When sparks begin to fly, can a friendship cast in iron be shaped into something more?
Mariah Stover is left for dead and with no memory when the Deadeye Gang robs the stagecoach she’s riding in, killing both her father and brother. As she takes over her father’s blacksmith shop and tries to move forward, she soon inds herself in jeopardy and wondering — does someone know she witnessed the robbery and is still alive?
Handomse and polished Clint Roberts escaped to western Wyoming, leaving his painful memories behind. Hoping for a fresh start, he opens a diner where he creates fine dishes, but is met with harsh resistance from the townsfolk, who prefer to stick to their old ways.
Clint and Mariah are drawn together by the trials they face in town, and Clint is determined to protect Mariah at all costs when danger descends upon her home. As threats pursue them from every side, will they survive to build a life forged in love?
My Review:
Yeehaw! This new series is off to a rip-roarin’ start with a classic Connealy flare.
I always brace myself for this author’s opening scenes — because, wooheee, but she knows how to start a Wild West adventure off with a bang. She does not go easy on her poor characters — I bet she has to give her heroines hazard pay just so they stick with her to the end of the story. lol But, mercy, ‘Forged in Love’ (great play on words since the heroine is a blacksmith!) has to be the most heart-breaking, hair-raising, nerve-racking opening scene out of all Connealy’s books! I was hooked into speed-reading my way through after this first line: “A bullet slammed into the side of the stagecoach carrying Mariah Stover, her pa, and her older brother.”
This book starts with action, ends with action and is just plain full of action! The kind of frenzied page-turner of a read that makes you hit pause on the rest of your life until you’ve seen Mariah and Clint safely through every last desperate encounter.
This author is known for her strong female characters and she definitely delivers that here, not only in our heroine, but her two best friends. (I’m hoping Nell and Becky are the featured heroines in future books in this series.) And I love the contrast Clint brings to the romance. He’s quite a departure from the usual western hero — because Clint’s a French-trained chef! Delighting the inhabitants of Pine Valley with his tasty, but strangely named, concoctions. And he’s been attracted to Mariah since he came to town two years ago. Mariah, of course, is oblivious.
So the romantic stage is set, and Clint is finally contemplating making a move when tragedy and chaos strike as Mariah’s world implodes. Then it becomes all about keeping her alive.
Captivating plot, witty dialogue, lots of humour, a few touchingly vulnerable moments and a whole lot of action make ‘Forged in Love’ an unputdownable marvel.
Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.
GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:
This giveaway is for a paperback copy.
If you would like a chance to win a copy of Forged in Love, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 15, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.
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