Claiming Mariah By Pam Hillman Book Review

/ / Claiming Mariah / /

 

{Review Written By Madi}

Book Title: Claiming Mariah

Author: Pam Hillman

Source: The Litfuse Publicity Group

Genre: Christian Fiction

Number Of Pages: 373

ISBN: 978-1-4143-8975-2

Publisher: Tyndale Publishers

Year Of Publication: 2013

Rating: Four Out Of Five Stars

 

/ / Book Description / /

 

In light of her father's death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family. When Slade Donovan, strong willed and eager for vengeance, shows up on her front porch, Mariah is not ready to hear his truths: her father's farm, the only home she's ever known, was bought with stolen gold. With Slade ready to collect his father's rightful claim and force Mariah and her family out on the streets, Mariah must turn to God for guidance. Though Mr. Frederick Cooper, a local landowner, promises to answer her financial woes if she agrees to be his bride, Mariah finds herself drawn instead to the angry young man demanding her home.With the ranch now under Slade's careful eye, he will unearth more than he ever imagined as a devious plot of thievery, betrayal and murder threatens more than the well-being of the ranch, endangering the lives of those who hold it dear. With days dwindling until the rest of the Donovan clan arrive to the Lazy M ranch, Mariah and Slade must rise above the resentment of their fathers and see their true feelings before greed alters their futures forever.

  

 / / Book Review / /

 

Let me start off by saying that I love western novels. Being from the South, (Texas, no less), I find it quite intriguing. I love country living and western romances, so this book had it's genre going for it before I even started reading it. When I started it, the first chapter had me kind of worried. I was afraid that it was going to be poorly written. And while Pam Hillman turned out to be no Mary Connealy, she did write an interesting story. I enjoyed it a lot! I personally think that Slade was the best part of it. He has a gruff exterior partnered with a great disdain for Mariah and her family, but underneath was hidden a compassionate heart that just needed a little bit of nurturing to be brought to it's full potential. I also liked Mariah's character. She is a strong person, but she knows when to toss in the towel. Though I much prefer my heroines to be a spitfire with a backbone of steel (which is much easier to relate to), I think the author made Mariah just the way that she needed to be in order to help Slade in the ways that she did. She is a tenderhearted character that is willing to give up almost everything for Slade's happiness. She hopes that her small efforts will show him how much his heavenly father loves him, even if his earthly father did not. Though I find this admirable, I think that there was a better way to go about it. I would have liked to see Mariah stand up for her family a bit more in the beginning, and I would have liked to see Slade's point of view a little bit more often throughout the book. Don't get me wrong, I really liked it, but it's not exactly a page turner. It is, however, a good time passer, and I would encourage some of my friends to read it if they were looking for a light, quick read.

 

 ~The Literary Maidens

 

Note: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion by the Litfuse publicity group. I was not further compensated to review this product and all thoughts and sentiments expressed above are completely my own and unbiased.