Tried & True by Mary Connealy

Tried & True, Wild at Heart Series #1 By Mary Connealy / Bethany HouseKylie Wilde fought in the Civil War dressed as a boy and now she’s homesteading as a man. But she makes one lousy man! When land agent Aaron Masterson comes to inspect her claim, he immediately realizes she’s a woman. She begs him not to tell, but can he in good conscience defraud the U.S. government, even if she really did serve in the war?Aaron is interested in the little spitfire from the moment her long hair falls from her cap, but when he tells her of his plan to stake his own claim, farther west and up in the mountains, she draws away. Kylie’s focus is to “prove up” her homestead, sell it for a profit, move back east, and live the rest of her life in civilization. But all Kylie’s future plans are put in jeopardy when someone tries to burn her out. Who would attack her way out here? Aaron and Kylie suspect it’s the local land baron–but Gage Coulter denies any involvement. He does suggest a way for Kylie to stay safe, though–marry him! More attacks scare Kylie near to death, and she can’t face living on her own any longer. Should she tie her fortune to Gage or Aaron? Either choice will put an end to her dreams of a civilized life. And what if marrying doesn’t stop the attacks after all?

This book was such a fun and enjoyable read for me. I found it to be well written, a light read and different from other historical romance novels. I enjoyed the comedic parts and yet the drama was just as good. This was refreshing.  You read about characters that did what many women did during the war and how it affected them, even though they weren’t supposed to do it.  I loved how Mary Connealy wrote the relationship between Kylie and her family. With the love they have for one another even though they don’t agree or believe the same way. Kylie’s father made me want to smack him, which just shows how well the author is able to portray the characters in her story.

This is a great weekend read, as it only took me two days to get through the book. I’m looking forward to the next book, which by the way, you get a sneak peek at the end of this book.

It’s available as an eBook and in Paper form via Christianbook.com.

 

This post contains affiliate links.