The Inheritance »

Joan Johnston is the bestselling, award-winning author of fourteen historical romances and twenty contemporary romance novels. She received a Master of Arts degree in Theater from the University of Illinois and was graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law at Austin. She is currently a full-time writer who lives in South Florida.

Daisy knew that someday, somehow, she would pay for wanting what no proper woman wanted…

The ravishing Duchess Daisy vowed to save Severn Manor by marrying Nicholas Calloway, a Texas bounty hunter come to claim his family’s ancestral lands. But the moment they met, the slate eyed barbarian took Daisy’s breath away. She proposed a marriage of convenience. But she hadn’t reckoned on flash-fire passion with the savage new duke…

Nicholas Calloway came to England to discover the truth about his bastard birth, then sell his inherited estate—with Duchess Daisy’s help. Her price was marriage. He agreed, determined to have her on his own terms–only to find himself hostage to the fiery redhead he couldn’t leave behind…

The highly acclaimed bestselling author of Outlaw’s Bride, Joan Johnston brings to life two extraordinary characters—an outrageous duchess and an unlikely duke—in a love story that enchants and enthralls to the very last page.

Publishers Weekly

Set in 19th-century England and America, Johnston's latest release after Outlaw's Bride is like thin soup: all the ingredients are there, but it just isn't satisfying. Liberally dosed with romantic clichs, the watery plot revolves around Texas rancher Nicholas Calloway who, as a child, had been disowned by his father, the Duke of Severn. A nasty rumor-and Nick's unusual coloring-had the Duke believing Nick was not his natural son. Twenty-some-odd years later, Nick is the only living heir to his father's vast English estate. Although the bitter young man is only interested in the money the sale of Severn Manor will bring, Daisy, the former Duchess of Severn and his cousin's widow, will do anything, including offering herself in marriage to Nick, to keep the estate intact. Johnston, who does short contemporary westerns to perfection, can't seem to create the same page-turning qualities in this much longer historical. Even Nick's search for his true parentage-the only bit of tension in the story, loses punch when Johnston immediately introduces her readers to the character who holds the key to the mystery, then lets her hero ignore the obvious. In short, not much here to sink your teeth into. (Jan.)