Wyoming Wild - Review

Wyoming Wild

By: Sarah M Eden

Publication: March 7th 2023 by Shadow Mountain

256 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Hearts collide when a sheriff’s daughter asks a hardened US Marshal to join her fight for justice and rid a small town of her corrupt father.

Wyoming Territory, 1876

US Marshal John “Hawk” Hawking is one of the most respected lawmen in the West, so when a telegram arrives from the small town of Sand Creek warning him of a death threat against him, he immediately begins an investigation.

Posing as a farmer, Hawk heads to Sand Creek, a town ruled by a violent and corrupt sheriff. Only one person is trying to stop him—Liesl, the sheriff’s own daughter. When she meets the self-assured and attractive new farmer, John, she hopes he might help her in the fight for justice.

John is completely unfazed by Sheriff Hodges’s attempts at intimidation, and Liesl is quickly swept up by Hawk’s courage and integrity. Just as quickly, Hawk finds himself falling for Liesl’s strength and bravery, as well as her grace and beauty.

When Liesl discovers John’s true identity, she feels betrayed. Despite her lingering distrust of him, Liesl agrees to work with him to enact a dangerous plan that will put the criminals away forever. Liesl must put her life, and her heart, in the hands of his lawman if she has any hope of saving her family and her town.

I read Healing Hearts back in 2019 and really enjoyed it. So much that I added the previous book in the series to my TBR list, and I was hoping that Sarah M Eden would continue the series. Wyoming Wild is not officially listed as part of the Savage Wells series (as far as I could tell), but it does carry on with characters from the series and previous books.

Leisl's father is the sheriff in Sand Creek. His corrupt handling of the town has Leisl feeling guilty being related to him. She does everything she can to thwart him and help the town citizens. Leisl overhears her father and his cronies plotting to assassinate a US Marshal. She takes the risk to sneak into the telegraph office to send the Marshal a warning.

Marshal Hawking can't abide corruption in his territory. He's worked too hard to make Wyoming safe for the citizens. He also assumes that he will never be able to have a personal relationship due to his duties. But he never accounts for meeting a woman such as Leisl.

Sometimes, I don't enjoy a mystery being thrown into a romance. I just want romance, romance, romance. But the mystery in Wyoming Wild fit right into the story in a way that wouldn't have made sense for the characters had it been missing. And I think that's what sometimes bothers me about other romances that have a mystery included. The mystery doesn't always seem to fit, or sometimes it takes over.

Wyoming Wild was so enjoyable. I read it in 24 hours which is rare through the last 7 years for me. Hawk and Leisl were such a great couple, and the mystery fit right into their story in a way that I can't imagine it to be missing. Wyoming Wild gets 4 Stars. Have you read Wyoming Wild? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for Wyoming Wild

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Wyoming Wild

By: Sarah M Eden

Expected Publication: March 7th 2023 by Shadow Mountain

256 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Hearts collide when a sheriff’s daughter asks a hardened US Marshal to join her fight for justice and rid a small town of her corrupt father.

Wyoming Territory, 1876

US Marshal John “Hawk” Hawking is one of the most respected lawmen in the West, so when a telegram arrives from the small town of Sand Creek warning him of a death threat against him, he immediately begins an investigation.

Posing as a farmer, Hawk heads to Sand Creek, a town ruled by a violent and corrupt sheriff. Only one person is trying to stop him—Liesl, the sheriff’s own daughter. When she meets the self-assured and attractive new farmer, John, she hopes he might help her in the fight for justice.

John is completely unfazed by Sheriff Hodges’s attempts at intimidation, and Liesl is quickly swept up by Hawk’s courage and integrity. Just as quickly, Hawk finds himself falling for Liesl’s strength and bravery, as well as her grace and beauty.

When Liesl discovers John’s true identity, she feels betrayed. Despite her lingering distrust of him, Liesl agrees to work with him to enact a dangerous plan that will put the criminals away forever. Liesl must put her life, and her heart, in the hands of his lawman if she has any hope of saving her family and her town.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

The Heart of a Vicar - Review

The Heart of a Vicar (The Jonquil Brothers, # 6)

By: Sarah M Eden

Publication: June 1st 2019 by Covenant Communications

268 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Regency

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Young love is all too fleeting, as Harold Jonquil painfully discovered years ago when Sarah Sarvol, the niece of a neighboring landowner, captured his heart. After an idyllic few weeks in the throes of blossoming love, reality intervened. They could have no future. Following their disastrous parting, Harold attempted to push aside thoughts of love and regret, but Sarah has never left his heart. Now, years later, he has achieved his lifelong aspiration of becoming the local vicar. However, the role proves more difficult than he imagined. He feels hollow and uninspired—until the most important person in his past returns, challenging him as no one ever has.

When Sarah’s ailing uncle summons her back to the family estate in England, there is only one person from her past she is reluctant to see again: Harold Jonquil, the only man who has ever claimed her heart. But when she comes face-to-face with her former beau, she hardly recognizes the aloof and dull man before her. She is determined to help Harold rediscover the passion he once felt toward his chosen profession. Soon, despite their exasperation with each other, they cannot deny the stirring of feelings long buried—but is it too late for second chances?

First off, I haven't read any of the prior books in this series, and The Heart of a Vicar is book 6 in that series. I generally try not to request books for review when I haven't read the prior books in the series, but the author, Sarah M Eden, is what initially drew me in. And the nature of a series like this is that each book follows a different brother in the Jonquil family. So even though I'm coming into the middle a series, mostly I figured I would be able to read this almost as a standalone. In some ways I was right, and in other ways I was wrong. There are 7 (I believe) Jonquil brothers. And for someone who isn't familiar with the family or their backstories or what has happened in the prior books, this was a lot of characters to get to know--especially as most of the brothers at this point have wives and even children making the cast of characters quite large.

