Review: Claiming Mariah by Pam Hillman (Litfuse Blog Tour & Giveaway)

April 10, 2014

Title: Claiming Mariah
Author: Pam Hillman
Publisher: Tyndale House
Pages: 373
ISBN: 978-1-4143-8975-2
Publication Date: January 17th, 2014

Synopsis: 
After her father’s death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family. When Slade Donovan, strong willed and eager for vengeance, shows up on her front porch, Mariah is not ready to hear his truths: her father’s farm, the only home she’s ever known, was bought with stolen gold. With Slade ready to collect his father’s rightful claim and force Mariah and her family out on the streets, Mariah must turn to God for guidance. Though Mr. Frederick Cooper, a local landowner, promises to answer her financial woes if she agrees to be his bride, Mariah finds herself drawn instead to the angry young man demanding her home.

With the ranch now under Slade’s careful eye, he unearths more than he ever imagined as a devious plot of thievery, betrayal, and murder threatens the well-being of the ranch, endangering those who hold it dear. As the days dwindle until the rest of the Donovan clan arrives at the Lazy M ranch, Mariah and Slade must rise above the resentment of their fathers and see their true feelings before greed changes their futures forever.
 Review:
When Mariah's father was dying, he admitted to wronging a man he used to know. They were prospectors together. However, after an argument, he took off with the gold. With this money, he bought the ranch that Mariah had grown up on. He was sorry, and Mariah took it upon herself to write a letter to the man. The reply she received was not what she was expecting, actually, after the amount of time that had passed, she didn't think they had received the letter until Slade and his brother showed up on her front porch.

This is a story does well to point out, people are not always who they say they are. Who is in the right? Who is wrong? Who had the worst offense...or does it even matter in the end? Mariah has to do her best to determine who each person truly is and what their true motives are.

Claiming Mariah is a fun western full of cows, adventure, and cowboys! It reminded me a bit of Romeo and Juliet...not the depressing everyone dies sort of way...far from that. It was in the feuding families aspect. The anger and bitterness of one generation can be passed down to the next so easily and the truth of the feud can get a bit jumbled in the mix. If there isn't any willingness for forgiveness, the ability to move on from the fight will never happen.

 This was a fun story to read, I love westerns, so the book already had a big positive for it, and the story also had a quick pace which made it so easy to read. I look forward to reading more by Pam Hillman.

Too Read
4 out of 5

About the Author:
Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn't afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn't mind raking. Raking hay doesn't take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that's the kind of life every girl should dream of!





Giveaway: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to the Tyndale House and Litfuse Publicity, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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