overflowingshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
CW: gun violence; death of parents (off-page); murder; racism
I picked up this book on a whim from a used bookstore, and I am so glad I did, as this might be one of my favorite reads of 2023! I loved, loved, loved this book as it’s such a fun, romantic, adventurous historical Western tale. This book captivated me from the first page, and I couldn’t put it down! This is my first book by Teresa Medeiros, but it won’t be my last, as her writing, characters, and storytelling ability are simply superb.
Billy Darling never enjoyed being a wanted man until Miss Esmerelda Fine marched into a saloon and pointed her derringer at his heart. Lucky for him, she’s a mighty poor shot. Instead of killing him, she hires him to find her runaway brother. Little did Billy know that she would lead him on a merry chase that would take him from a bungled bank robbery to the very first Wild West show to tour London.
I have a serious girl crush on Esmerelda. She has grit, determination, and SPUNK! She isn’t some weak-willed lady who needs coddling and protection, as she can protect herself. Just don’t leave her around guns and any Darlings, as she’s liable to try to shoot one of them. She’s also incredibly devoted to her brother as he’s the only family she has left after her parent’s death – a death she blames herself for. Having been on her own for so long, she struggles to trust and let others in as she’s always had to figure out how to provide her brother the best life alone. She’s got gumption, and I loved that about her.
I also adored Billy Darling, as he’s such a contradiction of a man. He’s a wanted man, yet also the best tracker/bounty hunter in the area. He admires lawmen and so badly wants to be one, yet he’s found himself in a complicated situation that hampers him from doing that. People always seem to think the worst of him as he’s a Darling, but he’s a genuine good guy. I loved his relationship with his brothers – the Darling Gang – as he cares for them deeply, even if they’re a bit notorious and unscrupulous. He’s 100% the baby of the family. Billy was incredibly engaging as a character and had a lot of swagger, which truly worked for me.
From our main characters all the way down to our secondary side characters, Medeiros injects so much personality and life into her characters that they simply jump off the page. The Darling brothers and Aunt Anne were some of my favorite secondary characters. I loved even the tiny details that Medeiros would include to help flesh out all the characters, as they each had their own unique quirks that made them feel real.
If you like great chemistry and banter, you’ll love the romance in this book. Billy and Esmerelda don’t start on the right foot, but they’re so evenly matched. I loved that they were always calling each other’s bluff and constantly surprising each other with how they would react in certain situations – it added an incredibly fun dynamic to their relationship as they could truly go toe-to-toe. They weren’t afraid to challenge each other and push the other’s buttons to get a reaction. The romance is a bit of a slow build, but with A+ sexual tension and chemistry, it’s well worth the wait. With a sexy sponge bath, some frisky times in the hayloft, nursing back to health, nicknames, and a masquerade ball, the romance truly had a little something of everything. Also, I have three words for you – ROCKING CHAIR SEX.
The romance has a third-act breakup, but I loved how it was executed and thought it worked well. Billy and Esmerelda needed time apart to realize the actual depth of their feelings. There was some hard-core mutual pining when they were not together, leading to some high emotions and great drama, which I love. Plus, he works to get back in her good favor, and she doesn’t take him back immediately, so I ended up enjoying how the third-act breakup played into the plot, the romantic relationship, and the character development.
Now, the story is a bit of a wild ride that takes you from the Wild West of New Mexico over to the pristine ballrooms of England. The opening of this book immediately hooked me – I don’t think I’ve read anything so engaging from the first scene. With lots of twists and turns, the story was so delicious and FUN. Plus, we get some high drama interspersed throughout, which I adore. It all felt like very quintessential Western vibes. And that epilogue! Y’all, I’m a sucker for modern-day epilogues as they make me cry every time as they pack a punch to the emotions. The epilogue was perfect as we got to see all the love that Billy and Esmerelda had for each other over the years and see them achieve their dreams together.
The reason this book worked so well is also due to Medeiros’s writing. Her writing is incredibly engaging, and the tone is funny and fun. Her characters are so beautifully fleshed out, and her dialogue feels natural. Even some of the more outrageous plot points felt believable because she can sell you on it with her writing, plotting, and prose. I felt like she was having a blast while writing this book.
I devoured this book and had such a good time reading it! I am honestly obsessed with it and am SHOCKED I’ve never heard anyone mention this book before. I am so glad I randomly picked it up from a used bookstore, as it is one of my favorite reads of this year. And I’m excited to explore other books by Teresa Medeiros in the future, as I truly love her writing style. If you’re craving a tremendous historical Western romance, PICK THIS ONE UP! It will not disappoint!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Murder and Death of parent
Minor: Racism
setaian's review
4.0
Nobody's Darling is a fun, often funny, occasionally laugh out loud funny Western Romance about a woman whose greatest weapon is her singing voice and a man who would love to be a law man if he could only stop being an outlaw.
I really enjoyed pretty much everything about this book except the ending which didn't quite work. Take out part three and the epilogue and this would have been a 5 Star book for me.
