Deputy's Bride (Naked Bluff, Texas #3) by Anita Philmar

 Deputy’s Bride

A hot, historical western stand-alone story with a satisfying HEA.


Texas Deputy Bo Kildare is looking for a special kind of lady, one that is willing to meet his special requirements. No sweet little virgin will do, he wants a woman who knows how to please a man, perhaps two.

Recently widowed, Sarah Elizabeth Foster-LaFever has lived in the public eye for the last few years and wants out. Her reputation as Micah LaFever’s wife has left her penniless and without many viable options until Bo comes calling.

Now, she believes she found the perfect man until her past rears its ugly head. Can murder and corrupt dealings keep these two lovers from making it to the alter?

Deputy’s Bride was a quick and sexy as heck ménage novella set in the Old West. Bo Kildare is everything I would be expect from a deputy living in Texas when it was considered the Wild West. He’s confident, gruff, down to earth, and he knows what he wants and what he doesn’t want and right now, what he doesn’t want is one of the many virginal brides the well-meaning mothers in the territory keep shoving at him. Fortunately for Bo, a friend of his father’s has agreed to help him find a bride who can meet his particular needs and she has the perfect woman for him, Sarah.

Recently widowed and trying to start a new life for herself away from the reputation her husband’s wild parties and less than reputable business dealings has earned her, Sarah is anxious to meet Bo. She is relieved to find that Bo is not only the gentleman that their mutual friend described, but there’s an obvious attraction between them. When they test out their compatibility that night, she’s more than happy with how her future is beginning to look. Yet despite her reputation and the type of marriage she had with her husband, Sarah is unprepared for Bo’s ultimate requirement of his bride-to-be – she must be willing to sleep with his brother too! Thankfully for all involved (including the reader), Bo doesn’t spring this condition on her until they’re at his ranch and she is kind of forced to get to know Chase. While Chase isn’t known for warming up to people, Sarah finds herself attracted to him as well and the attraction is mutual.

I actually liked that Sarah didn’t automatically agree to the ménage relationship and even when she did, she put conditions on it. That Chase agreed to her conditions because he loved his brother enough to be willing to forego access to Sarah entirely just to see Bo happy elevated the story for me. I’m a ménage lover, but you give me a meaningful story surrounding the relationship and I’m all in. Of course, Deputy’s Bride wouldn’t be a true ménage if Sarah didn’t eventually change her mind and thankfully she did, thus opening the door for Ms. Philmar to demonstrate her ability to create super-hot sex scenes no matter the number of partners involved. I will admit that I was surprised with how well developed Sarah’s past was considering this is a novella. Ms. Philmar doesn’t overwhelm the story with details from Sarah’s past, but works them into the storyline where appropriate so that it better explains some of the things she does. The little bits of intrigue from Sarah’s past added flavor to the book and made Deputy’s Bride an all-around enjoyable read for me. I was excited to learn that this is the third book in a series, so I’ll have to check out the previous books as I quite enjoyed spending time in Naked Bluff, Texas.

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