Review: Saving the Rifleman
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 11, 2013
At first glance, I wasn't sure about Julie Rowe's Saving the Rifleman. I was intrigued by the historic setting, but in all honesty I was afraid of repeating the experience I had with Charlie Cochrane's Promises Made Under Fire. I have nothing against the genre, I am just not well-versed in it and as such, don't have a lot of confidence in my ability to review these titles. This being the case, I humbly ask that you bear with me and continue reading with the understanding that my background is in historic and young adult fiction rather than romance.Okay, enough with the disclaimer and on to the review. In terms of content I think Saving the Rifleman has a lot going for it. WWI, occupied Belgium, how often do you find this stuff? I mean really. France, Germany, those titles are a dime a dozen, but Rowe tapped into a lesser known chapter of the war and though her focus is not the history of the occupation itself, the time and place give Saving the Rifleman a really fresh and original feel.Another thing I liked about this piece was the level of conflict Rowe worked into this story. For a war time romance, this piece is really very well-balanced. I wouldn't go so far as to say I was genuinely concerned over the fate of Rowe's leads, but I wasn't bored and that is certainly saying something.My only complaint about this book is how underdeveloped the relationship between Maria and John felt. I understand the modest length of this piece meant Rowe didn't have a lot of wiggle room to explore and develop their feelings, but all the same, the accelerated velocity of their romance felt a bit too contrived for my taste.So do the pros outweigh the cons? I think it's pretty obvious they do. Maybe it is a little forced, but Saving the Rifleman is still an enjoyable piece, a light historical with a unique premise and that sets a nice pace for the rest of the War Girls series