Early Dawn

Alrighty, my book minions, I have obtained and read the book Early Dawn. And, it was awesome. This one is a little different from my postings of late. It's one of the first non-paranormals I've read in awhile. What can I say, I've been on a kick. This one, my little lovelies, was a historical. And no, not a Lady Bevvington and Lord Ramrod sort of historical; though on occasion I do like those from time to time. However, I must admit they tend to be my least favorite sub-genre in romances; mainly because I find most of the lead females to be TSTL (too stupid to live), which irritates me. Given, this is not true of all books of this nature. For all I know, I may just pick the sucky ones, but none-the-less they are my least often read. This historical is more of the old school western sort with manly men, big guns, wagons and injuns (and, before anyone says anything stupid I'm part native american so shut it. I'm just sticking with the tacky western slang here). Anyway, on to the review!


The Book: Early Dawn
The Author: Catherine Anderson

The description: Matthew Coulter was beaten, shot, and left for dead by the Sebastian gang, but that was nothing compared to the pain he felt when they killed his wife. Swearing that he wouldn’t rest until every last member of the gang was dead, he’s been hunting them for three years. And now, he’s finally close enough to get his revenge. Eden Keegan is the kind of woman who would stand beside a man, never behind him, but she’s taken to her limits when she’s kidnapped by the Sebastian gang. Then, against all hope, she’s rescued in the middle of the night by a man with a hard glint in his eye. But is Coulter just another outlaw? He certainly looks like a scoundrel, but as they try to lose the Sebastians in the wilderness, she learns that under his rough exterior is a decent man who suddenly finds himself at a crossroads. Coulter knows that revenge can finally be his if he just turns to face his pursuers. If he fails, he dooms Eden to captivity…or worse. Now he has a choice to make. Settle the score…or surrender to his heart’s desire.


Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuun....
So, I really enjoyed this book. Her descriptions are amazing (I live in Colorado and have driven by No Name...yes, the town actually exists, thank you) and the views are dead on....provided by dead on you can imagine the view pre-skyscrapers and cities. The heroin is probably one of my absolute favorites from any of her books. She's ballsy, stubborn, intelligent, can kick some major butt, is good with weapons, yet is also innately girlie. Any girl who can shoot guns and still dress well gets my vote for awesomeness. Plus, it's nice to read a story where the girl is slightly less damaged than the male of the book. It's nice to remind us that sometimes it's us who can be the stronger and more sensible of the two. Of course, with her fiery personality comes some rash decisions and statements, but I feel that these were included in order to help confound any men that happened across the book and to solidify their misconception that we are confusing beings who do things that make no sense. Given, sometimes we do, but to us it makes perfect sense. So there. Anywho, the baddies are really bad, which makes them all the more awesome; thus making the hero and heroine all the more awesome for their evasiveness. All in all I give this one a 4.5 out of 5 (after all, I did read it in 4 hours, which means it has to be pretty darned good, right?). Good setting, good characters, well developed story; another winner for Mrs. Catherine Anderson. =0)