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A review by turquoiseavenue
The Last Chance Cowboy by Jody Hedlund
3.0
Jody Hedlund brings the wild west of small town Colorado alive with cattle rustlers, a new sheriff in town and a whole cast of vibrant people.
WHAT I LIKED:
Catherine's profession as a midwife was fascinating and I enjoyed how well-researched and how well her techniques and situations were presented. In fact, the first chapter of the story highlights Catherine in this role, which I found intriguing and that kept me wanting to read more.
A marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes and this book certainly featured that! The resulting love story and HEA that came with it were a plus.
Dylan's character stood out to me the most in this story. He was a man who'd fallen prey to the lusts of his flesh and deeply regretted them, moving forward to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Having repented from his wayward sins and worked hard to live a life pleasing to God, it was rewarding to see him come up against the temptations of his past and overcome them. As he embraced his role of fatherhood, it was even more rewarding to witness the change in his character. He was flirtatious and confident, values I enjoyed in a hero.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS:
The plot to this story was cliche'. Marriage of convenience, based off of a miscommunication which eventually becomes a lie (this really detracted from Catherine's character value for me). The premise of the miscommunication bordered on the fact that Dylan did not remember being intimate with a woman, due to being inebriated. I found it very hard to believe he couldn't remember what she looked like or any conversations with her, and that made the trope unreliable for me.
The ending was predictable and lacked the excitement I thought was coming. While there were moments of excitement and a touch of suspense, I had been hoping for a big moment when Catherine's predicament from Chicago made its way to her so Dylan would have to save her and clear her name.
Lastly, Dylan's physical infatuation and insinuations with Catherine were over the top and bordered on lustful. I didn't care for this aspect in this particular genre. It was something I'd have expected (and enjoyed) in a sweet romcom or secular novel, but not in historical Christian fiction. While it all took place within the confines of their marriage, it still felt too detailed and overdone for this story. There is a time and place for spice in my opinion and this was not it.
IN SUMMARY:
Overall, a historical western romance that served as an easy, feel-good romance. Though part of a series, this novel read well as a standalone. There are elements of faith, redemption and saving grace, death to self and new life, as well as moments of sibling banter and adoring love between family members. There was also the refreshing and redeeming part of the story that people are merely human, they make mistakes, learn from them and move forward with renewed focus on the things that truly matter. A solid three stars for me.
Note: Between reading this story on my Kindle, I also listened to the audio version narrated by Susan Hanfield and found it to be well done.
CW and TW: Murder, Death in Childbirth, Sex Before Marriage (alleged), Inebriation (to the point of oblivion -alluded to), Detailed Kissing and Bodily Contact (within the confines of marriage), Innuendo and Insinuations (within the confines of marriage).
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this story from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.
WHAT I LIKED:
Catherine's profession as a midwife was fascinating and I enjoyed how well-researched and how well her techniques and situations were presented. In fact, the first chapter of the story highlights Catherine in this role, which I found intriguing and that kept me wanting to read more.
A marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes and this book certainly featured that! The resulting love story and HEA that came with it were a plus.
Dylan's character stood out to me the most in this story. He was a man who'd fallen prey to the lusts of his flesh and deeply regretted them, moving forward to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Having repented from his wayward sins and worked hard to live a life pleasing to God, it was rewarding to see him come up against the temptations of his past and overcome them. As he embraced his role of fatherhood, it was even more rewarding to witness the change in his character. He was flirtatious and confident, values I enjoyed in a hero.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS:
The plot to this story was cliche'. Marriage of convenience, based off of a miscommunication which eventually becomes a lie (this really detracted from Catherine's character value for me). The premise of the miscommunication bordered on the fact that Dylan did not remember being intimate with a woman, due to being inebriated. I found it very hard to believe he couldn't remember what she looked like or any conversations with her, and that made the trope unreliable for me.
The ending was predictable and lacked the excitement I thought was coming. While there were moments of excitement and a touch of suspense, I had been hoping for a big moment when Catherine's predicament from Chicago made its way to her so Dylan would have to save her and clear her name.
Lastly, Dylan's physical infatuation and insinuations with Catherine were over the top and bordered on lustful. I didn't care for this aspect in this particular genre. It was something I'd have expected (and enjoyed) in a sweet romcom or secular novel, but not in historical Christian fiction. While it all took place within the confines of their marriage, it still felt too detailed and overdone for this story. There is a time and place for spice in my opinion and this was not it.
IN SUMMARY:
Overall, a historical western romance that served as an easy, feel-good romance. Though part of a series, this novel read well as a standalone. There are elements of faith, redemption and saving grace, death to self and new life, as well as moments of sibling banter and adoring love between family members. There was also the refreshing and redeeming part of the story that people are merely human, they make mistakes, learn from them and move forward with renewed focus on the things that truly matter. A solid three stars for me.
Note: Between reading this story on my Kindle, I also listened to the audio version narrated by Susan Hanfield and found it to be well done.
CW and TW: Murder, Death in Childbirth, Sex Before Marriage (alleged), Inebriation (to the point of oblivion -alluded to), Detailed Kissing and Bodily Contact (within the confines of marriage), Innuendo and Insinuations (within the confines of marriage).
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this story from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.