“Absolutely loved this story! A twist from your normal western.” ★★★★★“If you’re a fan of fast-paced stories, full of well-written action, a touch of romance, and an incredibly smart wolf, then Heroan is the book for you.” ★★★★★In a future world where the Wild West never died, a haunted gunslinger must let go of the past before her life goes up in flames.When twelve-year-old Cameron Hale watched … flames.
When twelve-year-old Cameron Hale watched helplessly as her mother was gunned down in front of their home at Heroan Ranch, she swore she’d have her revenge. Now she’s a jaded twenty-three-year-old with too many secrets and plenty of scars to remind her of her failures.
After months of tracking her mother’s killer across the territories, all she has to show for her efforts are stifling self-doubt and the growing sense that her mission has put her sisters in danger. To make matters worse, Luke Kendrick, a rugged former soldier who asks too many questions, is threatening to turn her self-contained world upside down.
Luke has never shied away from a challenge, and Cameron is the kind of mystery he can’t walk away from. But when his town is destroyed by the very enemy she is hunting, she’s the only one he can turn to for help.
With her sisters’ lives at risk, Cameron knows teaming up with Luke could be her best move, but one more mistake could cost her everything. In a world where the line between wrong and right is a moving target, can she find the strength to save them all?
Heroan is the gripping first book in The Hale Gunslingers western romance series.
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Interesting and gritty tale. Cameron was from the line of Hale Gunslingers and was hunting Declan for revenge. She came upon Luke, and the two became friends and more as they tracked their foe. Cameron was a strong, determined young woman doing what she does best. Luke joined her after finding his family and village burned, and he brought along his companion, an intelligent she-wolf. They complemented each other, and it was quite a journey. The story did not really end as the hunt continues for Declan, with the help of Cameron’s sisters.
I received a copy of this story through Enticing Journey Book Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.
Heroan is a great dystopian read. Not a genre I read a lot but I love western and the word gunslinger got my attention. Finding out the gunslinger was a female lead character sold me. The book is well written, easy to follow when the viewpoint changes . There are several twists, lots of action, lots of chemistry, even though there is no on page sex, the romance sizzles. Kinley the wolf is an awesome companion and a main character in her own right.
I. Loved this story and book two can’t get here soon enough!
Heroan by Casey Bering
4
Very few people know about the mysterious lineage of the Hale sisters. Not only are they all named after men but they are gunslingers. A secret that could cost them their lives.
When Cameron’s mother was murdered right before her eyes she was determined to seek revenge as soon as she was old enough.
Along her way of trailing Declan, the murderer, Cameron meets Luke. An attraction that is put aside until later. Together their journey begins.
Absolutely loved this story! A twist from your normal western. Gunslingers, bounty hunters, warrants (thugs), trains and horse carriages.
A great introduction yo a new series and a new author. Can’t wait for next installment about the other Hale sisters!
***I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review***
First, full disclosure. I only read half of Heroan. You may think that I shouldn’t write a review for a book I didn’t finish, but let me explain.
In my opinion, this is not a book meant for adults and I did not sign up to read something written for teens. If it wasn’t for the gory, detailed, violence, I’d say for sure this was meant for a younger audience because it has all the trademarks of a children’s book, but as it stands, I’m very conflicted about Heroan. I don’t know if I should review it as an adult-novel or as a teen-read. So I guess I’ll do both.
From a teen perspective, this is a perfectly fine, action-filled story about a young woman set out to avenge the murder of her mother eleven years prior. In a dystopian future, where life has reverted back to the likes which were found in the Old West, you get to follow her on her path to track down this vicious, evil killer. The pace of the story is pretty fast and there are many forward jumps which increases the pace further.
I like that the main character is a really strong young woman. Girls absolutely need that kind of empowering reads. I also liked that Cameron didn’t let her attraction to a guy get in the way of her mission, or make her totally silly and girly. However, the overly descriptive violence is a bit inappropriate for a kids read, but maybe it would be suitable for 15-16 year-olds?
As a more distinguishing, adult reader though, Heroan doesn’t cut it.
The book is entirely driven by events and descriptive action, not by the characters, and their perceptions. In fact, the characters are just crude outlines of people with very little personality to them. And the book starts off with a barrage of back-story which is pretty much the exemplification of a mistake made by inexperienced authors. Even the dialogue is mostly used as a way to provide even more back-story, not as a means to get to know the characters.
That’s really the main thing lacking in Heroan, character development. There’s nothing wrong about that way of writing per se, but in an adult novel it usually doesn’t work. I need to feel connected to the characters. I need to feel I care for them and their fate or, at the very least, are fascinated by them. They need personalities and depth which I’m sorry to say is sorely lacking.
There are also quite a few unrealistic portrayals and plot-holes that pulled me out of the book. The world-building for one. It’s supposed to be dystopian, but what should have been a hard life is glossed over and instead it is portrayed as rather quaint rather than challenging. Also, there are very few hints to confirm the dystopian future-part. Hardly any technology, only nice and fresh forest country.
Then there are quite a few instances where Cameron just acts way illogical. The most blatant one being that she apparently follows her target by foot going on instincts alone. Another one is assuming that a bad guy that got away decided to run instead of waiting somewhere nearby just waiting to pick her off.
The clashes between sudden bouts of graphic violence and the rest of the picturesque setting is maybe a stylistic choice the author made. But to me is doesn’t fit. If the Heroan world is so obviously violent, the people in it shouldn’t be so naively ignorant and unprepared.
In conclusion, I give Heroan a rating of 4 as a teen-read, and a 2 as an adult read. I’m not going to lie, I’m very disappointed. I love a good dystopian novel. This just wasn’t it.
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