Review: Demanding to be accepted for yourself, when you have very little say in what happens
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 7, 2011
Book 3 of "Bride Train" series. Preceded byA Contract Bride's Triple Surprise. No further books at the time of this review but we should expect more in the future.Plot:Jessamine (Jessie) Elliott needs to prove herself as a hand on the Double-D ranch belonging to greenhorns Ace, Sin and Henry before her brother Ranger will take her on as a partner. Forced into marriage with Ace after being found in a compromising position by her brothers, Jessie struggles with her desire to be out on the land and the social expectations of wife as homemaker.Comments:- 5656 kindle locations, 86,007 words- Sex is m/f, m/f/m, m/f/m/m - explicit generous, hot.- Timeframe: Book 1 starts "1870", Book 2 begins in "Spring" 1871, and Book 3 (this one) opens "Late August 1871".- Even though this is the third book in the series, it would standalone or be read out of order. The author credits the reader with some intelligence, only giving enough plot of previous books to remind us what we have read, or help explain motivations if we haven't. And she doesn't give it all away if you want to go back.- Characters from previous books re-appear. Beth and Amelia and their men play integral roles. Doc and Rosa's romance develops further. (Awww) This does mean we are collecting a lot of names to keep track of. By the end of Book 3, we have 5 ranches active in storylines with 3 men each, 3 wives plus other household members, Good townsfolk, Bad Guys in Texas and Tanner's Ford... The author's website gives a rundown of the characters we meet in the "Bride Train" series, as well as a biography and links to places of interest used by Butler during research. (It is still "under development" at the time of this review, but interesting nonetheless). It helps, but hopefully Butler will introduce a family tree in Book 4.- The Double D is a working ranch - there is a scene with explicit castration of calves, as well as roping and branding.- Jessie is a cowgirl - she's tough and holds her own. In previous books, Amelia and Beth were "women" - they were strong, had been through hardship, but accepted the role of a woman in the West and her position as property and homemaker. They made the best of what cards had been dealt. Jessie fights against the traditional female role, and Butler explores what it means to be a non-traditional woman in a world that demands stringent social norms. And how the men who believe in these norms deal with a woman's strength. It is an interesting difference from the previous two books, possibly makes the romance and HEA harder to find, but also gives the World more depth.- Jesse is also a survivor of domestic abuse, having been beaten/punished by her foster father. She was attacked by a foster brother. But she knows how to get payback. There are further references in the book to violence against women by Bad Guys; while not graphic or explicit, it is pretty horrid. But within the realms of an untamed Wild West, where brutal men take what they want, and women are property.Opinion:This is a Good Book. As cowboy menage erotica goes, it's pretty darn good. There's lots of plot, lots of sex, lots of character development. If I hadn't read the previous books, I would be very happy with this one. But, sadly, I didn't like it as much as Books 1 and 2. I found "Compromised Cowgirl" to be "busier" than the others. There was just more happening with Molly and Finan and Jessie's romance and the men getting the hang of ranching... And the over-arching plots for the series involving Ross's revenge and Gil's need for an heir. There was a lot going on. On top of that, there's more foretelling of future stories and romances, so we keep meeting people we know will get together one day or will have their own stories but are only teased with that knowledge. I just don't feel as satisfied on finishing this book as I did with 1 and 2. But I am very eager to get Book 4 and see what happens next...I would give this book 4 stars because it simply didn't leave me as satisfied as the others, but it gets an extra star for what Butler is trying to do, delving into what it means to be a woman in this world, her research and HOT sex scenes. So make it a low 5 stars. *wink*Recommended, knowing you will be looking for Book 4 when it's done.-CR-