Bandit’s Embrace by Georgina Gentry is part of “The Durango Family” sub-series and the “Panorama of the Old West” series.
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Bandit’s Embrace by Georgina Gentry
Rating: 
Published: 1989
Illustrator: TBD
Imprint or Line: Zebra Lovegram
Book Series: The Durango Family #3; Panorama of the Old West #4
Published by: Kensington
Genres: Historical Romance, Western Romance
Pages: 446
Format: Paperback
Buy on: Amazon, AbeBooks
Reviewed by: Blue Falcon
TOTAL SPOILER ALERT ⚠
The Book
This review is of Bandit’s Embrace, book #3 of “The Durango Family” sub-series, and #4 overall in the “Panorama of the Old West” series by Georgina Gentry.
The Plot
The Amethyst Nun
Bandit’s Embrace begins with the heroine Amethyst Maria Consuelo Durango, being delivered to a convent in Mexico. This is not Amethyst’s decision but rather that of her stepmother, Monique, who wants Amethyst gone for personal reasons.
Amethyst seeks to stop this plan by finding someone who will help her.
Meanwhile, in Bandera, Texas, a drifter named Bandit is participating in a card game. Among the other players is the notorious Oklahoma Kid. When Bandit accuses the Kid of cheating, gunfire erupts, and Bandit kills the Kid. He escapes with the Kid’s horse, then realizes that he has something he didn’t bargain for: a stolen Army payroll.
Bandit hightails it to Mexico, where he and Amethyst meet for the first time. She offers to pay him for the horse, but he refuses. That’s because he needs the horse to escape the other members of the Kid’s gang—and possibly the Army, who might be pursuing him.
Amethyst and Bandit share an attraction. They soon have sex.
While Amethyst is being pushed into a convent, Bandit’s life is going differently. He agrees to pretend to be Tony Falcon, the long-lost son of wealthy Mexican rancher Enrique Falcon. This is part of a scheme by Falcon’s evil foreman, Romeros, to obtain money and power.
Bandit and the Outlaws
While Bandit is somewhat happy to be part of a family, he is less happy to discover that Enrique has affianced Tony to his friend Gomez’s daughter. That feeling changes, however, when, at a party, Bandit discovers that his fiancee is Amethyst.
Other guests of that party are Gomez and the aforementioned future stepmother, his fiancee, Monique Dupre, whom Amethyst doesn’t like, for various reasons.
It turns out that Monique and Bandit have a history. Furthermore, she is in a conspiracy with Romeros to steal Gomez’s fortune. We also learn that “Monique,” like Bandit, isn’t who she says she is.
As the book goes on, we learn more about Bandit’s childhood and past with his mother, Lida Anson. It’s not pretty or happy. When he hears that the three other members of the Oklahoma Kid’s gang are trying to find him, Bandit leaves Mexico, hoping not to get the Durango and Falcon families involved in his fight. It seems that hope will not be realized.
The three surviving members of the Oklahoma Kid’s gang kidnap Amethyst and hold her, hoping to ambush Bandit and get the money back. Bandit goes to rescue her, and he will get some unexpected help doing so. A group of Mescalero Apache Indians find the outlaws and kill them, and Bandit discovers part of his heritage.
After escaping the outlaws, Bandit returns to the Falcon ranch, where he confronts Romeros. A violent fight ensues, and Romeros and “Monique” are both killed.
Bandit learns another life-changing fact, he and Amethyst marry and have their Happily Ever After.
The Upside
In many ways, Ms. Gentry’s books are like a big flow chart. Everyone in the books is connected to each other; in some ways tangentially, in others by blood.
Bandit is the titular character and, by far, the most interesting person in the book. We learn about his past—it’s sad and not pretty—and understand his reasons for becoming a gunslinger.
The Downside
Sadly, Ms. Gentry doesn’t provide the same depth to Amethyst. She checks off all the “romance novel heroine” boxes: she’s beautiful and she’s sexy. But she also lacks depth, and I found I didn’t care for her as much as I wanted to.
In her previous book, Comanche Cowboy Ms. Gentry achieved a more balanced portrayal of depth between her hero and heroine. However, in this book, the focus is primarily on Bandit.
I didn’t feel a whole lot of chemistry between Amethyst and Bandit. There was lust, for certain, but not a lot of loving chemistry.
Sex
Ms. Gentry’s love scenes are what I call “soft erotic” romance. That is, they are slightly steamier than most mainstream historical romance love scenes (in terms of sexual positions, acts, etc.)
But they would not come close to approaching what would be classified today as erotica.
Heat Level
The steam forecast is steamy and sensual.
Violence
The early books in the “Panorama of the Old West” series are quite violent, and Bandit’s Embrace follows that trend. Violent scenes here include assault, battery, rape, stabbings, shootings, and killings.
There are also torture scenes. One character is gored and killed by a bull.
Bottom Line on Bandit’s Embrace
Bandit’s Embrace is not as good as it could have been. I felt like Ms.Gentry left a lot on the table here.
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| Overall: | 3.3 |
Synopsis
TOO AROUSED TO RESIST
When her scheming, jealous stepmother-to-be forced Amethyst Durango to enter a convent, the headstrong heiress swore she’d experience life to the fullest before being shut away. And when her violet eyes gazed upon the handsome Texas drifter at a sleepy stage stopover, Amethyst knew she’d found her mate. His sensual glance made her shiver with anticipation; his big calloused hands would electrify her with ecstasy. But when he galloped off afterwards without any promises to rescue her, the deceived senorita vowed she’d get back at the double-crosser—even if it meant never savoring his lying lips again!
TOO LUCIOUS TO BE LAWFUL
Rangy, rugged Bandit knew how to hold his cards, his liquor and his women, but when he first met the alluring Mexican maiden, he knew this was one gal he shouldn’t touch! She was too young, too innocent, and too rich for a no-good mixed-blood cowboy like himself. Still, he couldn’t stop his mouth from crushing hers any more than he could keep a stallion from a mare. And after he’d tasted and teased her, and pleasured and pleased her, it was too late to tell Amethyst he was on the run—and he could never again shelter her in his BANDIT’S EMBRACE.
Bandit’s Embrace by Georgina Gentry
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