Format: E-book
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self Published
Hero: Judah Merrill
Heroine: Rebecca Chatham
Date of Publication: September 1, 2011
Started On: September 3, 2011
Finished On: September 4, 2011

Wild Wild Widow is my second book by Emma Jay and a thoroughly invigorating one at that. Emma Jay has a talent for creating beautiful characters and making their flaws work in a story that makes their inevitable happily ever after that much sweeter in the end.

Wild Wild Widow caught my eye when Emma Jay’s page on Facebook announced this book’s release on Amazon. From the cover that first reeled me in to the blurb that signalled an unusual historical romance in the making, I had no qualms about loading up my IPad with this novella and indulging! And indulge I did because from page 1, the heat factor is on together with a hero and heroine who inevitably managed to surprise me as I delved deeper into the story.

This novella starts at an unusual point. 8 months widowed Lady Rebecca Chatham is about to invite the advances of a man who is willing to take her under his wing as his mistress. Rebecca’s marraige to her deceased husband Nathan Chatham had been one of grand passion and adventure, the precarious positions in which these two were found during different points of their marriage the highlight of San Francisco’s gossip mongrels.

As a result, Rebecca finds herself banished to the homestead of his brother Gabriel and his wife Beatrice as punishment. Rebecca is determined that her father would have to forgive her enough to take her back before long because she is not an outback kind of girl who would thrive in the blazing heat of Central California.

But when Rebecca encounters Judah Merrill, her brother’s foreman whose twinkling brown eyes and lazy charm instantly draws her to him, in Judah Rebecca finds a reason to stay and a reason to make a better person out of herself. And for the first time in her life, Rebecca finds that she is drawn to a man whose integrity and honesty shines through him, a man who could cherish her for who she is rather than making a spectacle out of their shared passion for each other.

Judah is not convinced that he would be able to provide Rebecca with the sort of adventurous life that her husband had provided her with, though the sultry kisses and forbidden caresses that are shared between them gets past the defences around his heart and catches him unawares before their affair runs its course.

Rebecca is the one whose surprised when she starts to yearn for far more than just her cowboy’s blazing caresses that makes her world spin out of control. But before long, both Rebecca and Judah’s passion for one another throws Rebecca’s past in her face until Judah takes the chance of his life to convince the woman who is suited for him in every way to share their lives together until death does them apart.

Though a short story, Wild Wild Widow is an intense one both in the physical and emotional sense. The wild lovemaking that Rebecca and Judah share is out of this world hot and tender at the same time that just calls to something deep inside of the reader. Rebecca’s character is one that is hard to define as she is someone who defies all the rules of the conventional society and lives to be her own person. Restless is how I would define her, making her yearn for things that lands her in trouble. And in Judah’s arms does the restlessnless find its cure and a love so beautiful that I found myself smiling all through their adventures.

Judah is a man who comes across as laid back and gentle mannered. But beneath that exterior lies a man who is capable of making your toes curl inward and your breath hitch as he turns up the blazing heat factor on. And the way he treasures each kiss and caress and turns even the most torrid encounters into something worth being savored is the best part about him.

Emma Jay has definitely spun a winner with this one. A tale that is different from most of the historical romances that line your e-book shelves and a romance and love that shines through at the turn of each page. Wonderful way to pass your time if you have an hour to spare!

Highly recommended!

Momentous Scenes

• When Rebecca is found in a precarious position with a man – equal parts horror and hilarity
• Seduction scene at the stream – Yowza!
• The moment Judah takes Rebecca against the horse in the pouring rain – Pass me the ice please!

Favorite Quotes

He made a sound deep in his throat, pulled her closer and covered her mouth with his, a claiming kiss that made her skin tingle. His stubble rasped her skin. He tasted nice, minty, unexpected, as he tilted his head and slipped his tongue between her lips. She curled her fingers in the thick hair at the back of his neck, holding him to her as his tongue explored, as she lifted hers to meet his and return the intimate caress.

When they reached the creek where they’d gone two nights before, far enough from the house so that she could scream to the heavens as she came, he slid out of the saddle and pulled her into his arms, body to body, holding her tightly against him as he kissed her, open-mouthed and hungry. She wound her arms around him, pushed her leg between his, her tongue into his mouth and he was dizzy with wanting her.