Never underestimate a woman who has a rifle and is seeking justice.It’s a new century, and Frances Lancaster is determined to take control of her future. She’s tired of being a pawn in her uncle’s odious ploys—especially now she suspects him of poisoning her father. To complicate her plans, her older siblings keep treating her like a child. She might only be nineteen, but with the help of her … nineteen, but with the help of her best friend, Nick, she’s determined to make the murderer pay. That means she’s going to have to do something outrageous and unexpected.
Nick Reynolds has been in love with Frances for months. She might have declared she’ll never marry, but he’s a patient man. He’ll settle for being her best friend because, for him, it’s either Frances or no one. When she asks him to help her by becoming her “temporary” husband so she can claim her inheritance, he can’t refuse. He’ll do whatever she needs to bring her conniving uncle to justice. But will Nick’s heart survive when he has to let her go?
Books in the Lilac City Romance Series
- A Match for Maude
- A Dandy for Doris
- A Lady for Luke
- A Fella for Frances
- An Equal for Edith
more
5 stars
I received a free copy of the clean historical novella A Fella for Frances: A Lilac City Romance Novella book 4 by Donna K. Weaver and this review was given freely.
Poignant, heartwarming, mildly suspenseful and a fitting conclusion to the Lancaster family saga. Set around the time of Texas oil discovery, this story is action packed containing a marriage of convenience, Frances finding strength in love and a happy ending. As tomboy Frances Lancaster and her “watchdog” Nick’s siblings’ weddings approach, Frances tries to link her father’s murder to Uncle William while struggling with a blossoming romance, claiming her inheritance and the fear of losing Nick’s friendship and support.
I finally had a chance to finish the Lilac City Novella series with the last book, A Fella for Frances. I thoroughly enjoyed the story that brought the series to a wonderful conclusion. Twists and turns kept me guessing how the situation with the Lancaster sisters’ inheritance was going to be resolved. Frances is a firecracker, and I loved getting inside her head with the internal dialogue. Being the youngest, she is often taken for granted and treated as immature. I love how she takes matters into her own hands to be considered an adult and on equal terms with her siblings. Nick is a strong yet sensitive man, yet not a sissy. Just enough dialect was used to immerse me in the Old West without the speech patterns being distracting. Lots of description evoked the sights, sounds, and smells of life in Wyoming. Highly recommended.
I’ve been waiting for Frances’ story since the beginning of the series. She’s the youngest of the three Lancaster sisters, headstrong and definitely the feistiest. Frances loves living on a ranch and is embracing the new century–she wears split skirts instead of dresses, and takes self defense lessons. She and her best friend, ranch hand Nick, are both into Sherlock Holmes and she’s determined to solve her father’s murder. In order to claim her inheritance Frances and Nick get married with the intention to get the marriage annulled when everything is settled.
Only Frances would come up with the idea to get married so she can claim her inheritance. She’s stated mulitple times she doesn’t want to be married; she doesn’t want a man ruling her life and telling her what to do. Nick goes along with it hoping Frances realizes how much he cares for her–she’s the only girl for him, while she’s hoping this fake marriage doesn’t ruin their friendship.
I enjoyed Frances and Nick’s story and we also solve the mystery of why her uncle wanted the sisters back. There were lots of humorous moments with Nick and Frances pretending to have a “real” marriage. I liked that Nick was always there for Frances and proved he knew her well. She was one stubborn woman, and didn’t give up trying to find the clues that would solve the mystery of what their uncle was after. I liked catching up with the other sisters, Maude and Doris and their husbands, also with their brother Luke and his wife.
This is a fun series but you will want to read them in order, starting with A Match for Maude
I listened to the audiobook and really like that the series has the same narrator for all four books. She has a pleasant voice and does a wonderful job with the various voices for all of the sisters and their husbands.
The first book I read by Ms. Weaver was a time travel romance in the Twickenham series. Since then, I’ve read this whole series now, and several in her REKD Series. I love how fully her characters are developed. In this series, we’ve followed Frances, through her father’s death and her 2 older sisters and older half brother’s romances. I feel like I know each of these people, and am invested in their lives. Though this is a series, each story makes sense as a stand-alone book. If you like strong, won’t bend to anyone’s will, tomboys, who learn that love is wonderful with your best friend, then this book is for you! (Also, her swoon-worthy best friend, who adores his Strong, tomboy, best friend!)
The last of a great series. Frances is a the youngest and the toughest, she’s like one of the ranch hands at her stepbrother’s dude ranch and she has no plans of ever getting married, so a man has control over her. Nick is her best friend and he secretly loves her. For Frances to get her inheritance from her murderous uncle she needs a man to marry her then give an annulment, Nick volunteers. Can he get her to love him? Can they prove her uncle killed her father and why?
This book pulled me in right from the beginning. A mystery and a love story intertwined. A good clean book with Good verses evil. I was sorry to see it end.
Headstrong and determined to remain in charge of her life, Frances calls on her best friend to help her through a situation created by her father’s will. She convinces Nick to marry her – temporarily – so she can inherit what she is entitled to and to get her uncle off her back.
A lot of things happen in this part of the series pertaining to the death of her father. Could he have been murdered? Teamwork is a big part of this one.
Great series by a great author.
A good way to end the series. I have loved Frances from the beginning and am so glad she gets her HEA with Nick. I loved reading their story and the end to this wonderful series. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’m going to leave it there.
“A Fella for Frances” by Donna K. Weaver
I loved this sweet clean western romance. I received an ARC of this story from the author with the request to report any typo’s I found. I caught a couple and probably missed a few because I was so caught up in the story. This story was just the right length, long enough to give you plenty of details… and short enough to keep you reading every word so as not to miss a single wee little bit of the story. I had been waiting for this story and it was worth the wait. Happy Reading ! !
She’s feisty, an excellent shot, a horsewoman, can bring a man down with one twist of her hand, and tears to the eyes of those listening to her play the piano. She is also the only woman that Nick loves but his chances of winning her over are zero to none. Determining that the only way in which to thwart her malicious uncle is through a marriage of convenience to Nick, Frances goes through a marriage ceremony with her best friend, all the while praying that it won’t destroy their special relationship. This romance is exciting and suspenseful as Frances and her family continue to investigate their uncle’s crimes. Frances is in denial regarding her true feelings for Nick, although the faithful Nick is more than sure about his love for her. It is only when a potential tragedy strikes that Frances’s feelings for Nick are solidified. I have thoroughly enjoyed this well-written series, the sense of loyalty and the strength of the bonds of love between the various parties. This book is a standalone and comes to a joyful and heartfelt close. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
5 stars
I received a free copy of the clean historical novella A Fella for Frances: A Lilac City Romance Novella book 4 by Donna K. Weaver and this review was given freely.
Poignant, heartwarming, mildly suspenseful and a fitting conclusion to the Lancaster family saga. Set around the time of Texas oil discovery, this story is action packed containing a marriage of convenience, Frances finding strength in love and a happy ending. As tomboy Frances Lancaster and her “watchdog” Nick’s siblings’ weddings approach, Frances tries to link her father’s murder to Uncle William while struggling with a blossoming romance, claiming her inheritance and the fear of losing Nick’s friendship and support.
From the beginning Frances has been a tough tomboy who wants to protect her sisters and ride astride with the other cowboys. She felt right at home on Luke’s ranch. She was the one with the courage to reach out to him after her father had banished him and to help her sisters escape their greedy uncle’s machinations. Luke tasks Nick with watching out for her and they became fast friends, but he doesn’t see her as just one of the guys. When Frances decides a temporary marriage of convenience in name only to protect herself from her uncle Nick jumps at the opportunity to be her groom, but will she ever see him as more than just a friend? This book had more suspense than the last two. Frances and Nick work together to solve the mystery of what really happened to her father, why her uncle was named their guardian, and why he is so determined to bring the sisters back. Frances shows her softer side with her music and her emotions. It was a nice conclusion to the series and I wouldn’t mind hearing more about the supporting characters like Edgar Lowell in a future book.