Alphabet Soup Challenge: Beth Williamson - Zeke

Intense, reserved and known for his strategic thinking, Zeke Blackwood has struggled to find his place in the post-war world. After the violent death of the first woman to capture his heart, Zeke retreats into a whisky bottleuntil hes handed the position of town sheriff. Zeke sobers up and tries his damnedest to be the best lawman he can be. He hadnt counted on the tempting new saloon girl to jeopardize his cold, unhappy existence. Naomi Tucker is a survivor, a woman who made it through the war on her own wit and strength. She hoped moving to Tanger, Texas would bring her the peace and stability she yearns to find. Instead she runs head-on into a cool-eyed sheriff who welcomes her to his bed, only to push her away. The wildness of the West is far from tamed. It threatens the towns efforts to rebuild, Zekes bond with the Devilsand his fragile relationship with Naomi. As Zekes hold on sobriety slips, he and Naomi must choose between settling for half a life apart, or embracing all they could be. Together.

Comment: This is the third installment of the Devils in Horseback series by Beth Williamson. I thought it was a great title for Z in the Alphabet Soup Challenge, although in terms of content I was very apprehensive because the previous two books were incredible failures in my opinion. I think part of me only kept going because I didn't want to lose the handy title... :D

 

This is Zeke's story. He's a character that has suffered a tough blow in the previous book when the woman he was falling in love with was killed in front of him. This book starts with him battling being a drunk and accepting the position of sheriff. People are starting to trust him so Zeke has to prove being worthy. He didn't count on Naomi Tucker, a woman new in town that reminds him of the woman he was falling for.

Naomi arrived at the city with nothing and only wants a job and a meal. She starts working at the saloon but makes it clear she won't work at her back. Zeke seems fascinating but there's also a side of him Naomi doesn't know if can be trusted...

 

Ok, to be honest I have to say that yes, this book is slightly better than the others. It seems more consistent, more interesting and much better planned and executed. Does this make it good? Not really, but if you compare with it something bad, obviously it has to be better.

Although it's easier to follow in terms of plot and it's more approachable in terms of development, I still think the major problems the other books had keep on going in this one.

 

I think it's incredibly annoying how quick the main characters have sex. This isn't a story sexy enough to be erotica, honestly. So, considering it's an historical and there are society rules that simply didn't occur as easily as they could today, I think it's annoying to see two characters meet and from not wanting to be close to the other because they are attractive and dangerous, romantically speaking, to have sex without any care after a single kiss is a bit too much.

I mean, what kind of message, what relationship can happen from here? Sure the author did it, but for me it didn't sound believable or romantic.

 

The development of the story is pretty basic. I don't mean to say the author isn't good, of course we can see the efforts done and I did read her before and some other books by her are so amazing... it's a mystery to me how books written by the same person can feel so different, but the truth is, the series in which this story belongs, just isn't good, period.

 

The plot revolves much around easy happenings concerning the town an a man who owns the hotel that might be shadier than he looks. I'm ok with simple plots. Comparing to the previous book where everything felt exaggerated, this actually read easier. But there's something missing. I don't think the connection between plot and characters runs smoothly, so everything feels kind of boring.

 

The main characters don't seem intriguing to me. Zeke, in particular showed signs of being weak when it came to drinking. I don't think the book is written as well as it could when it was about that. Drinking is a serious issue and people do lapse, but the whole tone and content of the book made it sound trivial and Zeke not doing things like a hero "should" also made it look worse. I just think it wasn't very emotionally appealing or well presented.

Naomi seemed more interesting yes, but she could have been better developed, her personality could be more polished. I do think it would suit the story better.

 

All in all, the same bad, uncaring behavior towards sex ruined the story. Such a big deal at those times treated here with redundancy and recklessness...I just don't feel it's the right way to write about it. The plot was minimal, but since most characters didn't show any amazing feature...it's all very bland. This books reads better but still weak. it almost didn't make to a positive note...

I don't think I'll continue.. there are two books left.. maybe one day but not so soon...

