Review: Tried and True by Mary Connealy

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing!

Synopsis

Saddle up for a wildly fun ride with the Wilde sisters!

Kylie Wilde is the youngest sister—and the most civilized. Her older sisters might be happy dressing in trousers and posing as men, but Kylie has grown her hair long and wears skirts every chance she gets. It’s a risk—they are homesteading using the special exemptions they earned serving in the Civil War as “boys”—but Kylie plans to make the most of the years before she can sell her property and return to the luxuries of life back East.
Local land agent Aaron Masterson is fascinated with Kylie from the moment her long hair falls from her cap. But now that he knows her secret, can he in good conscience defraud the U.S. government? And when someone tries to force Kylie off her land, does he have any hope of convincing her that marrying him and settling on the frontier is the better option for her future?

My Review

This is a classic Mary Connealy western with the humor, adventure and depth she's known for, but the characters and plot are still fresh and unique. Even though Kylie longs to abandon her role as a man and immerse herself in femininity and civilization, she is not a weak character. There are several layers to this tough pioneer woman that unfold as the story progresses. She ultimately learns that by embracing her womanhood she can accept what blessings God has in store for her life. We are also introduced to her sisters which will each have their own novel in the series. Even though they couldn't be more different, you can tell there is a strong sisterly bond between them as they unconditionally support each other. As one of four sisters myself I could totally relate! It was so interesting to learn about women who served as soldiers in the Civil War. I'm really looking forward to reading the experiences of Kylie's sisters.

It's always amusing to read the perspectives of the men in Mary's books- it vividly shows the difference in thinking between men and women, with humorous results :) Aaron is a big strong man with integrity and honor... and a total sweetheart inside, even when he's pushing Kylie's buttons. There are several secondary characters with distinct personalities that played a strong role in this book and we'll likely learn more about them in the coming novels... which I can't wait for!

(Thank you to Litfuse Publicity and Bethany House Publishers for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)