No Other Will Do

No Other Will Do – Karen Witemeyer – Bethany House – Published 7 June 2016

♥♥♥♥

Synopsis

Men are optional. That’s the credo Emma Chandler’s suffragette aunts preached and why she started a successful women’s colony in Harper’s Station, Texas. But when an unknown assailant tries repeatedly to drive them out, Emma admits they might need a man after all. A man who can fight–and she knows just the one.

Malachi Shaw finally earned the respect he craved by becoming an explosives expert for the railroad. Yet when Emma’s plea arrives, he bolts to Harper’s Station to repay the girl who once saved his life. Only she’s not a girl any longer. She’s a woman with a mind of her own and a smile that makes a man imagine a future he doesn’t deserve.

As the danger intensifies, old feelings grow and deepen, but Emma and Mal will need more than love to survive.

My thoughts

No Other Will Do has plenty of action, shoot outs, dangerous masked bandits and brave women unafraid to stand up for themselves, but the standout in this novel has to be the romance. The spine tingling, escalating just when you think they will never get together, swoon worthy romance. And all this set in a charming little western town, where women have banded together to ensure their own safety and freedom. It is fun, inspiring and leaves one a little starry-eyed.

Malachi and Emma were childhood friends. Malachi has always been in awe of Emma and Emma has always felt a strong connection to Malachi. They were friends, study mates, protectors and champions. When life separated them in their teenage years they stayed in contact via letters. When Emma needs help protecting her women’s colony, she knows there is no man other than Malachi who is worthy of the task. Malachi feels that he owes everything to Emma and rushes to her aid. But will the danger finally bring them together or will they let fear push them apart?
Malachi and Emma’s friendship survived the years apart, but they could never have imagined their reaction to each other when they finally meet again after so many years. Oh, the sparks!! Their connection is potent and leaps off the page. The romance truly is the star of this book, something readers have come to expect from Karen Witemeyer’s stellar writing. 

No Other Will Do also has a variety of charming characters, from Emma’s stalwart aunts to her best friend Tori; the assortment of women who live in Emma’s refuge settlement are vibrant and full of life. They are eager to take on the men threatening their home, toting guns as easily as their garden trowels. It lends a levity to the story, which is a nice backdrop to the hardship the women have endured.

The setting is charming and I hope there are future books set in Harper’s Station. I can see the possibility of some of the women staring in their own second chance romances.

I highly enjoyed No Other Will Do and recommend it for readers who enjoy books with fabulous romance in a charming historical setting, all with a touch of drama and danger.

The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

More information

Category: Fiction

Genre: Christian historical.

Themes:  Romance, family, love, women’s colonies, suffragettes.

Published: 7 June 2016 by Bethany House Publishers.

Format: Paperback,  ebook. 368 pages.

ISBN: 9780764212819

Find it on Goodreads