In Sandra Brown's Sunset Embrace, the first installment in the Coleman family saga series, she took a turn of a page of history for this enthralling classic historical romance. For Lydia Bryant, she fled from a secret shame and vowed never to let a man overpower her. For Ross Coleman, he had the shadow of his lawless past and sworn to resist temptation. But when Fate thrown them together on a wagon trail on the Oregon trail, they fought the desire growing between them, while the shadows of their enemies grew longer. As they headed west, danger drew them closer together, when they faced their rivals together and would face death, the truth and love between them, before it was over...

Author kills off the Hero from this book in book 2.

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. It arrived with a signed copy of Long Time Coming.

I have mixed feelings about this book. This is my first time reading Sandra Brown and I didn’t know what to expect. This is also one of her earlier books. I enjoyed the story, but I absolutely despised the characters.

Sunset Embrace takes place on a wagon train ride out west. Our heroine Lydia is discovered nearly dead after giving birth to a stillborn son in a pile of leaves by two members of the wagon train. Lydia is taken in by Ma Langston and she continues on with the wagon train. A short while later, a woman dies during childbirth. Her husband Ross is inconsolable with grief and the baby is near death. Lydia is recruited to be that child’s wet nurse. And so begins a rather annoying relationship.

I think what bothered me the most was Ross’ treatment of Lydia. Lydia was never as good, as pure, and as perfect as his late wife Victoria. He constantly calls Lydia a whore, yet he is jealous when anyone pays any attention to Lydia. Lydia is damaged goods. She comes from an abusive background where her stepbrother took pleasure in raping and degrading her.

Ross’ character had possibilities. After all, he was a member of the Jesse James gang. That alone could have provided endless interest. But Ross was just plain mean. Sure he had his tender moments, but raping your wife sure doesn’t fall into that category.

I understand why Lydia put up with Ross’ behavior. She didn’t know any better and life in those times was difficult for an unmarried, unchaperoned woman. Lydia did stand up for herself, but I really wished she had revealed her abuse earlier.

I do have a copy of Sandra Brown’s newest book Ricochet. I am interested to see how her writing style has evolved over the years.

(1.5)

Juro que lo intente, hace mucho que no leía un libro que iba tolerando menos hasta odiarlo, lo termine solo porque no puedo evitar terminarlos por muy malos que sean.

Pero vamos por partes. Tenía al inicio la ilusión de leer el libro porque la sinopsis me llamo la atención y porque ya había leído antes a la autora y me había gustado como escribe, así que si tenía expectativas.
Ahora vamos con la historia, al inicio va bien todo, pero no llegué ni a la cuarta parte y supe que el protagonista era de lo peor, y luego Lydia, una protagonista que al inicio trate de entender su ingenuidad por la vida que había llevado y por la época en la que se está desarrollando todo, pero hubo un punto dónde de verdad no la tolere, porque uno era un gran inv**il y ella una idi**a.
Aunque leo mucho romance los temas de insta love o que el romance se desarrolla rápido no tengo problema al leerlos mientras estén bien escritos, pero aquí no, el tipo despreciaba e insultaba a Lydia de las peores formas y de la nada, sin razón alguna o algún buen argumento resultaba que Lydia lo quería, porque sin importar como la trataban ella lo perdonaba por amor, osea? Y luego Ross, un tipo que más que amor era pura atracción física por ella y lo dejaba muy en claro; osea que no se de dónde sacaban al final que siempre se habían amado. Porque con esa sinopsis hubiera sido mejor un desarrollo más largo para el romance, dónde dos personas supuestamente rotas que se repelen van teniendo un acercamiento poco a poco sin tanta tontería e idiotez, creo que eso hubiera sido más creíble.

Luego el final, estaba ya con dolor de cabeza y ganas de gritar, porque otra vez, malentendidos, insultos y degradacion que Lydia seguia perdonando porque como dijo, era capaz de aceptar eso y mas mientras no la dejara, WTF!!!
Osea una relación llena de codependencia y atracción física disfrazada de amor.

Hay cosas buenas? Si, los personajes secundarios que tienen un mucho mejor desarrollo que los protagonistas e incluso más carácter que te provocaban risas, emoción, enojo y esas cosas; y no ganas de quemar el libro o saltarme las escenas románticas de tan poco tolerables me parecian.

Y no, claramente no lo recomiendo leer, ni por curiosidad.