Grade: 5/10

TBR Challenge: Beth Williamson - Jake

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

Beth Williamson - Nate

Nate Marchand grew up as the only son of the town drunk. As a Confederate soldier, he found that order in the chaos was the only thing that kept him sane. Numbers, information, keeping everything in its proper place became second nature. The chaos of the war and its aftermath sent him into a rigid state that he couldn't seem to overcome.
He and his friends, nicknamed Devils on Horseback, leave behind the aftermath of war to start fresh in the west. Their new business venture flounders and desperation drives them to take whatever work they can. The Devils are hired to remove the Taggert family from land claimed by Samuel O'Shea, the largest landowner in Grayton, Texas.
When he meets Elisa Taggert, his entire world shifts beneath him. Attracted, bewildered, and off-kilter, Nate ignores his conscience in favor of his wallet. The simple task of removing a woman, a boy, and an old man, along with a small herd of cattle, resembles a Medieval siege.
Nate wrestles with what he knows is right with what he must do. Will his love for Elisa overcome his need for survival?

Comment: This is a book I've had my eye on for a long time. The author isn't unknown to me, I've read her Mallory family series and I liked all books. Some better than others but that's to expect in a long series. At the time, there were only seven books but I just noticed that there are more installments. However, I don't plan on reading those. I like to keep my memories of reading the series as it was.

This book, Nate, is the first in another series, The Devils on Horseback, an I've wanted to read it for a long time. This month I finally scheduled this one.

As I said, this book is the first in a series of five, about a group of men who fought in the war and now are traveling trying to find work or means to support themselves. They're called the Devils on Horseback because they were dangerous and powerful together. Some of them are brothers and cousins.

Nate has been a friend of the guys for a long time, their families had a connection and Nate is one of the guys although his education is a bit more refined.

The story starts with the guys arriving at the city of Grayton and trying to find work saying they're a company ready to provide any service, D.H. Enterprises. They get the attention of a powerful man who wants to remove a family from a piece of land he claims belongs to him. The guys try to do that but they find out the family is a group of three, an old man, a young woman and a adolescent boy.

Elisa, the woman, is feisty and ready to defend her family at any cost and she keeps trying to make Nate and the guys go away. There's attraction between her and Nate though and their relationship will be starting point to some unexpected revelations.

This book has several issues that don't allow it to be good in my perspective. I was quite amazed - negatively - by how different this was from those wonderful books by her I've read in the past!

I'm not sure what's the intent here but this story in particular didn't work out very well.

I'll write down a list of things I disliked in the book. Maybe some issues can be spoilerish for you but I'll try to contain it:

- as expected, the hero and heroine hit if off right away. They meet, they barely speak but their relationship - which never felt complete or meaningful by the way because they never actually talked about themselves - progresses fast from attraction to sex and later on to commitment. This is to be expected and yes, there's a HEA at the end but knowing it will happen and seeing how it happens doesn't mean it's as special and meaningful as one might hope for. This disappointed me a lot because I never got to believe in their relationship.

- the writing itself felt really distant from the other books. It felt more put of place, sentences seemed automatic, it was almost as if the writing didn't flow. The situations based on plot needs were awkward, never done in the right times, for instance, the intimate moments between Nate and Elisa were completely out of character from their personalities (young innocent girl, self assured gentleman behavior) and the things they were doing. Very inappropriate for the dangerous or unlikely situations they were in at those times.

The pace also didn't help much because it looked like everything was happening fast without any world building good enough to support what was being described.

- Elisa is the heroine but she never acted like a young girl from an historical setting and era, no matter how different her upbringing and surroundings were. She practically attacked Nate and her behavior seemed very away from what should be like. Of course I wouldn't mind if she were demanding and strong and decided to try to save her ranch and land, but to not care about propriety and society rules seemed over the top and nothing like an historical should be. Again, so different from other heroines by the same author who weren't unbelievable like this even if feisty and strong willed.

- There are things to uncover about Elisa's family and some secrets weren't as obvious as that so I liked that there was some surprise. But the way things were done annoyed me. Really, the writing of this book was really poor, I can't understand it. The end was a bit weird as I wasn't sure what was really happening but to be honest by that point I just wanted it to be over.

All in all, this story was a great disappointment. There were some small hints of the author I liked before but for the most part, the elements in the book, especially main couple and plot situations really made this be bad.

I have the two following ones to read. I'm reading the next one this month, hopefully it's better and this was just a bump in the road. Hopefully.

Grade: 3/10