The Accidental Guardian - High Sierra Sweethearts 1 - by Mary Connealy

About the book:

She's the Only Witness to a Wagon Train Attack. Keeping Her Safe, Though, Means His World Is about to be Turned Upside Down.
When Trace Riley finds the smoldering ruins of a small wagon train, he recognizes an attack by the same group who left him as sole survivor years ago. Living off the wilderness since then, he's finally carved out a home and started a herd--while serving as a self-appointed guardian of the trail. He'd hoped the days of driving off dangerous men were over, but the latest attack shows otherwise.

Deborah Harkness saved her younger sister and two toddlers during the attack, and now finds herself at the mercy of her rescuer. Trace becomes an accidental guardian when he offers the only shelter for miles around and agrees to take them in until they can safely continue their journey. His simple bachelor existence never anticipated kids and women in the picture and their arrival is unsettling--yet enticing.

Trace and Deborah find themselves drawing ever closer as they work together to bring justice to the trail and help the group survive the winter--but every day closer to spring means a day closer to leaving the mountains forever.

My review:

I enjoyed this story about a tough loner and the strong woman who opens his eyes to love and what life could be.  This story was more serious than what I'm used to from Mary Connealy but that's not a negative at all.  The plot was very interesting as Deborah, her sister and the kids are thrown into a completely new situation, not knowing who they can trust.  Winter is coming in the mountains, the killers are still on the loose and more people could be in danger.  It was suspenseful.  The characters were likable as Trace has a very protective streak yet spent so many years on his own he wasn't used to communicating well or understanding how Deborah might be feeling.  He also struggled with wanting to get revenge on the men who killed his father, along with so many others.  Deborah grew up with a lazy father who let her and her mother do all the work at home and at the newspaper while taking all of the credit so she had always wanted to be independent.  She started to have feelings for Trace but fought them.  They both had a strong faith and talked about prayer and the Bible often.  It was interesting learning about tracking and surviving in the mountains.  I would recommend this story if you like westerns or historical fiction. 

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers.  I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.

           The Author

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   Photo courtesy of Ginger Murray Photography

   Mary Connealy

   Mary Connealy writes "romantic comedies with cowboys" and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She has more than half a million books in print. She is the author of the popular series Wild at Heart, Kincaid Brides, Trouble in Texas,...
   

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