Synopsis:
To have and to hold
Stacey Richards had finally come home to her Texas ranch, and she was damned if anyone was going to run her off again. Eleven years of exile in Paris had transformed her from wildcat to woman-a woman who’d still fight like a tiger for her birthright. She wanted her land . . . with no strings attached.
She refused to comply with the terms of her grandfather’s will. Refused to marry Ben Oakes in order to receive her legacy. Somehow, she vowed, she’d override the absurd codicil . . . and her own irrational reaction to Ben. Once she would have given everything for the rugged cowboy. He’d spurned her then–now it was her turn.
WILDCAT
SPOILER FREE REVIEW 😊
The Book
Published in 1989, Candace Schuler’s Harlequin Temptation #284 Wildcat is a hot, steamy romance. I cannot believe that 31 years have come and gone since I read it. I read this book as a preteen (way too young)! This drawn-out battle of wills between a tempestuous female and an ultra-macho rancher really appealed to me.
The Plot
Stacey Richards was banished from her Texas home over a decade ago. Her wild, unruly ways were too much for her grandfather to handle. He sent her off to Paris to learn how to become a lady. In the meantime, Ben Oakes, a man whom the teenaged Stacey had the major hots for, capably cares for the ranch.
Stacey’s grandfather dies, and she flies back home. The reading of her grandfather’s will shocks everyone. For Stacey to inherit the property, she must marry Ben.
Beneath her sophisticated airs, Stacey is still a wild girl at heart and will not be dominated into marriage. Ben is no card-carrying feminist, and he tries his cave-man best to reign in Stacey’s wild temper. Will these two crazy kids ever admit to their mutual lusts and come to an agreement?
Final Analysis of Wildcat
I loved the original Temptation cover with Ben and Stacey lying in the grass, Ben on top of her, holding her arms at each side of her head, sweat pouring down his cheeks, while Stacey’s shirt is unbuttoned, and there’s this look of anticipation on her beautiful face…
Great memories. So good I had to read it again.
Sometimes it’s best to keep treasured books in memory to avoid spoiling them by looking at them with jaded, aged eyes. Happily, such is not the case with Wildcat. It’s as fun on rereading as it was the first time around. This is, for me, a fantastic 5-star romance because I loved the OTT drama.
5 stars
