The Soiled Dove?
The Ex-Lawman
Let The Adventure Begin!
We find Claire and Logan’s story in Book 2 of the Wings of the West; this a fast paced mystery romance revealing the mysterious life of Claire Waters. Claire’s life has not been a bed of roses, far from it. Come find out Claire’s secrets and Logan Ryan’s story.
STORY LINE:
Author Kristy McCaffrey has penned another winner. This time we have the story of Logan Ryan and Claire Waters, characters from The Wren, Wings of West, Book 1.
Logan heads to Las Vegas to check Claire Waters’ welfare; their ranch hand, Lester Williams, has not returned to the ranch after delivering Claire to Las Vegas. Logan finds him recovering from a fever; he doesn’t have a lot of information on Claire and her situation.
Logan, outside the White Dove Saloon finds a woman suddenly barreling out of the Saloon, falling on her behind at his feet, dressed as a prostitute. To his surprise, his yellow-haired Claire is looking up at him with a head of black hair. Is Claire a soiled dove at the White Dove Saloon?
Come with Claire and Logan as they solve mysteries, fight attraction, and resolve misunderstandings.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, AND DEVELOPMENT:
Claire’s character is strong, determined, and smart . Claire has a dream and she has the strength to fulfill that dream. In The Wren, Claire met Molly, the only friend she has ever had, she was quiet, restrained, holding herself in, her past was a mystery, yet she was strong and intelligent.
Claire is coming into her own; we learn more of her background and her situation with her mother, her sad life as an outcast, always standing on the edges of society. Raised in a brothel, Claire is an innocent to the emotions of love; she knows the mechanistic from the resident Doves and the things she has seem, but not the emotions or desires of her own body. Author Kristy McCaffrey skillfully developed Claire’s personality and her awakening.
The characters of Logan and Claire have emotional issues which Ms. McCaffrey skillfully crafted and resolved. I loved Logan’s character. Logan has been hurt emotionally. Ms. McCaffrey created a cowboy hero who has a caring heart; always ready to help those in need. In Claire he sees a woman in need and the attraction he feels is deep and mutual.
The pacing and development of this book was up to Ms. McCaffreys usual well-written style. The book never lagged, the plot was well planned, and the book had a variety of sub-characters. The story-line is intriguing; you will not lose interest as we discover the mystery of Claire, the attraction between Claire and Logan, the mystery behind a vicious assault, the villains, and the reasons for all the evil.
Ms. McCaffrey has many threads in this book; she skillfully wove all the threads together to form a complete and cohesive story. We also get a look into the previous character’s lives. I love a book that is a continuing story of characters as I begin to feel I know them, as I am sure you will as well.
RECOMMENDATION: 5 Stars
I enjoyed this book very much. I look forward to the next installment in the Wings of the West. I recommend this book for young adult and adults due to sexual content.
Though part of a series, this book is a standalone. It is not necessary, but I do suggest to receive better understanding of the dynamics in the continuing story-line, you read the books in series order as they are all solid well-developed stories in which you will meet continuing characters.
Review copy provided via Reading Alley in exchange for an honest book review.
Book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion; book reviews on line under my name and on my blog are my opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: BIO AND PHOTO PROVIDED BY AUTHOR
Kristy McCaffrey has been writing since she was very young, but it wasn’t until she was a stay-at-home mom that she considered becoming published. A fascination with science led her to earn two engineering degrees—she did her undergraduate work at Arizona State University and her graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh—but storytelling was always her favorite hobby. Born and raised in Arizona, and recently returned after a 20-year absence in Pittsburgh, she writes Old West romances to capture the landscapes that were such a big part of her childhood. Her first novel, The Wren, was a CAPA winner for Best New Author Traditional, a Texas Gold finalist, and a HOLT Medallion finalist for Best First Book. The Sparrow was the 2012 Winter Rose Winner in the Published Historical Division. She lives in the Arizona desert with her husband, where they frequently remove (rescue) rattlesnakes from their property. Her four teenaged children are in varying stages of flying the nest, so her two chocolate labs—Ranger and Lily—are the recipients of her maternal instincts these days. Visit her online at www.kristymccaffrey.com.