An unlikely tale, but full of hope and promise. As two people with unfortunate pasts come together to form a new union and change to be better people, there is wonder and sadness as the reader hopes it will all work out. It is not easy. The other people on the wagon train are wonderful to follow as they wend their way west. Tragedy and good times follow them, but they make it to their destinations, for the most part.

This book is so wrong in so many ways.

I DONT mind rape scenes. AT ALL. I think in the real world it's a henious crime but a part of life, sot I don't mind them when they are a part of the story, and aren't romanticised.

There are 2 book with breathtaking rapes scenes (thats right, rapes as in multiple of rape) that were masterfully written, the first is Sentence of Marriage, and the other os Stormfire.

I can think of a dozen of other book that misuse rape and women, and this is one of them. I should have taken notice of Duchess Nicole's review and not bother with this book.

Other than that, the charachters are flat, the Hero calls the Heroine slut/trash the entire time (at least 10 times of each, for a man that is supposed to know his curses - COMMON!), the way they talk is not "real". What woman, let alone wife, tells her spouse to sweep the floor himself when he orders her to? Whos thinks that a women looking you streight in the eye must be a whore? who inhabitates an unwed woman with a single man??? It's practically unheard of in MY family, and I live a couple of hundred years after the heroine does!


The charachters are immature, throwing tatnrums, saying sorry when they shouldn't, don't when the should, making angry faces, the hewoine has a big mouth but keeps it shut when she shouldn't! Like after the rape!

The Hero looks at the Heroine before taking off with a wagon full of whores (so help me God, he does) telling him off, all he does is look at her, think she look like a lioness that needs taming!

Oh, and the heroine swooshes her skirts eveytime she is upset, swooshes them against the Hero as she TURNS HER BACK IN PROTEST. Oy my God.


I made it till page 170.

this novel i have to say was my favorite besides Breakfast in Bed. i loved the plot and the characters. the turmoil and tension between the main characters was fabulous! and the side characters were developed well too. i read this book in one day. could not put it down. great read for all romance readers!!!

First Sandra Brown book ever! I would have never read this if not for my bestie and Im so glad she suggested to me. I loved it.

I loved all the characters! Truly, I could do a whole review about the support cast alone in this book. I can't express how much I loved them. As far as the 2 main characters, Lidia and Ross Coleman, well, they aren't perfect but I liked that about them.

I'm looking forward to Jakes story next. He was one of my favorite characters in this book.

Yikes!!

I don't know why there are so many bad reviews on this. People are reacting as if it's the worst historical bodice ripper ever written. I have read far worse books with boring arse plot and crazy arse twists and insanely ridiculous characters than this. I liked the milk-kink premise and was actually looking forward to sex gallore given how the negative reviews were constantly hollering about it but it was not that of a sex or milk fest. It was a descently balanced story with a good enough American pioneer premise. Will update when I read more.

Edit: Well I expected more. Quite disappointed the turn the story took. I expected a little more passion, a little more emotional range and a lot more grovelling. Infact there was no grovelling at all. I am disappointed with the H. And although the h is a dear soul, I m disappointed in her too. The writing fell flat after the 50% mark. I expected a more gradual progression between the MCs.

Disappointed is the word of the day. So 3 stars it is.

P.S.- I m not going to read the next book as the H in this book dies in that one. I mean..WTH was the author thinking?

En los años ochenta, Sandra Brown publicó, sobre todo, historias cortas tipo harlequin. Pero también escribió tres novelas largas ambientadas en el Oeste. Esta es una de ellas, y aguanta bastante bien el tipo, a pesar de que, al ser de aquellos años, ya sabéis, muchas veces la violación formaba parte del cortejo. Horrible.
Lydia, una pobre chica bastante baqueteada por la vida para lo joven que es, acaba en una caravana hacia el Oeste, dando de mamar a un recién nacido que no es hijo suyo, sino del viudo Ross Coleman. Hostiles, porque él la desprecia, luego el roce hace el cariño.
Pero hay cosas que amenazan la felicidad de estos dos. Cuando el pasado les alcance y todo eso. Recuerdo mucho una figura femenina bastante ponderosa, Mamá Langston. Y una representación de la «conquista del Oeste» algo más realista de lo que es habitual en romántica.
Crítica más amplia, en mi blog.

the cover is gorg and the premise sounds fascinating, but why must so many hr heros be absolute dicks