J. R. Biery

OMG, the last book I reviewed didn't have enough description. This one was drenched with it. Please don't tell me again just how she made biscuits or stitch by stitch how she sewed up a toy for the baby. The day to day details of washing clothes etc., where overwhelming. This book needed serious editing. You could probably have taken out at least a hundred pages of this sort of filler. A little bit of daily actions grounds the story. Step by step cooking instructions just makes my eyes cross and tries to hid the fact that not a lot is really going on. And there wasn't really a whole lot of interaction between the hero and the heroine. And when they are forced to marry, this girl who had been gang raped sort of came on to him immediately? nope. There was some effort to then step back and make her a bit afraid, then she isn't then she is. Not well done. Unrealistic shoot out and unrealistic forgiveness the end.… (meer)

I enjoyed the first book in this series but this one was just okay. A good part of the story takes place in the tenements of Boston which was an interesting setting but not the Western I was looking for. I also didn't like how the men seemed caricatures, unable to control themselves around Lynne though Phillip was an exception. It was too much of a coincidence to have the one man from Boston show up in Montana.
Also, I never understood why everyone was after Phillip. I get that he's a former gunslinger but there was something else going on in the town with somebody hiring people to kill him that was never explained. The historical details seemed good, but otherwise, I didn't enjoy the story much.… (meer)

I've been looking for some Western historical romances and someone recommended this book to me. I was very happy they did because this is a great story. Hattie Stoddard has been brutally attacked and her father crippled. When her father and baby die, she doesn't have much left to live for, but her neighbor Jackson Harper has just lost his wife in childbirth and needs a nurse for his son. Since Hattie is available, despite her reputation in town, Jackson offers her the job, having no other alternative.
The author has done a lot of historical research and adds a lot of interesting details about frontier life on a ranch. I was surprised to find I enjoyed the recipes and particulars on starching clothes, building chicken coops, etc that are interspersed with the story.
The characters are written well with nice arcs and a sweet romance after some initial difficulties. The conclusion is satisfying though I would have liked more punishments for the bad guys. This was a good recommendation and I'll definitely read more from this author.… (meer)

The Widow Mouse

The Deaf Store Keeper

And The Mountain Community Of Kyles Ford

STORY LINE:

Author Janet Biery has crafted another heart-touching, warm, feel good novel. This is book 2 of the series, however, it is a standalone. I look forward to publication of book 3.

Jeanne's traded in marriage to fur trapper Henri LeSouris in exchange for LeSouris' furs. Henri and Jeanne are constantly on the move until Henri settles in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Kyles Ford. Life for Jeanne has been a hard scrapple existence with the gentle and kind Henri. Henri has a past and is older than Jeanne. Henri is known as Mouse as the other residents can not pronounce the Frenchman's name. They have no money, very little food, and a rented house that is going to be pulled out from under them. Henri goes after a wounded bear in the hope of meat, fur, and money. Jeanne has just given birth to a son when Henri leaves never to return and she becomes know as the Widow Mouse.

What is she to do? How can she and the baby survive? Enter our hero store keep, Jasper Sykes, almost totally deaf from injuries received in the Spanish-American war. He is loud, offensive and misunderstood due to his hearing lose.

Come follow Jasper and Jeanne has they journey from desperation, gossips, and insecurities, to find true happiness.

CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, AND DEVELOPMENT:

Author Janet Biery's writing is clean and clear. I found the plot refreshing and easy to follow as Ms. Bierry reveals the under belly and quirks of the small community of Kyles Ford, Hancock County. As Catholic's and outsiders, Ms. Biery depicted the hard life foreigners found in America. Not only was Jeanne a Catholic, she was also a Yankee widow with no means of support or help; seen as foreign and strange to the backwoods mountain villagers before and after her husband was killed.

Jeanne's character growth was progressive throughout the book as she grew from an insecure girl to a secure woman with talents, goodness of heart, morals, and strength of character. Ms. Biery skillfully revealed and developed Jeanne's character; I loved watching this shy girl become a mature young woman. Jeanne deserved better than life had handed her; Ms. Biery's well crafted story-line gave Jeanne all she deserved.

Jasper has many insecurities due to his physical disabilities which Ms. Biery clearly and concisely developed and resolved as he and Jeanne develop a relationship of more than servant and employer. Jasper, under all the gruff, is a loving, kind, caring, moral man and Ms. Biery's depiction of this time period was well done.

The character of the Henri, Jeanne's baby boy, was skillfully portrayed & developed throughout the book. The entire community is not immune to the sweetness of a baby Henri. After all, who can hate or ignore a sweet baby!

The secondary characters in this book add so much to the story-line, as well as, leave openings for future books in the series. Each one is a character unto themself; some are funny, sad, or lazy, but each adds depth to the story-line.

This book is well-written, well-developed, and the pacing is spot on. The story did not lag or slow; Ms. Biery kept my interest from the first page to the last. The ending was very sweet and I loved it! I forward to seeing more of Jeanne and Jasper's life in future books.

RECOMMENDATION: 5 STARS

I highly recommend this solid well-written book to anyone that loves a good romance. I do not hesitate to recommend to this book for your reading pleasure. Ms. Biery is one of my favorite authors; she never fails to produce a wonderful story.

I received this book from the author in return for an honest book review. Book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author's opinion; all book reviews on line under my name and on my blog. are my opinion.… (meer)