Audrey and the Maverick »

In Elaine Levine's stunning novel of the American West, a proud rancher and a determined young woman are drawn together in the lawless town of Defiance.

Virginia financier Julian McCaid has put his troubled past behind him. His plans for the future don't include Audrey Sheridan, the extraordinary frontier woman he met just once. But it's because of her that he's come to the Dakota Territory to investigate problems at his ranch. And it's all the more surprising when he discovers she isn't the innocent he believed. Now nothing but her complete surrender will purge her from his soul.

If it weren't for the children she cares for in her makeshift orphanage, Audrey would have left Defiance long ago. Now the sheriff is blackmailing her to distract the man who might derail his corrupt schemes—a man who can offer Audrey not just protection, but a passion bold enough to make them claim their place in this harsh and beautiful land

Library Journal

Julian McCaid returns from Virginia to dwindling, lawless Defiance to check out vandalism on his Dakota Territory sheep ranch. He has even more trouble when Audrey Sheridan steals his money and ends up on the ranch working off the debt as a cook. But Audrey is on a mission for the crooked sheriff: she must keep Julian distracted for a month, or the orphans she cares for will be killed, one by one. VERDICT A pair of appealing, well-matched protagonists (with a bit of a history), a slimy villain, well-drawn secondary characters, and plenty of action make this rough-and-ready Western one that fans are sure to enjoy. Levine (Rachel and the Hired Gun) lives in Eaton, CO.