This is the second in the Shallow Draw series of Western romances by the author Mae Claire, who is one of my favorite writers. I eagerly devoured her Hode’s Hill and Point Pleasant series, which are supernatural thrillers, and was anxious to see how she transitioned to a romance set in the 1860s. I was not disappointed.
This book tells the story of a thirty-three year old widow named Leah Holt, and a handsome twenty-five year old man, Shey Lafferty, the rakish son of the wealthy local rancher. Leah has come to the town of Shallow Draw to live with her sister and her sister’s husband, who run a hotel, after taking the position of the local school’s new teacher. Shea is well-known for his amorous high-jinx with local women, and Leah meets him by literally falling down a hill into his lap during one of his assignations. The immediate attraction turns out to be quite mutual.
Shey’s father is also in a May-December marriage, where he is much older than his second wife, and he despairs of Shey ever settling down. A chance encounter by Leah with two drifters, who threaten to rape her, brings Shey back into her life to save her. One of the drifters, Monk Sunday, is not in Shallow Draw by chance, having mysterious ties to Shey’s new stepmother and her young son. The author teases the reader with the twists and turns she’s created to illustrate just how. This is an old-fashioned story of good vs really, really awful evil, revenge, mis-matched love, and excitement on the high plains, including brawls, threats, and shooting.
The author writes with her usual compelling style – I inhaled the book in one day! Her attention to detail – the colorful scenery, the pace and business of ranch life, the smells, even the feel of the air and the weather – draw the reader right into the story. Best of all are her characters. Both Leah and Shey are drawn with loving strokes, and the families of each are distinctive in their personalities. I especially enjoyed the machinations of Leah’s sister, trying hard to match Leah with the town’s two most eligible bachelors, neither of which Leah, nor I, found at all attractive. Monk Sunday is a truly nefarious character, associated with equally odious side-kicks, and the reader will be longing for his elimination as much as Shey and his father. I leave the reader to discover how the Lafferty Ranch became named the Diamond Jack and how Shey relates to Monk Sunday.
I very much enjoyed this read and look forward to reading the first book in this series, as well as the next. Highly recommended!
About the author (from Amazon):
A member of the International Thriller Writers, Mae Clair is also a founding member and contributor to the award-winning writing blog, Story Empire. She has achieved bestseller status on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with several of her novels chosen as book club selections.
Mae writes primarily in the mystery/suspense genre, flavoring her plots with elements of urban legend and folklore. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about cryptozoology, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail, and cats.
Discover more about Mae on her website and blog at MaeClair.net
