Oh, this was interesting! Definitely more than a little lengthy (read: a lot lengthy); I really enjoyed the slow burn romance aspects of this.

A little slow in the beginning, but I thought the author depicted a realistic look at frontier life and the hardships of the time. Great characters and good story even if the twist towards you could see coming from a mile away. I would definitely read more by this author.

I love historical romance and was intrigued with the synopsis of Bound for Sin. I wasn't disappointed and was easily sucked into Georgiana and Matt's story. I loved that this book was written in both Georgiana and Matt's POV.
You felt their emotions and hardships while reading.
The writing is great and the story flows well.

Bound for Sin by Tess LeSue was the first western historical romance I’ve read in a while. The world-building was phenomenal, and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.

Georgiana is on the run and looking for a husband to help her navigate the rugged wilderness of California. Her plans are muddled, however, by her boisterous children, a pair of villains, and one rugged, silent Matt Slater.
This started off rip-roaringly funny. The antics of Georgiana’s children…Bless her heart, but I felt for her. She gets all kinds of tangled up on her journey.

Matt Slater is the kind of hero that I just love to read about, too. A bit grumpy and growly and really quiet. I always want to dig into these types of characters. His connection with Georgiana was a slow burn but beautifully developed too.

I only wish the plot hadn’t become too complicated. It felt a bit too unbelievable, and because of the extra kinks in the plan, the pacing fell a bit flat. There’s so much going on and so many characters to keep track of that I wanted to skim in some parts.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this one. I felt like I was back in the era and that’s always a treat for me. I can’t wait to see what else LeSue has in store for readers next.

I recommend!

3.5 stars!

Bound for Sin is the second book in Tess LeSue’s Frontiers of the Heart series, but this book can be read as a stand alone as very few characters from the previous book appear in this one. Having said that, if you enjoy a good book, I definitely recommend going back and picking up Bound for Eden. This story opens with Georgiana interviewing potential husbands, and the most important qualities to her are that he be rugged and able to lead her family across the rough terrain to California, as she has a very important mission to accomplish. When she spies Matt Slater out the window, not interested in becoming a husband, she can’t help but think how perfect he looks for the job. It’s clear this man knows how to survive in the wilderness, but when Georgiana gets a look at him all cleaned up, she finds his good looks and charm off putting. That is, after all, what she fell for in her first husband. And that didn’t work out so well for Georgiana. I loved Georgiana’s character. This is a woman who comes from extreme wealth, and while she has had learn to be judicious with her money, she doesn’t bat an eye parting with it to get to her son. It was really a lot of fun to watch Georgiana learn to juggle motherhood. She is without nannies for the first time in her life, and four kids would be a lot for anyone who got to break themselves in one (or two) kids at a time, but to take it on all at once is nearly impossible. And she’s not above a well-timed bribe or threat to get them to behave. The children were wonderful - even with four of them, they didn’t overwhelm the story. Their interactions with Georgiana and Matt were orchestrated to show us more about each character, and these kids were far from perfect. You can tell how the events of their lives have shaped them, and the way they clung to Matt was so precious. Honestly - it was Matt who stole my heart in this book. The thing I liked the most about him was his thoughtfulness - how everything he is going through now makes him reflect on his past, particularly his relationship with his oldest brother, who stepped in and raised his younger siblings when they lost their parents. He was so effortless in almost everything; the patience and care he showed for Georgiana’s kids was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to this man’s good heart. Part of his charm came from his naivete, and watching him fight his attraction to Georgiana and try to convince himself he didn’t want her was hilarious, particularly with Deathrider by his side informing him that he did, in fact, want Georgiana. Deathrider is a character from the previous book, and his character is very intriguing and mysterious - more so in the first book than this one, and he plays a pretty big role in this one. I’m also hoping he has a book of his own on the way, and I think I may know his heroine is going to be, and if I’m right, I AM SO ON BOARD FOR THAT! Seline, a local whore, was also in the previous book, and while her role isn’t quite as prominent in this book as Deathrider's, we learn more about her in this one, and while I am interested in reading her story, I’m not sure how I feel about her hero. I’ll will definitely be reading her book; I’ll just be going in cautiously optimistic. (Though let’s be honest - I’m sure Tess LeSue will win me over.)

I really enjoyed the romance between Georgiana and Matt; it is definitely slow burn, so if you’re a fan of that, you’re in for a treat. As this is a book that takes place on a trail reminiscent of the Oregon Trail, there is a lot of daily life. But if you’re a fan of historical westerns or cowboy books, you know this is standard. And for me, it’s something I love! There are also some very raw scenes in this book that will break your heart and put it back together again, but true to reality, life on the trail is rough.

My only criticism of this book was the end. There was a twist I saw coming, and I feel like it stalled the story instead of adding something to it. I would have much preferred more drama surrounding the event that brought Georgiana to California in the first place, but despite threats, that whole scene was a bit anticlimactic.

