He may be a Texas RangerBut he only has eyes for the outlaw’s beautiful daughter…
Texas Ranger Matt Taggert is on the trail of a wanted man. He has good reason to believe that Ellie-May’s late husband was involved in a stagecoach robbery, and he’s here to see justice done. But when he arrives in town, he discovers the thief has become a local hero…and his beautiful young widow isn’t too … beautiful young widow isn’t too happy to see some lawman out to tarnish her family’s newly spotless reputation.
Ellie-May’s shaken by her encounter with the Ranger. Having grown up an outlaw’s daughter, she’ll do anything to keep her children safe—and if that means hardening her heart against the handsome lawman’s smiles, then so be it. Because she knows Matt isn’t about to give up his search. He’s out to redeem himself and find proof that Ellie-May’s husband wasn’t the saint everyone claims…even if it means losing the love neither expected to discover along the way.
Haywire Brides Series:
Cowboy Charm School (Book 1)
The Cowboy Meets His Match (Book 2)
The Outlaw’s Daughter (Book 3)
What People Are Saying About Margaret Brownley:
“Delightful, humorous…packed with engaging characters, loads of action, several mysteries—all enough sizzle to satisfy her fans.” —RT Book Reviews for A Match Made in Texas
“A sweet, touching love story.” —Kirkus Reviews for Left at the Altar
“Lively and warm. A welcome addition to a sparse yet popular subgenre.” —Booklist for Left at the Altar
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Look no further for a sweet western romance that will bring joy to your heart but has a small element of danger and mystery.
This may be the third in the series but the stories do not overlap and you can read these in any order. This story focuses on Ellie-May who has lost her husband. Neal, to heroic events. However, Texas Ranger Matt Taggert has different ideas about Neal and thinks that he might have robbed a stagecoach and is trying to get to the truth about the events that happened that day and where the stolen money has gone. To top things off, Ellie-May’s father was a criminal and she has been branded by the local citizens that she must be just as bad as her father. This is sad but not uncommon thinking for people, even today.
While reading this story, I could not help but admire Ellie-May for all that she has endured during her life. She is not afraid to stand up for what is right or to protect her family. She is like most single parents, doing what she can to keep the family safe, clothed, and fed. Don’t mess with her family if you value your life! Matt may be a tough Texas Ranger, but he is running from demons of his own, and could the answer lie with Ellie-May? Only time will tell.
There is a variety of supporting characters and two that grabbed my heart were Anvil and Jesse. Anvil was a down and out homeless person that Neal befriended and brought home to join their family. That kindness has made Anvil a part of their family for life and he would do anything to protect them. I admired his character and there are even some humorous parts regarding the neighbor, Mrs. Butterwood. Jesse is a teenager that wants to be a Texas Ranger like Matt. Matt takes him under his wing since Jesse’s father has his own issues. If you have sons or know teenage boys, you know that they can inhale food like there is no tomorrow. This is a sense of amazement for Matt and perhaps he just doesn’t remember his childhood. But the bond that grows between these two is special and will warm your heart.
Sadly this is the last in this series according to the author’s notes. I enjoyed the time in Haywire and I hope you do too. Make sure to read the author’s notes at the end for a few other interesting tidbits.
We give this book 5 paws up.
I thoroughly enjoyed Matt and Ellie-May’s story! I adore historical western romance and this is a great addition! Throw in some suspense and it’s a gold mine! I can’t imagine how hard it would be to be a widow with 2 young children on a struggling ranch in those days. How would you get enough money to hold on? Widows didn’t have many options at that time. Ellie-May is struggling, all right but when Matt Taggert Texas Ranger comes around asking questions about her husband being a suspect in a stagecoach robbery before his heroic death (saving children during a fire at local school), she just can’t handle that! Her husband was a hero and his character will not be tarnished! Besides, she knew him and can’t imagine his robbing a stagecoach! Also, they are poor so where would all that money be? Matt is not going to let up on his investigation though! I loved both characters so much! Also, Matt takes in a local boy, Jesse, who needs some loving care and it’s awesome! I really liked this book for so many reasons! I heartily recommend it!
