No Place for a Lady

For a first novel I think this was a good start. The book is a christian / inspirational romance.

Crystal Clark arrives in Colorado's Yampa Valley amid the splendor of a high country June in 1892. After the death of her father, Crystal is relieved to be leaving the troubles of her Georgia life behind to visit her aunt Kate's cattle ranch. Despite being raised as a proper Southern belle, Crystal is determined to hold her own in this wild land--even if a certain handsome foreman doubts her abilities. Just when she thinks she's getting a handle on the constant male attention from the cowhands and the catty barbs from some of the local young women, tragedy strikes the ranch. Crystal will have to tap all of her resolve to save the ranch from show more a greedy neighboring landowner. Can she rise to the challenge? Or will she head back to Georgia defeated? Book one in the Heart of the West series, No Place for a Lady is full of adventure, romance, and the indomitable human spirit. Readers will fall in love with the Colorado setting and the spunky Southern belle who wants to claim it as her own. show less

I liked this old west story of Crystal trying to run a ranch after moving from Georgia. The descriptions put me right in the scenes, especially the snow scenes that reminded me of the winters I spent in Wisconsin.
Crystal may have been a Southern Belle but she was tough and proved herself on a trail ride to move cattle to Denver for sale. She had a strong faith and sought God for the answers and support when she was in need. Luke was the foreman of the ranch and was a great cowboy but had to grow up a lot spiritually and in the romance department.
Great start to an interesting series. Well plotted and paved with solid characters and a strong faith thread.
* I purchased this book from a library sale. All opinions are my own.*

I love how the sparks fly between Crystal and Luke. They like each other, yet they always say something to tick off the other. It's comical at times. I like the interaction between April and Crystal--cold as icicles! April makes a dynamite enemy and adds an exciting element to the story. If the rest of the series is as good as this book, I'm going to be one happy reader!

The following description of this story was taken from the back cover with a few deleted lines. I felt it gave a very good description of this book: "Crystal Clark arrives in Colorado's Yampa Valley in 1892. Crystal is relieved to be leaving the troubles of her Georgia life behind to visit her aunt Kate's cattle ranch. Despite being raised as a proper Southern belle, Crystal is determined to hold her own in this wild land--even if a certain handsome foreman doubts her abilities.

Just when she thinks she's getting a handle on the constant male attention from the cowhands and the catty barbs from some of the local young women, tragedy strikes the ranch. Crystal will have to tap all of her resolve to save the ranch. Can she rise to the show more challenge?

Book one in the Heart of the West series, No Place for a Lady is full of adventure, romance, and the indomitable human spirit. Readers will fall in love with the Colorado setting and the spunky Southern belle who wants to claim it as her own."

I appreciated Crystal's determination. I had a hard time liking the foreman, Luke, at first as he seemed a little harsh, but he does grow on you after awhile. Life wasn't easy in the rugged Colorado terrain, and the author did a good job of making you understand the harsh conditions, as well as the beauty of that part of the West. An enjoyable story that left me wondering about some of the other characters, which I am hoping will show up in the next two books. show less

Having a plot line that starts and grows with tragedy, this is a novel that grabs your heart and makes you silently or even sometimes verbally cheer on the heroine to succeed at her current goal. Maggie Brendan has done well with her first novel and I definitely look forward to more. This is easily one of those stories where you are screaming for the characters to see what you as a reader are seeing. There are times where I thought something would come out differently, but with the story coming to a close I could not have imagined anything better than the way it was itself. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!!

Having a plot line that starts and grows with tragedy, this is a novel that grabs your heart and makes you silently or even sometimes verbally cheer on the heroine to succeed at her current goal. Maggie Brendan has done well with her first novel and I definitely look forward to more. This is easily one of those stories where you are screaming for the characters to see what you as a reader are seeing. There are times where I thought something would come out differently, but with the story coming to a close I could not have imagined anything better than the way it was itself. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!!

After the death of her father, Crystal finds herself heading to Colorado in June 1892 to visit her aunt's cattle ranch. Being raised a proper southern belle, the wild country is a whole new life that she is willing to learn to live in to help her forget her troubles. The cowhands enjoy having a pretty lady around, but one in particular isn't sure if Crystal will survive living on a ranch. Luke has his doubts tested when tragedy hits the ranch and everyone must pull together to get the cattle to market, including Crystal. Greedy neighbors, mixed emotions, romance and figuring out where she belongs, all come to a climax in Crystal's decision to stay or head back to Georgia.

"No Place for a Lady" is a romantic and thrilling story about the show more will of a woman to move forward to a new life and new place to call home. The interplay of the characters Crystal and Luke seem so real and emotional that you find yourself wanting to be able to tell the characters how each feels about the other! The author Maggie Brendan's story is a roller coaster of a ride. Just when you think everything is going to work out, she brings in another twist. It's not over done with too many storylines, but it all comes together in what I thought was a surprising ending.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. What could be better? The story had many of my favorite themes. Colorado, the west, strong woman, wholesome values and of course romance!! For a first book, Maggie Brendan has a remarkable book that many readers will just love. So, go buy a copy...sit back..relax..and enjoy a book that will make you smile as you read! show less