THE OUTLAW’S DAUGHTER
HAYWIRE BRIDES, BOOK 3
by
MARGARET BROWNLEY
Western / Historical Fiction / Clean & Wholesome Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of Publication: May 26, 2020
Number of Pages: 384
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of Publication: May 26, 2020
Number of Pages: 384
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He may be a Texas Ranger, but he only has eyes for the outlaw’s beautiful daughter . . .
Texas Ranger Matt Taggert is on the trail of a wanted man. He has good reason to believe that Ellie-May’s late husband was involved in a stagecoach robbery, and he’s here to see justice done. But when he arrives in town, he discovers the thief has become a local hero . . . and his beautiful young widow isn’t too happy to see some lawman out to tarnish her family’s newly spotless reputation.
Ellie-May’s shaken by her encounter with the ranger. Having grown up an outlaw’s daughter, she’ll do anything to keep her children safe—and if that means hardening her heart against the handsome lawman’s smiles, then so be it. Because she knows Matt isn’t about to give up his search. He’s out to redeem himself and find proof that Ellie-May’s husband wasn’t the saint everyone claims . . . even if it means losing the love neither expected to discover along the way.
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I’ve been in a Sci-Fi frame of mind lately. (And peanut butter. But that is neither here nor there.) Most of what I’m reading and watching during quarantine has been Sci-Fi. My obsession is due to great characters, some space fighting, and occasionally romance. But sometimes I need to pivot back to my historic romance roots. Reviewing The Outlaw’s Daughter was a great opportunity to do just that. I’m always in for a historic romance of the western variety, especially one with great characters, some gun slinging, and a lovely romance.
Both the primary and secondary characters in The Outlaw’s Daughter are well-developed, multi-dimensional, and authentic. Ellie-May Blackwell is our heroine. She’s a widow of the town hero, trying to eke out a living on the family farm while raising her two children, Lionel and Alicia. To say that Ellie-May is in dire straits is an understatement. Money is in very short supply but love for her children is not. She’ll do whatever she must to protect them. Strong and self-reliant, Ellie-May is certainly a woman worth loving. Our hero is Matt Taggert, Texas Ranger. He is trying to solve a cold case stage robbery and his main suspect is Ellie-May’s late husband (the town hero). Matt has a strong moral code and is always trying to do what is right. He even tries to impart his rules for being a Ranger to Jesse, a teenager who wants to be a Ranger himself. In addition to Jesse, Matt also forms a quick bond with Ellie-May’s children, proving he is also gentle and caring towards others. The secondary characters in The Outlaw’s Daughter are also enjoyable to read. From Anvil the ranch hand, to Jesse the (teenage) Ranger, to the children, even to the local doctor, all are clearly written with purpose in the novel. Let’s hope we can read more about these characters in the rest of the series.
Ms. Brownley’s writing style is easy to read and descriptive. Her detailed writing brings the characters and setting alive. For example, here is our first glimpse at Ellie-May:
Her sinewy body looked like it had been shaped by hard work and even harder times. … her dress had enough patches to shingle a roof.
I just love that description! Now we know that Ellie-May has seen difficulties in her life, but that she’s still getting up every day and surviving. Here’s Matt describing himself:
Don’t feel bad. I’m like the tax man. People hate seeing me come and love seeing me leave.
This made me chuckle and think about cowboys walking away. What can I say! I do like a good cowboy walk! 😍
The Outlaw’s Daughter is a clean\wholesome romance. (If you are looking for romance that is more explicit, this isn’t the place.) The subtle nods to the growing love between Matt and Ellie-May are evident in the small touches throughout the novel. Matt returns Ellie-May’s lost glove; she brings him coffee and a blanket while he’s on a stakeout. These touches make the romance come alive throughout the novel. Another way Matt and Ellie-May show their growing feelings for each other is in sharing their childhood traumas. Opening up emotionally brings Matt and Ellie-May closer together, shows their vulnerability and reluctance to take a chance on love. Luckily for readers, Matt and Ellie-May get the happily ever after that they deserve.
The Outlaw’s Daughter is the third in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone novel. I loved the first novel (read my review here), but I somehow missed reading the second book. Not sure what happened there, but I need to rectify that situation!
Overall, I recommend The Outlaw’s Daughter to any reader who loves historic western romance with great characters and descriptive writing.
Thanks to author Margaret Brownley and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing this opportunity to review The Outlaw’s Daughter. I received the novel free in exchange for my honest review.
New York Times bestselling author Margaret Brownley has penned more than forty-six novels and novellas.
A two-time Romance Writers of American RITA® finalist, Margaret has also written for a TV soap and is a recipient of the Romantic Times Pioneer Award. Not bad for someone who flunked eighth-grade English. Just don’t ask her to diagram a sentence.
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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
TWO WINNERS each receive signed copies of the first two books in the Haywire Brides series, Cowboy Charm School and The Cowboy Meets His Match
May 26-June 5, 2020
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Great review — I like how the romance build sounds. Perfect! (And had to laugh about you missing book two. Could it be because it didn’t get featured on LSBBT? ha!)
Thanks, Kristine!