A MAN OF HIS WORD – Sarah M. Anderson
Harlequin Desire
ISBN-13: 978-0-373-73143-5
December 2011
Series Romance

South Dakota – the Present

Dan Armstrong and his mother run the oil company part of the family business in Texas . His uncle, Cecil Armstrong, runs the electric power company in South Dakota . When something about the financial reports coming from South Dakota bothers Dan, he travels north to investigate. He doesn't particularly like his uncle, who acts as if he is sole owner of Armstrong Holdings and who holds a dismissive attitude toward Dan. Events start to change while Dan is out riding through a clearing of the forested property along the Dakota River . What he perceives as an Indian princess shoots at him. She puts a bullet through his cowboy hat! Although Dan chases her, he loses her in the unfamiliar terrain.

Rosebud Donnelly is proud of her Lakota heritage. As an attorney she works for Native American rights, and right now she is fighting to preserve her people's reservation on the Red Creek that Cecil Armstrong wants dam and flood for his power company. Everything hinges on a final court date rapidly approaching. It doesn't end there, because Rosebud thinks the almighty Armstrong isn't above murder; however, there is no proof. She wants revenge for what she knows was her brother Tanner's death, although it was legally labeled a suicide. While she is drawn to the handsome cowboy, Dan is still an Armstrong and not to be trusted.

Author Sarah M. Anderson presents a splendid tale of Cowboys and Indians with a twist as they engage in a modern-day battle. A MAN OF HIS WORD explains the Native American's situation with empathy and respect, convincingly describing the problems and bigotry the people still face. Readers know Cecil Armstrong is a villain from the very start, but no one can imagine the malicious depths to which he will sink to get his way. It's hard to understand how the Armstrong family could produce such polar opposites in men! Dan has a hard time convincing Rosebud he's a man of his word and that his intentions are good, but how could Rosebud ever trust him? The main characters are interesting, believable, and deserving of having their story told, and the shenanigans and romance are sure to keep readers entranced. Good reading.

Robin Lee