The Heart's Pursuit.

When it comes to Christian novels, historical fiction is my comfort zone. Lately I've been branching out a bit more into contemporary (and loving it!), but to be honest, I love a good prairie romance or mail order bride story. Go ahead...laugh if you must. :)

I recently had the chance to read and review Robin Lee Hatcher's latest novel, The Heart's Pursuit. I've often come across the author's name while browsing books in this genre, but this is the first of her novels that I've read. Between the pretty cover and the interesting synopsis, I knew this book would fit nicely into my historical fiction comfort zone.

I enjoyed The Heart's Pursuit. The "bounty hunter" aspect of the plot was unusual and something that I'd never read before. The story was very readable and there was enough action to keep me turning the pages. There was nothing wrong with this book. It's just that I came away from it feeling slightly disappointed. I guess my main issue was that I just wanted more. The book is pretty short (around 300 pages) and the font seemed a little large. I wanted things to be fleshed out more. More excitement and romance and time devoted to the characters. We get to learn the basic back story of both Silver and Jared, but I still felt like I didn't know them at all. The dialogue between the main characters and their inner thoughts were too brief and generic. The two of them are alone on a journey for the majority of the book, and that sounds like the perfect opportunity for us to get to know them really well...but unfortunately that didn't happen for me. Also, certain aspects of the plot were very predictable and I thought the characters should have figured out things more quickly than they did. And while there's lots of action in parts of the story, one of the most important scenes in the book felt very anticlimactic.

Like I said, I did enjoy this book. It just felt much too short and lacking in the details that make a story unforgettable.

 

"A Colorado beauty abandoned at the altar. A rugged bounty hunter haunted by his past. In this dramatic historical novel by best-selling author Robin Lee Hatcher, two wounded hearts join forces in a pursuit across the Old West. Silver Matlock is a Colorado beauty in search of revenge against the man who stranded her at the altar and fled with the remnant of her family's fortune. She is determined to find the man who betrayed her trust. Jared Newman, rugged as the West itself, is relentless in his pursuit of lawless men---but unable to escape his own tragic past. Hardened by his life as a bounty hunter, he must learn to forgive before he loses his soul. Joining forces, the two set out in search of Silver's betrayer. The handsome but embittered Jared finds himself powerfully drawn to the beautiful woman whose drive for justice equals his own. But lack of honesty keeps Silver and Jared from fully trusting each other, even as a shocking revelation intensifies their pursuit of the cunning - and deadly - quarry."

*Note: I received this book for free from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.*