Foxfire Bride by Maggie Osborne

Fox is a woman as feisty as they come. Once the most sought-after scout west of the Rockies, she led folks through wild, unexplored terrain–until a gunshot wound ended her guiding career. She’s living a calmer life when a handsome stranger appears with an urgent request to take him to Denver immediately. The gold coins he offers catch Fox’s eye–and so do his sharp good looks. Fox can’t resist the chance to guide again, and can’t ignore the fire that burns in her body whenever she sees this oh-so tempting man.

Matthew Tanner has received a startling telegraph: His father is being held for ransom in Denver. With time running out, Matthew must find the best scout money can buy. When the best turns out to be a woman with gritty good looks and a wild mane of red hair, Matthew is both shocked and intrigued. Can Matthew and Fox’s mutual desire and growing love survive the perils of their journey, or will their secrets destroy each other?


My Thoughts

This is my first novel by Maggie Osborne and I was very impressed with this well written and captivating story. Our heroine Fox isn’t a whiny, helpless woman that is typical in many historical romance novels, but an outrageous, foul-mouthed, feisty redhead with tons of attitude. She is a trail guide who is hired by our hero, Matthew Tanner to guide his party of three from Nevada to Denver, Colorado.

Matthew is on his way home to deliver a ransom to free his father from ruthless kidnappers and Fox is going to Denver to get her revenge and murder the man she believes ruined her life. Although Fox and Matthew are from two different worlds, romance blossoms and he begins to admire Fox for the woman she is. They begin their love affair knowing there is no future due to their very different lives, and because Fox knows that she will probably hang for murder. This she keeps to herself, not letting anyone other than Peaches know her real motive for the trip.

Vibrant secondary characters & sub-plots make this story a good one. My favourite character in the book is Peaches, an ex-slave who ran away with Fox and raised her. Their relationship is touching and moving and will warm your soul. While predictable in some areas, it is still a well-paced read that will not disappoint. I will definitely be picking up more of Maggie Osborne’s work.