The Trouble with Patience (Virtues and Vices of the Old West, #1) by Maggie Brendan

Patience Cavanaugh has lost hope in romance. The man she yearned to marry is dead and her dreams are gone with him. Now she is consumed with the restoration of a dilapidated boarding house in order to support herself. Despite her desire for solitude, Jedediah Jones, the local sheriff with a reputation for hanging criminals, becomes an ever-looming part of her life. It seems like such a simple arrangement: Patience needs someone with a strong back to help her fix up the boardinghouse, and Jedediah needs a dependable source of food for himself and his prisoners. But Patience gets more than she bargained for as she explores the depths of the "hanging lawman"--and finds both betrayal and love.

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About The Author




Brenda Lott aka Maggie Brendan
Hello, dah-lin. My name is Brenda Lott, and I'm from Gah-gah (Georgia) which makes me a Southern belle. Think Scarlett O'Hara. No, make that Margaret Mitchell since I, too, write historical romance novels. My pen name is Maggie Brendan, and I host a writers' critique group in my home. I'm a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and American Christian Writers, and I won the 2004 Atlanta Persistence Award from the American Christian Writers. When I'm not writing, in my spare time, I like to paint and scrapbook, and be with my four grandchildren. I'm also a member of a large sancturary choir.
 


Website:

http://www.maggiebrendan.com/

My Review

I had a delightful time meeting Patience Cavanaugh who is one very strong woman, and has taken to owning a boarding house with a lot of grace and hard work. When we meet her she is just moving in and trying to come to terms with her finances and the amount of work that needs to be done.
Her first encounter with the Marshall Jedediah is almost hysterical, and I could picture her face as she swallowed the cup of coffee he offers. There is also some funny heckling going on from the current prisoner. You will also get a chuckle out of the men competing from Patience attention, going to the extremes of painting and helping fix up the boarding house.
There are some real shocks and surprises here, along with a bit of sorrow and murder. I was guessing and wrong as to why and who, but the story unfolds we come to realize that a lot of things are not as they appear.
I did really enjoy how the town seems to rally around Patience, and things go really well until her Mother arrives. A person I really took a dislike to, but again some big surprises are in store. Will Patience grow a backbone as far as her Mother is concerned, or will things go down hill while she is there?
There is also a strong reliance on God’s love and forgiveness in this book, and some really find and follow their faith.
I did love at the very end there is an epilogue, where I didn’t have to fill in the blanks in my mind, and the story continued to unfold. Enjoy!

I received this book through the Publisher Revell and their blogger’s tour, and was not required to give a positive review.