Passion's Song

Wellesley Brothers #3

by Jane Kidder

She needed protection . . .
Only a year ago, Lili Ashford, "the Chicago Songbird," was one of the most celebrated entertainers on the Mississippi River circuit. Now, thanks to a vengeful suitor, Lili was hiding out in the remote town of Durango, Colorado and singing in a saloon. So when a handsome widowed rancher offered her a job as a governess, Lili accepted, though she didn't plan to stay long. She'd save her money, then move on and pursue her singing career. But when Adam drew her into his arms for a first fiery kiss, and she felt the heat of his tall, muscular body, Lili's heart began to sing a different kind of song—a song of passion!

He craved affection . . .
Wealthy rancher Adam Wellesley needed a good woman to care for his four rowdy children . . . and maybe perform a few other duties on the side. The blond songbird from the Diamond Belle Saloon—on the run and in need of a protector—was just the ticket. He'd offer her the job, then figure out how to steal a kiss or two. But from the moment Adam touched Lili's silky skin and tasted her rosy lips, he knew he must possess her. He'd stroke her tantalizing curves into quivering surrender, kiss every inch of her provocative, creamy body, and teach her the words and music to his own Colorado lovesong . . . all night long.

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1993

Reviews

[Vicki]

This book is the 3rd in the series about the Wellesley brothers. However, you can apparently read the books in any order because in the first 2 books and this one that I've read, most of the other brothers have already found their wives, which was confusing for the timeline.

This book was about the youngest brother, Adam, who is a widower with 4 young children. He meets a singer, Elizabeth ( who goes by her stage name Lili Ashford) in a saloon in Durango and instantly becomes interested in her. Elizabeth is on the run from her ex-husband, who has been blackmailing her due to mounting gambling debts, and finds her once again.

To prevent Elizabeth's ex husband from harassing her and give Elizabeth the money to go to San Francisco, Adam (who is a wealthy former lawyer and now rancher) hires her to watch his children. Elizabeth is a bit high maintenance and spoiled at first, but soon warms to Adam's children. She is frosty with Adam for awhile, too, as her ex husband was callous to her. Adam does eventually win her over, but there is a lot of OW drama with a snooty woman who wants to marry him and some OM drama with Elizabeth's ex husband.

Overall, this book was a 3.5. It was good, but not amazing. Elizabeth was somewhat standoffish for the first half of the book and it took awhile to warm up to her. Plus, there was quite a bit of OW drama throughout the book that just got annoying. Someone really needed to put Louise in her place. And there was quite a bit of miscommunication at the end, which was ridiculous as well. Mainly with Elizabeth.

Adam was a pretty stand up guy. Plus, it was nice reading about a few of the other brothers. It's mainly Elizabeth and Louise that irritated me. And it was frustrating reading about the Wellesley brothers' younger sister, Paula, and her husband when it appears that Jane Kidder did not write her book. At least all the brothers have books, but I think I'm done reading this series. I actually enjoyed Mail Order Temptress the best of the first 3 books, but I think I've read enough about the Wellesleys. The writing style is fine and I enjoy the historical descriptions. I've just had enough of the main female characters. Nevertheless, if you like a series with the main male characters all being brothers and set in the United States in the late 1800's, then I recommend this series.