This book had quite an intriguing premise -- four women decide to place an ad for husbands in order to revive a dead mining town and turn it into a sawmill town. Their good intentions did not account for the reality of the kind of men who would be showing up for such a curious promise, and the likelihood of their being able to maintain control of a town full of men. I also found it a bit ironic that the book is marketed as a Christian fiction book, though the four women have made themselves heads over the men and are anything but submissive -- even Cora, the one woman actually engaged. Still, the scenario presents some humorous situations as the women interact with the various men of many colorful backgrounds.The major issue of control is a point of contention for the women throughout the book, as it is obvious that food and lodging won't be enough to corral the men into subservience, even food as delicious as Evie's. Jake is one of the men that steps in to act as bodyguard to the women and leader over the men, since he conveniently has a background in running a sawmill. Jake's presence in Hope Falls is an accident, though, as he had no previous interest in obtaining a wife and was more interested in pursuing revenge for the murder of his brother. He adopts the name Jacob Creed to hide his identity, and uses the husband ad as a cover for his true intentions, but his attraction to Evie is obvious to all but Evie herself.Evie's self-esteem issues regularly get in the way of her being able to build a relationship with any of the men, especially the one man who gets under her skin, Jacob. She covers her low self-esteem with a bossy pride that annoyed me throughout the book, as her main obstacle seemed to be herself. But Jacob's approach to her low self-image will have any woman with "heft" cheering, especially when he almost force-fed her cookies.This book was a fun and humorous read, with an original concept that I found refreshing. Product DescriptionWhen three landowning women put an ad in the paper expressing their desire for healthy, hard-working husbands-for-hire to help them set up and run a sawmill, they never dreamed their tiny town would be overflowing with proposals from bachelors who responded promptly...and in person! Out of this logjam of potential suitors, which one will Evelyn Thompson choose? Jacob Granger trails his brother's murderer to Hope Falls where, to keep his true intentions secret, Jacob pretends to court Miss Evelyn Thompson. Will this lumberjack-turned-bounty-hunter find himself falling for the enterprising female?This book was delightful. I loved the banter that went on between the woman and the men. Also the dialogue between the four woman kept me giggling. This is a twist on the mail order brides, with the woman advertising for men. When the men see the advertisement they are expecting ugly woman, but these girls are far from that. Can you imagine going where there 5 men for each woman? The book has murder, romance, and the Wild West thrown in. Can't wait for the next books in this series and finish the romance of the other 3 woman!I received a copy of this book from the publisher and was not compensated or expected to give a positive review. The opinions are my own.
What do You think about Rugged And Relentless (2011)?
Cute book just had a hard time keeping track of the characters
—Terry
Love reading Kelly's books!! This one did not disappoint!
—Jaimieee
