Roll into Hope Falls, Colorado, where three women are seeking mates to help them establish a sawmill. Evelyn Thompson never dreamed their husbands-for-hire ad would bring so many bachelors to their tiny town. How will she ever figure out which feller to choose? Jacob Granger, a logger-turned-bounty hunter, is hot on the trail of his brother’s killer. When a clue leads him to Hope Falls, he has no choice but to pretend to court Miss Thompson while waiting for the killer to show his hand. Will Jacob’s unexpected adoration of this sweet cook prompt him to speak vows before getting vengeance?
Kelly Eileen Hake is a reader favorite of Barbour's Heartsong Presents series, where she has released several books. A credentialed Secondary English teacher in California, she is pursing her MA in Writing Popular Fiction. Known for her own style of witty, heartwarming historical romance, Kelly is currently writing the Prairie Promises trilogy, her first full-length novels. She has been writing since she could hold a pen and was first published at the tender age of eighteen.
Oh dear. I’m not sure what to write about this one, so I’ll keep it short. I thought it was okay; I liked the idea for the story more than the actual story. I guess my biggest complaint was that there was a lot of rehashing throughout the story, and some conversations and scenes were too long. The girls drove me nuts, and I can see why they drove all the men nuts as well. For girls who are supposed to be really savvy they sure didn’t act like it at times. I just had a hard time caring about any of them. I did like Jake though, he’s probably the reason I kept reading. In a way, the book kind of ends on a cliffhanger since we don’t see what happens with the other three girls; I just don’t know if I’m curious enough to keep reading the series.
This is Book 1 of 3 in the Husbands for Hire series.
The first 65 pages were a real struggle to get through, due to the fact there were too many female (and later male) characters to keep track of.
The matter was even more complicated due to the fact that two of the characters were sisters, and the other two were cousins, and one sister was engaged to one of the cousin's brother... or something like that. Still trying to figure that part out, LOL.
Edit on 14th March 2011: On second thoughts, I'm bumping this from 8/10 to 9/10. Thinking about this book, I did truly enjoy it and can only really recall a couple of tiny, minor faults about it.
---
When four young women head off to the ghost-town of Hopesfall, Colorado to turn it into a bustling, prosperous saw-mill, they end up with far more than they bargained for. While Cora plans to wed her fiancee, she knows it's not safe for her friends to be alone in a town full of men. Thus Evie, Lacey and Naomi come to the conclusion that they need to find husbands - fast. But these unconventional women don't want to wait for the right man to come along and make a proposal; they plan to make sure that they get just what they want by hiring husbands! But when their unusual advertisement brings dozens of men to Hopesfall, rather than the letters they had expected, the women realise that they have a lot more on their hands than they'd anticipated. Especially with the mysterious Jake Creed who seems far too protective over the women, especially Evie. Little do they know that Jake ended up in Hopesfall purely by chance, and is actually searching for his brother's murderer. He certainly didn't expect to find himself protecting three headstrong yet vulnerable women who insist that they want to pick spouses out of the rabble of men that they've put to work rebuilding their town. Suddenly he finds himself in a race to find his brother's killer before the man in question marries one of the women that he's sworn to protect. And he definitely doesn't want Evie to get into this man's clutches...although Jake can't quite figure out why he feels so strongly about the stubborn woman he always ends up arguing with!
The protagonists of this novel alone make it wonderful. While I adored the setting and the descriptions of the food, Evie and Jake were what made me thoroughly enjoy this novel. Like most women, Evie is insecure, but she also knows how to hold her own and assess situations. Unlike her best friend, Lacey, she doesn't rush into anything - except an opportunity to argue with Jake. She was a really endearing character and I appreciated the fact that she was self-conscious about her curves. As someone who cannot buy trousers anywhere at the moment because years of genetics have given me a more curvaceous derrière than most current fashion-designers admire, I understood Evie's dilemma! So naturally, I became Jake's number one fan when he told Evie to eat more as she was losing weight. Curvy heroines and the men that love them immediately get my vote in any novel. Jake is also a winner because of his caring attitude. While he initially sets out to find his brother's killer and discover what truly happened to his sibling, his plans change when he realises that the women of Hopesfall need protection. He sets aside his own desires in order to help them set up the town, and underneath his stubborn demeanor he's truly a caring gentleman.
