Silverhills

Silverhills

Silverhills is the story of Alexandria O’Malley, a hot tempered and spirited young woman who is hiding from her past. And her chosen hiding place is as a young cowhand on a cattle drive led by Silverhills owner Brandon Wade. Wade is impressed by the roping, shooting and riding skills of the boy he’s hired as well as his fearless courage facing down not only the dangers of the trail, but the more seasoned cowboys as well. But when Wade discovers that his young cowpuncher is really a lovely young woman, he finds himself falling fast and falling hard. The story has more than enough action and suspense to keep the reader riveted from beginning to end. Kidnappings, vicious Comancheros who see in the beautiful woman revenge against Wade, not to mention the source of a hefty price on the slave block, and a host of villains determined to destroy any chance of happiness for the two even faster than their own tempers.

Silverhills is a Western. No duh right? I’m not a fan of the genre but this one won me over completely and Sandra Cox did it by creating a host of characters that slid into my brain and into my heart quickly. As much as I liked Alexandria and the incredible supporting cast of women, it was the men who stole the show here for this reviewer. The wicked Comanchero leader Lavarah who is an evil piece of work but turns out to have a tiny piece of redemption inside of him was intriguing. Like Alexandria I found myself respecting him for being absolutely honest about his villainy. Cookie was gruffly charming as he snarked his way through the story. Charlie the cowboy who starts off at odds with the young “Alex O’Malley” turns into the comic relief of the story. And Tony was one cowboy I’d have been interested to know more about. Of course there’s Jeff Wade, the hero’s younger brother was charming and delightful. You couldn’t help but adore him. And that brings me to Brandon Wade. Cox has created a man who is not only yummy as all good romance heroes should be, but who has a depth that reaches out to the reader. He’s one of those heroes who will stay in your mind and thoughts long after you’ve finished the story.

The only thing I would caution readers about is that you need to pause and round up the tissues when you reach the epilogue. I’ve actually cried over four books in my life time, The Outsiders (SE Hinton), Message in a Bottle (Nicholas Sparks), Magic’s Price (Mercedes Lackey) and now this story. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a tragedy. It definitely serves up the prerequisite happy ever after. But just trust me on this and have those tissues handy.

Review by Elyssa Edwards