Haywire, Texas 1887
“Hold it right there mister! Matt Tagger froze in place. The woman’s voice sounded serious, as did the metallic click announcing she was armed.”
“You can put your shotgun down, ma’am, he said. I mean you no harm.”
“Name’s Taggert. Matt Taggert, Texas Ranger, he said.”
Their first meeting was at gunpoint. Ella-May Blackwell’s gun that is… He was looking for her husband in relation to a crime. Then she told him he was dead.
Matt was searching for proof that Neal Blackwell had committed a crime but the town had deemed him a hero from helping getting children out of a fire and dying himself.
Ella was the daughter of an outlaw so life with Neal had been good but she was still looked down on.
I have fallen in love with western historical romance and Margaret Brownley always guarantees a page turner with her wonderful stories. Follow to see if Matt and Ella-May find love and if Neal was really guilty. You will love it! I read this through Netgallery and the publisher.
While this is my first time reading a book from this author, it will certainly not be my last! Wow! This was an absolutely fantastic introduction to the author’s long list of previous works that I can’t wait to pick up! Don’t let the cover fool you into thinking this is just another typical romance with a hunky cowboy! I was so surprised by the level of depth in both the story and the character development which takes what is seemingly a light, easy read to a whole new level!
A year after the death of Ellie May’s husband Neal, Texas Ranger Matt shows up on her property to investigate Neal’s possible involvement in a stagecoach robbery shortly before his death. The stolen money is still missing along with heirloom jewelry, and Matt is determined to find out what happened to it. Believing her husband is nothing but a good, decent, and honest man, she sets out to prove the Ranger wrong even if that means she must lie to protect Neal’s reputation.
Complicating this situation is the fact that Ellie May’s father was an outlaw and the town has never let her forget that she is just as guilty as her father simply for being his daughter. Ellie May’s strength of character shines throughout the story. She never feels like she quite belongs, and now being the widow of a “hero” only heightens that sense of being a fraud. Faced with the prospect that her husband may have been involved in heinous events, she doubles down to protect not just his character, but the lasting legacy that type of accusation will have on her children’s future. Choices have ramifications to the generations hopefully to come, and Ellie May will do whatever it takes to ensure her children are given a better shot at life than she received.
As much as these types of stories tend to become more about the good guy versus the bad guy, I loved the story’s exploration of living within the shades of gray. Matt’s work with the Texas Rangers has no doubt largely shaped his outlook on life in terms of right and wrong. For him and the other men representing and enforcing the law there can be no in-between. And as much as he tries to adhere to that ideal, he begins to realize that it isn’t that easy given that his family shares a complex relationship with the law just as much as Ellie May’s does. Getting to know her more and the story of her life, he begins to question his fidelity to the Rangers and the work that he can adequately offer. Watching the internal struggle these characters face within themselves was moving, compelling, and truly heartwarming, especially once enough trust was built between them to confide in one another.
Though this is the third and final book in the series, it is a complete stand alone and can be read without fear of missing anything from the previous books. I look forward to picking up the previous titles as time allows and returning to this wild Texas frontier.
Many thanks to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and the author for providing me with a physical copy of the book. This is my honest and thoughtful review.
“The Outlaw’s Daughter” is the third, and it seems the final story in ‘The Haywire Brides’ series. I’ve read all three and enjoyed each one, but this is a series that doesn’t need to be strictly read in order so if you’ve missed any don’t worry you’ll feel right at home – but I’m betting you’ll want to go back to the earlier books when you can.
Ellie-May certainly hasn’t had an easy life, being the daughter of an outlaw sort of made that an impossibility from the start. But she’s found peace, formed a family and life was turning around when her husband died leaving her and her children in dire straits. She’s proud, determined, and stubborn – she and her children will survive on their farm if it’s the last thing she does. When Matt comes to town seeking Ellie-May’s husband as a suspect in a cold case robbery he will destroy every little bit of normalcy and respect that Ellie-May has gained. Unfortunately, for them both in many ways, sparks fly between them quickly but neither want to acknowledge that attraction since they’re on opposite sides right now. Watching them bicker, banter, and fall in love… and deal with the ramifications of that love was a delightful, amusing, and at times, frustrating journey. Two more stubborn people for different reasons would be very hard to find.