The other women intrigued me as well. Despite her frilly clothes and privileged upbringing, Lacey clearly wants to look after her friends and her heart is always in the right place, even if she finds herself useless in the kitchen. Cora appears to be emotional and vulnerable to begin with, but her fight to convince her fiancee that she still wants him despite his injuries really brings out her true character. And Naomi is still a little mysterious to me. She was very quiet throughout the entire novel, yet seemed to be the more reasonable and sensible one of the group. I look forward to reading more about each of them in the upcoming books in the series. There were several interesting characters in the men who arrived in Hopesfall, yet I can't guess which ones Lacey and Naomi will choose as husbands!
One of my only complaints would have to be that the sections from the point of view of the murderer than Jake was hunting didn't really flow with the rest of the story. They felt a bit awkward and it seemed as if the author was trying too hard to be mysterious. The initial scenes with Braden, Cora's fiancee, also had a few odd moments, but this disappeared after a while. Other than that, there weren't any major letdowns but I would have liked a bit more time with Evie and Jake at the end! It was all over far too soon for me. I guess I'll have to wait for the next book to see how their story pans out.
If you're looking for an unconventional historical romance with moments of suspense and comedy, then this spin on the mail-order bride plot is definitely for you. If the protagonists don't win you over, the descriptions of Evie's delicious food definitely will! Look out for the first in the Husbands for Hire series in March 2011. 9/10
The writing in this book drove me crazy. It wasn't always apparent who was speaking or, at times, what they meant. There is a lot of "thinking" in the middle of a conversation that really distracts the reader from the conversation. I would lose track of what they were discussing!
Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh at the heart. ~ 1 Samuel 16:7
There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. ~ Matthew 10:26
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight. ~ Proverbs 11:1
"Prayer is always a choice. It's never something you do because you're expected to. It's between you and the Lord - and those you pray with or for, depending on the situation."
"Morphine takes away the pain but steals the time from a man's life."
"It's not your job to change the way others see you. It is your job to see yourself more clearly instead of muddying things up with all your doubts. The way people see you does not matter. The Bible tells us not to judge according to appearance, that man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
"Lies aren't just something we say. They're something we do to others. And ourselves."
Time Period: Western, 1880's Location: Main, Virginia, & Colorado (USA)
Seriously enjoyed this trilogy. (Note: they should definitely be read back to back, as their are unresolved storylines in books one and two)
Evie is awesome. Tremendously tenacious, complete badass, and sharp as a tack! She's got great instincts about people and trusts her gut.
Jake has a bit of a bulldozing personality at times, but it's his way of trying to care for the women.
The women's friendships were a total plus to this story. They way they support each other and look out for each other is incredibly adorable.
I also love how non-preachy this book was. Inspirational romances can get a bit too preachy for my taste, and this was subtle enough not to feel overpowering.
I don't know why I keep trying books by this author when they are filled with crazy, hare-brained females and ridiculous plotlines and disappointing endings.
This author usually delivers a good story and this time was no exception. There were a couple of frustrating scenes, yes .
But the characters' different personalities, the plot itself, (though the women often seemed too independent for the times they lived in,) and the author's way with words were appealing and enjoyable.
This book was a love/hate book. I loved the story and truly enjoyed the story. The hate (which I eventually got over) was that the author would put a person's thoughts in italics after they said something part of the time. The story is about 4 Southern women who find out one of their brothers who is also engaged to one of them, they thought dead but is really alive and injured. They think up a scheme to go to Colorado and change the now defunct mining town to a prosperous lumber town. To accomplish this they put an ad in several papers they are looking for single lumbermen who may become their spouses to write to them so they can choose. Well, they pack up a diner, a mercantile, and enough stuff for 4 homes and move only to find out the men didn't write but just came on to the town. Now they have an abundance of men and no logging business set up.
This plot had more twists and turns than a maze. I always look for Kelly Eileen Hake’s books because she has a delightful sense of humor that pops up from time to time to lighten intense situations. This novel was no different. I found myself trying to predict who the villain was and changing my mind every time a new character came on board, which in turn made me eager to continue until the end. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
Due to a change in life circumstances, I have not been able to read for MONTHS! Tragedy, I know. Finally, I was able to pick up this book and became thoroughly engrossed. I definitely did not figure out who the mystery villian was. I enjoyed the banter between Jake and Evie. I am looking forward to Book 2!
