Margaret MadiganCritiques

Nice easy read, love the brothers

"I love you. I can't help myself, as much as I've tried. I know you don't want me to, but I do." - Beth Caldwell

It's been a while since I got my hands on a historical romance - especially one that was also a western. Either I've turned into a military romance junkie, or the genre doesn't appeal to me as much as it used to. Still, this story wasn't that bad, and it did keep the pages turning.

Beth Caldwell is a young widow, whose dead husband was a gambler and left behind a huge debt that needs to be paid. She has only some land in her name, where she lives with three other female outcasts. Add to her problems the town's rich bachelor who's obsessed with marrying her, and you can see why she has no time for romance. But when a wanted outlaw named Isaac Collins takes refuge in her barn, Beth finds that perhaps it's not too late to find a place in a man's heart after all...

While, like I said, I've been finding historical western romances duller and duller lately, I feel like Mrs. Madigan did a thoroughly good job with the beginning of this series. Her characters were carefully described, and I really liked how this all happened not by telling, but by showing. The reader wasn't given the "how to" about each character's personality - I found it fun to experience their quirks and discover for myself how they behaved or thought by their expressions or actions.

Another thing I loved was the unexpected ending and the way the whole story lead there. One would think that Isaac's solution would be the only way to get rid of the problem Clay posed, but Beth proved us all wrong and took matters into her own hands, in a true "badass lady" fashion.

And while I did get frustrated with Lydia - someone needs to tell me what's up with so many fictional women sharing my name and being either annoying or the story villains - I can't wait to read her book. I wonder what kind of man will break past that woman's prim and proper walls...

"I love you, Beth Caldwell, more than anything. I should have told you sooner and more often." - Isaac Collins

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

Beth Caldwell is the widow of a gambling man; she was always at his side except for the day he died. Widowed, serving as a lowly paid midwife, Beth Caldwell has problems of major proportions. She lives on her small ranch with a cast of women misfits, the neighboring very rich rancher, Clay Dearborn, wants to marry her for her land and doesn't want the misfits; a gambling friend is holding a $5,000.00 marker of her husbands and wants his money, and to just finish off a really bad day, she finds a cowboy, Issac Collins, hiding in her barn and she has an immediate attraction to him. When he returns wounded, what could she do but tend to his wounds. Issac is a good man who is framed for murder by Clay Dearborn and he wants revenge. He does all he can to discourage Beth's love but it is a force of nature and can not be tamed. What follows is a frolicking western full of villains, outlaws, murderers, revenge, lawlessness, good versus evil, and hot hot love. The love scene scorch the pages. Ms. Madigan has created a hero to die for and heroine that is strong-willed and strong-minded. The story moves along well as we watch good conquer evil and love bloom in the old west. I hope each of Beth's misfits has a book in the making by Ms. Madigan, I cant wait to read the next one.

I recommend this book to western romance lovers and due to the sexual situations for young adult to adult.

I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Hero for Hire is a fast-paced, quick, and entertaining read that combines elements of the classic fairytale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with a zombie apocalypse. The authors have created archetypal characters that most of us are familiar with who have become survivalists in the aftermath of a wide-spread outbreak that turns those infected into zombies.

It’s hard to miss the allusions to Snow White throughout the plot. The princess (as Rafe Charming calls her) is Gwyn, a scientist at Paragon Pharmaceuticals who’s determined to find a cure for the virus. Her efforts are thwarted when her arch nemesis, Miriam, steals Gwyn’s notes and then uses Gwyn as a scapegoat after Miriam’s modified antidote fails. After being banished from what is dubbed as the “zombie center” Gwyn continues her scientific work in an abandoned lab, only leaving when necessary to forage for supplies.

Gwyn blames herself for her failure to save the infected, those once human who now aimlessly roam the city searching for prey to sate their bloodlust. After a life-threatening attack, Gwyn realizes that she will never make any progress in finding a cure without help. This damsel-in-distress finds her way to Rafe Charming, a “hero for hire” safely tucked away behind an impenetrable fortress where he provides a safe haven for orphaned children and gets support from Doc, the epitome of the “wise old man” who aids the hero and heroine by providing sage advice and backup when needed.

At first Rafe appears to be a hardened, dispassionate man with who is only concerned with what will benefit him. He demands some type of payment from Gwyn before he will help her. Since Gwyn has nothing of material value for Rafe, he suggests a more intimate form of payment. However, it becomes obvious that Rafe is much more than the man he appears to be, as he and Gwyn successfully negotiate a deal for the greater good of humanity.

Expect lots of drama and danger as both Rafe and Gwyn risk their lives in their quest to find the stolen journals that Gwyn is certain will help her find a way to halt or even reverse the virus. There are numerous battle scenes with zombies, although these scenes aren’t very gory, a romance that develops quickly and includes a very sexy love scene, all of which reiterate the point that life is a precious gift and should be cherished every day. The pivotal point in the story occurs when Gwyn is reunited with Miriam, and just like in the fairytale, this wicked queen of the zombie center has looked into the mirror and found that she is far from the fairest of them all. Her shocking transformation adds to the increasing danger and suspense as Rafe searches for a way to save his princess before it’s too late.

I do wish the plot was more elaborate and allowed for greater character development instead of the flat, stock characters typically found in fairytales. Overall, though, I appreciated the authors’ creativity and their departure from relying upon the stereotypical traits often associated with zombies.

I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

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