I used to be a huge fan of western movies. I grew up on Spaghetti Westerns, called that because they were filmed in Italy with mostly Italian actors, and which jump started Clint Eastwood’s career. As far as western romance is concerned, I have a few go-to authors, such as Kiki Warner, Caroline Fyffe and E. E. Burke.

I have to tell you guys, ever since I binge watched ‘Hell on Wheels’, I have been intrigued by the railroad building business. The railroad building is a fascinating story to me. Those men and women, who were participating in building it, were strong and brave. Let me tell you, this was dog eat dog time and only strong would prevail.

And speaking of the strong, that’s exactly what the hero of this story is.

Henry Stevens is in charge of the Katy Railroad expansion out West and he has a lot of problems that he has to deal with and he really didn’t expect to deal with Major Robert Forbes and his daughter Lucy who have arrived from the East in a most inopportune moment possible. Major Forbes is the man with a mission to find out what’s going on with Katy Railroad, while his strong willed and beautiful daughter is looking for adventure in the West.

‘A Dangerous Passion’ is a well told, well researched and fascinating read that will take you deep inside the world of railroad building culture. It will also make you laugh as the dialogue is nothing short of brilliant. If you’re like me and are missing your weekly dose of ‘Hell on Wheels’, grab this one and let it take you back to a time of danger, dusty wild west, and entertain you with this tender and passionate love story.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the author. ( )

A Dangerous Passion by E. E. Burke is a 2014 publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an outstanding western historical romance with well drawn characters, intrigue, and mystery.
Lucy and her father arrives in the old west, far from the dull New England town they haled from, Lucy finds the sense of adventure appealing to her independent and free spirited nature. However, Kansas is a rough untamed land and Lucy's father is not here for fun and games. He has been sent to investigate a railroad executive, Henry Stevens.
Henry's entire life is dedicated to the railroad. He is ambitious to a fault and in order to achieve his goals he has no qualms about being ruthless. He is disheartened though to learn his supervisors intend to replace him. Not only that, he appears to be a murder target and he is suspected of all manner of evil deeds. This bothers Lucy greatly as the investigation could place her father in grave danger. So, despite her attraction to the charismatic Henry, she is determined to find out what he is up to.

I loved all the characters in the story. Lucy is a spirited girl and breath of fresh air as she often speaks her mind and has a protective streak toward her father, who is her hero.
I loved Henry's human frailties, a man who has a huge burden dumped on him as a boy and who is always trying to do the honorable and right thing, but whose methods are often found lacking.
The building of the railroads in this period of history is endlessly fascinating since it involves so many differing opinions, politics, backstabbing, crime, and the beginnings of a new frontier and way of life for so many.

It's rare for a novel to pull off a mixture of humor, sharp dialogue, romance and adventure with the right balance and pacing. But, this book does just that. I love western historical romances and to me there simply are not enough of them being written these days. If we get more of them written with this level of quality, I can see the genre making a big comeback into the hearts of romance lovers. 5 stars! ( )