Tried and True by Mary Connealy - I was delighted with the opportunity to read and review the first book in the new Wild at Heart series. The series promises to deliver lighthearted historical romance set in the post-Civil War frontier. In this first novel, Kylie Wilde, the youngest of three sisters, has grown tired of wearing britches and hoping everyone continues to believe she is a man. Even though her two older sisters persist in the practice, and her father continues to pressure her. After all, the three Wilde sisters served in the Union army disguised as "boys", and that's how they earned the homesteading exemptions they are now making use of in the frontier west. Kylie is quickly found out after the local land agent comes by to check her claim, and once he knows her secret, the possibility looms that she and her family members could lose their claims.
Aaron Masterson is the local land agent, and he is fascinated with Kylie from the moment he meets her. When someone tries to force Kylie off her land, he does everything he can to protect her, and even comes up with an attractive solution to her problem - he could marry her. But Kylie's dream is to return to the East and live a "civilized" life, and Aaron is determined not to go back to his childhood home but to head further west.
I was hooked by the characters right from the first, and thoroughly enjoyed reading the story. The obvious attraction between Kylie and Aaron, and the contrast of their hopes for the future drive the romance part of the story. It's also helped along by Aaron's desire to protect Kylie from her bullying father, the local cattle rancher who wants access to the spring on her land, and the unknown folks who are doing their best to scare her into abandoning the claim. There is subtle humor along the way as well, in several of the situations the Wilde sisters find themselves in. Some of the scenes stretched my credulity somewhat, and towards the end one of the supporting characters has an abrupt and drastic change of heart that I found difficult to believe (which is all I'll say - no spoilers) but overall I loved the story and my introduction to Mary Connealy's writing.
From the publisher:
Saddle up for a wildly fun ride with the Wilde sisters!
Kylie Wilde is the youngest sister - and the most civilized. Her older sisters might be happy dressing in trousers and posing as men, but Kylie has grown her hair long and wears skirts every chance she gets. It's a risk - they are homesteading using the special exemptions they earned serving in the Civil War as "boys" - but Kylie plans to make the most of the years before she can sell her property and return to the luxuries of life back East.
Local land agent Aaron Masterson is fascinated with Kylie from the moment her long hair falls from her cap. But now that he knows her secret, can he in good conscience defraud the U.S. government? And when someone tries to force Kylie off her land, does he have any hope of convincing her that marrying him and settling on the frontier is the better option for her future?
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