Book Review: “Fired Up” by Mary Connealy

If you know me well, you know that I love a variety of movie genres (and book, too. My favorite book genre is probably historical fiction). As long as I can remember, thanks to my parents, I have been watching westerns. I like everything from the old black & white TV westerns, John Wayne films, and more current westerns like Wyatt Earp and True Grit.

It should come as no surprise that I also enjoy written westerns, in book form. Recently I’ve discovered Mary Connealy, who authors adventurous westerns with romantic comedy elements. Seriously, I’ve laughed out loud on more than one occasion while reading her books. So far, I’ve read her Kincaid Brides series and the first two of her Trouble in Texas series.

Fired Up, her latest from the Trouble in Texas series, is a thrilling tale set in 1868 Texas shortly after the Civil War. It includes characters from the first book in the series, Swept Away. Dare Riker, the self-educated town doctor, contends with someone mysteriously trying to kill him while fighting his increasing attraction to widow Glynna Greer. Through a series of perilous attempts on his life, Glynna and his group of friends from the war must work together to protect Dare and thwart his unknown enemy. As a result, Dare and Glynna are drawn closer together due to various circumstances. They admit their growing attraction, much to the woe of Glynna’s mistrusting teenage son, Paul.

Fired Up completely held my attention, keeping me up flipping pages until the “wee hours” of the morning. I really liked how Mary picked up where Swept Away ended, diving in with the same central cast of characters. Equally including elements of drama, adventure, mystery, and romance, Mary tackled often difficult subjects such as forgiveness, domestic abuse, and the Civil War with care, empathy, and a great sense of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Dare and Glynna’s characters grow and mature during the course of the novel. I can’t wait to see what Mary has in store next for this group of friends in Texas!

So, if you enjoy historical fiction or westerns, check out Mary Connealy’s Fired Up, recently released from Bethany House Publishers.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely mine.