by Crystal Caudill | Mar 12, 2024 | Book Reviews
A Lady’s Heart of Gold
by Sally Britton
Review:
This was the last book in the Hearts of Arizona series, and it was a wonderful wrap-up to the series with a depth that touched on historical hardships that many would like to forget or ignore. The author’s note in the back almost broke my heart when she said while she enjoyed writing the series, the hardships of the ethnically non-white people groups (Native Americans, Spanish, Blacks etc) were extremely hard on her to research, and so she was returning to her Regency romances to stay. Not that I don’t love her Regencies, but I felt the way she handled a lot of the injustices was beautifully done and brought new understanding and perspective to something I thought I was already very familiar with, considering my own family background in the Native American realm. The romance was sweet, the depth of characters greatly appreciated, and the view into previous books’ characters’ lives a joy.
I recommend this book to those who love ranch love stories, female reporters, historical details that are accurate and moving, well-developed characters, and romances that are solidly built without being gag-worthy. 🙂 If you know me, I am not a gag-me-with-a-spoon romance girl. 😉
Genre: Historical Romance, Western
Plot:
When a determined English newspaper woman arrives in the Arizona desert, she expects to find the lawless and the illiterate. Instead, she meets a well-spoken and handsome cowboy who’s ready to prove to her there’s more to the Territory than cattle and cacti.
English newspaper reporter Molly McKinney is determined to make a name for herself by writing about the wilds of the American West. After convincing her editor to take a chance on her idea, Molly travels to the United States looking for tales that will transport and inspire her readers. When she meets a quiet cowboy in the middle of Arizona Territory, she can sense that his story might be the most important of all—if only he’ll open up enough to tell it.
Eduardo “Ed” Byrd has worked at the KB Ranch for five years, making an honest living and trying to ignore his past. He’s one-quarter Cherokee, three-quarters Mexican-American, and entirely his own person. Light-hearted and hard-working, Ed keeps to himself and reserves his dreams for the privacy of his notebooks. When one meeting with the tenacious English woman rattles his mind and heart, Ed can’t help but wonder if he’s been playing things safe for too long.
A reporter’s natural curiosity spurs Molly to make her way to the ranch where Ed works, and she’s determined to find out what the cowboy is hiding beneath his gentle smiles. There’s more to Ed than he lets on, and when Molly starts to unravel his past, he realizes their story might only have a happy ending if he’s willing to risk more than just his heart.
Author Website: https://www.authorsallybritton.com/
Purchase Link: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
What is the most recent book you’ve read? What did you like about it? Who would you recommend it to?
by Crystal Caudill | Feb 13, 2024 | Book Reviews
Copper for the Countess
by Sally Britton
Review:
Sally Britton once again brings a British character into the wilds of the Arizona Territory. While the first book had the second-born son of a Marquess, this time, it is the widowed Countess and her daughter. Evelyn is way over her head when she travels to Arizona, hoping to secure funds from her late husband’s holdings in Arizona. When things go in an unexpected direction, Evelyn’s left to rely on the kindness of strangers to survive. Learning to live on a ranch isn’t easy, but she’ll do anything for her daughter, including marry the handsome foreman who saved her from the streets. But Chris isn’t the only one getting unexpected challenges thrown his way. As the sudden father of two children, Chris needs help. People might think him crazy for marrying a countess who doesn’t know one thing about living in the desert, but he sees beyond what the world sees.
I loved watching the romance bloom between these two as Evenlyn, in particular, has deep wounds to overcome from her previous marriages. Chris is the perfect gentleman, and while there are natural romantic tensions in a marriage of convenience story, the heat is very mild and well done. In particular, I loved watching the two of them learn to parent together and watching Evelyn roll up her sleeves to learn the ways of the West.
I recommend this story to fans of Westerns, marriages of convenience, orphan stories, and sweet romances.
Genre: Western
Plot:
A Victorian countess doesn’t belong on a ranch, and a frosty cowboy knows nothing about raising a family. When the two have no choice but to rely on each other, is there any hope for happiness, let alone true love?
