This story was a lighthearted, easy-to-read tale set in the Old West, well-crafted and entertaining. The Montana gold rush boomtown drew me in and the wide cast of characters kept me there. There’s a little bit of everything in this novel – romance, danger, loss, lessons, friendship, and reconciliation. Oh, and ranches, horse thieves, and a charming little boardinghouse. 😉
As is the case with most well-written western romances, the hero and heroine both have their vices and their virtues. Hence the series title. 😉 Patience is talented, smart, and has a heart for the Lord, but she’s also dealing with some insecurities. The cover shows her to be a pretty girl, but she still lacks confidence, which I think all girls will be able to relate to in one way or another. She’s real and flawed and I liked her that way.
To me, it read much like a chic-flick. All the needed elements were there, but it stayed along the surface of many issues, skimming over some points rather quickly. The lessons it taught were good, but at moments the dialogue seemed to talk more to the reader than the characters on the page. The historical details were there and the story read nicely, and yet I was still left wanting more. That’s just my personal preference.
The ending could have been wrapped up a little quicker for me, but it was sweet nevertheless. With a few little surprises thrown in.
This is a promising start to a charming new series. I have no doubt many readers will appreciate this author’s witty style and continue to seek out these historical dramas.
Thank you to Revell Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
Patience Cavanaugh has lost hope in romance. The man she yearned to marry is dead and her dreams are gone with him. Now she is consumed with the restoration of a dilapidated boarding house in order to support herself. Despite her desire for solitude, Jedediah Jones, the local sheriff with a reputation for hanging criminals, becomes an ever-looming part of her life. It seems like such a simple arrangement: Patience needs someone with a strong back to help her fix up the boardinghouse, and Jedediah needs a dependable source of food for himself and his prisoners. But Patience gets more than she bargained for as she explores the depths of the “hanging lawman”–and finds both betrayal and love.
With a keen eye to historical detail and a deft hand at romantic tension, Maggie Brendan invites readers to a Montana gold rush boomtown, where vices and virtues are on full display and love is lying in wait.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Maggie Brendan is a CBA bestselling author, and has sold over 300,000 books of historical romance. She is a winner of 2014 Book Buyers Best/ OCC/RWA -inspirational, 2013 Laurel Wreath Award, was a 2013 finalist for the Published Maggie Award of Excellence, a 2014 and 2013 finalist for the Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Award, a 2012 finalist for Inspirational Reader’s Choice award and a recipient of the 2004 ACW Persistence Award in Atlanta. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), The Author’s Guild, Romance Writers of America (RWA), Faith, Hope and Love, and Georgia Romance Writers. Maggie’s series are Heart of the West and The Blue Willow Brides and Virtues and Vices of the Old West. The Trouble with Patience, book one in a new series, of Virtues and Vices of the Old West will release in February, 2015.
You can follow Maggie on her website www.MaggieBrendan.com, her blog www.SouthernBelleWriter.blogspot.com, Twitter and Facebook.
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I’ve enjoyed some of Maggie’s other books! Look forward to reading this one.
Thanks for stopping by, Joan! I hope you enjoy this one as well. 🙂
Sounds like my kind of book. Thanks, Savanna
Wonderful, Robin! I hope you’ll check it out. Have a great week!
I’ve recently seen this book around different places (blogs, facebook, etc) & it does look like a good one. I like westerns & historical romance so this would fit nicely onto my to-be-read list. Enjoyed your review, Savanna, sounds like a lighthearted book & there are times I’m in the mood for something like this. Not too heavy or deep, just a book to get lost in! If an author can make a character “real”, such as you said, flawed then I can relate to that. If I can’t connect with the characters than I just might as well put the book down! I think I’d like to read this one in the near future. Thank you Savanna, blessings to you!
Thanks, Trixi, for always taking the time to stop by and read my posts. I appreciate that more than you know. I agree, we all need those lighthearted books too. And this one really is a fun story. I hope you’ll add it to your reading list. 🙂