Reading The Heart of a Vicar did spark my interest go back and read the previous books of this series. And ironically, I remember seeing several of the previous books available for review on NetGalley in the past couple of years. I declined requesting those for review exactly for the reason I stated earlier--that I generally don't like to pick up mid-series. However, it hasn't been until the last year or two that I've increased the amount of historical fiction that I'm reading. And Sarah M Eden is an author I've recently read in another series and decided I wanted to read more of.

I won't say that Harold and Sarah's story was perfect for me. A lot of the romantic development between the two characters occurred before the book even began when the characters were younger. This creates conflict between them, but one of my favorite things to read is the initial romantic sparks.

More than being a romance story, The Heart of a Vicar is a story about finding one's self. Harold isn't sure of himself or what he always assumed was his purpose in life. He has to go backward in order to go forwards. The dynamics between his family, how they affect him, and how he affects them is all central to the story.

I fell in love with this family. Philip drove me crazy but I can't wait to read his story. Sorrel broke my heart. I wish the cause of her difficulties in carrying a pregnancy to term were discussed in more detail or explained a little more. Layton and Marion...especially Caroline crawled right inside my heart and took up residence. Mater and Scott too.

Sarah and her family difficulties were interesting, but I don't know. Something kept me from fully connecting to this storyline or its issues. Maybe just because I assumed it would all work out.

Favorite quote:

-Patience is a virtue. Endurance is a necessity.

The Heart of a Vicar had a slow start for me. I fell in love with the entire family of characters and can't wait to go back & read the previous books in the series. I wish I'd been able to read more of the events that made Harold and Sarah initially fall in love, but I did enjoy seeing them work through their current issues. The Heart of the Vicar gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read The Heart of a Vicar? What did you think? Let me know!

Healing Hearts - Review

Healing Hearts

By: Sarah M Eden

Publication: February 5th 2019 by Shadow Mountain

336 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Wyoming Territory, 1876

As the only doctor in the frontier town of Savage Wells, Gideon MacNamara knows his prospects for a bride are limited. The womenfolk in town are either too young, too old, or already spoken for. So, being a practical man, he decides to take advantage of the matchmaking service of the day—mail-order brides—and sends away for a woman with nursing experience.

When Miriam steps off the stagecoach in Savage Wells, she sees a bright future in front of her. But when the town—and Gideon—meets her, ready for a wedding, her excitement quickly turns to horror. Somehow Dr. MacNamara's message had gotten turned around. He didn’t want a nurse, he wanted a wife. When she refuses to marry him, she finds herself stranded in Savage Wells with some very unhappy townspeople.

But Gideon is not like the other men Miriam has met. Embarrassed by the misunderstanding, he offers her a job, and the two begin an awkward—and often humorous—dance of getting to know each other as they work to care for the people of their town. Romance blossoms between the two, but when a former medical associate of Miriam’s arrives in town, Gideon and the other townsfolk must rally around Miriam to protect her from a dangerous fate. Gideon and Miriam must decide if they are willing to risk their hearts for each other even as buried secrets are brought to light.

In some genres I find myself becoming a bit of a snob. I know which authors I like and which ones I've read repeatedly that I didn't enjoy as much. But the historical fiction genre is one that I feel I'm just branching into. I would read it occasionally but more so in the last two years. That being said, I'm just now finding authors that I want to read more of their work within this genre and Sarah M Eden will definitely fall into this category after reading Healing Hearts.

I never enjoyed history as a subject in school, but historical fiction makes the time periods I read about come to life. It's much easier to find events interesting when I'm filtering them through the eyes of a character who is experiencing and affected by these events. In the case of Healing Hearts, women's rights was a big issue. Yet I loved how Sarah M Eden approached this. Miriam didn't rail against what was unfair about being a woman. Yet she didn't take things lying down either. One thing I specifically appreciated was that this story wasn't filtered through today's feminist movement. It wasn't tainted. It wasn't altered. Miriam struggles felt authentic and time period appropriate. Similarly, the difference in medical knowledge for the time period versus now was enough to really make me thankful for living in the now. I found this part particularly interesting and the outbreak of Scarlet Fever as well.

The romantic relationship between Gideon and Miriam was enjoyable and certainly kept my interest, but I would venture to say that it was secondary to other plot points. I was rooting for these two, I liked them as a couple, and yet at times, I felt that Sarah M Eden could have even stepped it up a notch for me. The mystery behind Miriam's past, her time at the asylum, and whether or not she would be rescued from being forced to return was probably the biggest driving factor of the story. All well done in my opinion.

Considering Caden and Paisley apparently have their own book, I wish that this book was labeled as the second in a series so that I would have known that a grouping existed. I will certainly plan to go back and check out Caden and Paisley's story (The Sheriffs of Savage Wells).

Favorite quote:

-"My mother once told me that confidence is the currency of high society. No matter what you profess to be, what you are perceived to be depends entirely on how well you wear your claim."

Healing Hearts easily gets 4 Stars. I loved the history included that was so relevant to the story in terms of medical knowledge and women's rights. A few other issues that come up in our politics today were present and I found myself enjoying the way they were presented rather than being turned off by them. The romantic relationship between Gideon and Miriam was genuine and slow growing. It did take a back seat to some other plot points, but it was present enough to keep me turning pages. Have you read Healing Hearts? What did you think? Let me know!