Forged in Love
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4.3 • 20 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
When sparks begin to fly, can a friendship cast in iron be shaped into something more?
Mariah Stover is left for dead and with no memory when the Deadeye Gang robs the stagecoach she's riding in, killing both her father and brother. As she takes over her father's blacksmith shop and tries to move forward, she soon finds herself in jeopardy and wondering--does someone know she witnessed the robbery and is still alive?
Handsome and polished Clint Roberts escaped to western Wyoming, leaving his painful memories behind. Hoping for a fresh start, he opens a diner where he creates fine dishes, but is met with harsh resistance from the townsfolk, who prefer to stick to their old ways.
Clint and Mariah are drawn together by the trials they face in town, and Clint is determined to protect Mariah at all costs when danger descends upon her home. As threats pursue them from every side, will they survive to build a life forged in love?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Connealy (A Model of Devotion) kicks off the Wyoming Sunrise series with a spirited, suspenseful romance. It's 1870 in Pine Valley, Wyo., when Mariah Stover's brother and father are killed during a stagecoach robbery and she's left pinned under the carriage and presumed dead. Since the "Deadeye Gang" is notorious for killing witnesses, Mariah's friends bury an empty coffin marked with her name. They also urge her to flee town, but Mariah's dedicated to her work as a blacksmith, so she prays to God for protection and returns to the forge. Meanwhile, she becomes closer with Clint Roberts, a friend who helped tend to her as she recovered, and though they develop feelings for one another, Mariah balks at the idea of marriage, which would require her to give up her career. There's not much time to focus on romance, though, as a string of accidents—a freak explosion at the forge, a break-in at her house—suggest the Deadeye Gang hasn't forgotten about her, leading Mariah, Clint, and friends to work together to keep her safe. Connealy's memorable characters—especially tough, gun-toting Mariah—are easy to root for as they propel a richly-detailed adventure that captivates till the end. Readers will eagerly await the series' next entry.
Customer Reviews
What if her memory returns?
What a fabulous start to a new series! An innocent trip to a family funeral becomes a memory that Mariah cannot, and prefers not to, remember. The Deadeye gang attacking the stagecoach in which they were riding results in the death of all traveling except for herself. For this gang, a survivor meant death or at least jail time. What would happen to her if she remembered anything?
With wonderful detail, the author introduces us to Pine Valley, Wyoming in 1870. A lovely, small town, surrounded by high peaks, Cirque of the Towers, which brought a sense of safety to those living there. Clint, a chef from New York, has determined this is the place to broaden the palates of those living there. I loved the details of how he would make these incredible meals that would be referred to by the locals with the most ordinary names.
There is plenty of excitement in this first book in the Wyoming Sunrise series. An early copy was received through Baker Publishing Group, Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley. These thoughts are my own and were in no way solicited.
Women surviving in the Wyoming West
Mariah along with her father(John) and brother (Theo) were returning from a funeral in Laramie when their stage coach was attacked. It was attacked by the Deadeye Gang. They were known to kill everyone in the stagecoaches they attacked so there were no witnesses to worry about. They thought they had killed everyone, but they counted Mariah dead because she was trapped under the stagecoach but she had survived.
Clint Roberts was waiting outside of his diner for stagecoach to arrive hoping to catch Mariah’s attention, when the stagecoach horses came flying in to town with no coach. He called for the sheriff and then jumped on his horse headed to find where the stagecoach would be. Praying all the way “Mariah. Mariah…Please God, let her be all right.”
They did find Mariah under the stage where Clint pulled her out of with aide of the Sheriff and the deputy pulling up the stage with their horses. He immediately began checking for injuries and road back in town to the doctor.
Nell came charging in with only eyes on Mariah, one of her best friends and said “‘Let me help.’”
They pretended Mariah was dead and buried a empty coffin in with her father and brother so that the Deadeye Gang would be convinced that they had killed everyone. The plan was to hide her in Pine Valley until she was well enough to be sent far away.
When she awoke she found Becky and Nell her two best friends by her side. Mariah was in a upstairs room above Clint’s diner, with no memory of what happened. So Nell told her what happened. Mariah was adamant that she was not going anywhere and just spread the word that she woke up with no memory of that day.
So that’s how it went. She would take over as the town blacksmith which would allow her to continue the job that her father,Theo, and her had done. This would also allow her to keep the house.
One of the Deadeye Gang recognized her and there’s where the adventure begins.
I love this book it’s my favorite kind of historical fiction. I often dream about being an independent woman working in a role considered to be a man’s job. I really relate to Becky as that’s what I daydream about running a ranch.
I was given this book as an advanced reader copy from the publisher and NetGalley and was not required to leave a review. My review is my own thoughts and opinions of what I read.