Patience Cavanaugh has lost hope in romance. The man she yearned to marry is dead and her dreams are gone with him. Now she is consumed with restoring a dilapidated boardinghouse in order to support herself.
Despite Patience's desire for solitude, Jedediah Jones, the local marshal with a reputation for hanging criminals, becomes an ever-looming part of her life. It seems like such a simple arrangement: She needs someone with a strong back to help her fix up the boardinghouse. He needs a dependable source of food for himself and his prisoners. But as she gets to know this "hanging lawman," Patience finds there is far more to him than meets the eye--and it could destroy their tenuous relationship forever.
With a keen eye for historical detail and a deft hand at romantic tension, Maggie Brendan invites you to a Montana gold rush boomtown, where vices and virtues are on full display and love is lying in wait.
Maggie Brendan brings the Old West to vivid life in The Trouble with Patience. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing how the town functioned. Nevada City, the setting of the book, is a real Old West town, and Brendan used some of the real places in the novel. (A bakery in the Old West—who knew?) I found Patience to be a particularly interesting character—she's not your typical thin, beautiful heroine, and she struggles with body image in a way that I don't often see in fiction but see everywhere in real life!
Patience and Jed's journey to each other is interesting, if a bit predictable. They do make a good match, and I was glad that Brendan didn't throw too many obstacles in their way. However, the last third of the book did seem to drag on a bit—possibly because I anticipated every plot twist, and without Patience and Jed's future in real question, I felt like the book could have wrapped up sooner.
While I only mildly enjoyed The Trouble with Patience, I do think that many historical romance lovers will really enjoy it. (Admittedly, I'm more of a contemporary girl with some notable exceptions.) 3 stars.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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