I really enjoyed pretty much everything about this book except the ending which didn't quite work. Take out part three and the epilogue and this would have been a 5 Star book for me.
showmethemonet's review
2.0
Yikes, not the experience I was expecting from a Teresa Medeiros book, but this was painfully cheesy and a ridiculous excuse for a western. Finishing it became a chore and I was just glad to be done.
notevenastar's review
3.0
This is only the second book I’ve finished this month, which is terrifying. I’d normally have read about about eighteen to twenty titles by this point in a regular month. That’ll tell you how I’m doing, mentally.
Anyways. This book was, uhm, really something! It was funny and compelling and I stayed up to 3AM reading it last night, though mostly just as a distraction. I bought this and three other bodice rippers at Goodwill as research for a project I’ve been working on. Something tells me I’m going to have to get used to racist backgrounds and period typical antiblackness as I delve deeper into historical romance. I’m not overly sensitive about these things (I normally just get super sad, not so much angry) but dude. This book is a Wild West set story about a cowboy whose familial downfall came after his father was discovered to be a Confederate sympathizer. There aren’t any black characters present— this entire conflict is just to establish him as in opposition to the heroine’s status as a Yankee whose parents were staunch abolitionists. Like I said. Racism seems like nothing but a backdrop.
Other than this, I did enjoy the majority the story, as most of my moral issues were peripheral things included to set the backdrop of the 1880’s. So whatever.
Anyways. This book was, uhm, really something! It was funny and compelling and I stayed up to 3AM reading it last night, though mostly just as a distraction. I bought this and three other bodice rippers at Goodwill as research for a project I’ve been working on. Something tells me I’m going to have to get used to racist backgrounds and period typical antiblackness as I delve deeper into historical romance. I’m not overly sensitive about these things (I normally just get super sad, not so much angry) but dude. This book is a Wild West set story about a cowboy whose familial downfall came after his father was discovered to be a Confederate sympathizer. There aren’t any black characters present— this entire conflict is just to establish him as in opposition to the heroine’s status as a Yankee whose parents were staunch abolitionists. Like I said. Racism seems like nothing but a backdrop.
Other than this, I did enjoy the majority the story, as most of my moral issues were peripheral things included to set the backdrop of the 1880’s. So whatever.
bmgoodyear's review
4.0
4.5 stars
I’m not what you would consider a Western fan, so I use that as the reason it took me so long to finally get around to reading this book. Nobody’s Darling tells the story of Esmerelda Fine who travels out West to find the man who killed her brother: Billy Darling. She finds him in Calamity, New Mexico and intent on killing him attempts to shoot him. Next thing she knows, she wakes up in a jail cell with Billy staring down at her; she had fainted as soon as the first shot was fired. Esmerelda discovers that her brother is actually alive and she promptly hires Billy Darling to help her locate him. Throughout their travels together in search of her brother, Esmerelda realizes that Billy is something much more than she had originally thought and she fears that she’s falling in love with him… but he’s an outlaw. Why would he ever want anything to do with a woman like her?
I have been a fan of Teresa Medeiros for quite some time now and I’m always pleased when I read yet another lovely book by her. Her characters always have chemistry that’s so honest that you can’t help but be touched by their love. This one certainly did not disappoint. :)
I’m not what you would consider a Western fan, so I use that as the reason it took me so long to finally get around to reading this book. Nobody’s Darling tells the story of Esmerelda Fine who travels out West to find the man who killed her brother: Billy Darling. She finds him in Calamity, New Mexico and intent on killing him attempts to shoot him. Next thing she knows, she wakes up in a jail cell with Billy staring down at her; she had fainted as soon as the first shot was fired. Esmerelda discovers that her brother is actually alive and she promptly hires Billy Darling to help her locate him. Throughout their travels together in search of her brother, Esmerelda realizes that Billy is something much more than she had originally thought and she fears that she’s falling in love with him… but he’s an outlaw. Why would he ever want anything to do with a woman like her?
I have been a fan of Teresa Medeiros for quite some time now and I’m always pleased when I read yet another lovely book by her. Her characters always have chemistry that’s so honest that you can’t help but be touched by their love. This one certainly did not disappoint. :)
lucyp21's review
4.0
Another Christmas present here and when I read the blurb, I was a little doubtful. Sometimes the main hero of a romance novel can make me want to slap him a little, especially when he's written as ultimately right in the end but I didn't feel like that with Billy. The romance wasn't based on him being an arrogant jerk and Esmerelda liking it for some reason - I actually believed the romance.
The plot outside the romance (I really liked the fact it had a plot outside the romance) was a little cliche at times but I did like it. The Wild West setting wasn't one I normally read either but again it suited well. It was fun to read and the characters were each very different.
The one thing I really didn't like was the epilogue. It was sweet but it felt a little jarring. It felt the romance was trying a little too hard to parallel Billy and Esme - I felt it would have worked better if they had been siblings finding Esme's things.
The plot outside the romance (I really liked the fact it had a plot outside the romance) was a little cliche at times but I did like it. The Wild West setting wasn't one I normally read either but again it suited well. It was fun to read and the characters were each very different.
The one thing I really didn't like was the epilogue. It was sweet but it felt a little jarring. It felt the romance was trying a little too hard to parallel Billy and Esme - I felt it would have worked better if they had been siblings finding Esme's things.
audreyloopy's review
4.0
I wasn't expecting to like this very much, since it's a bit of a departure from Medeiros's typical "lady of the moors"-type novel, but it was really a lot of fun. Not much more I can say aside from that.
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