Laurel Blackthorne is a 23 year old widow who lives with her 6 year old son Adam on the outskirts of Sycamore Flats, AZ where no one likes her and thinks that she is lying about being a widow. She cares for herself and son by taking in the laundry of the very people who will not speak to her on the street or in a place of business.
The Blackthorne family is made up of rustlers, gunfighters and other assorted law breakers and they have decided that they want Adam and have come to kidnap him. In an attempt to stop the kidnapping, Laurel is beaten by a member of the Blackthorne family. The new sheriff in town, Hen Randolph, who has a reputation as a gunfighter comes to her rescue and saves Adam from being abducted.
Laurel and Hen are both flawed - each thinks that they are unworthy of love or affection. Laurel is scared of men and especially men who carry guns for a living. Hen is fighting the demons of his past that started when he had to, at age 14, kill some men who were trying to hang his twin brother. They are drawn to each other but are so afraid that their relationship becomes very strained.
The Blackthorne family has made threats against the town if Adam is not turned over to them and when Hen captures some members of their family rustling cattle they turn their hatred on Hen as well as the town. Most of Hen's brother's (he has 6 of them) arrive in town to help. As Laurel and Hen come to realize that they are in love with each other, her fear of gunfighters and what they represent stand in the way of her allowing the love she feels for Hen to continue to be part of her life. Hen comes up with a plan to stop the Blackthorne family which involves all the townspeople as well as his brothers. He hopes the end of their terrorizing the town will allow him to put aside his gun as a sheriff and become a family with Laurel and Adam.
Laurel is a strong female who overcomes so much in her life plus the fact that she was flawed but continued to strive for peace and happiness really drew me to her character. Hen has been strong for others for so long that he has to learn to be kind to himself.
The Blackthorne family is made up of rustlers, gunfighters and other assorted law breakers and they have decided that they want Adam and have come to kidnap him. In an attempt to stop the kidnapping, Laurel is beaten by a member of the Blackthorne family. The new sheriff in town, Hen Randolph, who has a reputation as a gunfighter comes to her rescue and saves Adam from being abducted.
Laurel and Hen are both flawed - each thinks that they are unworthy of love or affection. Laurel is scared of men and especially men who carry guns for a living. Hen is fighting the demons of his past that started when he had to, at age 14, kill some men who were trying to hang his twin brother. They are drawn to each other but are so afraid that their relationship becomes very strained.
The Blackthorne family has made threats against the town if Adam is not turned over to them and when Hen captures some members of their family rustling cattle they turn their hatred on Hen as well as the town. Most of Hen's brother's (he has 6 of them) arrive in town to help. As Laurel and Hen come to realize that they are in love with each other, her fear of gunfighters and what they represent stand in the way of her allowing the love she feels for Hen to continue to be part of her life. Hen comes up with a plan to stop the Blackthorne family which involves all the townspeople as well as his brothers. He hopes the end of their terrorizing the town will allow him to put aside his gun as a sheriff and become a family with Laurel and Adam.
Laurel is a strong female who overcomes so much in her life plus the fact that she was flawed but continued to strive for peace and happiness really drew me to her character. Hen has been strong for others for so long that he has to learn to be kind to himself.
I loved this book and have now read 4 of the 7 brothers in this series.
Another one of the Seven Brides. Made me want to get married all over again. Loved the series. Couldn't wait to read them all.
