Sometimes a man’s biggest blunder can turn into his greatest triumph.
Orphaned at fourteen, Crow Poulin now has to hunt and trap the White Mountains of Arizona, as his father had taught him, all alone. It’s a lonely existence, until one morning, while checking his trap line, Crow finds more than a rabbit in a snare. He stumbles across the outlaw Jack Wittington lying half dead in the wilds. He takes the wanted man in, heals him, and in return for saving his life, the smooth-talking criminal invites Crow to join his family. Starved for human interaction and a father figure, Crow leaves the mountains behind for what he assumes will be a brighter future.
Six years pass. Crow is now a man, as well as a member of the Wittington Gang. He may be considered an outlaw, but his father’s morals are warring loudly with the lifestyle of his adopted family. When the gang decides to rob a train, Crow has no choice but to go along to keep a tight rein on the more bloodthirsty members. It doesn’t take long for the scheme to go horribly astray.
Instead of gold-filled coffers, the gang finds Spencer Haughton, son of cattle baron and railroad tycoon Woodford Haughton, cowering in the family’s opulent private car. The outlaws grab the sickly heir in hopes of ransoming him off. Things then go from bad to worse for them when the law rides down on the Wittington hideout and Crow is given Spencer to hide until the ransom is paid. The pretty young man is nothing at all like anyone Crow has ever met before. Delicate, refined, well-educated, and possessed of a singing voice to rival the songs of the birds in the trees, Crow slowly finds himself falling for the winsome rich boy. But can two such opposite souls find the love they’re both seeking in each other’s arms?
Historical, western, romance . . . what else is there?
When I started The Ballad of Crow & Sparrow I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it would be good and that I would walk away entertained because it was written by VL Locey. I've loved her co-authored work with RJ Scott and loved the few solo stories of her's that I've also read but none were historical. No worries because this story was beautifully written. I loved the balance of accuracy and fiction, it was the little elements that really suck you into the era, you know she did her research but she also isn't delivering a history lesson. Entertainment all the way.
As for Crow & Sparrow, love the names by the way, I won't go into too much detail as I don't want to give anything away. I'll say this, their meeting is not what I would call a "cute meet", honestly it's fraught with tension and "never gonna happen" atmosphere but right away you know it's definitely gonna happen all the same. Balancing that tension and danger with romance can be risky but Locey not only pulls it off, she knocks it out of the park.
If you don't usually read historicals I still highly recommend reading The Ballad of Crow & Sparrow. The blending of friendship and danger, strength and discovery, romance and feuding brings to life a really great read that will entertain from beginning to end.
RATING:
USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.
When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.
