ARC Review: Wild as the West Texas Wind (Love Across Time 3) by Jackie North

Blurb:

Soulmates across time. Two hearts that were meant to be together.

In present day, Zach takes a road trip to Trinidad to find information on a missing friend.

In 1892, Layton Blue, outlaw, longs for hearth and home even as he treasures his life of freedom.

A freak rainstorm washes Zach's car into a ditch, sending him back to the year 1892. Searching for help, alone and on foot in the middle of the nowhere, he crosses paths with the famous Ketchum Gang. Now the gang’s prisoner, Zach’s fate is to be sold at a seedy auction for whores.

Layton is put in charge of making sure Zach does not escape, but as the chemistry between them grows, Layton finds himself wanting to help Zach.

Can Layton overcome years of being on the run? Can Zach accept help from an outlaw?

A male/male time travel romance complete with fast rides across the desert, campfires beneath the stars, cool water in the desert, wild rescues, and true love across time.

Dani's rating:

Searching for a lost friend in present day Colorado, Zach is blindsided by a storm. His car skids off the road and into a river; drenched and freezing, Zach wonders into what looks like (and actually is) an Old West town and interrupts the wrong card game.

Layton is part of an outlaw gang led by Tom Ketchum (a real historical figure). Tom is mean and impulsive, but he likes Layton. That's why Layton keeps his mouth shut. He dreams of a roof over his head and someone by his side. He plays his harmonica, wishing for a different, more settled life.

Unlike the first two Love Across Time books, Wild as the West Texas Wind is not a complete standalone. If you read the second book in the series, you'll remember Laurie who goes back to 1891 and meets reclusive John, the love of his life. At the end of that book, Laurie and John dream of moving to Colorado and opening a hotel. Zach is Laurie's best friend in the present day, and it's Laurie he's looking for in Colorado.

And Zach does find him, but first he finds Layton in 1892 Colorado. Zach and Layton's romance is a quiet, steady heartbeat. Layton is at Tom's mercy but protects Zach as much as he can from Tom's and the other outlaws' wrath. Tom is planning on selling Zach because Zach cost him the money lost in a card game.

Zach and Layton sleep in the dirt and keep each other warm. They talk. They trust. Layton's beloved horse, Tam, is the only other being Layton can count on.





In comparison to the first two books, this story is faster paced and intense. Danger lurks at every crossing, because Zach and Layton are at the mercy of a mad man.

My heart was in my throat as Zach and Layton made their great escape. I LOVED seeing Laurie and John again, which is why I suggest you read the second book prior to reading this one.

Jackie North has a way of capturing the essence of a time and place. I adore this series!

My only complaint, and it's the same one I've voiced in my reviews for the previous Love Across Time books, is that the ending here is very abrupt. It's a tentative HFN rather than a HEA.

My hope is that we'll see more of Zach and Layton in the next book in this series. Please let it be so.

If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.

~J.K. Rowling

An ARC of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Download links are provided as a courtesy and do not constitute an endorsement of or affiliation with the book, author, publisher, or website listed.