A Sweet Misfortune #2

As with all the books written by Maggie Brendan I would highly recommend this one also. I have read it twice and still love it. I love historical romance Christian westerns, and this is one of my favorite. I have just in the past year started reading (not even a full year) Maggie's books and have purchased each one of them. Loved them all, not just one favorite....none of them have disappointed me. Love her writing style and her stories she writes. Would highly recommend reading this book.

This is a great choice if you are in the mood for a simple, sweet historical romance. Not too demanding, but comfortable and a bit of fun.

Start off with a rancher/cattle baron doing a favor for a friend by throwing a dance hall girl over his shoulder and taking her home to his grandmother. Though Rachel is an independent Miss who was working in the saloon out of necessity, John considers himself a sort of guardian and encourages a likely young cowboy to court her. As a reader, you know it is just a matter of time before John starts to realize that he'd rather court Rachel himself, but that the fun is in watching him realize he's messed up. What usually isn't so much fun is her reaction, but Brendan doesn't always go for the expected. Instead, in Rachel we get a heroine who doesn't require huge and sudden revelations and that is where her character shines. Of course she is friendly to the "soiled doves" she worked with, of course not everyone will approve, and of course she is feeling a little bitter, given her circumstances. But she takes this all in stride, doing what she feels is right and owning up to her failings.

Nothing is over the top in this sweet romance. It has a nice, brisk pace and a comfortable feel to it. Yes, it has its bits of excitement and even some romantic rivalry, but it somehow has such a cozy feel that it just leaves me smiling. One of it's strengths, I think, is the portrayal of faith as integral to the lives of the main characters. It, and they, feel authentic and real. Rachel doesn't need to be hit over the head with the fact that she is feeling bitter and needs to get right with God, she is aware and simply works through each obstacle.

This was my first Maggie Brendan novel, though I've had her other novels in and out of my online shopping baskets many times. It won't be my last.

Recommended for when you need a sweet, clean historical romance a good cozy, late night read. While this is the second in the Virtues and Vices of the Old West series, it was not at all apparent.

Oh, and the "mean girl" of the story, Beatrice (a bit of a Nelly - a character I hated when the Little House shows first aired, but think might now be my favorite), while a bit obnoxious, just made me want more of her story.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 : Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in
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This is probably my favorite book by Maggie Brendan. I have to admit the cover is what first drew my attention. It's gorgeous! Don't you agree?

The storyline was unique and thoroughly Western and the romance between the characters was clean and entertaining.

The one letdown I felt with this book was that the middle and ending of the book were slightly slow. But it was still lively enough to keep my attention. There wasn't really any suspense or big adventure and I think that's why it felt slow. I was never on the edge of my seat waiting for a scene to unfold. My favorite books are the fast-paced ones and so while this book did not meet my expectations in that aspect it made up for it with its uniqueness and engaging characters.

When most people think of cowboys they think of Texas. Not me! I think of Montana. Maggie Brendan's Virtues and Vices of the Old West series has been a true delight so far because it has great characters and interesting storylines but more importantly it is set in the Montana Territory.

A Sweet Misfortune is the second book in the series and in it we meet Rachel Matthews who finds herself dancing in a saloon just to survive. Her parents are deceased and her only brother has headed west to seek fortune to buy back their family's ranch. Unbeknownst to Rachel her brother has written his friend and current owner of the Matthews family ranch, John McIntyre, and asked him to rescue his sister from the saloon and watch out for her until he returns.

John's idea of rescuing leaves Rachel crazy mad. Not only does this bully now own her family's land but he also thinks he can tell Rachel what to do. The sparks are flying and someone is bound to get burned. The redeeming factor and calming force is John's beloved grandmother. Rachel can't help but fall in love with her.

The theme of virtues and vices is a clever one. Ms. Brendan explores how we look at people from the outside while discounting how they came to be in the situation. She also allows us to contemplate our own greed by pondering how much is enough.

I enjoyed this novel on many levels. It is a light read so you can enjoy it on a lazy afternoon or even during times of multiple interruptions. I found it refreshing to have only the main storyline to concentrate on and a limited number of characters to get to know. Even though it is part of a multi-book series it is a stand-alone story and can be read without needing to read the other books. If you are looking for a fun light romance set in the Old West then I recommend taking a chance on this one.

I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review.

I tend to love historic fiction set in the Old West, so I was very excited to see A Sweet Misfortune available for review from the Revell Reads bloggers program. Unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed by the book.

Three main things kept me from enjoying this book.

First, and probably most importantly, is that I was never really able to get into it. I have a vivid imagination and when I read, I'm used to being able to "see" what's being described. A Sweet Misfortune was just words on a page. This may be due in part to the author's unusual writing style, and frequent Point-of-View jumps. For example, there is one encounter that begins from the point of view of the grandmother, revealing her inner thoughts on a matter, and mere sentences later and without any sort of break or indication, jumps to the point of view of the main male character. This happens a few times in the story, especially in relation to the grandmother character, and I think it really impaired my ability to get into the story.

Second is the pacing of the story. By page 100 the whole thing is still just getting started, and then right around page 150 it's like the story got on an express train. People suddenly developed feelings, changed opinions, or made decisions as if they hadn't been struggling with themselves just a page ago. The few conflicts in the book are extremely minor and solve themselves so quickly and easily that you close the book still waiting for a conflict for the main characters to face. I wondered if this was a byproduct of the book being a sequel, as you sometimes find is the case. But when I looked up it's predecessor, I could see no indication that the stories are even remotely linked. I also read the back-of-the-book preview of the third book, and saw no indication that it is linked to the previous two.

Third and most trivial is that the cover picture has no place in the actual story. There isn't a point in the entire book when a woman is wearing this - the closest it comes is when a third-rung background character gets on a train.

Overall, a very disappointing book and not really worth the time it took to read.