Search - Anna Finch and the Hired Gun (Women of the West, Bk 2)

Wow...was I impressed with this story! A feisty heroine, a stubborn hero, and a notorious outlaw made for one of the best westerns I've read in a long time.

This book reminded me so much of the series by Susan Page Davis about the Ladies Shooting Club. The only difference in this story was that there was no club--only one gun-totin' woman here--and none of their members ever shot anyone accidentally like Anna Finch did. (Okay, so 2 differences...but who's counting?) :o) One of my favorite lines of the story was when Anna decided a certain gentleman caller was getting a little too fresh with his courtin'. She wasted no time in saying, "A Derringer is not my pistol of choice. It is, however, the pistol in my skirt pocket." Needless to say, he went on his merry way.

The dashing hero of the story came in the form of Jeb Sanders, a Pinkerton agent hired by Anna's father to shadow her daily activities. What that job really amounted to was trying to keep Anna out of trouble at all hours of the day! Jeb was a no-nonsense kind of guy, too. He made it his business to be in-the-know about the important things, whether that was shooing away the wrong sort of caller, or interfering with freedom of the press when it thwarted his "official" Pinkerton duties. :o)

I won't deny it...I wasn't all that crazy about the first book in this series, The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper, but I was thoroughly pleased with this one! Kathleen's style of writing was a little different than what I'm accustomed to, but once I was several chapters in, I never noticed it again. By that point, I couldn't get enough! So, if you're a fan of westerns by such authors as Susan Page Davis, Mary Connealy, and Vickie McDonough, then I encourage you to check out Kathleen's books. Prepare yourself, though...it'll be one great adventure!

Well, I've ended up reading this series in reverse order. So far no problem, though I think Anna may have a more prominent part in book 1 than Charlotte (book 3) did in this one. Would be a good standalone, also.
Great story! Westerns are one of my favorites. And included Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp just added so much to this story. It was like reading historical notes on them.

This is such a fabulous book! Holey buckets!! Doc Holliday aannnddd Wyatt Earp! How exciting! I loved, loved, loved the historical aspect of this book. Ms. Y'Barbo even included a list of historical facts at the end of the book and a book worth reading, if you become fascinated by Doc Holliday. Excellent!