May 22, 2007 Love Western Romances gives Angel In The Rain 5 Spurs! In Angel in the Rain, Devon Matthews has written a superb historical western romance with this tale of a sexy loner from the wrong side of life, who finds himself protecting a female firebrand who's anything but genteel. Angel's homecoming to her father's ranch turns out to have more surprises than a crackerjack box, when she's abducted at gun point by henchmen so she can be held for ransom by her father's enemy, Horace Lundy.  Like dust in a wind storm, Angel's hopes of pleasing her father, with her newly acquired eastern elegance, blows away when she's rescued from Lundy's men by Rane Mantorres, a hard and dangerous gunslinger. Rane fully intends to use the lovely Angel Clayton as his bargaining chip with the unscrupulous Lundy, for purposes he's not about to reveal.  Rane never imagined his desire for justice from Lundy would be doing battle with a desire for this feisty female, whose warmth and vitality fills a void he didn't know he had. Angel knows this man, bent on bringing her to Lundy, is dangerous, but not because of his reputation with a gun.  When circumstances force her to trust him with her life, it's her heart she ends up entrusting to the man as well.  With a deadly reputation, "mixed blood" and a score to settle, Rane struggles against his feelings for her, convinced he's not fit for the likes of Angel Clayton. From the very beginning, Devon Matthews mesmerizes with descriptions that pull the reader into the story.  You can taste the grit of the trail, feel the burn of the searing sun and touch the hot branding iron of passion as you ride full speed into this Texas adventure.  Her characters are gloriously multi-dimensional, with flaws that make them all too human.  Ms. Matthews has you rooting for the lone-wolf Rane as he struggles to live within his own code of honor and the vulnerable Angel who won't deny her heart even at the risk of disappointing a father whose approval she has always craved but never gotten.  Indeed, Ms. Matthews' depiction of a father and daughter who love each other but can't communicate is so well drawn, it will ring with recognition for anyone who has traveled the same path.  I didn't want to stop reading this book.  It deserves a broad readership.  I can't wait for Ms. Matthews next historical western romance.  I hope she has many more to come. Carol, Reviewer ~ LWR Book Reviews   ~ ~ ~ LWR Book Reviews ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   April 23, 2007 Romance Reader at Heart rates Angel In The Rain TOP PICK! ANGEL IN THE RAIN by Devon Matthews is everything a good western historical romance should be. The bad guys deserve to wear black, the hero and heroine catch the reader’s heart instantly, and the plot is intricate enough to garner attention without the need for a lariat or hog-tying. Evangeline Clayton is returning home from New York and Miss Marvel’s Ladies Academy, at her father’s summons. She’s been in the city studying to become a woman of refinement, but the minute she gets a whiff of the west and is reminded of all that she holds dear, the temptation to throw off her gloves is great. Still, she resists—until she realizes there’s a price on her head. Evangeline becomes embroiled in a bitter range war. There’s a bounty on her and it seems that everywhere she looks, there’s one despicable character after another waiting to kidnap her. But Rane Mantorres is different. The gunfighter saves her from her captors and although Evangeline is grateful, she wonders what the stunningly handsome man has in his own mind to do with her. She doesn’t need to wait long to find out, though, and almost before she can don trousers and mount a horse she’s pulled into an unlikely love affair. ANGEL IN THE RAIN by Devon Matthews is the kind of book that can be enjoyed over and over again. I loved it the first time I read it and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it as much the next time I read it. Because this one, dear readers, is a keeper. Kay James, Reviewer ~ Romance Reader at Heart  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   April 10, 2007 The Romance Studio gives Angel In The Rain 5 Hearts! Evangeline (Angel) Clayton's father, Roy, had sent his motherless daughter to live 1500 miles away with his late wife's sister, Nelda, for two years so she could attend Miss Marvel's Academy for Young Ladies.  Her excitement over seeing her father again and being at the ranch had made the trip seem short until the stage was stopped by two men; she was abducted, and seriously manhandled, her clothes were torn, and she was terrified!  When Ranaldo Rafael (Rane) de Mantorres rescued her, she did not realize her problems were just escalating! Rane treated her as a prisoner because she was determined to escape.  He tried to make her understand that since her father was involved in a range war with his neighbor, Horace Lundy, he had put a price on her--he wanted her as a hostage so that he could force Roy Clayton to do what he wanted.  After word was spread that Rane had stolen her, Lundy's men were told to bring her to him unharmed, but kill Rane if necessary to separate the two. This is a marvelous book with a full cast of characters who fulfill every possible direction the story could take.  The characters who worked for Lundy were filthy men who were such scroungers they would stop at nothing to get hold of Angel.  These attributes gave us a good indication of Lundy's integrity before we even met him in the book.  There were various nationalities involved--Rane was a half-breed, seemingly hated by white men; Indians such as Wolf, who was Rane's blood brother; Mexicans who took care of Rane's home and were personal friends as well as employees. The rocky relationship between Angel and her father was strained, to put it mildly.  Ms. Matthews' study of this affiliation was poignant as well as distressing.  The author has done an exceptional work of bringing all the conflict into resolution through a myriad of actions without making this story drag.  I found it impossible to put down and I highly recommend it.  I also expect it to become a best seller! Brenda Talley, Reviewer ~ The Romance Studio ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   April 28, 2007 Fallen Angel Reviews gives Angel In The Rain 4 Angels! Angel Clayton is tired of being a wild girl and is ready to prove to her father that she can be demure, polite and beautiful like her mother was before her death.  She is not the only one who wants to prove something for there is a gunfighter out there who will be her match in every way.  Before Angel can prove that she doesn't have to be a hellion, one of her father's enemies wants her dead.  Can Angel find the freedom she wants yet still be able to let loose a little without making a spectacle of herself? Rane Mantorres is bent on revenge on the father who abandoned him and his mother.  Since his mother's death, he is determined to see that his father pays for the pain and poverty he grew up in.  When he started this plan, he never expected to meet a woman like Angel Clayton, who disrupts his life.  He knows that falling in love with a woman like Angel will be terrible.  Though he knows he's not worthy of her love, Rane can't stop thinking or imagining a life with her.  Can he continue on his revenge when all he wants to do is be with Angel? Angel and Rane are two different people, yet so right for one another for these two have everything in common.  Both of them want to prove something to someone.  They are afraid of the love that is blooming between them.  I loved Rane, for here is a man who finally has a chance to have the love in his life but afraid to find happiness.  Devon Matthews did such a beautiful job in this book that it pulled me from the beginning, and had me waiting to see what happens with the love between these two characters.  Here is a couple that will make you root for them yet sometimes want to pull your hair each time Rane denies the attraction between them.  I for one cheered for Angel since all she wants is her father's approval, which is still hard for all of us to come by, but this woman is determined to see it.  Here's another winner for this great historical romance from The Wild Rose Press. Lena C., Reviewer ~ Fallen Angel Reviews ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~