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The Women of Swan's Nest #3
The Outlaw's Return
J. T. Quinn would know Mary Larue's beautiful voice anywhere. He just never expected to hear her singing in a Denver church. The gunslinger comes to town to reunite with the only woman he's ever loved…but the actress he left behind two years ago is gone. In her place is a deeply Christian woman with a successful restaurant, the town's respect and a pair of younger siblings in her care. J.T. doubts he'll ever be worthy of Mary again, but he can protect her and her siblings from the threats of a local ne'er-do-well. And with courage and faith, perhaps even an outlaw can earn redemption—and love….
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 17, 2011
5 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Bylin
49 books493 followersIf someone had told me twenty years ago that I'd be the author of 20 books, I'd have fallen off my chair. I’m still amazed to see my novels on Goodreads, Amazon, and occasionally the shelves at Walmart.
More than anything, I delight in telling stories that tackle tough issues with faith and compassion. One my most challenging books, Together With You, won the RWA FHL Readers Choice Award for Best Contemporary Romance. I was equally thrilled when The Two of Us made it to the shelves in Target as part of the "Target Recommends" program.
Before writing contemporaries, I wrote westerns for Harlequin Historical and Love Inspired Historical. The LIHs are clean reads. The Harlequin Historicals (no brown banner like the LIHs) were written for the mainstream market. They have Christian themes but gritty content. Some readers won’t care for the language and love scenes. (If you want to know why I wrote them, the story is on my website.)
My two most recent books are independently published. When He Found Me and A Gift to Cherish are a mix of romance and women’s fiction and part of The Road to Refuge series. These stories are particularly close to my heart.
My husband and I now make our home in Lexington, Kentucky, but I’m a California girl at heart. I hope you enjoy my books! For more information, visit https://www.victoriabylin.com
More than anything, I delight in telling stories that tackle tough issues with faith and compassion. One my most challenging books, Together With You, won the RWA FHL Readers Choice Award for Best Contemporary Romance. I was equally thrilled when The Two of Us made it to the shelves in Target as part of the "Target Recommends" program.
Before writing contemporaries, I wrote westerns for Harlequin Historical and Love Inspired Historical. The LIHs are clean reads. The Harlequin Historicals (no brown banner like the LIHs) were written for the mainstream market. They have Christian themes but gritty content. Some readers won’t care for the language and love scenes. (If you want to know why I wrote them, the story is on my website.)
My two most recent books are independently published. When He Found Me and A Gift to Cherish are a mix of romance and women’s fiction and part of The Road to Refuge series. These stories are particularly close to my heart.
My husband and I now make our home in Lexington, Kentucky, but I’m a California girl at heart. I hope you enjoy my books! For more information, visit https://www.victoriabylin.com
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 24, 2011
I really liked this story, and I thought it was a little different than the "norm".
January 30, 2011
The Outlaws Return by Victoria Bylin was really a good book. Romance isn't usually my favorite but this book was very inspirational. It brought you right into the lives of the characters to where you were actually rooting for them and it had morals. It was one of the best books I have read lately.
February 9, 2011
I recieved this book for First Reads at Goodreads.com. I enjoyed this inspirational book about getting second chances from loves gone past. I usually do not read inspirational books but this book caught my eye and I was pleased with the telling of the story. It gives hope and the belief that second chances and redemption are possible.
December 11, 2020
He's not a marrying man. So when Mary, an actress, was getting to attached he left her. After he left she found out she was pregnant but she lost her baby. She ruined her reputation. So She ran away and started over. Then he shows up wanting to get back together. She has changed her life and has her sister and brother to take care of. She has become a Christian and started her own little café
This was a hard read because you know how each MC feels and you understand why they are doing what they are trying to do. Very good read loved it.
This was a hard read because you know how each MC feels and you understand why they are doing what they are trying to do. Very good read loved it.
June 14, 2020
This was a very good book. I will want to read more books by this author. I would read it again and I will recommend it
September 17, 2011
The Outlaw's Return is book 3 in The Women of Swan's Nest Series after The Maverick Preacher & Wyoming Lawman. It is an excellent series and worth starting with the first book.
It seems one can never run faster than their past. Mary Larue has a beautiful voice and she enjoyed her life singing on stage and all was well until Jonah Taylor Quinn walked into it, and than out of it. The disaster he left in the wake of his leaving caused her to leave Abilene and move around until she found a home in Denver at the Swan's Nest, a home for woman with no where to go. Mary's life has changed now. She has her siblings to take care of, she owns a restaurant and she uses her voice to sing praises to the Lord at church on Sunday instead of receiving the praise herself.
