China Star

by Karen Keast

Death was too good for the scarred marauder who'd slain Trinity Lee's mother. She would destroy Madison Brecker's railroad first-drain his lifeblood drop by treacherous drop-then move in for the kill. After years of bitter anguish, no passion could ever match her taste for sweet revenge.

Having clawed his way up from dirt streets to prosperity, Breck had the scars to prove that no one would ever humble him again. Certainly not delicate China doll Trinity Lee. To his horror, however, he coveted the dangerous Eurasian beauty whose veins ran hot with bloodlust. And soon his hunger for Trinity was as passionate as her thirst for revenge...

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Harlequin Historical, Historical

299 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Sandra Kay Patterson Canfield was born on 21 November 1944 in Longview, Texas, USA. She wrote as Sandra Canfield and under the pseudonym of Karen Keast. She also used the pseudonym of Sandi Shane in collaboration with the writer Penny Richards (alias Bay Matthews). At 58, Sandra passed away on 23 January 2003 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Reviews

[Live2Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review + spoilers

Wow! This is why I can never be a writer because I’ll never be as smooth as you Karen Keast. Writing was top notch, head hopping & transitions was done so well that it played like a movie in my head. The last book I read that shared the same great writing style was Fancy by Hess.
Excerpt:

In short order, Breck was swigging down a bourbon—“hold the water”—at the Crystal Saloon. While the liquor didn’t obliterate his problems or offer any solutions, it did provide momentary distraction, for as the raw bourbon slid down his throat, it was impossible to think of anything but the liquor’s force and fire.

Across town, in a room in the Chastain Hotel, the mellow taste of heated apple cider and cinnamon caressed Trinity’s taste buds. Her lines had been rehearsed, her costume readied, and she was now doing what she always did in the final hours preceding a performance. She was resting and collecting her- self emotionally.

Nothing significant about the scene but one can see the transition was smoothly written.

She sent him a telegram saying “I love you, do you love me.” He sent one back saying “I love you.” It was cute. I don’t know about you, but there’s just something classically romantic of the time period, the hero being a railroad owner, heroine an actress that comes to town via his train. Except that everytime she’s on the train, there is a robbery. There wasn’t enough angst for me, while there are tension between the leads I didn’t think there was enough romance/emotions involved. As much as I’m glad it wasn’t insta-lust/love I did want something more than what was delivered. I thought it was odd that she can turn her revenge/hatred of him on & off like that. I’m also glad we did not get tedious POV of her revengeful thoughts. But for someone who has been plotting his death for years she was pretty mellow going about it. The heroine wasn’t stupid but she just wasn’t cut out to be a vengeful person. She definitely has no plan beside constantly robbing him...to death? Sooner or later, she would be caught. The author definitely wanted us to know who really killed her mom & who’s her father. It was all very obvious. Hero caught on but I was rather surprised how easily he took it when he was very fond of her mom. I expected him to be more shook than that. She’s the daughter of his “nice” friend, the very same little girl who witness him at the crime scene. Somehow, his reaction didn’t feel up to par for me.
As personal preference, I didn’t appreciate that she was bared all to the eyes of another man other than the hero. Even if it was life threatening, couldn’t the hero show her some delicacy? Hero set a trap for the burglar so it was mission failed for her, she got shot. Yes, by him. So he takes her to his cabin to treat her. Hero & his buddy stripped her down to treat her wound. Like completely, no modesty shown for her he said. He refused to get a doctor since that will only get the town’s tongues wagging about Trinity Lee the actress, the thief & he wants to keep her from getting arrested. Instead, after treating her, the hero played a waiting game to see if she will make it not. Seriously?! From there the plot does lack a bit, the cabin scenes were long & nothing happens. Well beside the fact that they fight off some sexual tension & eventually married, through blackmail from him. But I still think it was unnecessary long, it was page filler more than anything really. He confront her, she confront him. She asked him why he killed her mom, he tells her maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. Ok buddy. Then she was like ok, well I still want to kill you. He’s like good luck. Then she mellows out again. Then all of sudden, she remembers she hates him, must kill him. Obviously, she chickens out, you know how that goes.
I actually felt bad for the real murderer. Why? Because of this:

She’d never intended to kill her, truly she hadn’t, but she had never regretted doing so. Of course, she had known of her husband’s affair—a woman knew these things. She’d known practically to a night the first time he’d taken his employee at the dry goods store to bed...

Awful cheating bastard, heroine’s father that is.

[Marina P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical romance set in mid-19th century in the United States Nevada.

It has one of my favorite tropes: revenge/vengeance. The heroine is bent on ruining and then killing the hero, because she thinks he has murdered her mother many years ago.

The story is very fast paced and kept me glued to the pages of this book. I finished it rather quickly and enjoyed it very much. I liked both main characters, because they were so credibly strong and likable.

[Ruusu Ja Omena]

*** stars.
But wow, what lush, gorgeous cover.

[Pattie]

Unfinished

[Vanessa Haywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in 1993 n I fell in love with it I've been searching all these years for it n I've finally found it