“The Outlaw’s Daughter” is rich with interesting secondary characters, a story that feels so natural and realistic, and a couple to root for in finding their happy ending… eventually. I had fun with Matt and Ellie-May’s story, met lots of great characters, and I’m sorry to see this series close. But then, there is always the next series to look forward to. If you love a good Western Historical Romance with lively characters and a story to get caught up in then you should give ‘The Haywire Brides’ series a try. I’m betting you’d enjoy yourself.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Although I’m not normally a fan of romance novels, I couldn’t help but get caught up in this story of Ellie May, The Outlaw’s Daughter, and Matt, the Texas Ranger who has a case to solve. A case that involves Ellie May’s dead husband, who is the major suspect in a stage robbery. Then there’s Jesse, the young boy who’s instrumental in helping Matt solve the case.
Of all the characters, I think I liked Jesse the most. His determination in wanting to be a Texas ranger, and what he was willing to do to convince Matt of that, was like a persistent fly buzzing around a picnic table. But he was a very endearing persistent fly. I also really liked Matt maybe even a little more than I was drawn to Ellie May, which is probably okay because in a romance the reader is supposed to like the hero a lot. That’s what helps keep the reader engaged, hoping that the heroine will figure out how wonderful the hero is, too. Don’t get me wrong, Ellie May is great, and I loved how she was introduced as such a strong woman, facing down the Texas Ranger with her shotgun when she found him in her barn.
The flavor of the west and how hard it was to have a successful farm was very vivid in the story, and my heart ached for Ellie May as she tried to keep her little farm going after her husband died. And I even learned a new old saying, “Too poor to paint and too proud to whitewash.” Apparently using whitewash was just an advertisement of how poor a person was and folks were reluctant to make that so obvious. I didn’t know that.
The relationship between Matt and Jesse that brought out Matt’s paternal instincts was touching, yet not sappy, which fit the two characters so well. It also fit men of that time, men who were even more reluctant to talk about emotional things than men today. That made Matt and Jesse very real and believable and I really enjoyed the parts they played in this story.
Some of the plotting was a little thin, and I had to suspend disbelief in a couple of places to accept some of the things that characters did, but it was worth it. I really did want to find out whether Ellie May’s dead husband, Neal, had been the stagecoach robber. Being a robber was in stark contrast to the man who charged into a burning building to save the children, but yet, there were all those clues, and the bag of money. And I certainly wanted to see Roberts, who had purported to be a friend of her late husband but was really part of the stagecoach hold up, get his comeuppance. Unless that involved him telling everyone that Neal had been his partner in the robbery.
I invite you to read this terrific historical novel and meet all these people and find out whether Neal was a good guy or not.
The characters are sympathetic, the storytelling is topnotch, and the romance is sweet.
See my full review at maidamalby.com
The Outlaws Daughter is the third book in the Haywire Brides Series by Margaret Brownley. It can be read as a standalone (I haven’t read the other in this series yet and got along just fine), I will be going back and reading the rest of the books in this series though.
I loved Texas Ranger Matt Taggert in this book! His balance between doing his job and his feelings for Ellie-May was interesting to see. I thought that there was good chemistry between the two main characters and that Matt showed respect for everyone involved. Ellie-May is a great southern Momma (at night when she hears a noise, her first thought is to reach for her shotgun under her pillow!), she is a well-behaved lady who takes care of those around her, and she loves her kids. She is someone I would love to meet in real life. The plot of this story was interesting, it had fast-paced scenes and slower-paced scenes, and I liked the western feel to the town. It kept me engaged throughout the story. I liked the small town where everyone knew everyone, which is not always a good thing, but it was cool to see the town interact with the characters.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the fun characters, the cool western town, and the storyline .
*I volunteered to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.