Title: The Wildest Heart
Author: Rosemary Rogers
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: Reprint Edition November 3, 2009
Paperback: 736 pages
ISBN: 9781402222740
Genre: Historical Romance

From the Publisher:

From New York Times Bestseller Rosemary Rogers

No man can tame her, and only a renegade outlaw would dare to try…

No man can tame her
Lady Rowena Dangerfield, wild, headstrong, and scandalously independent, travels from exotic India to the splendor of London to the savage New Mexico frontier hoping to meet her long-lost father and start a new life. She arrives to find herself in the middle of a long-standing feud.

Nothing will stop him from taking what he wants
Lucas Cord, a handsome half-Apache outlaw, is a rebel renegade feared throughout the territories. When he encounters the beautiful stranger, unlike any woman he’s ever known before, he knows instantly that he’ll have to win her for his own. Together they will experience a rampaging passion as wild and hot as the Southwestern winds.

My review:

First off, I will not rate this book, as I believe my rating would possibly dissuade readers who would normally enjoy this novel. I must be upfront and honest; this novel was not one I enjoyed. With all that being said, I believe it imperative that my readers know, this book is exceedingly well-written, detailed, and rich in character with vivid descriptions of the landscapes from India to the wild west of New Mexico. For the majority of the novel Lady Rowena Dangerfield tells her story as a flashback.

Rosemary Rogers weaves together an extremely detailed novel beginning in India, then briefly in London before Rowena travels to America. The story lines are rich and detailed; the novel is well written; yet I did not care at all for the characters, save the housekeeper Marta and her husband Jules. My dislike for the main character made this a difficult novel for me to read. I persevered on, hoping I would find something about Lady Rowena that I could like, sadly this was not the case for me. My dislike for the main character, the storyteller of this novel, made for an extremely long and tedious read.

As a reviewer I try to stay objective, and in so doing, I cannot say this is a bad novel, since it is not. The novel was not to my liking, but it in no way reflects on the writing style of Rosemary Rogers. I discovered that I am not a fan a western romances, no matter how exceptionally written. Rogers novel is truly well written and if a reader is interested in a complex romance novel set primarily in America, in the later half of the 19th century, a true wild west adventure filled with mystery, intrigue, love and betrayal, then this book may indeed be of extreme interest.

Praise from other reviewers:

What readers say:
“It drives you to read until you drop from exhaustion. It’s a true American West adventure. It makes you cry, it makes you wish, and it makes you dream. It’s what a romance novel is all about.”

“Rosemary Rogers’ The Wildest Heart kept me captivated well beyond the last page…beyond the last word…her Ro and Luke continue to wander out there in the Southwest, two truly ‘wild hearts.’”

“The characters are so compelling, and…so human and real in their struggles and mistakes and in their love. The ending had me on tenterhooks.”

Praise for Rosemary Rogers:
“One of the world’s bestselling authors, passion drives her tales.”
Time Magazine

“The queen of historical romance.”
The New York Times Book Review

“Her novels are filled with adventure, excitement and, always, wildly tempestuous romance.”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

I received a free copy of The Wildest Heart by Rosemary Rogers from Sourceboks. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.