Title: An Unwilling Husband
Author: Tera Shanley
Source: eARC from author for review
goodreads...
For adventurous Margaret Flemming, arrived from
Boston to be with her father, the Old West town of her childhood is a far cry
from the drawing rooms and balls of the high society life she’s used to. Her
fancy gowns and proper manners have no place in the dusty, cruel land inhabited
by Indians and rough cowboys. And her fiercely independent streak constantly
gets her in trouble. When tragedy strikes, there’s only one person she can turn
to--her childhood friend, Garret Shaw--but he’s disgusted with her Society
ways.
With his ranch under attack from the
land-grabbing Jennings, the last thing Garret needs is to be saddled with a
high-falutin’ lady. Even if she is his friend’s daughter and her kind ways tug
at his hardened heart. Duty to her father forces them to wed, but he knows sure
as anything, when the chance comes along, she’ll go back to Boston. No matter
how much he wants her, loving her is not a risk he can take.
Will Maggie choose a life of luxury and ease over
struggle and hardship with an ill-mannered cowboy? Only her heart can answer.
CONTENT WARNING: A potty-mouthed proper lady, a
reluctant bridegroom and all kinds of trouble.
My take...
Margaret Flemming is
starting her life over and moving back to the one place she always thought of
as home. Now that she is back in Texas and out from under the thumb of her
hateful Aunt, she feels as if she can finally breathe and be happy. That is
until her run in on day one with her childhood friend and first and only love,
Garret Shaw. He makes it clear she is not welcomed here and is sure to tell her
at every turn. But when sudden tragedy strikes, Maggie and Garret are forced
into an arrangement that doesn't just stop at them. Life as they know it just
got a whole lot harder in this Old West town. And for one of them, it just may
mean a certain death.
**
For the first time in
as long as she could remember, she could breathe.
**
I took my time with
this one. I didn't want to rush through it and throw it in the 'read' pile I
have piling up. I wanted to experience this story and I wanted to see what it
felt like to live back during the Old West. I am pretty sure I have never read
a book during this time before. So that was all the more reason to sit back and
enjoy it. And I gotta say, I love it. I loved the 'talk' of people back then
and how people had to work for their food and home. Lover of all things instant
gratification? Too bad. You'd be out of luck here. And by you I mean me. It
would be fun for all of 1 hour. Then I would be found in the fetal position
crying for a real bath and ice cream.
Garret has his
reasons for not liking Maggie any more. And they started the day she up and
left him many years ago. Is the reason justified? Absolutely not. She was a
child under her mother's care. But try telling that to a hurt teenage Garret
who felt such a loss that day. It is going to take much time and convincing to
get him to open his heart back up.
**
Her wardrobe would
have to be adjusted, just as her soul and body would.
She'd show them she
could be much more than just a proper lady.
**
Maggie is a
firecracker. I loved her attitude and how she wouldn't let Garret find fault
with her in anything. Always working as hard as she could to prove that she was
sticking around for good. Even to the point of hurting herself. But if that is
what it takes, she is willing to do it. She wants him and everyone else at the
ranch to know she is here for the long haul.
In the end I adored
the characters and their feistiness, I found the book to be enjoyable and
entertaining, and I actually ended up craving more. Yes, I would love to see
this world continued on. Shanley is absolutely one of my favorite new authors
and it seems she can write just about anything. Be sure to pick this book up
once it is out. 5 Stars!
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