100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

What if your hero was also your villain? Rosemary Mayfield has survived a terrifying journey from New York to the Montana Territory with her brother Benjamin and sister Emily in tow. Along the way their train was robbed by bandits and their parents killed. With nothing left to lose, 19 year old Rosemary follows the path that her father had set up to Dannock, Montana where he was planning on setting up a cattle ranch. With nothing to their name except the clothes on their back and a small cabin in the wilderness, Rosemary and her siblings try to make do. Struggling in their dangerous new surroundings, fate crudely crashes Nicolas through the Mayfield’s roof. Injured, Rosemary nurses the wild stranger back to health. Nicolas keeps telling them that he cannot be trusted, but his presence and knowledge is more of a comfort than a hazard. Striking a deal, Rosemary and Nicolas agree to marry for business purposes and keeping the cattle ranch afloat. However, Nicolas’ dangerous secret of his traveling ways and just how and why he crashed through the Mayfield’s roof might pull them apart.

I loved being taken back to the very wild and untamed West with Rosemary and her siblings. Rosemary put on an exceptionally strong front for the protection of her siblings, but showed true bravery, perseverance and kindheartedness in the face of adversity. When Nicolas came crashing into her life, Rosemary took a huge chance in trusting him, changing both of their lives. As with the other books in The Fall series, the romance was natural and sweet. I did figure out Nicolas' secret rather early, but it didn't take away from the suspense at all. The time travel element in this book isn't as prominent as with some of the others, but is subtly woven in with hints and glistens throughout. If you haven't read the other books, there might be slight confusion in the beginning, but most of the details are explained near the end. A big surprise for me was Rosemary's sister, Emily, she seemed to have her head lost in the clouds, but at the same time she knew more about what was really going on than anybody else. With a super-sweet ending, The Villain is a fast-paced, clean, time-travel romance, great for a quick summer read.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.