As you can tell from my review, I really enjoyed this book. I fell in love with Georgiana and Matt’s love story, and if Western Historical Romances are something you enjoy, I think you will, too. Bound for Sin is a book I can see myself picking up over and over again.

Bound for Sin is a sweeping epic of a romance set in the American West at the height of the California gold rush. Georgiana Blunt is bound for the west to reclaim her oldest son where he is being held ransom. She’s spent most of her inheritance to get to Missouri and now she is advertising for a husband. And not just any husband. All she needs is a brute of a frontiersman to take her and her 4 other children safely there. One look at Matt Slater and she knows he’s the one to do it. Matt has returned to Missouri and is ready to take the next train of emigrants out west. What he didn’t count on is the involvement Georgiana and her crew would be for him and his job. He gets caught up in her web and is pretending to be her fiancé as they travel west. It’s complicated in the beginning but after being around her and the kids he’s starting to like the idea. A lot.

The whole story was captivating from beginning to end. Her description of the times and the perils they faced were real and kept me engaged in the story. I was riveted to the story and didn’t want to put it down. I fell in love with Georgiana and Luke because they felt real and authentic with their feelings and actions. Her secondary characters were also depicted well and forwarded the story along to its wonderful conclusion. This western historical romance had humor, danger and romance leaving me wanting more. Bound for Sin is the second story in the series but definitely can be read as a stand-alone story.

Georgiana Blount needs a new husband to help her get her children to California, and all that are applying are gentlemen who are interested in the store and land she owns there. But she desperately needs a mountain-type man because also at the end of her journey is her oldest son, being held ransom by a local thug in exchange for some other land her husband owned that has gold potential. She needs to make it to California and sign the deed away in exchange for her son.

Matt Slater wants to go back to Oregon but finds himself caught up with Georgina's plans and even though he's pretty sure she's not telling him the whole story (she isn't) they wind up engaged. This book has a really slow start. It's a quarter of a way in and they still haven't prepped to leave town to go for California so I wondered if that was even going to be in the book. Then the adventure begins and they're off, with many things happening along the way including losing Georgina's toddler son to the wilderness.

The story line was intriguing but it was either too slow or too much at once. It was hard to hold my interest at times and others I just wanted to know what would happen next! I will try LeSue's next book because her writing is enjoyable. The ending feels rushed but there's another book in the series so maybe it will tell us what happens next to the characters.

Recommended for readers who are interested in Oregon Trail/California Gold Rush stories. This book is the second in the series but could be read as a standalone.

Quite like this book, I enjoy stories with children and they seem to be great in westerns and this one did not disappoint.

More than just another historical western, this is a saga about the highs and lows along the Oregon Trail. This deeply moving account follows the lives of Georgiana who is desperate to travel to California. In need of protection, she as a widow seeks a husband who is a frontiersman (a little rough around the edges) so she may reclaim her eldest son. Trying to navigate her way in a foreign world, she embarks on the long journey westward dragging her four children with her and rises to her inner strengths through it all. Her frontiersman, Matt, selflessly helps the family along. We also meet other characters who add to the quality of this stunning adventure.

Bound for Sin by Tess LeSue is the 2nd book in her western historical romance Frontiers of the Heart series. The story take place during the Gold Rush Days, and LeSue gives us a perfect look at life during those times.
We meet our heroine Georgina at the start, with her interviewing candidates for a husband. Georgina needs to find herself a strong man, who can help her go back to California to help find her oldest son, who is being held for ransom (gold land claim). She has her 4 young children in tow with her, which makes things difficult for her, since the children are a handful.

Matt Slater, our hero, is the brother of Luke Slater (first book hero), and plans to travel home to Oregon, but on the way will lead a wagon train through rough terrain. He meets the pretty Georgina, but is determined to stay clear of her trying to find a husband. He does convince her to join his wagon train, as she will be safe with them. Georgina finds the rugged handsome Matt just what she wants, especially with her also feeling attracted to him. In a short time, Matt will give in to become her fake fiancée, to help her get around the men following her to make sure she goes to California.

Once they all leave for the rough trek, Matt will slowly find himself enamored by Georgina, and she even more so, as she watches how he manages to control her children, and they all care for him. Can Georgina win Matt over?

I loved the way Matt was so great with the kids; perfect father material. It did not take long for him to give into his feelings for Georgina, as their chemistry was scorching. Together they make plans to go to California to get her son.

I do not want to tell too much more, as the last ¼ of the book had some twists and turns, which changes things drastically. What follows is a sweet adventure with some danger, excitement and the humorous banter between Matt and Georgina. I really liked them together, but there were so many issues that kept them apart; even to the point that I was beginning to lose hope. Especially as we got closer to the end, things were happily looking up, and a surprise twist blows it all away. Will Matt ever find happiness with Georgina? You will have to read the book to find out.

It was a very intense but satisfying finish. Bound for Sin was a sweet fun historical western that was exciting, romantic and humorous, with a great couple. I suggest you read Bound for Sin, which was very well written by Tess LeSue. I look forward to the next book by Tess LeSue.