On the surface, Jake
Sheridan is an easygoing man whose problems roll off him like water off a
ducks back. Truth is, Jake holds so many past demons inside him, he
darent let them out for fear hell never get them all back in. He and the
Devils are hired to help rebuild a town ransacked by marauders.
Everywhere they turn, they encounter secretsenough secrets to turn the
town to dust if they dont uncover the truth. Only one person in town
isnt glad to see them: Gabrielle Rinaldi, the millers daughter. A strong
and independent woman who is used to being disrespected for speaking
her mind, she makes no secret that she doesnt believe hired guns are the
answer to the towns woes. Yet she finds herself drawn to the enigmatic
and charming Jake. In spite of himself, Jake falls hard and fast for
Gabby. But shes wary of handing her heart to a man who lives by his
guns. When tragedy strikes, Jake and Gabby must fight to find a way to
save the townand their hearts.
Comment: Here we are again in another TBR challenge pick! This month the theme is More Than One (An author who has more than one book in your TBR). I could have picked many but I sticked with Beth Williamson anyway because 1) I'm a good person and I give second chances - usually and 2) I wanted to see if I'd be proven wrong.
You see, last month I've read the first installment in this Devils in Horseback series and it wasn't a success for me. This is sad because like I said then, I had read most books in another series by the author once and they were - ARE - amazing with some titles being very good.
What I don't understand is, how could the author write such amazing stories in the first written series and later writing the one where this Jake is inserted? It seems very strange how these things happen but I swear it doesn't feel the same thing at all! The other series has amazing characters, the plots/development feels amazing, it shows the author thought about emotion and continuity. In this one it looks like a bunch of romance ideas thrown together and then the execution is sloppy and meaningless.
I can't explain it and in the end it's not something that I care about, but it annoys me how writing can be so different in terms of talent from one year to another.
The first book, Nate, had a weak plot, weak characters and a weak execution. I was hoping this one would prove me wrong and tat the first one was a fluke, an error in execution, a glitch in the author's career, all author have worst books after all.
Unfortunately I was not proven wrong and this one isn't any better. I got that from the start but I like to finish my books, I want to congratulate myself on trying, on being able to grade and rant with all knowledge if that's the case. I picked this author in the end because I have the third book in the series to be read too. And I'll read it too which may seem weird but it's one less book to wonder and to feel guilty about but I tell you, it will be another disappointment for sure.
One of the worst things about this Devils in Horseback series is the fact the ideas in the stories are actually good and done well they could turn this into good books. But somehow the author doesn't develop anything properly.
Jake opens up with the guys - minus Nate now, he married - arriving at another small town and something weird is going on. No one walks the streets, houses are closed, there's a strange vibe in the air. I think the suggestion and possibility was quite interesting but the development was really bad. The author uses clichés that don't match the type of environment that exists and many characters don't serve any valuable purpose. Even the villain - despite not being such a surprise - was mistreated because the reasons were so stupid it removed the uniqueness of the whole situation.
The town is facing problems and the Devils are supposed to help but there's no polished execution of the scenes where they could solve the mystery and what happens becomes pointless.
The romance is stupid, sorry. If they were described as two people just sharing a special time I think it would matter less, but to say they were falling in love like that - and it's not the sex that makes me say this it's their interactions apart from that - is diminishing what falling in love should be in the first place. I never felt convinced of the feelings between hero and heroine and honestly who cared, I was so annoyed at how the author didn't seem to even try to make their relationship important.
In the end, this book and the previous one and most likely the others too, there's one huge issue that makes everything bad and disappointing: the ideas are there but the author apparently didn't respect her own concepts and the execution is beyond poor, there's no substance, no heartfelt emotion, everything feels automated to start, go and finish.
What a poor dealing of potential characters and ideas.
Maybe it's me and I'm being unfair but sincerely this series seems to be unpalatable.
Grade: 3/10
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