ARC Review: “Mercy of the Lawless” (Captive Series #5) by J.A. Dennam

“Mercy of the Lawless” (Captive Series #5) by J.A. Dennam

Publishing Date: June 8th, 2020

Genre: Western Romance, Thriller, Historical Fiction

Page Length: 364 pages (electronic edition)

Synopsis:

Headed toward a lavish future, traveling bride-to-be, Jenny Bennett, is kidnapped by ruthless outlaws and falls in love with the most compelling and dangerous one of them all—only to discover he may be her father’s killer.

Tucker Cahill is an undercover Pinkerton Agent on a mission to capture an elusive outlaw who has information about his own father’s murder. Everything changes when Jenny falls under his protection, compromising his mission, his integrity, and his heart. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

I’ll admit that I have a hard time reading Westerns (Romance), but Mercy of The Lawless had me hooked into the story after the first few chapters. It feels like watching a Western Romance film before your very eyes. The story follows Jenny who is traveling to her new home and husband which was set up through an arranged marriage. Suddenly her stagecoach is ambushed by bandits including the mysterious and dangerous, Will Owen. From the moment they meet they are attracted to one another. Is Will actually a good guy? Will Jenny be able to escape the clutches of bandits?

The book reads more like Romantic Suspense and I like that among the backdrop of the Wild West it has plenty of things to keep the reader engrossed in the story. There are gun fights, long standing feud between families, and sheriffs who change the law in their favor. I couldn’t wait to find out what’s happening next. My head was filled with questions. What’s Jenny’s background, will she escape, who are the infamous Cahills? All the pieces of the mystery had me intrigued.

Not only does this book have romance, suspense, and action but I love the drama of everything. The were some unexpected twists in the story that caught me off guard. I really liked seeing the relationship grow between Will and Jenny. They have a lot to overcome in their relationship due to resistance from outside forces. And their relationship has a slow natural progression instead of rushing into “I love you” the moment they first meet.

This was an exciting read from beginning to end and I was enamored by the story every moment. The way the mystery unfolded was shocking and I enjoyed the climatic ending. This was such a fun Western Romance and it made me want to explore more books in this genre.

Final Verdict: