Review of Tougher Than The Rest by Shirleen Davies

Tougher Than The Rest by Shirleen Davies
 

MacLarens of Fire Mountain (of Arizona Territory)\

Description of the book:

"Niall MacLaren is determined to turn his ranch into the biggest cattle dynasty in the Arizona

Territory. The widower will do whatever he must to obtain the political and financial support required, even marrying a woman he does not love. Nothing will stand in his way.

Katherine is well-bred, educated and seeks a life away from her cloistered existence in the

East. Landing the teaching job in California provides her with the opportunity she seeks. Most

importantly, and unlike many of her peers, she will not need a husband to achieve her goals.

When an accident brings them together, mutual desire takes root, threatening to dismantle

their carefully laid plans and destroy their dreams. Can either of them afford to be distracted by the

passion that unites them---especially when one of them may belong to another?"

 

The book begins in Ohio in 1866 with the children of Duncan and Elizabeth MacLaren hiding from raiders from West Virginia. Both parents of the children are killed. Niall (15), Jamie (12) and the twins, Will and Drew are now left alone. Niall was told by his father there was money hidden and to go to Arizona Territory to be with his brother, Stuart, if anything ever happened to him.

On the way, they meet a Marshal Trent Garner in St Louis, Missouri who knows the uncle of the boys and helps them.
 

Niall gets the four of them to the ranch his uncle owns. Aunt Alicia and Uncle Stuart never had children of their own and more than welcome them.

The book skips to Philadelphia in 1878 with Elizabeth and her father talking about her trip to California. A coach accident on the way leaves Kate without memory. She is taken into the home of Stuart and Alicia but with protests from Niall.

Niall has lost his wife, Camille, and also lives in the home with his 6 year old daughter, Beth. He is courting Jocelyn van Deelin with plans to marry without love for political status. Lots of changes when Kate enters the picture.

This is a fast moving book and almost like the beginning of what is happening in the future for the MacLaren family.

I liked the book but would have liked a slower movement and more dialog. I liked the characters and would have liked to see more time spent with them. There is one love scene done tastefully and a couple of what I call somewhat bad language.

Some characters:

Niall MacLaren- main male character, a widower with a child.

Beth- 6 year old daughter of Niall and so much part of the story

Jamie- brother of Nail. Sometimes temperamental.

Will and Drew- twin brothers of Niall

Stuart MacLaren- uncle of the boys/men

Alicia- wife of Stuart and a loving character

Kate- Katherine- main female character

Trent Garner- marshal and friend

Caleb Milton- doctor who was also on the coach in the accident

Gloria Chalmette- friend of Niall

Jocelyn van Deelin- future wife of Niall?

I was sent a complimentary e-book copy of Tougher Than The Rest by Shirleen Davies to read and review. The opinions are my own.

I am give it a low 4 star. I look forward to more of the MacLaren family now that I have met them.
Sirrleen Davies may be reached at www.shirleendavies.com

Leona Olson

www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Galveston

I received a complimentary e-book copy of Galveston from LibraryThing and the author P.G. Nagle.
The book is about the Civil War and the personal emotions of the characters in the book; the book works up to the Battle in Galveston, Texas on January 1, 1863 and the retaking of Galveston by the Confederates from the Union.
I also have a new e-reader and prefer a book because it is easier to find a passage in the book when checking details but must say I liked this version because I took it on a cruise and also had other books with me.
I liked this book and since it has been a long time since I had Texas History in school, it taught me something about the Civil War in Galveston and this area. I found the facts in the book interesting and books like this always encourage me to check deeper into the subject. Two examples: Albert Miller Lea has a town in Minnesota named after him ( I now live in Minnesota) and John Bankhead Magruder's middle name is the name of the highway in my hometown of Monahans, Texas; US 80 and now Interstate 20.
The book begins with so many characters, I had to reread the pages to get organized. The Russell family are the main characters in the book and names fall into place; even the horse that belongs to Jamie (James) is named Cocoa. I personally think the names bring you closer to understanding the characters. Emma, sister of Jamie, lost her fiance, Stephen, in the Battle at Valverde and her emotions show in the wiping the tears from her eyes as an example. He is mentioned throughout the book as one really would remember a loved one in real life.
Jamie takes Emma to Galveston to be with the sister of their mother, May, and new characters are brought in to the book. Emma has worked hard on the family farm with her parents and brothers and now in Galveston takes music lessons as well as learning needlework. "She turned over her embroidery hoop and began to pick at her knot with her needle". Anyone who has done needlework knows of this problem.
The actions in the Battle of Galveston felt real and were very detailed. One ship the Harriet Lane is a boat in history and the battle.
The author has a Union Lieutenant, Quincy Wheat, a main character in the book and the chapters go back and forth between the main characters; this gives the reader gets a look into the feelings of both sides.
Reading this book is an opening to gain information about the history of Texas and the Civil War in another area we usually do not think of the war.