Renegade by Anna Schmidt
Publisher & Release: Sourcebooks, June 25, 2019
Time and setting: Late 19thcentury, Texas
Genre: Historical Romance, Western
Heat Level: 1 Flame
Rating: 4.5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
MEET THE HARVEY GIRLS. These real-life pioneering women were symbols of elegance in the wild frontier: taming rough manners, falling in love, and changing the face of the West forever.
Lily Travis may be a Harvey Girl, but she's a rebel—and a romantic—at heart. Too bad her impulsive nature led her to marry a man who promised a life of ease and prosperity, only to disappear the very next day. She's kept her secret as best she can, and now she's convinced she'll never find true love...not even with the handsome local sheriff she can't get off her mind.
Cody Daniels knows Lily isn't the right woman for a by-the-book lawman with political ambitions. She's brash, headstrong...and entirely too tempting. But when Lily's past catches up with her and the villain she married threatens everything she holds dear, Cody is determined to defend her honor and show her the future they could have together—no matter the consequences.
Buy Link:
Add to Goodreads:
Vikki’s Musings
Renegade is the second book in Anna Schmidt’s Cowboys and Harvey Girls series. I read Trailblazer, the first book in this series and loved it, so when I received an invitation from the publisher, via Net Galley, to read and review, I took the opportunity. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.
Renegade is an engaging romance with endearing characters and a unique plot. The pacing is good and kept me enmeshed in the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical details involving the Harvey Girls. I also enjoyed, not only the main characters, but the secondary ones as well. It was particularly lovely to learn more of Grace and Nick, the hero and heroine of book 1, along with the rest of the engaging members of the Harvey staff at the Palace.
Lily Travis is part of the trio that forms a strong friendship when they met on the train bound for their first placement as Harvey girls. Her character was as entertaining as Grace’s. She is a feisty young woman who learned at a young age that life was not always fair. Abused by her step-father then bamboozled by a smooth-talking man who marries her and disappears the morning after their wedding night. She’s not willing to give her heart again, not even to the handsome and kind sheriff.
Cody Daniels has plans bigger than a career as a small-town sheriff. His character is ambitious, but in a completely honorable way. I loved his strong, yet gentle strength, which endeared me from the start. He is clearly smitten with Lily and intrigued by her. I adored his careful courting and determination to earn Lily’s trust.
The story includes the villain who supposedly married her and deserted her the following morning. Is he the gentleman as he presents to the world or a thief? Cody is suspicious of the man and the whole marriage debacle. If what he suspects is true, and the marriage wasn’t real, he is determined to prove it.
Lily is petrified when her husband shows up at the Palace. Harvey girls cannot be married nor have a blemish on their past. He could ruin her if he tells her manager. Enters her close friend, Jake, a man who loves her, but she only sees as a close friend. Jake runs interference between Lily and the villain and pays dearly for his decision.
Cody is determined to discover if the scoundrel, Johnson, Lily’s supposed husband, is behind the attack on Jake and truly married to Lily. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery that needs to be solved to keep Lily safe. I want to be careful to not include any spoils. Let’s just say, Cody discovers things that makes him believe Lily is not wed, and all though she might not be the perfect candidate as wife of a man who has aspirations involving a political career, he still wants her.
The romance between Lily and Cody progresses carefully, but is enjoyable nonetheless. It’s clear they love each other from early on, but the complication of a husband, does keep their relationship from developing to fast. This reader was certainly praying she was not legally married to the villain.
If you enjoy a story with plenty of complications that must be resolved before the hero and heroine can find their happy ending, and one with a dash of mystery and suspense, then you will love Renegade. I enjoyed this second book even more than the first. I can’t wait to read the next romance in this exciting series. Happy reading!
