Review: Fiesty Heroine  ***Contains Mild Spoilers*** 4 1/2 Stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 18, 2013
I've read this novella twice.  The first time around, although I enjoyed it, I only gave it a 3 star rating.  Now that I've read it a second time, I've upped my rating to 4 1/2 stars.  I figure if I like a book well enough to read it twice, it deserves at least 4 stars--and in this instance, it deserves even better than that.  I really did enjoy reading Annalee and Boone's story.  The plot is good and moved at a nice, quick pace.  The story kept me thoroughly engaged, and I really liked Boone and Annalee.  Furthermore, Cora and Frank, the elderly couple who pretty much adopt Annalee as a surrogate daughter, are a delightful addition to the story.  Both Annalee's parents are killed during the great fire of Chicago and she decides to move to Wyoming to live with her maternal grandfather.  On the last leg of her journey to her new hometown, her stagecoach is attacked by bandits.  Luckily Boone, who is the marshal of the town to where Annalee is headed, is a fellow passenger and springs into action to prevent the stage from being robbed.  Annalee and Boone don't exactly get off to a smooth start.  Annalee is a feisty redhead with the temperament to match!  LOL  Boone finds her amusing and from their first testy encounter in the stage, while fighting off the highway robbers, he is smitten (though of course he will not acknowledge it.)  When Annalee arrives in town, she discovers her grandfather has been murdered.  Boone, as marshal, is investigating the case and becomes suspicious that someone is trying to kill Annalee.  The romance between Boone and Annalee, although it develops quickly, is very sweet.  The story is also full of humor and had me LOL a number of times.  The funniest part of the story comes from the reaction of the many single men in town towards Annalee.  Annalee is the only single female of marriageable age in town, and she's pretty to boot!  There is one scene where four men are literally fighting over her.  Boone not only needs to protect his interest in Annalee against the competition, he also needs to solve her grandfather's murder, as well as keep Annie safe from apparent attempts on her life.  Reading how Boone successfully accomplishes all his goals, and gets his HEA with Annalee, is very satisfying.  I would say that this novella is a worthwhile read and was just the right length.  The humorous aspect made for light reading even with the murder mystery subplot.  I wish Ms. Davis would write a follow up book to this with Emma Rose's story (she is Annalee's best friend in Chicago.)  Although we only heard about Emma Rose, I think it would be fun to be able to see Annalee and Boone again, as well as read some more about the men's reaction when another single female moves into the town.  LOL  BTW This is a clean romance.  Happy reading!