Review: The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y'Barbo

Charlotte Beck may be entering adulthood, but she can’t seem to keep to her stubborn, independent spirit from bucking social protocol. Fed up with her behavior, Charlotte’s father Daniel pressures her to settle into a nice marriage despite knowing she is set on going to college. Then Daniel sees Charlotte with the handsome but annoying English astronomer Alex Hambly, and everything changes.

Though Alex and Charlotte can barely stand one another, Daniel offers them a deal they can’t refuse: if they agree to marry, he will save Alex’s family from financial ruin and grant Charlotte the freedom to go to college. Reluctantly the couple agrees, but in private they plot to annul the marriage as soon as possible.

But when Alex’s feelings change and he refuses to dissolve their contract, will Charlotte find a way out of her vows? Or will she discover that maybe this marriage isn’t so inconvenient after all?

My thoughts:
I had some difficulty in deciding on a star rating for this one. I enjoyed the book and it kept me entertained, however I did occasionally get annoyed with the two main characters, particularly Charlotte. She has an extremely stubborn streak, and while that can sometimes be amusing and fun, in this case Charlotte's stubbornness almost always went too far... to the point of immaturity. Having seen her grow up throughout the series, I do have to admit she has always been a firecracker, but I wish she could have matured a bit more before having a story all her own.

The book is sectioned into two parts, the first half being before Charlotte and Alex are married, and the second half after they are married. I found the first half to be more enjoyable, as Charlotte's stubbornness rears it's head in full force throughout the whole second half. When she finally admitted to herself that she might be wrong, it seemed out of character for her feelings and actions to change so completely in such a short amount of time. She was almost hateful one day, and completely mushy in love the next.

While Charlotte occasionally did get on my nerves, overall I did enjoy the book, hence my 4 star rating. It's certainly not the best in the Women of the West series (Anna Finch and the Hired Gun holds that position), but it was mostly amusing and kept me entertained. If you haven't already read the first two books in the series, I would recommend reading them first as they do contain a fair amount of Charlotte's past, from childhood on up. 

My rating: 4 stars
(I received this book courtesy of Waterbrook Multonomah Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, a positive review was not required.)

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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!

Review: Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y'Barbo

Today I have another review for you, this time it's The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y'Barbo. This is the first book in her "Women of the West" series.

The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed to go back to New York and marry another man.

As Gennie adapts to the rough-and-tumble world of 1880s Colorado, she must decide whether her future lies with the enigmatic Daniel Beck or back home with the life planned for her since birth. The question is whether Daniel’s past–and disgruntled miners bent on revenge–will take that choice away from her.

My thoughts:
I was never able to completely "click" with Gennie, but as the story progressed I did become accustomed to her. Her love of all things Wild West seemed maybe a bit overdone, however it definitely made things more fun. There were things I liked and others that I questioned as they seemed a bit drawn out (particularly the situation that occurs when Daniel takes Gennie and Charlotte to Leadville), but overall I enjoyed the book. The author certainly has a nice handle on the time period and dreaming up unique characters!

Each chapter begins with a small portion of "Mae West", who is Gennie's favorite dime-novel heroine. These are somewhat repetitive (same circumstances, different situations), but are sort of amusing as they give a look at Gennie's favorite stories. They are not integral to the plot of the book, however, so if they aren't your cup of tea you could easily pass them over.

Other thoughts:
Honestly I felt like Gennie was out-shined by Anna Finch, her neighbor in Denver. As soon as Anna gets a chance to speak more than a few lines, it's immediately clear that she needs her own book. Fortunately, the next book in the series IS about her! (Anna Finch and the Hired Gun) Yay! I have extremely high hopes for it, and am anxious to find out her complete story.

My rating: 4 stars