Elaine Barbieri, Hawk’s Prize

Hawk's Prize

Elaine Barbieri

Leisure, November 2006, $6.99

ISBN: 0843956380

Drew Hawk assumes his two sisters died in an inferno at the orphanage. Heartbroken, the former Confederate solider comes to Galveston hoping to find his brother Whit, though he must do so serendipitously because he is also a wanted man. Still suffering from a leg wound that he has not given it enough time to heal, Drew, suffering from a related fever, collapses at Madame Chantalle's bordello.

As he recovers he sees an "angel" of mercy caring for him. When he fully regains his senses Drew finds he is attracted to his angel, Tricia Lee Shepherd, who reciprocates his deepest feelings. As they fall in love, Simon Gault, who wants the Hawk siblings dead, observes the goings-on between the two lovebirds with euphoria; he believes he has an expendable pawn to draw Drew out into the open; all he has to do is abduct Tricia.

Fans of the Hawk's P tales (see PASSION by Elaine Barbieri, and PLEDGE and PURSUIT by Constance O'Banyon) will appreciate the final western romantic suspense, as Drew is somewhat distracted from his quest by falling in love. The action-packed storyline never slows down from the start until the final confrontation. However, what makes the quartet fun to read is how effortlessly the two authors insure their key cast remains consistent. HAWK PRIZE is a fine Reconstruction Era Texas thriller.