Synopsis

Haunted by the horrors of war, ex-cavalry officer Matthew Hanger leads a band of mercenaries known as Hanger’s Horsemen who have become legends in 1890s Texas. They defend the innocent and obtain justice for the oppressed. But when a rustler’s bullet leaves one of them at death’s door, they’re the ones in need of saving.

Dr. Josephine Burkett is used to men taking one look at her skirts and discounting her medical skills. What she’s not used to is having a man change his mind in a heartbeat and offer to assist her in surgery. Matthew Hanger’s dedication to his friend during recovery earns Josephine’s respect, and when she hears of her brother’s abduction, he becomes her only hope for rescue.

Matt has stared down ruthless outlaws, betrayal, and injury, but when a bossy lady doctor crawls under his skin, his heart is tempted to surrender. And when she is caught in the crossfire, he may have to sacrifice everything–even his team–to save her. (via Amazon)

Review

As my second Karen Witemeyer book, I honestly did not enjoy this one as much as To Love a Beast. I think it was a combination of the book feeling a bit too long, and the questionable decisions being made by the characters.

Like other books written by Karen, this story is set within the harsh land of Texas in the late 1800’s. I for one enjoy experiencing my home state through the lens of past history, so that is always an aspect I enjoy. It’s funny how some things have remained similar even after a century.

This is a dual POV covering both Josephine’s and Matthew’s perspectives. Even as an audiobook, it was easy to catch up with the switches due to the voice work of Amy Rubinate and the writing of Karen. I never had to guess where we were or what was happening.

When I mentioned I felt as though the book was a bit too long, there are multiple scenes that slowed down the pacing. For example, when Matt and his group are searching for the bad guys, they have this lengthy conversation with a preacher in the neighboring town. While I can understand the Spiritual context this added (the Christian themes are heavier in this book), there is a time and place. When the safety of your woman is at risk, we can have these conversations AFTER she is safe and sound.

Josephine Baker is the local doctor in the starting town of Purgatory Springs, Texas (Yes, this was a very real place that has since been renamed to Hugo, Texas). It was at her clinic where she initially meets Hanger’s Horsemen after one of them gets injured. Being used to the typical sentiments of women being doctors at the time, she did not let the initial comments from the crew get to her. Similar to Dinah from the Brothers of Sapphire Ranch series by Misty M. Beller, Josephine took the wellbeing of her patients seriously. At one point, she was even taking care of the very outlaws who were responsible for her own pain, showing her true selfless character.

For the most part, I enjoyed Josephine as the main female lead. That being said, her and her brother were some of the more exasperating characters for me. They were both making very questionable decisions that straight up put not only themselves, but Hanger’s men in actual danger. It was like they had such a one tracked mind that nothing could stand in their way including bullets. When it came to Josephine, there was this whole message of putting your faith in God that I appreciated, however common sense also comes from God. Maybe you should have prayed more for that lol.

Matthew Hanger is the leader of the band of ex-calvary officers who are attempting to atone for the violence they dished out while in the army. They have this group ideology to no longer kill anybody unless it was solely in self-defense. While this stance is commendable, given the time period, this caused for some hesitation that once again, placed everyone in danger. Other than that, I appreciated Matthew’s initial gruff and seasoned exterior as it highlighted the true change that occurs to him, as he grows closer to God himself.

The romance between Josephine and Matthew was the most enjoyable at the beginning when they were still figuring each other out. Josie’s strong headedness gave Matt a run for his money at times which was humorous. He was definitely not used to being questioned, particularly by a woman. As their true feelings began manifesting, the inner monologues of both began to feel overly dramatic and dare I say, corny at times. Basically, it started to feel a bit too much like a Hallmark movie for my liking.

All in all, there were certain aspects I enjoyed and others I did not. If you are a fan of western romance stories with horseback chasing, shootouts and rescue, this may be a book for you. The Christian themes come off a bit strong throughout, just in case that is not your cup of tea. There are two other books in the Hanger’s Horsemen series that I do plan on reading at some point, I just may take a break for now.