Marshaling Her Heart

Reviewed by:

G. Connor Salter, Professional Writing alumnus from Taylor University, Upland, IN.

Title:

Marshaling Her Heart (Wyoming Sunrise #3)

Author:

Mary Connealy

Publisher:

Bethany House

http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/bethanyhouse

Publication Date:

October 17, 2023

Format:

Paperback

Length:

304 pages

OVERVIEW

Becky Pruitt has worked hard to escape her father’s grasp and build her own ranch. She’s succeeded on her own terms, but her plans go awry when her foreman asks a strange favor. Nate Paxton used to work for the U.S. Marshalls and his colleagues are seeking the Deadeye Gang. Becky’s ranch would be the perfect place for marshals to live undercover and investigate the gang’s nearby robberies. Will Becky take a chance that could bring violence

Connealy has done her research on cattle ranching and provides some nice details about the period. The setup could make for a great Western romance or a great Western thriller, and she provides a little of both.

The problem is that while the plot elements naturally fit together, they don’t add up too much. The whole is less than the sum of its parts. Primarily, this is because the writing style favors telling over showing. Scenes are established, described, but rarely feel as compelling as they promise to be. The book also struggles with that sticky problem of how to capture a historical setting without sounding too old-fashioned or too modern. Dialogue comes across as clunky instead of engaging.

Granted, Christian historical romance novels favor melodrama over plausibility. The book is inoffensive enough that most readers will enjoy it. Still, it’s hard to escape the sense that the setup should make for a much more gripping story.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5 stars):

Two stars

Suggested Audience:

Historical romance readers who enjoy Western settings and a heavy helping of melodrama.

Christian Impact:

There’s a great deal of discussion about the Bible and forgiveness and reconciliation, and much of it should work. For a period setting when most people would have learned the King James Bible in school, invoking what the Bible says about salvation in quasi-biblical tones should work. But because of the writing style issues mentioned above, the religious commentary feels hackneyed.

Note: ECLA Readers who enjoy this book may enjoy this earlier book in the Wyoming Sunrise series:

https://eclalibraries.org/2023/09/02/the-laws-of-attraction/

https://www.christianbook.com/

https://www.amazon.com/