These seven correlated novellas from seven authors tell the story of a group of Texas Rangers hunting the elusive Markham gang. While the authors did an excellent job weaving a cohesive narrative in this collection, I grew tired of it before I made it half-way through. Yes, each story highlights different characters within a different plotline, but each story could also boil these plots down to the same basic elements: strong Ranger does not want to get married, meddling Ranger wife sets him up, Ranger meets strong-willed, spunky woman, spunky woman finds herself in danger, Ranger attempts to protect woman, woman—attempting to display her strength and independence—does something stupid that puts her in further danger, Ranger realizes he loves spunky woman, Ranger rescues woman, Ranger and woman get married. While I typically appreciate strong female leads, this whole storyline felt contrived and even pandering. Heavy-handed character development also grew tiresome. Characterization in novellas can be difficult, but I have seen it done well. Again, I concede that romance writing tends to be somewhat predictable, but this collection went beyond even my threshold for toleration. I forced myself to finish each story hoping that the next would improve. It never did. If you’re looking for a fun novella collection, Calico and Cowboys and Regency Brides are much more satisfying and worth your time.
I received a free copy from the publisher. No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.
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