Lady Evelyn Lyon lost her husband and her fortune on the same day. Daughter in hand, she makes her way to the copper mines of Arizona, hoping her husband’s stock in the Bisbee Copper Queen mine will make it possible for her to raise her little girl. Every man she’s known has failed her, and she would far rather be alone than dependent on one. When the stock certificates in her possession prove fraudulent, Evelyn and her little girl are more alone than ever.
Chris Morgan, known as “Frosty” by cowhands and neighbors alike, never expected to have a family. When his cousin back east dies and leaves Chris with two children to raise, Chris has no choice but to change his plans. But raising children and running a ranch at the same time is a tall order. He’s at his wit’s end when he comes across a British noblewoman who has no business wandering around the desert without protection. When he learns her story, Chris knows they might be the solutions to each other’s problems.
A hasty wedding and dusty ride to Chris’s ranch starts their marriage of convenience off on a bumpy road. With children to raise and cattle to herd, Evelyn and Chris have no choice but to trust each other. But in the west, trust is hard won, and it’s hard to grow anything…especially love.
Copper for the Countess is Book 2 in the Hearts of Arizona Series, but it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone romance.
Author Website: https://www.authorsallybritton.com/
Purchase Link: Amazon| Barnes & Noble
What is the most recent book you’ve read? What did you like about it? Who would you recommend it to?
by Crystal Caudill | Jan 2, 2024 | Book Reviews
Silver Dollar Duke
by Sally Britton
Review:
I’ve long been a fan of Sally Britton’s British-set novels, but it was a fun twist to bring a piece of Britain to the Wild West of the Arizona territory at the end of the 19th century. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job.
It was fun to watch this second-born son find his footing in the Wild West, learning that novels and reality didn’t always go together. Evan’s determination, heart, and gentlemanly ways won me over quickly. Dannie is a strong yet heartbroken woman who knows what it takes to make a life out of desert living. As a woman who has been left behind too often by the people she loves, knowing that Evan will be leaving means he’s not an option for her future. But her heart disagrees, no matter how much she fights it. Evan is honorable, and though he’s falling for Dannie, he wants to do the right thing by her. His duties will call him back to England and away from this life–and the woman–he’s quickly fallen in love with.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the stronger, yet not-overdone, faith element. The push-pull of the romance was enjoyable, and I loved getting to see ranch life from the perspective of a man who had a heart to prove himself with no idea of what he’s doing.
I recommend this story to those who love Westerns, British characters, fish-out-of-water stories, and romances that are sweet.
Genre: Western
Plot:
The last thing Dannie needs is a Victorian gentleman on her ranch, playing cowboy while she’s trying to save her family’s livelihood. Will high stakes and high emotions lead to heartbreak?
Evan Rounsevell, second son to the Marquess of Rothwell, is running as far from his family and responsibilities as he can. His fascination with cowboys takes him from English shores to the Arizona desert, but the days of showdowns are over, and Tombstone, Arizona, is a respectable town. With no funds left, and no desire to call on his affluent family for rescue, Evan seeks a position as a cowboy at a ranch on its last leg.
Daniella Bolton’s fiancé left when the drought of 1893 crippled the KB ranch, but that’s just fine by her. She doesn’t need a man to help her save her family’s land. Especially not an Englishman who looks down on her style of living, like Evan does. She loves her life on the ranch, and no outsider could ever understand what it means to be loyal to the land and her family’s way of life.
Being a cowboy is harder than Evan thought, but as he works to earn his place on the ranch, his heart opens up to the beauty of the desert… as well as that of Dannie Bolton. Watching Evan fight for the ranch she loves makes Dannie realize that not all men are afraid of hard work and troubled times, and loving Evan might be just the salve her wounded heart needs. But when Evan’s family summons him home right when Dannie needs him most, the feelings of betrayal from her former fiancé’s flight return tenfold.
Does Evan dare risk his tenuous relationship with Dannie to fulfill his family responsibilities? Or will leaving Arizona be the worst mistake of his life?
Author Website: https://www.authorsallybritton.com/
Purchase Link: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
What is the most recent book you’ve read? What did you like about it? Who would you recommend it to?
