"Mrs. Grey" by Rachel Wesson (Book 12 in Clover Springs Mail Order Brides Series)

Mrs. Grey: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides Book 12 by Rachel Wesson is about how the sheriff and Loreana Grey get together. There is some tension between the Irish workers and the former slaves who have set up camp just outside of town as well as some old grudges from the Civil War between those who fought for the north and those who fought for the south.

I was disappointed in this book because I really liked Mrs. Grey but her character seemed to be watered down in this book. It also wasn’t about a mail order bride so don’t know why it was included in this series. I liked other books in this series much better. This one lacked the humor and interest that others had.
(Karen’s review, 3 stars)

Teaser at Kindle Loc. 66-67: The former slaves and their families had been having a hard time in Denver and welcomed the chance to come to Clover Springs. The two groups of men had set up camp just outside of town.

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"Now & Forever" by Mary Connealy (Book 2 of Wild at Heart series)

Now & Forever by Mary Connealy is the second book in the Wild at Heart series that focuses on Shannon and the mountain man, Tucker, who sometimes works for Gage Coulter. After tucker gets clawed by a bear and Shannon and he fall off a cliff into the river to get away, they rely on each other to find a way out. They spend five days and nights in an underground cave before they are rescued, at which time they get married! Most of the story is the mystery and adventure of someone trying to chase them off their homestead by getting their sheep killed and burning their barn. Although Shannon is a tough woman, she cries a lot in this book.

I liked this book as much as the first in this series, but was a bit disappointed in the ending. (5 stars)

Teaser from page 28: She’d go find her sister, who would turn out to be the first woman ever to survive this rattlesnake of a river. And if anyone could do it, it was Shannon. And no one was more apt to help her than Matthew Tucker.


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"The Bartered Bride Romance Collection" by Various Authors

The Bartered Bride Romance Collection is a collection of nine historical stories of arranged marriages during the 1800s.  The short, clean romance stories are written by a variety of authors:  Cathy Marie Hake, Kelly Eileen Hake, JoAnn A. Grote, Amy Rognlie, Lynette Sowell, Janell Burnham Schneider and Pamela Kaye Tracy.  Many have a flavor of Christian fiction mixed in as well.  I enjoyed this book very much but did not read it all at once.  I read some stories and then read something else and came back to it a couple times just to give me some variety.  These were all light, fun reads though and I enjoyed the humor in most.  

My favorites were the stories about the four sisters, Maddy, Corrie, Bess, and Bertie, who were sent to Lindwick (fictional western town) by their brother-in-law in response to an ad for brides.  Below is the teaser from Halter to Altar, page 155:

"We're just what you asked for on the bridal order.  Sturdy, dependable, plain--"
It was too outrageous to believe.  Jim shook his head.  "Ladies, something has gone terribly wrong.  I ordered plain, ordinary bridles for my horses--not brides!" 

I recommend this book if you want an enjoyable, entertaining historical fiction read.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Oregon Disaster--Trails of the Heart Book 5" by Rachel Wesson

Oregon Disaster by Rachel Wesson is Book 5 in the “Trails of the Heart” series and centers on Sarah, who ran off to marry Edwin Morgan, a violent drunk miner, womanizer and hateful man against her parents’ wishes. Walking Tall had Bear, one of his men, follow her to make sure she was all right and in the process, they fell in love. Tala, Bear’s wolf/dog, helps protect them against a mountain lion. Bear looks after Sarah and she falls in love with him in spite of the fact that he is part Indian

I liked this book a lot because Bear and Tala were in it a lot and Sarah matures and finally shows some concern for others. She is a feisty girl though and wins Bears heart and respect. This book is about forgiveness, and overcoming one’s past. I loved the ending! (Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from Loc. 933-34 on Kindle: “You can’t leave me with that wild animal” “He is better company than you usually keep.”


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"Ellen" by Rachel Wesson

Ellen is Book 6 in the Clover Springs Mail Order Bride series by Rachel Wesson that I am enjoying very much! The author introduces one main character in each book and the reader sees how the small town in Colorado gradually builds up. I’m loving it! Ellen is Katie’s sister. Ellen got a chance to attend a University to become a school teacher, but discovered it was harder than expected and returned to Clover Springs. She starts teaching again in Clover Springs and Father Molloy comes for a visit with two orphans who are mixed breeds. Talk of an orphanage for the town comes up and plans go forward. Some matchmaking ensues for Ellen and Samuel Higgins, but can a fire destroy their dream?

