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Western Wind #3
Kiss of the Night Wind
Leaving her outlaw past behind, Carrie Sue Stover heads to Tucson to become a schoolmarm, but her coach is attacked and she is rescued by T.J. Rogue, a handsome gunslinger to whom Carrie is irresistibly drawn
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
20 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Janelle Taylor
101 books243 followersThe legendary Janelle Taylor was born on June 28, 1944 in Athens, GA. In 1965, she married Michael Taylor with whom she had two children, Angela Taylor-MacIntyre and Alisha Taylor Thurmond. Ms. Taylor attended the Medical College of Georgia from 1977 to 1979 and Augusta State University from 1980-1981. She withdrew from the latter after she sold her first two novels. Today, she is the author of thirty-nine novels, three novellas, and many contributions to other collections. There are thirty-nine million copies of her works in print worldwide and she has made The New York Times Bestseller List eight times. Ms. Taylor's works have also been featured ten times on the "1 million +" bestseller's list at Publisher's Weekly.
Some of Ms. Taylor's most recent books include By Candlelight, Someday Soon, Lakota Dawn, and Lakota Winds (due out in paperback in May 1999). She has also made contributions to other books including The Leukemia Society Cookbook, Christmas Rendezvous, and Summer Love. In addition, readers can see her as co-host of the QVC/TV Romance Book Club Show.
Ms. Taylor's interests include collecting spoons, coins from around the world, ship models, dolls, and old books. She loves to fish, ride horses, play chess, target-shoot, travel (especially in her motorhome and out West), hunt for Indian relics, and take long walks with her husband. Reading, in particular books set before 1900 and current Biographies, Thrillers, Horror, or Fantasy novels, is also one of Ms. Taylor's favorite activities. She is also extremely active with charity work and was even featured on the cover of Diabetes Forecast in February of 1998.
She lives in the country on seventy-nine acres of woods and pasture with a lake and a catfish pond. She writes her novels in a Spanish cottage which overlooks a five-acre lake, a working water mill, gazebo, and covered bridge.
Some of Ms. Taylor's most recent books include By Candlelight, Someday Soon, Lakota Dawn, and Lakota Winds (due out in paperback in May 1999). She has also made contributions to other books including The Leukemia Society Cookbook, Christmas Rendezvous, and Summer Love. In addition, readers can see her as co-host of the QVC/TV Romance Book Club Show.
Ms. Taylor's interests include collecting spoons, coins from around the world, ship models, dolls, and old books. She loves to fish, ride horses, play chess, target-shoot, travel (especially in her motorhome and out West), hunt for Indian relics, and take long walks with her husband. Reading, in particular books set before 1900 and current Biographies, Thrillers, Horror, or Fantasy novels, is also one of Ms. Taylor's favorite activities. She is also extremely active with charity work and was even featured on the cover of Diabetes Forecast in February of 1998.
She lives in the country on seventy-nine acres of woods and pasture with a lake and a catfish pond. She writes her novels in a Spanish cottage which overlooks a five-acre lake, a working water mill, gazebo, and covered bridge.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 8, 2021
This review is of “Kiss of the Night Wind”, #3 in the “Western Wind” series by Janelle Taylor.
The book opens with the heroine of the book, Carrie Sue Stover, trying to outrun her past (Carrie Sue’s brother, Darby, is the leader of an outlaw gang, which she also ran with). Tired of looking over her shoulder and worrying about being arrested, jailed or worse, Carrie Sue decides to take on the persona of Carolyn Sarah Starns, a schoolteacher on her way to Tucson, Arizona. (The real Carolyn was killed in an accident caused by the Stover gang attacking the stagecoach she was on). As Carrie Sue makes her way to Arizona, the stagecoach she’s on is attacked. Saving her is T.J. Rogue, the hero of the book, who is also going to Arizona. His reasons, however, are different than Carrie Sue’s.
Carrie Sue arrives in Tucson, and soon finds herself having to fend off Martin Ferris, a wealthy, lecherous businessman who believes the new schoolmarm owes him more than gratitude. Before she can begin teaching, however, Carrie Sue’s past catches up with her, and she and T.J. are on the run. They also become lovers.
As the book goes along, we learn a great deal about both Carrie Sue and T.J.’s pasts, both of which are filled with tragedy. We also learn that they have a common enemy, evil rancher Quade Harding.
T.J. and Carrie Sue leave Arizona after wanted posters of her emerge. They are pursued by Ferris, who is later killed by T.J. As they make their way to Texas, Carrie Sue becomes suspicious of T.J.; especially since he asks lots of questions about Darby.
Carrie Sue reunites with Darby, and discovers that a copycat gang, led by the villain she and Darby are trying to defeat, is committing crimes claiming to be the Stover gang. That gang is led by the man the Stover siblings have been trying to defeat for years. Carries Sue tries to get Darby to go straight. The efforts fail, and when Darby and most of his gang are captured, Carrie Sue is shot and seriously wounded. After Carrie Sue’s wounding, T.J. fakes her death and plans to take her to Montana and marry her to start a new life.
In the end, the plans change. Carrie Sue and T.J. marry, decide to go to Colorado instead-the reasons are germane to the plot, so I won’t reveal them- and have their Happily Ever After.
Upside: Mrs. Taylor has written a book with a strong hero and heroine in T.J. and Carrie Sue, both of whom are well-developed characters. Mrs. Taylor is also a great atmospheric writer; she puts me into her situations with her characters, as opposed to making me feel that I’m simply reading about them.
Downside: While Mrs. Taylor is a great situational writer, at times during this book, I felt like she was writing to a word count, as the descriptions went on and on and on.
The bigger issue for me was the fact that there are A LOT of similarities between “Kiss of the Night Wind” and the book that preceded it, “Passions Wild and Free”. To wit:
The heroines both have unisex names; in PWAF, the heroine’s name was Randee; in KOTNW, it’s Carrie Sue.
The heroines believe the heroes-Marshall Logan Jr. in PWAF, T.J. Rogue in KOTNW-are simply gunslingers. They’re not. Their childhood backgrounds are slightly different, but their adult lives are very similar to each other.
Both Randee and Carrie Sue were chased from their lives by rich, licentious males who want to possess them, only to find more trouble upon running. Both want revenge against their tormentors, but neither directly get their revenge.
It is not realistic to expect any artistically inclined person not to ever repeat themselves. Doing it in the very next work you do, however, is not a good look.
I also wasn’t in love with Carrie Sue’s claim that she and Darby were “forced” to become criminals. This is completely a lie. Yes, a lot of bad things happened to the Stover siblings, but they were NOT “forced”into criminal behavior. They CHOSE to become lawbreakers. Claiming noble reasons does not absolve someone from criminal responsibility.
Sex: Multiple love scenes between Carrie Sue and T.J. Like all of Mrs. Taylor’s books, the love scenes are more about the feelings engendered during the act rather than the esoterics of the act.
Violence: Some “on-screen” shootings, but most of the violence takes place “off-screen”. “Kiss of the Night Wind” is not a violent book.
Bottom Line: “Kiss of the Night Wind” is a good book, but has too many issues to be great. 3.72 stars.
The book opens with the heroine of the book, Carrie Sue Stover, trying to outrun her past (Carrie Sue’s brother, Darby, is the leader of an outlaw gang, which she also ran with). Tired of looking over her shoulder and worrying about being arrested, jailed or worse, Carrie Sue decides to take on the persona of Carolyn Sarah Starns, a schoolteacher on her way to Tucson, Arizona. (The real Carolyn was killed in an accident caused by the Stover gang attacking the stagecoach she was on). As Carrie Sue makes her way to Arizona, the stagecoach she’s on is attacked. Saving her is T.J. Rogue, the hero of the book, who is also going to Arizona. His reasons, however, are different than Carrie Sue’s.
Carrie Sue arrives in Tucson, and soon finds herself having to fend off Martin Ferris, a wealthy, lecherous businessman who believes the new schoolmarm owes him more than gratitude. Before she can begin teaching, however, Carrie Sue’s past catches up with her, and she and T.J. are on the run. They also become lovers.
As the book goes along, we learn a great deal about both Carrie Sue and T.J.’s pasts, both of which are filled with tragedy. We also learn that they have a common enemy, evil rancher Quade Harding.
T.J. and Carrie Sue leave Arizona after wanted posters of her emerge. They are pursued by Ferris, who is later killed by T.J. As they make their way to Texas, Carrie Sue becomes suspicious of T.J.; especially since he asks lots of questions about Darby.
Carrie Sue reunites with Darby, and discovers that a copycat gang, led by the villain she and Darby are trying to defeat, is committing crimes claiming to be the Stover gang. That gang is led by the man the Stover siblings have been trying to defeat for years. Carries Sue tries to get Darby to go straight. The efforts fail, and when Darby and most of his gang are captured, Carrie Sue is shot and seriously wounded. After Carrie Sue’s wounding, T.J. fakes her death and plans to take her to Montana and marry her to start a new life.
In the end, the plans change. Carrie Sue and T.J. marry, decide to go to Colorado instead-the reasons are germane to the plot, so I won’t reveal them- and have their Happily Ever After.
Upside: Mrs. Taylor has written a book with a strong hero and heroine in T.J. and Carrie Sue, both of whom are well-developed characters. Mrs. Taylor is also a great atmospheric writer; she puts me into her situations with her characters, as opposed to making me feel that I’m simply reading about them.
Downside: While Mrs. Taylor is a great situational writer, at times during this book, I felt like she was writing to a word count, as the descriptions went on and on and on.
The bigger issue for me was the fact that there are A LOT of similarities between “Kiss of the Night Wind” and the book that preceded it, “Passions Wild and Free”. To wit:
The heroines both have unisex names; in PWAF, the heroine’s name was Randee; in KOTNW, it’s Carrie Sue.
The heroines believe the heroes-Marshall Logan Jr. in PWAF, T.J. Rogue in KOTNW-are simply gunslingers. They’re not. Their childhood backgrounds are slightly different, but their adult lives are very similar to each other.
Both Randee and Carrie Sue were chased from their lives by rich, licentious males who want to possess them, only to find more trouble upon running. Both want revenge against their tormentors, but neither directly get their revenge.
It is not realistic to expect any artistically inclined person not to ever repeat themselves. Doing it in the very next work you do, however, is not a good look.
I also wasn’t in love with Carrie Sue’s claim that she and Darby were “forced” to become criminals. This is completely a lie. Yes, a lot of bad things happened to the Stover siblings, but they were NOT “forced”into criminal behavior. They CHOSE to become lawbreakers. Claiming noble reasons does not absolve someone from criminal responsibility.
Sex: Multiple love scenes between Carrie Sue and T.J. Like all of Mrs. Taylor’s books, the love scenes are more about the feelings engendered during the act rather than the esoterics of the act.
Violence: Some “on-screen” shootings, but most of the violence takes place “off-screen”. “Kiss of the Night Wind” is not a violent book.
Bottom Line: “Kiss of the Night Wind” is a good book, but has too many issues to be great. 3.72 stars.
August 10, 2016
Kiss of the Night Wind by Janelle Taylor
I liked this story.
The description of the book I am listing below is from the back jacket of the book. I'm adding it because I believe the one on the Goodreads page does not depict this story.
He was a lowdown liar...
Deserting her brother's outlaw gang, Carrie Sue Stover headed to Tucson to start a new life as "Carolyn Starns," schoolmarm. Then her stage was attacked, she was rescued by a devilishly handsome gunslinger—and the fiery redhead was drawn into a danger much riskier than crossfire. Her pistol-packing hero was T.J. Rogue and the cunning cowboy not only undressed her with one glance, he seemed to strip away her alias to reveal her illicit past. Irresistibly drawn to the sensual stranger, Carrie Sue couldn't help but delight in his embrace... even though she trusted a striking rattlesnake more than the secretive saddlebum!
She was a conniving cheat...
After years of hunting down the gangsters who killed his family, T.J. Rogue couldn't believe his luck when he came across runaway Carrie Sue Stover. The ruthless male knew just how to make the innocent-looking miss pay for his loss; first by having her love him... then by tricking her into leading T.J. ti her brother and his cohorts. But somewhere between tasting her kissable lips and touching her luscious curves, the lusty avenger lost sight of his goal. Now he was a victim of the beautiful bandit's charms, and thought only of conquering her until she surrendered to the ecstasy they would share as their bodies reveled in the sensuous, seductive…KISS OF THE NIGHT WIND...
