An Unlikely Hero (The Cutteridge Series Book 3)

Dillon Reed was a loner, save for his friends Jackson and Gus, and he aimed to keep it that way. Scouting for Colonel Talmadge of the U.S. Army didn't give him time for relationships and that was fine, too. As long as he could ride the countryside and sleep under the stars he was a happy man. But this assignment, escort to the Colonel's own niece, was not to his liking whatsoever! How would he ever survive weeks on the trail with a high society debutante who knew nothing of the dangers to be encountered along the way?Alma Talmadge nervously boarded the train heading west. She'd make this part of the journey alone, although her father had arranged with her uncle to provide his best escort to see her safely to the fort. Once there, it would be but a short time to make the final preparations before her father arrived and the wedding could take place. Although it would only be a few weeks on the trail, the idea of being accompanied by a stranger instead of her father made her stomach churn. She should try to keep her mind on her upcoming wedding and pray the coach would arrive at the fort quickly.'An Unlikely Hero' is the third book in the four-book Cutteridge series, and it's as good as the first two. Dillon seems very curt, impatient and quite antisocial at first, but once his backstory is revealed, those traits make sense. Alma seems like a spoiled snob in the early part of the story, but grows into quite an independent and confident woman who, by the end of the story, knows what and/or who she wants. Both endure hardships together, challenge each other, and at times literally save the other's life. I don't want to give any spoilers - let's just say very little goes according to plan!I'm coming to recognize aspects of this author's writing that I really enjoy. Her characters are three-dimensional with strengths and shortcomings that I can appreciate. Her plots have some twists and she always manages to surprise me with a few things I don't see coming. Her history is accurate (yes, I've looked some things up), and I always learn a few facts I hadn't known before reading the books. The steam factor isn't high throughout the book but it is definitely there, and it makes sense to the storyline. Each book in the series can be read as a singular story, but it's better to read all of the series, in order, as some of the characters make appearances in the other books.I thoroughly enjoyed it, and recommend it!

Cindy Nord has, once again, opened up the wild west pages for readers to take a walk through time. The rawness of the United States after the Civil War appears on each page as the story of Dillon Reed and Alma Talmadge unfolds before our eyes. The young, handsome army scout was tough enough to handle every task he was assigned, then he met Alma Talmadge. From the day he greeted her at the train station until he delivered her to the Fort, their lives weaved in and out with emotions they both denied for as long as they could. Cindy weaves us through their budding love story with each word written. This story ties together the first two stories in this 4 book series bringing the characters to life once again when they reunite at a celebration for Alma Talmadge. They could see the obvious tension and feelings between Dillon and Alma regardless of their best efforts to keep feelings hidden. Dillon Reed might have been an army scout but to Alma, he was her Unlikely Hero that she so desperately needed in her life. She easily walked away from her up-scale life to blend into His world where love and protection would always prosper. Readers are left wanting the story to continue and I'm certain we will meet all these characters again in the next addition to this series. I, for one, can hardly wait to see what new adventures await in the next book. Great job, Cindy!

I've read the other books in the series and really enjoyed this one best. Good story line that is well written.

Dillon Reed is a seasoned, hard nosed Scout for the army and has been assigned to escort the very proper Alma Talmadge all the way across America to Arizona to meet up with her fiance. Not something he's thrilled about, as he knows how hard the trip will be; outlaws, Indians, heat, bugs, low water supplies, any number of uncomfortable problems he knew first hand. She's a snooty, high fashion, spoiled little rich girl, completely clueless of the hardships she is about to face. Little do either of them know what adventures await as they make their way along a dangerous path where nature and hired killers conspire to keep them from reaching their destination, and even the presumed safety of the fort in Arizona will present it's own dangerous encounters. Nor did they expect to develop a growing respect and attraction to each other, along with some hard life lessons. Cindy Nord has peopled this wonderful historical novel with believable characters, a hero to swoon over, a heroine you would like to think could be you if you found yourself in such a foreign situation, and bad guys that give our main characters a run for their money. I highly recommend this finely crafted story of the old west to anyone who loves westerns, romances, thrillers, history and just plain great storytelling!.

A believable romance between two people who are different in every way--background, priorities, habits, attitudes. The author does a good job of showing the increasing attraction to each other during their cross-country journey.I'm giving it four stars instead of five because it needed editing, from the minor "sparing" instead of "sparring" and "track" instead of "tract" to loose ends. When Reed's filthiness is described in the beginning, why doesn't Alma observe that he smells bad? That discrepancy is emphasized when later she is very aware of the way the other two passengers on the stagecoach smell. And how do the three men know when and where to ambush them? And I was surprised late in the book to learn that the cousin Pamela mentioned a couple of times as a childhood friend in the east is living in Fort Lowell and waiting for her. That should have been mentioned at the beginning.I enjoyed the historical and geographical details. They almost veer into lectures, but the author manages to get back to the story.Readers who can't tolerate cursing, romantic sex or gun and knife fights will not like this book. (Not problems for me.)

Well I really enjoyed this book and had a good laugh though it as well i could not put it down excellent reading

Great read

Well written historical romance - a great depiction of the western wilderness as well as the relationship between the two characters. The bad guy was a trifle over-written (not sure why the American Jack the Ripper bit was relevant, as it didn't add anything) but other than that it was fun to see the two central characters develop and become worthy of each other and their future together.