I didn’t feel Ellen was as a dynamic character as the first five so this book was not quite as good as the others in my opinion, but it went quickly and I still enjoyed it. (4 stars)


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"Marrying Miss Marshall" by Lacy Williams (Wild Wyoming Hearts Book 1)

Image from Amazon

Marrying Miss Marshall by Lacy Williams is an historical romance that I thoroughly enjoyed! This takes place in Wyoming territory in 1889 where the town of Calvin has a female Marshall, Danna Carpenter. She was appointed to replace her husband when he died in the line of duty. Chas O’Grady is a detective from Boston investigating cattle rustlers as well as revenge on the man who killed his brother and his sister-in-law. The Marshall and Chas meet when the Marshall rescues him from being trampled by a stampede! Although he’s shocked to see a woman Marshall, he grows to admire her and soon becomes her deputy since he needs a job.

This entertaining book has a good story line in addition to the love story between Danna and Chas. It has quite a bit of adventure which kept my interest and I liked both Danna and Chas. Danna’s dog, Wrong Tree, also added interest for me.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 7: Chas’s heart thundered in his chest, much like those hooves that had been so close to taking his life. This time for a different reason.


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"Summer of Promise" is Historical Christian Romance

I liked the dog in this one!

Summer of Promise by Amanda Cabot is the first in the Christian Romance Westward Winds series. Back in the 1880s, Abigail teaches in an all-girls school in Vermont and is planning to marry a colleague named Woodrow who is very nice and well organized. Abigail is worried though about her older sister, Charlotte, who is married to an officer and lives at Fort Laramie in Wyoming. In reading her letters, Abigail got the feeling that something is not quite right so decides to visit her. On the way she meets Ethan, a lieutenant, on the stagecoach who saves the passengers from a couple robbers. Abigail finds that Charlotte is pregnant and seems very weak so stays to help her and cheer her up. When the army post gave orders to kill all the stray dogs running around, Abigail couldn’t help but pick a puppy for Charlotte who she named Puddles. Abigail discovers that Wyoming isn’t boring like she originally thought and finds that God has different plans for her than what she expected.

Teaser from page 58: “Oh, Ethan, he’s so cute. You can’t drown him.”

This book was pretty good but seemed to move a bit slowly. I really liked Ethan and Puddles the best! Although there is some mystery about who was robbing the stagecoaches and who was a traitor, it wasn’t really too hard to figure out. The romance was predictable, as is par for the course with Christian fiction books. I enjoyed some of the funny parts in this book very much, such as when Ethan was teaching Abigail how to shoot a gun. I will probably continue on with this series, but not right away. I need something a bit more gripping.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)


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"Stuck Together-Trouble in Texas Book 3" by Mary Connealy

For Valentine's Day, I am reviewing the historical romance novel I just finished.

Stuck Together—Trouble in Texas, book 3 by Mary Connealy Is about the romance between Vince and Tina, Jonas’ sister. When Vince’s parents and half-sister arrive in town, he gets all shook up and fears that he will become like his tyrannical father or his mother who has dementia. He gets stuck at being sheriff of the town (with no pay) and has to deal with tracking down some drunk who shot at Luke, an escaped prisoner, taking care of his mother and falling in love with Tina, the most beautiful woman he ever saw.

I enjoyed this quick western romance because the women were pretty feisty and it was cute how the Jonas and Vince both liked each other’s sister. Vince’s mother, Mrs. Yates, was a sweet old lady who kept trying to go out when no one was paying attention to her and was quite successful. I thought it was really nice how the townspeople all joined together to take turns keeping watch over Mrs. Yates. This book had more romance than the first two which I liked better, but still had a little action and excitement at the end.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)


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"Ruby (Dakota Treasures-Book 1)" by Lauraine Snelling if a Fun Read

Don't know why libraries can't put their stickers on the back!

