Tag Archives: Irene Bennett Brown

Book Review: Tangled Times

Posted on by
2
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedInShare on TwitterShare on Twitter Share

Irene Bennett Brown’s Tangled Times, the second novel in the “Nickel Hill Series,” is a fun and emotionally packed story that takes place in 1901 Kansas. I had the pleasure of reading an Advance Reading Copy.

Jocelyn and her husband Pete Pladson manage a cattle operation on the Nickel Hill Ranch. Their hard work is paying off, but rustlers plague their and neighboring ranchers’ herds, causing grave concern and ugly accusations. Each head of cattle is precious in building the herd, and the cattle thieves usually take the easy prey, calves, which are the future of the ranch.

Jocelyn longs to have children, yearns to hold her own baby. Two children appear separately in the Pladson’s lives, both looking for a stable home. Rommy’s father is unable to care for him; Nila’s mother has kicked the teenager out of the house. This isn’t how Jocelyn planned motherhood, but these children desperately need a home.

The author does an outstanding job of depicting ranch life, describing the territory, fashions of the day and attitudes of the times. This is a delightful and informative novel, a wonderful addition to the “Nickel Hill Series.”

Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedInShare on TwitterShare on Twitter Share

Book Review: Miss Royal’s Mules

Posted on by
2
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedInShare on TwitterShare on Twitter Share

Miss Royal’s Mules by Irene Bennett Brown is a delightful novel that takes place in early 1900’s Kansas.

Without either family or funds, Jocelyn Royal also has no job prospects. Well, at least not a respectable job. She decides to sleep in the livery stable hayloft and in the morning ask the liveryman about a job mucking out stables. Almost asleep, she overhears a stranger ask the liveryman if he knows of a cowhand who could help drive a large herd of mules to Skiddy, Kansas. Jocelyn rushes down the ladder and steps into the lantern’s light to volunteer for the job. It takes a little fast-talking, but she finally convinces the man that she’s qualified for the job.

Jocelyn drives the two-mule-team wagon and cooks for the owner, Whit Hanley, and his other hired hand, Sam Birdwhistle. Besides being capable with stock, she’s a good cook and not afraid of hard work. Her dream to purchase her repossessed small farm is worth every hardship and discomfort.

One early morning she awakes to find her boss gone. The other hired hand claims the boss hopes to be back in a few days and that they are to continue the drive to Skiddy. Together the two manage the herd, but not without misadventures and misgivings.

Finally, they arrive at the boss’s run-down ranch, a place, the neighbors say, he inherited from his father but has never lived. The two manage to get the mules settled and fix up the place so it is barely habitable and …. wait. Where could the boss be? Did he have an accident or maybe even get killed? A lot is at stake here. The money due Jocelyn is critical not only to her survival, but also to bring her closer to getting her farm back.

Miss Royal’s Mules is a fun, engaging, warm-hearted story. I loved the true-life characters and the early-Kansas setting. The author’s research of mules, their temperament and loyalty, is evident. Highly recommended.

Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedInShare on TwitterShare on Twitter Share

Book Review: Where Danger Danced

Posted on by
1
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedInShare on TwitterShare on Twitter Share

Irene Bennett Brown again captures her readers with Where Danger Danced, the second of the Celia Landrey Mystery series. This second cozy mystery is as delightful as the first.

As Celia Landrey guides her last tour group of the season through town, they are distracted by screaming and confusion at a service station where an old fuel tank is in the process of being removed to make way for a new one. To the horror of onlookers, human bones are discovered buried near the old tank.

Celia works hard to preserve her town’s reputation. Pass Creek is not only where her home and livelihood, Landrey’s Inn, is located, it is where she and her late husband of twenty years lived. Active in the small community, Celia is devoted to keeping the town a safe haven, a place where people want to live and visit.

The grim discovery of the skeleton sets the town to humming speculation. The Police Chief, knowing Celia’s penchant for fiercely protecting her town and her determined drive to get to the bottom of a mystery, warns her to let the police do their job. In others words, stay out of it.

Even her fiance, Jake Flagg, discourages her from getting involved. It’s time they set a wedding date and he strongly prefers her to concentrate on that.

But, how did those bones get into that deep hole? She couldn’t let it rest. Cold cases are apt to be less important to the police than current problems. She inquires around town but the townspeople, especially the old-timers, clam up when she asks questions about whose remains have been unearthed. In many different ways, she’s told to mind her own business. Many of her friends are clearly exasperated with her. What’s going on?

Where Danger Danced is an entertaining, captivating read. It’s a perfect sequel to Where Gable Slept. I can’t wait for the next one. The novel is available in both e-book and print formats. For more information about the author, visit www.IreneBennettBrown.com
.

Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedInShare on TwitterShare on Twitter Share