J.T. Quinn was listening to the voice of an angel, he had finally found his Mary, and lost her. If he could have rescued her from a brothel he may have had a chance but finding her singing in a church he knew there was nothing he could offer her, he was not good enough for her. He had changed. No more gambling, drinking or women. And he had Fancy Girl, the dog he rescued that caused a riff between him and Griff Lassen, a mean outlaw. He was just going to leave now. Without Mary he did not see much of a future besides going back to the bottle. When JT seen Roy was in town and that he wanted Mary, he decided to stay. He knew Roy and did not trust him. He could protect Mary. JT started to try and show Mary he changed. It would take more than he knew to gain her trust.
Mary was hiding her past from everyone and now he found her. She wanted her sister Gertie's respect and if she found out about her past relationship with JT she would lose that. Gertie was already rebellious at seventeen. And Augustus, at twelve, was shy and stammered. She needed the life she had created here, not the past. Roy, the theater owner, new of her past but promised to keep it secret.
Victoria's characters will grab your heart. Jonah had a tough life as a kid and grew up being a gunslinger. He realizes he needs Mary two years after walking out on her. Not that he wants marriage but he figures he can buy her a saloon to sing in. Mary tries to hide her past sins but as always the truth is what will truly set her free from the past.
It seems one can never run faster than their past. Mary Larue has a beautiful voice and she enjoyed her life singing on stage and all was well until Jonah Taylor Quinn walked into it, and than out of it. The disaster he left in the wake of his leaving caused her to leave Abilene and move around until she found a home in Denver at the Swan's Nest, a home for woman with no where to go. Mary's life has changed now. She has her siblings to take care of, she owns a restaurant and she uses her voice to sing praises to the Lord at church on Sunday instead of receiving the praise herself.
J.T. Quinn was listening to the voice of an angel, he had finally found his Mary, and lost her. If he could have rescued her from a brothel he may have had a chance but finding her singing in a church he knew there was nothing he could offer her, he was not good enough for her. He had changed. No more gambling, drinking or women. And he had Fancy Girl, the dog he rescued that caused a riff between him and Griff Lassen, a mean outlaw. He was just going to leave now. Without Mary he did not see much of a future besides going back to the bottle. When JT seen Roy was in town and that he wanted Mary, he decided to stay. He knew Roy and did not trust him. He could protect Mary. JT started to try and show Mary he changed. It would take more than he knew to gain her trust.
Mary was hiding her past from everyone and now he found her. She wanted her sister Gertie's respect and if she found out about her past relationship with JT she would lose that. Gertie was already rebellious at seventeen. And Augustus, at twelve, was shy and stammered. She needed the life she had created here, not the past. Roy, the theater owner, new of her past but promised to keep it secret.
Victoria's characters will grab your heart. Jonah had a tough life as a kid and grew up being a gunslinger. He realizes he needs Mary two years after walking out on her. Not that he wants marriage but he figures he can buy her a saloon to sing in. Mary tries to hide her past sins but as always the truth is what will truly set her free from the past.
March 6, 2011
I loved this book :) It was a sweet romance Christian story. And actually quite inspiring. I’ve only read a few of these Love Inspired Historical books, and of them, I think this one speaks the most about God, and has the most powerful transformation that, honestly, brought a couple tears to my eyes. It was very nicely handled with heartfelt emotion. I could understand J.T.’s unwillingness to let God into his life, but then seeing his changing heart, his growing understanding and realization of God’s love, and what J.T.’s love for Mary really means to him, just made me smile with love and endearment. All of the characters were just so real, and what they did and thought made sense, and the development of them was done wonderfully. Mary was such a strong woman. J.T. had hurt her, and she was so determined to never let him have her heart again, but as she began to see this changed man, she began to have hope. The love story was beautiful, but it wasn’t without its hardness and regrets and pain. And Mary’s little brother Gus also became endearing to me, with his stutter, but then watching him overcome his embarrassment and finding courage. The end left me smiling and with a feeling of contentment. If you’re in need of a light, yet heartfelt Christian romance story, I highly recommend this book.
September 30, 2015
Women of Swan's Nest
Book 3
I am very pleased with the way this author brings a story together. She takes two characters with different personalities and weaves them together so well that they fit! J. T. Quinn is a gunfighter and an outlaw who used to ride with a gang. He met a woman and fell in love, but J. T. is rough and tough and just didn't need to settle down and marry. They had an intimate relationship, then he left her when she really needed him. Mary Larue is now a Christian raising her brother and sister the best she can. She has a lot of secrets that she wants to keep hidden. The last thing she wants is for her old boyfriend to ride into town and interrupt her peaceful life.