I liked this story.
The description of the book I am listing below is from the back jacket of the book. I'm adding it because I believe the one on the Goodreads page does not depict this story.
He was a lowdown liar...
Deserting her brother's outlaw gang, Carrie Sue Stover headed to Tucson to start a new life as "Carolyn Starns," schoolmarm. Then her stage was attacked, she was rescued by a devilishly handsome gunslinger—and the fiery redhead was drawn into a danger much riskier than crossfire. Her pistol-packing hero was T.J. Rogue and the cunning cowboy not only undressed her with one glance, he seemed to strip away her alias to reveal her illicit past. Irresistibly drawn to the sensual stranger, Carrie Sue couldn't help but delight in his embrace... even though she trusted a striking rattlesnake more than the secretive saddlebum!
She was a conniving cheat...
After years of hunting down the gangsters who killed his family, T.J. Rogue couldn't believe his luck when he came across runaway Carrie Sue Stover. The ruthless male knew just how to make the innocent-looking miss pay for his loss; first by having her love him... then by tricking her into leading T.J. ti her brother and his cohorts. But somewhere between tasting her kissable lips and touching her luscious curves, the lusty avenger lost sight of his goal. Now he was a victim of the beautiful bandit's charms, and thought only of conquering her until she surrendered to the ecstasy they would share as their bodies reveled in the sensuous, seductive…KISS OF THE NIGHT WIND...
May 15, 2022
Ah! Another great book by author, Janelle Taylor! This is my favorite story so far in the “Western Winds” Series. We meet Carrie Sue Stover who’s trying to leave her brothers outlaw gang after years on the run. Carrie is tired of running and her new opportunity comes when the stagecoach carrying a schoolmarm (Carolyn Starns) is attacked by her brother’s gang and she is accidently killed. Carrie takes on the identity of Carolyn Starns and is now on the way to Tucson when her stagecoach is also attacked. She is saved by T.J. Rogue who is also on his way to Tucson but for very different reasons. Once in Tucson, Carrie meets Martin Ferris, a lecherous wealthy businessman who basically runs the school. He hires Carrie but soon she discovers that he is after her for more than just teaching. Carrie’s past soon catches up to her and suddenly T. J. comes to the rescue. Now both are on the run. Their adventure begins. Enjoy reading!
May 11, 2022
Good read except I found it a bit too long and some of the story information was probably not required and seemed to repeat itself in other chapters. She and her brother were members of a gang of outlaws while he a was gunslinger, an undercover special agent, ranger and marshall. His aim was to capture or destroy those that were on the wrong side of the law. All she wanted was to live a normal life without continuously looking over her shoulder and running from those threatening her. She disguises herself as a teacher that had died previously in a stage holdup. He saves her life and soon finds himself falling in love with her. He discovers who she really is and convinces her to trust him. Unbeknown to her he is trying to find her brother and the rest of the gang. Eventually all hell breaks loose. Can the love they have for each other survive this betrayal.
March 19, 2024
An enjoyable historical romance with a touch too much repetition. Ex-outlaw heroine seeks a normal life, while the hero, a man of many hats (gunslinger, agent, ranger, marshal), aims to clean up the West. Their paths collide, love ignites, and secrets unravel. Can their love survive a web of deception and danger?
November 17, 2021
(c)1989 I absolutely loved this book. The main female character attempts to change her life with a new identity but trouble follows her. It is full of mystery, and action. Must read for those that love reading westerns, romance and life in the outdoors.
October 7, 2020
Sweet romance
Sometimes a girl needs a big glass of wine and sweet old romance with a thrilling and captivating plot... A well spent Sunday!
Sometimes a girl needs a big glass of wine and sweet old romance with a thrilling and captivating plot... A well spent Sunday!
January 10, 2021
Love this book. One of the first ones I’ve read that made me want to read it over and over.
Read
June 4, 2025Im thinking taylor just isnt for me. I couldnt get into it. I had the same problem last time. I'll try it again later.
December 24, 2011
slow read, but decent story overall
July 1, 2014
Enjoyed the emotion of Carrie and Rogue...just hoped for a happy ending and was satisfied when it came.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews