We’re so pleased to have author Eli Easton stopping by today on the tour for her new historical romance, Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride, a delightful romp through the Old West. Eli’s here to share some of her own favorite Western romances with us, and there’s also a giveaway for you to enter so be sure to check out the Rafflecopter widget for details.
Welcome, Eli!
Eli’s Favorite Historical Western Romances
In high school and college I read two types of books – horror and (het) romance. Of the romances, my favorites were historical regencies and westerns.
I’ve been writing m/m romance myself for five years now. I always wanted to do a historical western m/m romance, but various other projects and considerations kept me from going there. I finally had a chance to write a book “just for fun” and I chose a historical mail order bride romance with a m/m spin. The result is ROBBY RIVERTON: MAIL ORDER BRIDE.
For this blog post I wanted to get nostalgic and talk about my favorite historical western romances. In no particular order:
Courting Miss Hattie by Pamela Morsi
I love Pamela Morsi’s folksy sense of humor. In Courting Miss Hattie, a widow with a nice piece of farmland is courted by a man in town who wants the land. Miss Hattie’s farmhand, Reed, always thought of Miss Hattie as a sister until his jealousy and resentment of her new suitor surfaces. Reed decides to court her himself. And of course, he falls in love with her.
I like the “caught between two beaus” trope, the description of life on the farmstead, and the slow burn heat between Miss Hattie and Reed. So good!
Silver Lining by Maggie Osbourne
This is one of those plots I wish I’d thought of! Low Down is an unkempt and hard-living woman who mines for gold in a mining camp. When all the men in the camp come down with pox, she nurses them through it, saving many lives. The group of men promise her anything her heart desires as a reward, and when she says all she wants in life is a baby, they draw lots to see which of their number has to “do the deed” and marry Low Down. Of course, it’s the handsomest man, one already engaged to a girl back home.
This is an ugly duckling story, which I love. Low Down has oodles of integrity and grit, and isn’t so hard to look at once she’s cleaned-up. She’s led a loveless life and is overjoyed to become a part of Max’s family, while battling feelings of worthlessness and that she doesn’t deserve her good fortune. There’s got a bit of family plotline here, too, another favorite of mine. I just love hard-working Low Down (aka Louise) and how she wins over everyone in the end!
Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O’Connell
This is another wonderful hurt-comfort story with a lot of heavy Angst. Anne runs away from her abusive father. When they catch her on the property of a local “half-breed””, Cord, everyone assumes the worst and there’s a shotgun wedding. There are some very violent scenes in this book, and the racism against Cord (who is half Cheyenne) is terrible. But the genuine love that grows between Anne and Cord, and how she heals his heart, is a beautiful thing. If you like angsty books with bad boys, this one is for you!
This is a beauty & beast type story with a scarred and withdrawn hero and the beautiful pregnant wife he inherits from his good-for-nothing (but handsome and charming) brother when said brother is killed. There’s a lovely slow burn here and you want the best for both characters.
I know I already have a Maggie Osbourne on the list, but I can’t help it. Both Silver Lining and The Promise of Jenny Jones are in my all—time favorites. I love Maggie’s tough, inelegant female characters. They’re never prissy or silly nor do they endlessly make stupid decisions, like so many romance heroines. They are tough and level-headed, wear men’s britches, and absolutely take no shit. And this is another great plotline.
Jenny Jones is in a Mexican jail cell awaiting execution for a trumped-up charge when a dying woman, Marguarita, comes to the cell. She offers to switch places with Jenny and die in her stead. In return, Jenny must take Marguarita ’s daughter north to her father in California. Jenny agrees and ends up fleeing a bunch of cousins who want to kill the little girl to gain an inheritance. She’s first chased by, then in league with, the daddy’s brother, who is the love interest.
I adore Jenny’s determination and orneriness, and the way she learns to love the little girl and her uncle.
I hope a bit of these wonderful influences rubbed off on Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride.
Did you ever read historical Western romances? If so, let me know your favorites in the comments. 😊
Eli Easton
About the Book
Cover Design: Dar Albert @ Wicked Smart Design
Length: 65,000 words approx.
Blurb: Being a fugitive in the old west shouldn’t be this much fun.
The year is 1860. Robby Riverton is a rising star on the New York stage. But he witnesses a murder by a famous crime boss and is forced to go on the run–all the way to Santa Fe. When he still hasn’t ditched his pursuers, he disguises himself as a mail order bride he meets on the wagon train. Caught between gangsters that want to kill him, and the crazy, uncouth family of his “intended”, Robby’s only ally is a lazy sheriff who sees exactly who Robby is — and can’t resist him.
Trace Crabtree took the job as sheriff of Flat Bottom because there was never a thing going on. And then Robby Riverton showed up. Disguised as a woman. And betrothed to Trace’s brother. If that wasn’t complication enough, Trace had to find the man as appealing as blueberry pie. He urges Robby to stay undercover until the danger has passed. But a few weeks of having Robby-Rowena at the ranch, and the Crabtree family will never be the same again.
About the Author
Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, and organic farmer, Eli has been a m/m romance author since 2013. She has over 30 books published.
Eli has loved romance since her teens and she particular admires writers who can combine literary merit, genuine humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, bulldogs, cows, a cat, and lots of groundhogs.
In romance, Eli is best known for her Christmas stories because she’s a total Christmas sap. These include “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “Unwrapping Hank” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles”. Her “Howl at the Moon” series of paranormal romances featuring the town of Mad Creek and its dog shifters has been popular with readers. And her series of Amish-themed romances, Men of Lancaster County, has won genre awards.
In 2018 Eli hopes to do more of the same, assuming they reschedule the apocalypse. Her website is www.elieaston.com. You can email her at eli@elieaston.com.
The Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Follow the Tour
April 26 – Loves Bytes
April 28 – Padme’s Library
April 30 – My Fiction Nook
May 2 – The Novel Approach
May 4 – MM Good Book Reviews
May 7 – Diverse Reader
May 9 – Two Chicks Obsessed
May 11 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
May 14 – Joyfully Jay
May 16 – Bayou Book Junkie
