MARK OF THE SIRE
By Larion Wills
Publisher: Swimming Kangaroo Books
Genre: Historical Romance
ISBN: Paper: 978-1-934041-36-9
Pages: Paper: 321
Price: Paper: $17.99
Do you like westerns? Do you like romance? Do you like a smartly told story?
“Mark of the Sire” is for you.
My all time favourite storyteller is Louis L’Amour, specially his westerns and definitely his Sackett family. Ms. Wills creates a western town and inhabitants to, in my opinion, rival those of my favourite reads.
Her tale is simple. Girl leaves the ‘civilized’ city because society branded her unsuitable. Girl arrives in Colorado to live with her stuck-up Uncle and Aunt. Bad Boy, who ruined Girl’s reputation, shows up in Colorado. Is he following Girl or someone else?
Of course, “Mark of the Sire” isn’t this simple. There are family secrets, gunfights, land takeovers, abductions, and personal truths.
While “Mark of the Sire” is a romance, there is very little between our heroine and hero. The story is seen through the actions of Lon (the Boy), his long-lost brother, their friends, their estranged father, and unknown uncle. Through the unravelling of their secrets and pain Lon finds the freedom to be himself and not the rogue fake he wears.
The Girl, Catherine, is internally strong and when she finally breaks away from her righteous uncle she is able to start opening her eyes to the real Lon.
“Mark of the Sire” is not a typical romance. Sure, the two characters are back and forth between admitting they need/want each other and running away. However, it is the surrounding story that makes this an excellent read.
Once again, Ms. Wills captures her readers’ attention with her storytelling. She easily paints the setting and emotions of her story to the point you are living in her pages. Her characters breathe with believability and their journey stays with you once you close the book’s covers.
Ms. Wills never disappoints and “Mark of the Sire” is one of her best.