Three ladies decided to move west AND hire some husbands. Their plan backfires when they all decide to get involved. This was an exciting read and I definitely recommend it.
An engaging cast of characters you enjoy getting to know. Enjoy the strong female voice in a time when women did not have as much freedom of jobs . They travel across the state's to Colorado to set up a sawmill. Looking forward to book 2 in the series
I think the concept of the book was intriguing, but it was hard to keep me pulled in to the plot of this. It felt very slow, and the character development could have been a little stronger. But overall, a fun book to enjoy and a happy ending for all!
Loved this book. It is another new author to me. The book had great characters, setting, plot, and it had me laughing out loud a lot. The interplay between the characters, especially between Jake and Evie, was downright hilarious. Off to order the other two books in this series
I received a free advance review copy NetGalley in exchange for my review. I am not required to write a positive review, just an honest one.
Rugged & Relentless is the first book in the Husbands For Hire series by Kelly Eileen Hake.
We follow 4 young women who relocate to Hope Falls, Colorado on their own after a tragic accident injures and nearly kills the fiancé of one of the women, Cora.
Evie & Cora (who are sisters), Lacey (who is Cora's fiancé's sister), and Naomi make a trek together out to Hope Falls when they hear that Cora's fiancé was not killed, as they had initially thought. Instead, they find he was seriously injured and perhaps paralyzed in the mine collapse on the land that Cora and her fiancé had invested in together.
The women come up with an alternative plan now that the gold mine is no longer operational. Instead, they decide that a profit can be made by opening a sawmill and using the surrounding land, filled with trees, to create lumber which can be used for many things, including expansion of the railroad.
But, the women know one thing: they cannot do this alone. So, they hatch another plan, to hire husbands to help them in their venture. So, they place ads in many newspapers asking men to write to them and then they plan to select some to come to Hope Falls to be interviewed as potential husbands.
Just before they pack up and leave, Evie, a fabulous cook, meets a mysterious man who enters her café and pays her cooking great compliments. She cannot get him out of her mind, but packs up and heads off to Hope Falls anyway.
To their great surprise, when the women arrive in Hope Falls they discover that quite a few men decided to forgo writing to them, and instead have chosen to meet the women in Hope Falls in the hopes of getting an extra chance at becoming one of the husbands to the women.
The four women find themselves immediately overwhelmed with so many men, but make a bargain to provide lodging and food for the men if the men agree to work to build a sawmill whilst the women interview them to choose their future husbands.
Evie receives a great surprise when the same stranger, Jake Creed (who we know to be Jacob Granger) arrives in Hope Falls. Unbeknown to the women, Jake Creed is chasing down his brother's killer, who he believe has come to Hope Falls. So, while Jake intends only to catch a killer he ends up finding himself a self-appointed protector for the women, and beyond that falling for Evie.
Will Jake find his brother's killer before he hurts someone else? Will Evie return Jake's affections or will the truth of who he is destroy her trust in him? Will Evie's personal concerns about her appearance prohibit her from believing she deserves happiness? Will Cora's fiancé ever take her back even though he has tried repeatedly to send her away from Hope Falls...?
Read Rugged & Relentless to find out!
This is a great period fiction book. It is very unconventional displaying strong women who take things into their own hands at a time when most women were subordinate wives and not often much more. I love the character and spunk of each of the women. Cora is the devoted fiancée refusing to run away from her man just because he may be permanently paralyzed. Lacey is the privileged "frilly" woman who has a heart of gold and doesn't fit the stereotype of a privileged woman as she doesn't hold herself as above others or better than others. Naomi is more quiet and we do not see as much of her. Evie is the most outspoken and the least conventional of the women. She stands up for herself with strength and power and clearly is more than capable of caring for herself.
It was a really interesting tale of the women trying to take things as they were handed to them since nothing turned out as they expected, but also a mystery as we do not know if Twyler is in Hope Falls and if so, who he is since he clearly is undercover with an assumed name.
The only thing I did not like is that the wind-up with the Twyler situation wrapped up so quickly and it felt so unreal and too fast. I wish we had heard more about that.
I look forward to the next book in the series, I am so interested to find out what happens to these women and if they all settle down happily married in Hope Falls.
A bit of light, fun reading that takes you into the rugged mountains of Colorado from the refined east. It canstand alone or there is plenty of room for sequels.