Review: Anna Finch & The Hired Gun by Kathleen Y'Barbo

Despite her father’s attempts to marry her off, Anna Finch dreams of becoming a reporter. A chance encounter with legendary gunslinger Doc Holliday gives her the opportunity of a lifetime, but Pinkerton agent Jeb Sanders is about to ruin everything.

Though her father hired Jeb to keep her out of mischief, Anna’s inconvenient attraction to her hired gun only multiplies her troubles. She doesn’t realize Jeb has a score to settle with Doc Holliday, or that her association with the famous outlaw will affect more than just her marriage prospects. Between her father’s desperation to see her wed and Jeb shadowing her every move, getting the story and fulfilling her journalistic ambition just got far more complicated than she ever imagined.

My thoughts:
What a fun read! Anna is completely entertaining and such fun to "follow" around Colorado. She is definitely a spunky gal, and the 1880's setting just makes her behavior that much more amusing! I loved how Anna kept thinking she had outsmarted Jeb (the Pinkerton agent her father hired to keep her out of trouble) by sneaking off, but inevitably Jeb would always step into her path and make himself known just when she thought she'd lost him.

The inclusion of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp originally took me by surprise, but they actually ended up being a cool and interesting addition to the story. It sort of gives you a unique look at the possible lives of these old west legends. I also wanted to mention that I was quite amused by the references to Mae West, the fictional dime-novel heroine, which was a throw-back to the first book in the series. I don't want to give any spoilers, but suffice it to say that I was very pleased and amused when the creator of the heroine was revealed.

Anna Finch and the Hired Gun (really, with a name like that you just KNOW it's gotta be good!) is second in the Women of the West series by Kathleen Y'Barbo, with The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper being first and The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck being third. Though there are references to the first book and a few of the same people in the story, Anna Finch would work fine as a stand alone novel if you don't have access to the whole series. I only wish there were more books with Anna as the main character! 

My rating: 5 stars!