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The Gunslinger
Bound For Glory
Tom Bolt was infamous--the Fastest Gun in the West--if the dime novels were to be believed. And thanks to the town fathers of Glory, Kansas, he was now not only the new sheriff, but a paying guest in Zena Briggs's home!
It had been a long time since Tom Bolt had anything worth living for. But the Widow Briggs was an angel who had offered him a haven in her home and in her heart. A heart he knew he'd break when the time came for him to leave ....
Tom Bolt was infamous--the Fastest Gun in the West--if the dime novels were to be believed. And thanks to the town fathers of Glory, Kansas, he was now not only the new sheriff, but a paying guest in Zena Briggs's home!
It had been a long time since Tom Bolt had anything worth living for. But the Widow Briggs was an angel who had offered him a haven in her home and in her heart. A heart he knew he'd break when the time came for him to leave ....
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
19 people want to read
About the author
Mary McBride
61 books12 followersMary McBride received her Bachelor's Degree from Washington University with a major in Comparative Literature and a minor in psychology. After earning a Master's Degree in education at Saint Louis University, she worked for many years with handicapped adults.
She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Novelists, Inc. Among some of the highlights in her career are appearances on the USA Today and the Waldenbooks bestseller lists, as well as several nominations for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice awards.
She lives with her husband and two teenage sons in Saint Louis, Missouri, where she reads voraciously, collects vintage Fiestaware and American pottery, and spends way too much time doing genealogy research.
She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Novelists, Inc. Among some of the highlights in her career are appearances on the USA Today and the Waldenbooks bestseller lists, as well as several nominations for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice awards.
She lives with her husband and two teenage sons in Saint Louis, Missouri, where she reads voraciously, collects vintage Fiestaware and American pottery, and spends way too much time doing genealogy research.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 25, 2020
Hot damn, this book is fun. As a literary person, I’m not supposed to be reading Harlequin novels, but I found this one at my father’s house and opened it one day when my brain was tired. It took me right back to the old TV westerns that I grew up on. Corny? Oh yes, McBride uses all the cliches, but it’s better than chocolate crème pie. Gunslinger Tom Bolt, made famous in the dime novels for his prowess with the gun, is recruited to be the new marshal of the sleep town of Glory, Kansas. The town fathers hope his reputation will bring more people and more business to town. And if a few shootouts happen out front of the saloon, all the better. Meanwhile, the gunslinger, handsome as hell and a good guy at heart, meets and falls in love with the beautiful young widow Zena Briggs. The feeling is mutual. But how can they have a life together when so many people are anxious to steal his title of Fastest Gun in the West? There’s a loyal dog with no name. There’s sex. There’s a saloon with a sleazy saloon girls. There’s a black-hearted banker. And the Widow Briggs has a dodgy past. How could this not be a good story? Will Tom and Zena live happily ever after? What do you think? I might just find me some more of these old Harlequin westerns.
November 13, 2020
3+
Cliche Western but in many good ways (and, I wager, on purpose).
[There's no characters of color within except a "h*lf-breed" who gets drunk and I grimaced about that.]
I liked the leads and their individual stories. I think they went over the same worries to keep them uncertain and apart one too many times, and the heroine was stuck on a few misapprehensions that didn't quite work, but their chemistry was good and thus their attraction and growing bond outpaced that.
The ending gives them an out--an escape from who they allowed society to determine they are--and remake life and themselves in one another. Nice.
Some great turns of phrase and easy to imagine characters and sense of place. I wasn't enthralled, partially because I could see where it was going soon in, but that's not a ding. It's an enjoyably internal conflict bound by external circumstance read. With two leads who earn their HEA, a lot by surviving the lives they had separately and now deserve contentment and rest, but it's only with finding each other that makes it possible.
A small, silly, niggle, but it bothered me that it wasn't detailed -- so I presume the heroine packed a bag at least before the very end. She had time and very good reason to do so.
Cliche Western but in many good ways (and, I wager, on purpose).
[There's no characters of color within except a "h*lf-breed" who gets drunk and I grimaced about that.]
I liked the leads and their individual stories. I think they went over the same worries to keep them uncertain and apart one too many times, and the heroine was stuck on a few misapprehensions that didn't quite work, but their chemistry was good and thus their attraction and growing bond outpaced that.
The ending gives them an out--an escape from who they allowed society to determine they are--and remake life and themselves in one another. Nice.
Some great turns of phrase and easy to imagine characters and sense of place. I wasn't enthralled, partially because I could see where it was going soon in, but that's not a ding. It's an enjoyably internal conflict bound by external circumstance read. With two leads who earn their HEA, a lot by surviving the lives they had separately and now deserve contentment and rest, but it's only with finding each other that makes it possible.
A small, silly, niggle, but it bothered me that it wasn't detailed -- so I presume the heroine packed a bag at least before the very end. She had time and very good reason to do so.
September 3, 2013
This is the book that started my love of historical romance!! The Gunslinger is a very well written western historical. I loved both of the main characters from the first "meeting" with them! I was hooked on this book from the very first page until the very last! I loved the chemistry between Zena and Tom, and I loved how their story unfolded! I felt as if I was apart of the story from the very first page! The picture Mary McBride describes unfolds in your mind as she describes it and you can feel all of the emotions as if they are your own! I highly recommend this book to everyone! Thank you Mary for a wonderful story and for helping my find a new love in Historical Romance!!
February 22, 2015
Loved reading her books.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews