A Promise of Roses is a historical romance by Heidi Betts set in the American Midwest in the year 1885.
Megan Adams is the owner of the Adams Express, a stagecoach business that is slowly being put out of business by the railroad. On top of that, bandits have been robbing her stagecoaches whenever they deliver railroad payrolls. When she drives the stagecoach for one of the deliveries, the bandits abduct her.
Lucas McCain is a Bounty Hunter. He was hired by the railroad to bring in the person they believed was behind the stagecoach robberies: Megan Adams. He disguises himself as a bandit, and after the bandits kidnap Megan, he kidnaps her himself. But then he runs into Silas Scott, the man who killed his wife, Annie, and their son, Chad. He pursues Scott, dragging Megan along for the ride.
The story focuses on Lucas's hunt for Silas Scott, the romance between Megan and Lucas, and the quest to prove Megan's innocence.
This book provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Both Lucas's and Annie's fathers.
- Bedsheet Ladder: Used by Megan to escape a hotel room.
- Blasting It Out of Their Hands: Done by Lucas to Megan. She isn't even scratched.
- Bound and Gagged: Done to Megan when she is kidnapped by Lucas.
- Chained to a Bed: Lucas handcuffs Megan to the bed to keep her from leaving a hotel room. (She is also handcuffed to a tub when she falls asleep bathing.)
- Clear My Name: Megan is accused of conspiring with bandits to steal the railroad's payrolls.
- Covers Always Lie
- Lucas is blonde in the book, but has black hair on the cover. Megan has black hair in the book and blonde hair on the cover.
- The cover blurb only vaguely resembles the actual story.
- Damsel in Distress: A few hours after Megan attempts to escape from Lucas, she has to be saved when a group of men attack her.
- Erotic Eating: Lucas thinks that Megan licking grease off her fingers is one of the "most sensual" things he's ever seen.
- Informed Ability: The text describes Megan as a good shot, but she never fires a gun in the story.
- Title Drop: "A promise of roses" is used in a conversation about melting Lucas' heart.
- Undercover as Lovers: Lucas signs the two of them into hotels as Mr. and Mrs. Campbell.
