Book Two of the Snowbound Western Women Series

Reviewed by Rosetta Diane Hoessli, Author

**** (Four Stars)

DESERTED, the second novella in the Snowbound Western Women Series by Margaret Tanner, is similar to the first (ABANDONED, which I recently reviewed) in that it’s also set in the rugged mountains and small towns of Colorado during the 1870’s, but there the similarities pretty much end.

This time Marla, our heroine, who has lived with her selfish, frigid-as-ice aunt since she lost her parents as a child, finds herself homeless and with no options. But before she even has time to process these events, she finds herself drugged, kidnapped, and ultimately left alone to starve in the wilderness.

Although Tanner establishes Marla early on as a woman who doesn’t like confrontation and she seems so intimidated by authority that I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to relate to her, we now see the grit our girl is made of. Even though she’s freezing and terrified, when her will to live takes over and gives her the strength to think straight, she remembers the location of her grandfather’s cabin a few miles away and manages to make her way there.

As we see the methodic progression of how she intends to stay alive, my appreciation for her tenacity and bravery steadily grew – and so did my interest in her story. I especially admire how she never lost her moral compass to bitterness or a desire for revenge as she fought to survive, but instead uses that energy for positive outcomes.

It's when our hero, wounded rancher Brett Harley, literally crawls into Marla’s life that the story takes a turn and she begins to focus on the needs of someone else. Here, Tanner’s descriptive abilities kick in as she vividly portrays his injury and what Marla goes through to save his life. She also does a magnificent job of showing his growing romantic feelings for the woman who’s taking such good care of him – and all the masculine uncertainty that creates. This is a feat not always satisfactorily accomplished by a female author writing in the male point of view.

As in all sweet or cozy westerns or mysteries, there’s no heat or spice in this, but it’s insinuated quite well. And, as always, the ending is happily perfect – no revelation there! – but the growth of these two characters is surprising because it's accomplished in a novella-length western.

I thoroughly enjoyed DESERTED, and am looking forward to diving into ENDANGERED, the third book of the Snowbound Western Women Series.

I’m giving this novella four stars (****).