I liked the story itself, but the relationship was a bit too fast for me. Tucker sees Shannon on a rooftop and goes off by himself to get away from the pull he feels for her. He's distracted and surprises a grizzly and ends up plummeting down a steep incline where he eventually ends up at Shannon's feet. She then throws them over a cliff into the Slaughter River to get away from the bear.

Though rumor has it that no one has survived this river, Shannon manages to get them into a cave from which they find their way out 5 days later. A preacher is with the rescue group and he insists that the two must be married due to the perceived impropriety in their story--a story which is sure to be retold.

While Tucker is healing from his injuries, it comes to light that several homesteaders' properties have been deliberately burned--with one man snatching up the properties almost as quickly as they're signed over to the new land agent. Shannon's place seems to be next on his list. Will Shannon, Tucker and their friends prove too wily for him?

I would have given it more stars if the marriage hadn't occurred with them only knowing each other 5 days and if the Bible verses hadn't been quoted somewhat out of context. (They do say what he says, but he leaves out the following part about a husband loving his wife like God loves man. He's using the verse to manipulate her to do what he wants, rather than considering what she wants.) ( )

Now and Forever Wild At Heart book 2 by Mary Connealy is a book you don’t want to miss. Shannon is a strong-willed, self-reliant, strong woman who has homesteaded a place where she is raising sheep. She is literally thrown into mountain man Tuckers life when she saves him from a bear by throwing him and herself into the river. Little did she know how much this one act would change their lives forever.

I really enjoyed this book. Shannon is a strong woman that is trying to make up for things she saw and did in the Civil War by caring for her sheep. Tucker is a self-sufficient Mountain man. He and Shannon have to be strong and courageous to survive their ordeal. Then they are thrown together relying on each other and God. Shannon has to save Tucker and ends up married to him. This is their journey of first survival, then finding who is burning homesteaders out before Shannon is the next homestead targeted, all the while learning to love themselves, each other and God. It is Shannon learning to let go of her past and let God heal her heart.

This is a great fast moving exciting book. It combines, love, romance, the frontier, faith as well as a mystery. Who could ask for more. I had not read the first book in this series but this book worked as a stand-alone book too. I will be getting the first one because if it is as good as this one I don’t want to miss it. I highly recommend this book especially if you like romance, mystery and western books.

If you would like to learn more about this book, the author and her other books or buy this book check out this site:
http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/now-and-forever/348040

http://www.maryconnealy.com/



I was given this book from Bethany House Publishers for my honest opinion and review. ( )

Title: Now & Forever (Wild at Heart Book #2)
Author: Mary Connealy
Pages: 336
Year: 2015
Publisher: Bethany
My rating is 5 stars!
Mary Connealy is a very talented storyteller who weaves various characters' personalities with reaction, adventure and a touch of mystery. The series is introduced to audiences in this wonderful western story set right after the Civil War with the first book titled, Tried & True and will be wrapping up the series with Fire & Iceset to be released in October of 2015. Now, if you haven’t read the books yet, they are fantastic tales about three women who served as men in the Civil War. They were compelled to do so by their father after their brother was killed early in the War.
In each book, while focusing on one sister’s life, we also get to see the other sisters as they are very close to each other. The names of the sisters are Kylie, Shannon and Bailey. In Now & Forever, we get to be engrossed in Shannon’s life which starts with her trying to save a man from a grizzly bear by going into a dangerous set of waterfalls. Tucker is a mountain man who was raised by a wonderful Christian Indian mother named Sunrise. He rarely comes down from the mountains, except to trade the pelts he has collected and to get more supplies; however, this trip would prove to be vastly different than any other he has ever taken before.
I sure hope you spend time enjoying this book and its introduction to the series, Tried & True, because of the raw courage that is part of the storyline. The fact that these three women served in the Civil War as men isn’t unheard of. If you read other books, you will understand many women served in disguise for many reasons. The other compelling factor in reading these tales is that women aren’t faint of heart, but strong-minded. These sisters saw the atrocities of the war up close and personal and were changed by their individual experiences. Now each is setting up a homestead that isn’t an exact duplicate of the other, but is individual and unique.
Women in these novels were sometimes tough, strong, and had to be in order to carve out a living at a time when danger was the order of the day. They worked hard, struggled with living out their faith and healing from the soul wounds they incurred. These are books you can sit down and devour in an afternoon and perhaps then share them with other family members or friends. Take it from me I loved each book so far and anticipate an exciting conclusion when I read the third installment in the fall. So come along to the Wild West and lose yourself in action, adventure and romance!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” ( )

Romance and suspense in the mountains of Idaho Territory, 1866.

Shannon Wilde, the middle sister, has a soft spot for animals. She cares for her flock of sheep on her homestead. When her life takes a dramatic turn off of a cliff with Matthew Tucker, she finds herself married to the rugged mountain man. Shannon is a strong independent woman who is not used to being protected by a man. But as attacks begin to try and drive her off her land, maybe she needs that protection after all. The attacker picked the wrong family to mess with, Tucker's fury is not something to trifle with. But will he be able to protect the wife that he is falling in love with? Will her past drive a wedge between them? Find out on another adventure with the Wilde family!

Mary Connealy is quickly becoming one of my favorite western authors. Her romantic comedy has a side of action and terror, which makes her books well balanced. Now & Forever is not for squeamish stomachs however. I found myself grimacing as I read through a couple of the scenes. I was hooked from the start though, and I couldn't put it down through all of the action and suspense. It really felt like Criminal Minds meets the Old West as they try to find out who is behind the attacks. I enjoyed watching as Shannon and Tucker's relationship developed, turning into love and respect for one another. After experiencing unbelievable horrors in he Civil War, Shannon's faith is on shaky ground. Tucker helps her through her journey of reestablishing that faith in God. Even with their challenging upbringings and pasts, they learn to work through their differences, becoming a team that is inseparable.

I received a free copy of Now & Forever from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. ( )

Adventure and suspense from the beginning to the end!

Christian Historical Romance from Bethany House. This is not your girly girl regency style romance - not at all. Of course the setting in the Dakota/Idaho Territory in 1866 might give you a clue to that. As would the great cover of the book with the cute girl who has a short haircut and cowboy hat on.

The girls in this story, folks, all served in the Civil War pretending to be men. That must have been a great story. This is one of the few books that I think I would have been better off reading the previous book first. It took me a bit of perseverance to stick with the explanations at the beginning of the book, and then as the earlier story is revealed bit by bit along the way things start to make more sense.

This is the story of the middle sister, Shannon, who connects with mountain man Tucker. It's full of adventure right from the beginning, blended with a great deal of humor and biblical & faithful lessons. You hear these days about people who come back from serving in the military and the issues they deal with. You don't hear as much about those who fought in the Civil War and what it was like when they returned. How they coped. Usually you read about how those left at home survived. You truly feel for Shannon who was forced to sign up for the war and then had to do things during it that none of us would want to do, let alone a young girl. And a tough girl can still only take so much. And then you wonder if a mountain man is a good match or a bad one. This is a good read with lots of adventure and mystery to keep you page-turning until the end!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Bethany House Publishers - Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”. http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html ( )