SARY'S GOLD

SARY'S GOLD
by
Sharon Shipley

• Number: B00SDWMNVQ
• Release: February 18, 2015
• Author: Sharon Shipley
• Availability: E-Book
• Genre: Romance
• Tags: * Rom: Historical, Western, #FirstInaSeries
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

While battling a brutal town and one obsessed man, Sary must change into a ruthless, determined gold miner/outlaw in 1890s California. Upon the untimely death of her husband, Sary is forced into her brother’s charge. Neither is pleased with this arrangement. He's an impotent, sadistic dreamer with ideas of striking gold, using his sister as his mule. Sary finds herself in a surreal nightmare living under a tarp, panning for gold, and looked on lustfully by the debauched in the closest town. A brutal attack by Delacorte’s son, her brother’s accidental death, the discovery of a gold vein as big as Texas, and surviving winter all come together to make Sary a thing of legend and witchery. She is now hunted as fair game, barely escaping with her life. Ultimately, Sary returns exacting revenge in an ultimate showdown with a little help from the man she loves.  (from Night Owl Reviews)

MY THOUGHTS
 Situations in life can change a person completely. That is what happened to Sary.  So much happened to this beautiful and rather naive person.   She was so very young when she married but soon became a young widow.  Her husband had been shot and she was then forced to be under her brother, Seb's household.   Back in the 1880's women had no say so on hardly anything.  The man was in charge of his woman, his family and his word was taken without any question.  When Sary went into her brother's care, both of them weren't happy about the situation.  She soon found out how being under his orders was going to be a real threat to her.  She is forced to go along with her brother's dreams, rather unrealistic dreams, but the gold rush was on and so was Seb's wild dream of striking it rich.  She lives in bad conditions.  The roof over her head was a tarp. She panned for gold in the Big Bear California gold mining town. The men gave her "those looks"?  She soon found herself raped.  Not only that but her brother died in a mine shaft. She now was on her own. Survival was the name of the game. The winters were hard and vicious, the mining town, or outpost as they were called, didn't hold anything good for her.  The beautiful, young naive woman was a thing of the past. She now was a gold miner, seeking revenge against the wrongs dealt her.  The town and its' gold miners were soon to know a new Sary. A Sary who became an outlaw.  What happened to Sary's gold mining?  Did she perhaps hit that once in a lifetime strike?  Was there anyone, just one person, who would help Sary and just possibly become an attraction for romance?  She does love a man, but will that man stand up alongside her and exact the revenge that is due? 

The author gives us a young woman, who had promise, even back when women were to be seen and not heard.  But life stepped in as it always does and situations changed her.   You feel such emotion for Sary at first.   You want her flesh and blood brother to take good care of her but he had ideas of his own.  You want just someone to take her under their wing and help her.  But the author gave us a woman, when under hard, cruel circumstances, stood up, took control and wasn't going for the "woman is seen and not heard".  Perhaps the author was giving us a look into the future, where women were heard along with being seen.  I loved that the author included many pictures to go along with the story.  It gave a real look into the time and what Sary was facing.  You are taken back to the time and place where the gold rush was on and people were wild with the fever of striking it rich.   You could picture Sary alongside a river panning for gold.  You hope she strikes it rich so she can get herself out of the horrible place.  The author keeps you in suspense at times wondering what will happen to Sary next.  The author makes you wonder why Sary stayed with her mean brother.  But as you read you realize that it's similar to today.  Abuse has a way of enslaving you.  But when Sary finally had had enough, she went out in a fury.   The story went along at a steady pace but not so fast that you couldn't take it all in.   The development of Sary was amazing.  I loved that she didn't stay the quiet, reserved woman she started out as.   She stood up, tall and filled with revenge.   So if you like reads that are western filled, suspenseful at times, has a heroine who deserves praise for what she stood for, then this book will give you that.

I received a copy of this book from the author and Night Owl Reviews and voluntarily decided to review it.

I would give this book 4 STARS.