Ruby by Lauraine Snelling is a good read about Ruby and her younger sister Opal (9 yrs. Old) who move to the Dakota territory from the east when their father sends for them just before he dies to give them their inheritance. It’s hardly a town at all with just a saloon/brothel, the Dove House that they inherit and another saloon, small store and a few other buildings. No sheriff, no children, no school, no church. The father’s dying wish was that Ruby would take care of the girls. She promised him she would before she finds out that they are prostitutes. Ruby is very uptight about everything and Opal is fun loving, friendly and adventurous. Ruby decides to stay only because she promised her father so decides to discontinue serving liquor, and the brothel, changing it into a respectable hotel that serves food and coffee. She agreed to permit the card room to stay open for gambling certain hours and let Belle run it.

I enjoyed this book very much because it was interesting to see how Ruby persuaded the others in the business to stay on and help change things. I liked Opal better than Ruby. I didn’t understand why Ruby did not pray more in this Christian fiction book than she did when she kept running into so many problems and challenges. It seemed she just complained a lot, yelled a lot and bossed people around, expecting Charlie to take care of everything. If you like historical fiction, I would recommend this book. Although it is classed as Christian fiction, I didn’t really find all that much Christianity in it.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)


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"Under a Painted Sky" by Stacy Lee

Under a Painted Sky by Stacy Lee is about a young girl named Samantha in 1849.  She longs to move back to New York to be a professional musician.  When a tragic accident takes her father’s life and then another problem comes to her, she is forced to go to the frontier with the help of a runaway slave named Anna Mae. 

I liked the action in this book.  Its been a long time since I read a book about the Old West so I enjoyed it.  I liked the two girls very much—well worth reading!  

 (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

 

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"The Inheritance" by Tamera Alexander (Christian Historical Fiction)

The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander takes place in Colorado during the late 1800s.  McKenna and Robert Ashford, older sister and 14-yr-old brother, move to Colorado to live with their cousin until they can get a fresh start when they cannot make the payments on their home and livery business their parents left them.  When they get to Colorado, they find things are not at all what they expected.  McKenna soon finds herself struggling to be a mother to her cousin’s little girl, Emma, when her cousin died in childbirth shortly after McKenna and Robert arrived. 

This is a good Christian historical fiction novel about a rocky relationship between a sister and her rebellious brother whom she feels sorry for and responsible for.  I liked the main character and of course the predictable ending that is characteristic of Christian fiction.  The story line with Robert and the U.S Marshall added an interesting dimension to the book.  It has discussion questions in the back for book club use.  

(Karen's review, 4 stars)

 

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"Shot All To Hell" by Mark Lee Gardner

Shot All To Hell--Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West's Greatest Escape by Mark Lee Gardner is a non-fiction book that tells the story of Frank and Jesse James and their brothers in arms, the younger gang. It covers their last bank robbery job and the chase for them afterward. The part about the bank robbery was really good and interesting. Some of the other meetings they had with people were good and even funny at times. However, I thought there would be a lot more action in this book so was disappointed.
(Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

I liked Sutton by J. R. Moehringer much better, also a bank robber! It was fantastic!

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"Sharpshooter in Petticoats" by Mary Connealy

Sharpshooter in Petticoats is a light read about Mandy, who is fantastic with a rifle.  She and her three children live in a castle up on a hilltop, guarded by Indians.  It is the only place she feels safe since her husband died and the Cooters are after her because of a blood feud.  When Tom, a wealthy rancher, comes to take her as his bride, she puts up a fuss but eventually gives in.  I liked this book all right for a light read because parts were funny and it has a happy ending.
(Karen's review)

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"True Grit" by Charles Portis Is As Good As The Movie!

True Grit by Charles Portis is a western about a young girl who wants to avenge her father’s killing by going after the killer and gets a well-known marshal to help her.  I think most people know the story.  I’ve seen the movie three or four times.  The book was just as good as the movie.  Nothing really new that is not in the movie, but I enjoyed reading it!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Sherrif's Surrender" by Susan Page Davis

A Western with Ladies as the Heroins

The Sheriff's Surrender is a western about an old mining town whose sheriff is killed and replaced by one of the ranchers.  A serial killer continues to strike and the women decide to learn to shoot from Gert, an expert shooter and form a Ladies’ Shooting Club which helps out the sheriff.  I enjoyed this book even though it seemed far-fetched.  It was an entertaining read with a bit of romance and Christianity tossed in. 

I liked the subplot of how the women became closer and helped each other as they got to know one another better through the shooting club.  It has a good theme--that friends are good to have and we should get to know all kinds of people.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?