Lydia's Gunslinger --

Roth just might reform some of his gunslinging ways when Lydia instigates feeling where there'd been none.

Fleeing the abusive headmaster at the St. Louis orphanage, Roth turned to gunslinging as a means for survival. Years of looting and raiding put his face on several Wanted posters, and instilled in him an aversion to settling down. That is, until he meets Lydia Tyler, the woman building the orphanage along the Rio Grande. Although he’s the deputy of Revolving Point, Lydia detests his hardened ways. She’s also got trouble on her hands; a headmaster linked to Roth’s old nemesis. Roth will do everything he can to help Lydia. And convince her he's not as deplorable as his guns suggest.

Lydia Tyler has no use for guns and violence. All she wants is to build her orphanage and give her children a safe and loving home. Trouble is, Papa has hired a headmaster without her say-so; an arrogant man who schemes to usurp her authority, a man Deputy Roth despises. When Roth offers to rid Lydia of the troublemaker, Lydia doesn’t approve of his methods. But that doesn’t stop her from melting every time Roth holds her hand. The more she gets to know him, the more she reconsiders his menacing ways. He may be a gunslinger, but the warmth in his gaze hints there's more to him than his pistols.   

Though I like the others, this was my favorite of the Revolving Point series. Lydia was a tough lady who knows what she wants (an orphanage in Revolving Point) and goes after it regardless of the stumbling blocks in her way. Roth is a man who thinks he's a lot worse than he is. He figures the only woman he'll ever have a soft spot for is his sister. He never plans to settle down and get married much less to a society lady, but one look at Lydia throws him for a loop. The book has several unexpected twist and turns. I read it in 2 days and would have read it in one if I hadn't been pushed to finish a manuscript by my deadline date. I recommend Lydia's gunslinger to anyone who likes western romance, but you might want to read the series in sequence.   5 Stars by Agnes Alexander

Awesome series. Look forward to more. You have it all in the series. Love, murder, mystery, have it all in this book. Enjoy. 5 Stars by Reading Warrior

"You own women!" Lydia shot up from her seat.

"I have a contract with the doves 'til November." He eased her back down. "I don't hurt them. And I don't let anybody else hurt them."

"That's supposed to make owning them right?"

"Had I been born with money like you, things would be different. But I wasn't. Be glad about that. I can help you with Cooper."

"I don't need your help."

"You little fool." Roth chuckled and that irritated her. "You underestimate Cooper now and he'll end up with everything you own."

"So you say," she retorted, glaring at him, at his hair brushing his shoulders, his brown eyes and the way his Stetson sat lopsided on his head. He's not the man I thought he was. That same sadness from the other day consumed her again.
"You might be right in that he wants control of the orphanage," she conceded.
 
"And your money. Could be he wants more. Man doesn't go around losing five hundred dollars to another man less he's got plenty of money to spare. Or plans to have plenty in the future."

"He'll inherit. He's one of Dante Cooper's heirs." She stood. "Thank you for your concern, but I can handle the matter on my own."

"You really can't be that naive." Roth shook his head and Lydia grew more aggravated with him.  

"I am not a simpleton." Guns, soiled doves, thinking me fragile in the head; what good did I ever see in him?

"You're not, but you're gonna be my wife."

"Have you taken leave of your senses?"

"Probably."