pieces of the Sky being the first in the series, introduces the three brothers where one becomes the focal character of this story yet you see the camaraderie shared amongst each brother each with a very different personality, a very different "look" and outlook. Pieces of Sky is Brady's story and you'll soon find yourself loving his character. He's sexy, h...more
I tried this book because I heard so many people raving about this author and, while I thought it was good, I didn't fall in love with it. I have no major complaints with it either, other than I just simply didn't love it. The writing is good, the characters were fine and I liked how the plot between the hero and heroine wasn't constantly driven by misunderstandings (they actually talked to each other). And yet, while the hero had some lines/speeches that I imagine a woman might give her left ar...more
I tried re-reading this book, to see if it was better the second time. Nope. It's a frustrating read. Left me feeling grumpy.
First, the positives: What did I like? It started off great! The first half was nicely suspenseful and intense, but also sexy and slightly funny. I liked Jessica, and Brady's brothers, and Jessica's new friends at the ranch. There were some funny and lighthearted scenes with Jessica and Brady, like when she was going to tend his wound by the water trough. I enjoyed the dev...more
First, the positives: What did I like? It started off great! The first half was nicely suspenseful and intense, but also sexy and slightly funny. I liked Jessica, and Brady's brothers, and Jessica's new friends at the ranch. There were some funny and lighthearted scenes with Jessica and Brady, like when she was going to tend his wound by the water trough. I enjoyed the dev...more
very high 3s. in fact, i might come back and change this to 4 stars. the strongest romance i've read in a little while.
after a slightly weaker first chapter, the characterizations sharpened and the chemistry developed.
this was a beautiful, funny, sexy book about characters who became something much more interesting than they seemed to be in chapter one.
SLIGHT GRIPES:
the last two chapters were shoehorned with a lot of information. warner is a much stronger writer when she gives herself space to d...more
after a slightly weaker first chapter, the characterizations sharpened and the chemistry developed.
this was a beautiful, funny, sexy book about characters who became something much more interesting than they seemed to be in chapter one.
SLIGHT GRIPES:
the last two chapters were shoehorned with a lot of information. warner is a much stronger writer when she gives herself space to d...more
I can't tell you how many times I almost stopped reading this and then continued to read it out of pure ennui.
The story is an American Western romance that takes place in NM, my home state, which I sometimes long for. The landscape is lovely and the author gets the descriptions right.
The reviews seem generally favorable. "This is a character-driven romance." Pluh. As if! This romance novel is PLOT-DRIVEN people! You know, like when the author comes up with all of these story devices that are imp...more
The story is an American Western romance that takes place in NM, my home state, which I sometimes long for. The landscape is lovely and the author gets the descriptions right.
The reviews seem generally favorable. "This is a character-driven romance." Pluh. As if! This romance novel is PLOT-DRIVEN people! You know, like when the author comes up with all of these story devices that are imp...more
3 likes · like · see review
We need no time machine for traveling back in time with award-winning Pieces of Sky. This first book of Kaki Warner's Blood Rose Trilogy features the oldest brother of three, Brady Wilkins and his budding romance with Jessica Thornton. The author masterfully transports us back to the late 1800s in Southwest America with lively and authentic dialogue, unobtrusive narrative, and lush descriptions of untamed and developing landscapes of the Old West. All of this is wrapped around a suspenseful, rom...more
This book was awarded the RITA Best First Book in July 2011, a well-deserved award. I've been one of those readers craving for American historicals, and this one fulfilled my every expectation. Jessica, a prim and proper English woman, is matched with Brady, a rough-edged rancher. These two couldn't be more mismatched, which the author took full advantage of with great moments of humor. These two must also find their way through an old feud that threatens everything Brady values, including the l...more
What an all-encompassing historical romance novel, albeit it doesn't read like your typical romance novel.This was my first western and I now see what I've missed out on for so long. The writer took her time weaving the lives and love of Jessica Thornton and Brady Wilkins, which was greatly appreciated. Dare I say that I never saw it coming. Even more interesting is that even though Jessica was well established and wealthy in her own right, she was willing to leave what she had with Brady and no...more
I read these entirely out of order. Open Country was okay, the third book was a DNF. But I get why people were so enthusiastic about Kaki Warner after reading this book, the first in the series. Is she the best western romance writer out there? No, but these days new Western romances (at least non-ebook, non erotic) are tough to find. This book was sprawling, a little epic, and I liked both hero and heroine. Brady had that "stoic western hero" vibe I really enjoy in these types of books, and the...more
I can't believe I read this book. With descriptions like "his eyes were the
color of the torquoise sky" or "she felt his very masculine presence next
to her" I should have been warned off. I kept going even after learning that
this proper English girl flees England to come to the US West and is pregnant. Now, is she a fallen women? NO! She was raped by her brother-in-law! If that isn't far-fetched enough, this torquoise eyed, very masculine
guy falls in love with her while she's 8 mos pregnant---did...more
color of the torquoise sky" or "she felt his very masculine presence next
to her" I should have been warned off. I kept going even after learning that
this proper English girl flees England to come to the US West and is pregnant. Now, is she a fallen women? NO! She was raped by her brother-in-law! If that isn't far-fetched enough, this torquoise eyed, very masculine
guy falls in love with her while she's 8 mos pregnant---did...more
Very good! Haven't read dialogue between H and H this good since Jamie and Claire. Like the Epic feel. I wish more romance novels would be longer and have more in-depth storylines like this one. I like that K. Warner isn't afraid to give us the true details. For instance, some of the violent acts committed by Sancho will turn you stomach. And, the descriptions of the smelly men at the beginning of the book made me chuckle. I always imagine how smelly everyone must be in these romance books I rea...more
I enjoyed this book. To me the beginning started off really slow but as the story progressed, I found myself dying to know what was going to happen. Brady was my type of hero. He was rough, hard, warm and caring at the same time. He was a true leader. My heart broke when he told his story of what happened to his brother. Jessica was a nice heroine also. At first I really thought she was going to work my nerves but once you learn of her past, you can't help but to feel something for her. I was so...more
I enjoyed this book. To me the beginning started off really slow but as the story progressed, I found myself dying to know what was going to happen. Brady was my type of hero. He was rough, hard, warm and caring at the same time. He was a true leader. My heart broke when he told his story of what happened to his brother. Jessica was a nice heroine also. At first I really thought she was going to work my nerves but once you learn of her past, you can't help but to feel something for her.
i did enj...more
i did enj...more
Kaki Warner was a rare find. I don't even know how I happened upon her, but I am so happy that I did ! I have read ALL of her books! She is incredibly talented at writing a series of books that flow together enjoyably. (No character left behind!) lol
She is a newer author with 2 series of 3 books each. She has more books coming out next year. To find out more about her and her wonderfull books her site is. http://www.kakiwarner.com/books.html
She also has a facebook page.
Please give her a read...more
She is a newer author with 2 series of 3 books each. She has more books coming out next year. To find out more about her and her wonderfull books her site is. http://www.kakiwarner.com/books.html
She also has a facebook page.
Please give her a read...more
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first book of the Blood Rose Trilogy, Pieces of Sky, Jessica & Brady's story. Warner has crafted a beautifully written historical romance. Her vivid descriptions will make you feel as though you are there with the hero & heroine. There were moments I felt like I was sitting on the porch watching while they rocked in their rockers, holding hands and watching a perfect Southwest sunset.
Romance, revenge, redemption, are found on these pages. I couldn't put t...more
Romance, revenge, redemption, are found on these pages. I couldn't put t...more
What a wonderful story from a new author for me and I am so glad I started this series. Good character development and good story. I grew to care for Brady and Jessica. Circumstances took her to America in search of her brother and cross paths with Brady near his ranch in Nevada. She has to stay on his ranch to recover and gets caught up in the saga with blood feud for the RosaRoja ranch. so well written and beautiful descriptions. Looking forward to the other two books in the series and sees wh...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Romantic Historic...: Review for book won at previous group drawing | 3 | 20 | Oct 30, 2011 11:10am |
Kaki Warner is an award-winning author and long time resident of the Pacific Northwest. Although she now lives on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State, Kaki actually grew up in the Southwest and is a proud graduate of the University of Texas. Her years spent riding horses and enjoying the expansive views of Texas became the Historical Romance Author, Kaki Warner inspirat...more
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“Well, you know what they say. The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
-"Indeed? I thought it was through a hole in his chest." -Jessica Thornton”
—
9 people liked it
-"Indeed? I thought it was through a hole in his chest." -Jessica Thornton”
“It's not complicated. When I look at you, I don't see differences. I see possibilities.”
—
5 people liked it
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