Silver Dollar Duke - Review

Silver Dollar Duke (Hearts of Arizona, # 1)

By: Sally Britton

Publication: March 1, 2021 by Pink Citrus Books

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: YouTube Audiobooks

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--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 fulfil his family responsibilities? Or will leaving Arizona be the worst mistake of his life?

I've been blowing through Sally Britton's audiobooks on YouTube. And well, it was Silver Dollar Duke's turn. I wasn't sure about this series because westerns aren't usually my jam. My dad loves the old movies, but I guess they fell into the category of things I rebelled against. I don't think I hated them simply to rebel, but I can't be sure. Anyway, I've enjoyed Jody Hedlund's Colorado Cowboys series, so I thought I would give this a try. Honestly, I was a little disappointed.

Dannie has had to step up on her father's ranch since he had a heart attack a while back. Her mom passed away years ago, and her brothers are a big help in the physical labor department, but they don't know the ins and outs of running the ranch or the financial aspects of it. And Dannie is doubly protective after having nearly given herself away to a man who was only interested in the ranch. When Evan shows up looking for a wild west adventure, she can't be bothered to give him the time of day.

Evan has no interest in his birthright. It isn't much anyway. As a second son, the best he can expect is to live on and run an estate that essentially won't belong to him. His heart burns for adventure, and he's always longed to see the American wild west. He doesn't expect to stay long-term, and he definitely doesn't expect to fall in love with the daughter of the rancher he's employed under.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for me was that I wasn't in a position to listen to this audiobook at regular intervals. And I know that the longer it takes me to finish a book, the less my enthusiasm will be. While the writing was sound and what I would expect from Sally Britton, I just found that I couldn't connect to Dannie or Evan. The narrator was good, but maybe I'm partial to Jessica Elisa Boyd. Of course, her narration wouldn't have made as much sense given the accents of the Arizona west.

All in all, I might have to say that Silver Dollar Duke has been my least favorite Sally Britton book. I guess one book has to be the least favorite, right? Sorry Sally, it's not you. It's me. The wild west might always be a challenge for me. Although, I do intend to see if the next book, Copper for the Countess, will redeem the series for me or if I should count this series as a loss for my personal interests. Regardless, Silver Dollar Duke gets 3 Stars from me. Have you read (or listened to) Silver Dollar Duke? What did you think? Let me know!