What a fun, enjoyable, mostly lighthearted read! I was captivated from the opening scene, which found Kylie dangling from the roof of her cabin, in the rain. There are humorous moments throughout, which balance the more serious aspects of the dangers and hardships of life in that time and setting.

I'll admit to staying up nearly all night a couple nights, reading. This was the first book I'd read by Mary Connealy, but it certainly won't be my last! ( )

Kylie Wilde moves west to homestead with her family after fighting in the Civil War, disguised as a boy. While her sisters enjoy keeping up the male ruse, Kylie longs for the freedom to be female and embrace civilization and typical feminine pastimes. When Aaron Masterson stumbles upon her secret, Kylie finally has the opportunity to live the life she wants – but of course, not without a few challenges. As the action- and romance-filled plot unfolds, Kylie proves herself to be quite a strong female character in a refreshing way. Now, I do love a female character who determines to prove she’s just as tough as any man, can hold her own in a man’s world, etc. – but that character is not Kylie. Kylie is determined, hard-working and capable, but not ashamed to be feminine, show vulnerability and fear, ask for help or love pretty things, and while reading, I found this so refreshing. I loved Kylie’s story and certainly cannot wait to read more of the Wilde family in the future. Tried & True is an entertaining, adventurous read and I recommend it for lovers of Western romance.

Thanks to LitFuse Publicity Group, I received a copy of Tried & True and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. ( )

While this book wasn't "dynamite", it was really good. I like the idea of the three sisters all dressing up as men. Kylie is a woman who knows her mind. She knows she wants to be a woman--a REAL woman. A woman who wears dresses and bonnets and attends tea parties. She'd rather cook and clean then do the homesteading things that men do. Her father is an obnoxious old coot who's out of his mind. Losing his son in the Civil War was a shock to him, I'm sure, but it's no excuse to turn your surviving children into replacement sons. He's a pathetic excuse for a father--using his daughters as homesteaders to build himself a nice empire of land.

Aaron, the land agent, is a breath of fresh air. Meeting Kylie turns his world upside down. Flamming arrows hit her claim. Snakes are left on her property. All scare tactics to force her off her claim. Aaron is so attracted to Kylie and so furious about these scare tactics that he is determined to get whoever is scaring her off the homestead claim.

I wasn't surprised to see that they would marry. I could see that a mile off. I do wish the book was slightly more unpredictable. I like to think that I will read the second book, but it will depend if the inter-loan library program can obtain it for me. ( )

I now have a new favorite Mary Connealy book. Tried and True captured my heart in a way I didn’t expect. Kylie was such an innocent, even after all she’d been through and the unspeakable things she’d witnessed. Family was everything, even in a family where many essential elements seemed to be lacking. I wanted her to win from the beginning, to be feminine if she wanted to, earn a homestead if that was her goal, and be loved by her family for who she was, not what they thought she should be.
I fell head over heels in love with Aaron from the very beginning. His ability to see through Kylie’s façade into her heart and soul made him the perfect man to woo her from her manly ways. The decision he makes at the end to choose love and forgiveness endeared him to me all the more. Aaron deserves some happiness in his life and Kylie is just the one to give it to him.
In her unique and heartwarming style, Mary has blended cowboys, romance, humor, and the enticement of the old west to give us another Connealy story to love and reread many times over. I am so looking forward to the future books in this series. What lies ahead for Bailey and Shannon? Will Cudgel ever repent of his ways and accept his daughters as the beautiful women they are? Whatever the continuing adventures of the Wilde family, I am ready to ride that trail with Mary Connealy!
I received this book from bookfun.org in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Oh my goodness it’s not fair!

Mary Connealy is a genius!Trie & True

I can not remember when I have ever laughed so hard… Well, yes I can but it had been a while.

This is not a book that you should miss!

Looking for strong female characters – they don’t get any stronger than the Wilde sisters!

Looking for adventure – it’s on the very first page… and then some! The whole book is filled with adventure after adventure, just like the wild west was!

Looking for God – you will find him in this story! He’s there and He’s not just slapped in as an afterthought! Even with such unconventional characters, they live their lives by a very clear Biblical world-view.

Mary Connealy is a masterful writer who had me on the edge of my seat from the first sentence. I was either fearing for someone’s life, cringing at the temper I knew was coming or laughing hysterically.

You won’t be able to put it down. You family will go from being annoyed at you for growling like a grizzly bear fresh out of hibernation to annoyed with your constant outbursts of laughter. Yes, I speak from experience.

Amazing! Absolutely amazing! Historical fiction about the wild west is another genre I never thought I would enjoy but Mary Connealy has made a fan out of me!

Now I just have to find some more of her books! And wait patiently… OK, not so patiently then, for the rest of this series.

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. ( )