Margaret C. (cherryblossommj) reviewed No Place for a Lady (Heart of the West, Bk 1) on + 157 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Having a plot line that starts and grows with tragedy, this is a novel that grabs your heart and makes you silently or even sometimes verbally cheer on the heroine to succeed at her current goal. Maggie Brendan has done well with her first novel and I definitely look forward to more. This is easily one of those stories where you are screaming for the characters to see what you as a reader are seeing. There are times where I thought something would come out differently, but with the story coming to a close I could not have imagined anything better than the way it was itself. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!!
Christy J. (southernsassygirl) reviewed No Place for a Lady (Heart of the West, Bk 1) on + 180 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Overall, I really enjoyed Maggie Brendan's debut novel. It had a fresh quality about it that just pulled me in. I loved the descriptive language of the west, although there were a few times I wondered whether some words were even used during that time. Having nothing to go by for the time period, I just chalked it up to "I need to use my imagination." :o)
The romance in the book was dead on, so much that I got a little flutter in my chest when a kiss or the touch of a hand happened a little unexpectedly. I loved that the author told both sides of the romance story between Crystal and Luke, which is not the norm since most romances only tell the female's side of the story. Poor Luke had himself in a pretty good pickle for awhile there, and I was a little worried that he might handle things all wrong. He came through in just the right way, though, thanks a little bit to Crystal's discovery at the end of the book.
There was one thing that bothered me in the book, and I feel it's only fair to include the good with the bad in this review. This might even be considered a *SPOILER*, so you may want to stop reading here.
What bothered me was all the loss of family and friends that Crystal had to go through. In all likelihood, that probably could and has happened in real life, but I didn't enjoy reading about the deaths of several loved ones. The book starts with death--it's the reason Crystal moved from Georgia to Colorado to live with her aunt--and then about every 100 pages, another death happens. While the first one really propels the rest of the story, the other two that occur almost seemed unnecessary.
In spite of that one issue, this really was a delightful read. Western romances seem to be gaining a little bit of popularity in the Christian fiction genre, and this one is a great addition. I very much want to read Maggie's next book in the series, The Jewel of His Heart.
The romance in the book was dead on, so much that I got a little flutter in my chest when a kiss or the touch of a hand happened a little unexpectedly. I loved that the author told both sides of the romance story between Crystal and Luke, which is not the norm since most romances only tell the female's side of the story. Poor Luke had himself in a pretty good pickle for awhile there, and I was a little worried that he might handle things all wrong. He came through in just the right way, though, thanks a little bit to Crystal's discovery at the end of the book.
There was one thing that bothered me in the book, and I feel it's only fair to include the good with the bad in this review. This might even be considered a *SPOILER*, so you may want to stop reading here.
What bothered me was all the loss of family and friends that Crystal had to go through. In all likelihood, that probably could and has happened in real life, but I didn't enjoy reading about the deaths of several loved ones. The book starts with death--it's the reason Crystal moved from Georgia to Colorado to live with her aunt--and then about every 100 pages, another death happens. While the first one really propels the rest of the story, the other two that occur almost seemed unnecessary.
In spite of that one issue, this really was a delightful read. Western romances seem to be gaining a little bit of popularity in the Christian fiction genre, and this one is a great addition. I very much want to read Maggie's next book in the series, The Jewel of His Heart.
JANET H. (BoopBetty) -
This was a good book in that it had a historical in the Wild West and had a good plot. THings happened to the characters that were a little unexpected. The story was also easy to follow.
Lori S. (sugarandgrits) -
This is an EXCELLENT book by debut author Maggie Brendan! The second book in this series will be released in September 2009...The Jewel of His Heart...I can't wait to read it, too. Great job, Mags!
Sharon F. (bookworm01) reviewed No Place for a Lady (Heart of the West, Bk 1) on + 138 more book reviews
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were exceptional! The ranch family is so close....ranch hands are treated like family. It's a beautiful story. It was nice to see a dainty Southern belle get her hands dirty and work as hard as anyone. I enjoyed meeting all the neighbors too....I am looking forward to Josh's story in The Jewel of His Heart. This is the first book I've read by Maggie Brendan and I'd recommend her highly.
Average inspirational romance.
A good book -- but not the most likely of stories. There were parts that just left me feeling like the author was stretching things just a little too much, too unbelievable. But, it was a good enough book for me to purchase the second one.
OMG! Can't wait to read more of Maggie Brendan's books! No Place for a Lady is an excellent love story. Crystal, a Southern young lady, has her well-to-do life turn upside down with the death of her father resulting in her childhood home being sold to pay his debts. Crystal travels to Colorado visiting her Aunt at her Colorado ranch. The ranch is nothing like what Crystal is accustomed too. Crystal hasn't decided if she wants to stay in Colorado or move on....move on to where? She's so unsure. Life takes another unexpected turn and Crystal steps up and is willing to do whatever it takes to save the ranch. In the middle of everything that's happening the ranch forman, Luke, is driving her crazy. As time goes on she wonders if Luke if flirting with her, then a prominent rancher announces his "spoiled" daughter will marry Luke! Did she read Luke wrong? A must read - Enjoy!!!
**** If you like historical fiction, you will like this book. This is the second or third book by Maggie Brendan which I have read, and I very interesting in reading more.
Mary N. (maggysue) reviewed No Place for a Lady (Heart of the West, Bk 1) on + 811 more book reviews
I really enjoyed this book. It was very sweet, a good cowboy/ranch story. If you enjoy Historical Christian Romance, you need to try this one.
Quite Interesting.