Her brother, Gus, has some issues. J.T. rescues him from a bad name, a bad beating, and insecurity. J. T. give him hope. Her sister is seventeen and ready to become an actress like Mary was, but Marry doesn't want her to do this until she can afford to send Gerdie back East to get the proper training.
The drama in this story doesn't only focus around the rekindled relationship between J.T. and Mary, but also Gerdie and Gus who have separate problems, J.T.'s forming a new identity, Mary's past, and a few other issues that come up along the way. I really, really liked this book! Just shows the reality of the West and the power goes has in the lives of His people.
Book 3
I am very pleased with the way this author brings a story together. She takes two characters with different personalities and weaves them together so well that they fit! J. T. Quinn is a gunfighter and an outlaw who used to ride with a gang. He met a woman and fell in love, but J. T. is rough and tough and just didn't need to settle down and marry. They had an intimate relationship, then he left her when she really needed him. Mary Larue is now a Christian raising her brother and sister the best she can. She has a lot of secrets that she wants to keep hidden. The last thing she wants is for her old boyfriend to ride into town and interrupt her peaceful life.
Her brother, Gus, has some issues. J.T. rescues him from a bad name, a bad beating, and insecurity. J. T. give him hope. Her sister is seventeen and ready to become an actress like Mary was, but Marry doesn't want her to do this until she can afford to send Gerdie back East to get the proper training.
The drama in this story doesn't only focus around the rekindled relationship between J.T. and Mary, but also Gerdie and Gus who have separate problems, J.T.'s forming a new identity, Mary's past, and a few other issues that come up along the way. I really, really liked this book! Just shows the reality of the West and the power goes has in the lives of His people.
January 22, 2011
Redemption stories are a common theme in inspirational romance. Certian secrets are less common and, even rarer, are heroes and heroines with a linked intimate past who find themselves together in an uncertain future. The Outlaw’s Return, by Victoria Bylin, features just such a pairing. J.T. Quinn has cleaned up his “hired gun” ways, acquired a dog (a supportive character in its own right), and gone looking for the actress, Mary Larue, who shared his heart and his bed. Mary has come to faith, become a business woman, and is responsible for her siblings. But she is full of secrets and a deep mistrust of J.T. Sparks fly, tempers flare, as well as the passion and longing for what might have been.
It was a joy to watch both J.T. and Mary come to trust God and each other, redeem their past, and look forward to a new future together. This third entry in the Swan’s Nest series has all the earmarks of the previous books: an emphasis on real life problems and tough situations for the hero and heroine, themes of forgiveness and faith, and supportive secondary characters. Bylin has the ability to draw the reader into the setting and fall in love with the characters. Just as importantly, she makes the reader think. It doesn’t get much better than that.
August 2, 2011
I'm going to reread this one. It is part of a series and I didn't read The Maverick Preacher before reading the second two books in the series. This one is my favorite so far. J. T. realizes his life is empty and his wandering ways have to come to an end. He knows what he wants and it's Mary but he doesn't accept that he needs God first. But as always, God, know our needs before we ask. He places a friend, Josh Blue in J. T.'s life and a dog to show him unconditional love. The climax in this book is when J. T. literally reaches the bottom and has no where or no one to turn to but God. The romance is tender and edgy but fulfilling. This is a keeper!
September 4, 2011
The Outlaw's Return is an excellent read. Ms. Bylin captured the honest emotions of a man who'd made mistakes yet was searching to redeem himself. I quickly came to care about the characters and found myself rooting for them all. This one's a keeper.
June 11, 2012
I really enjoyed it because it was realistic and very relateable!
The only thing that irritated me was I felt like it took a while to wrap up and felt repetitive at times.
Otherwise though, a charming good read!
The only thing that irritated me was I felt like it took a while to wrap up and felt repetitive at times.
Otherwise though, a charming good read!
July 24, 2012
I just finished and I'm wiping tears. This was beautiful. It's a Harlequin novel but it's a Love Inspired Historical Romance, nothing like the smut you usually expect. The story was well-written and the plot was thoroughly developed, the characters are beautiful and people you can relate to.
April 29, 2012
Enjoyable read, worth the effort.
June 9, 2015
I really liked the relationship between Gus and JT -- someone who needed to be a father, and someone who needed a father figure.
Want to read
July 2, 2017I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13118546
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13118546
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews