The Unexpected Champion
Ratings2
Average rating4
15
Ratings2
Average rating4
City dweller John McCall never expected to be out in the High Sierras of 1868 on a wild-goose chase to find the Chiltons' supposedly lost grandson. But now that he's out here, things have gotten even more complicated, mostly due to wildcat Penny Scott. She's not like any woman he's ever met--comfortable in the woods, with a horse, and with a gun. When Penny and John are taken against their will by a shadowy figure looking for evidence they don't have, both realize they've stumbled into something dangerous and complicated. With their friends and family desperately searching for them, Penny and John must make a daring escape. When they emerge back into the real world, they are confronted with a kidnapper who just won't stop. They must bring a powerful, ruthless man to justice, even as this city man and country woman fight a very inconvenient attraction to each other.
Reviews with the most likes.
3.5 stars, rounded up
Whew, did Connealy ever give this pair a workout! It starts with Penny, woman mountaineer, meeting up with John, Pinkerton agent. He's on the trail of her niece and nephew on behalf of their grandparents; she's determined to keep them safe from the greedy ancestors. There's no trust at first, especially as each views the other akin to a kidnapper. They meet in a firefight between Penny's kin and some other bad dudes, which ends in them getting lost in the mountain wilderness. This in turn gets them to a small town where the sheriff promptly forces them to wed! So now they're stuck together, with a thread agreement to work through the children's issues together.
They have to figure out what bad guys are after them as trying to kill them—ones from earlier in the series or ones from the children's grandparents?—while moving fast enough to stay alive. This leads them in a trot across multiple states with countless plot twists.
Yes, my head was spinning. But the ride was tons of fun and the story heartwarming as well.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required. Review is based on a final copy of the book, library audio format.
Featured Series
3 primary booksHigh Sierra Sweethearts is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2018 with contributions by Mary Connealy.
