{"id":3247,"date":"2009-11-06T18:27:41","date_gmt":"2009-11-06T23:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=3247"},"modified":"2009-11-06T18:27:41","modified_gmt":"2009-11-06T23:27:41","slug":"the-bride-backfire-by-kelly-eileen-hake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=3247","title":{"rendered":"The Bride Backfire by Kelly Eileen Hake"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\"\"<\/a>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/strong><\/span> <\/strong> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n


<\/p>\n

Kelly Eileen Hake <\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n


<\/p>\n

and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

The Bride Backfire<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbour Publishing, Inc (October 1, 2009)<\/p>\n

***Special thanks to Angie Brillhart of Barbour Books for sending me a review copy.***<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kelly Eileen Hake is a reader favorite of Barbour Publishing\u2019s Heartsong Presents book club, where she has released several books. A credentialed secondary English teacher in California, she also has her MA in Writing Popular Fiction. Known for her own style of witty, heartwarming historical romance, Kelly is currently writing the Prairie Promises trilogy, her first full-length novels. Hake is a CBA bestselling author and has earned numerous Heartsong Presents Reader\u2019s Choice Awards. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America.<\/p>\n

Visit the author’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Product Details:<\/p>\n

List Price: $10.97
\n Paperback: 288 pages
\n Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc (October 1, 2009)
\n Language: English
\n ISBN-10: 1602601763
\n ISBN-13: 978-1602601765<\/p>\n

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nebraska Territory, March, 1857<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

\u201cNot again!\u201d Opal Speck breathed the words on a groan so low her brothers couldn\u2019t hear her\u2014a wasted effort since the entire problem lay in having no one around but Larry Grogan.<\/p>\n

Even Larry, despite having the temperament of a riled skunk and a smell to rival one, kept the oily gleam from his eyes when the men of her family were in sight. No, the appraising leers and occasional advances were Opal\u2019s private shame. Hers to handle whenever he tried something, and hers to hide from everyone lest the old feud between their families spring to life once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cFigured you\u2019d come by here sooner or later, since Ma and Willa are making dandelion jelly.\u201d Larry levered himself on one elbow, pushing away from the broad rock he\u2019d lounged against. He gestured toward the abundance of newly blooming dandelions bordering Speck and Grogan lands, but his gaze fixed on her as he spoke. \u201cLet\u2019s enjoy the sweetness of spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d Opal kept her voice level though her fingers clamped around the handle of her basket so tightly she could feel the wood bite into her flesh. Letting Larry know he upset her would only give him more power, and false bravery to match. Lord, give me strength and protection. \u201cNot today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook ripe for the plucking to me.\u201d Larry sauntered closer, but Opal wouldn\u2019t give an inch. Everyone knew that when animals sensed fear, they pressed their advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cDandelion jelly may be sweet, but it takes a lot of work to make it that way. Do it wrong, it\u2019ll be bitter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI like a little tang.\u201d He reached out and tweaked a stray strand of her red hair as he leaned closer. \u201cKeeps things interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opal fought not to wrinkle her nose as his breath washed over her. Instead, she tipped her head back and laughed, the note high and shrill to her ears as she stepped away. \u201cThen I\u2019ll leave them to you, Mr. Grogan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait.\u201d His hand snaked out and closed around her wrist, but it was the unexpected note of pleading in his voice that brought her up short. \u201cWon\u2019t you call me Larry?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2014\u201d Opal couldn\u2019t have found any words had they been sitting in the strawberry patch. She and Larry both stared at where his hand enfolded her wrist. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s wise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t always be wise.\u201d With a wince, he used his other hand to trace the long, thin scar bisecting his cheek. His hand dropped back to his side when he noticed her watching the motion, but something softened in his face. \u201cYou must like me a little, Opal. Otherwise you would\u2019ve left me to die like everyone would expect a Speck to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not really, no. She didn\u2019t speak the words, her silence stretching thin and strained between them. Larry\u2019s sly innuendos were a threat Opal expected, but Larry Grogan looking as though he cared what she thought of him. . . How could she be prepared for that? Why didn\u2019t I notice his advances only began after his accident\u2014that Larry must have interpreted me helping Dr. Reed patch him up as something more than kindness?<\/p>\n

Surprise softened her words when she finally spoke. \u201cI would have helped anyone thrown from the thresher.\u201d Opal\u2019s reference to the incident didn\u2019t need to be more detailed. The man before her would never forget the cause of his scar, just as she\u2019d never forget it was his animosity toward her father that caused him to mess with that machine in the first place.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven a Grogan?\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She would\u2019ve backed away at the desperation written on his face if she could, but she summoned all her courage to stay calm. \u201cBelieve it, Larry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if I don\u2019t want to?\u201d His grip turned painful, bruising her arm. \u201cI know you\u2019d do anything to protect your family. Even deny your own feelings.\u201d Larry moved closer. \u201cAnd I can prove it with one kiss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family would kill you.\u201d She tried to tug her wrist free, only to have him jerk her closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe both know you wouldn\u2019t tell them.\u201d Darkness danced in his eyes. \u201cThis is between you and me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Panic shivered down Opal\u2019s spine at the truth of his words. The one thing she could never do was put her family in danger, and if she told Pa or her brothers, blood would flow until there wasn\u2019t a Speck\u2014or a Grogan\u2014left standing. She stayed still as he leaned in, his grip loosening slightly as his other hand grabbed her chin.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Exploding into action the second she sensed her opportunity, Opal sent a vicious kick to his shins with one work boot. A swift twist freed her wrist from his grasp, letting her shove her basket into his stomach with all her might.<\/p>\n

She barely registered the crack of wood splintering as she sprang away, running for home before Larry caught his breath enough to catch her.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cPa ain\u2019t gonna like this.\u201d Nine-year-old Dave poked his head around the stall partition like a nosy weasel sniffing out trouble.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why you\u2019re not mentioning it to him.\u201d Adam didn\u2019t normally hold with keeping things from one\u2019s father, but telling Diggory Grogan that another one of their milk cows had fallen prey to the strange, listless bloat that had plagued their cattle for the past few years without explanation would be akin to leaving a lit lantern in a hayloft. The resulting blaze would burn more than the contents of the barn.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut didn\u2019t he say that the next time one of those Specks poisoned one of our cows he was goin\u2019 to march over there an\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know that anyone\u2019s been poisoning our cows, Dave.\u201d Adam pinned his much younger brother with a fierce glower. \u201cBut we do know the Specks have had sick cattle, same as us. The last thing either of us needs is to start fighting again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Confusion twisted Dave\u2019s features. \u201cWhen did we ever stop fighting?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s different kinds of fighting, Squirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know!\u201d Dave scrambled after him as Adam left the barn to go find the meanest rooster he could catch. \u201cThere\u2019s name-calling and bare-knuckles and knock-down drag-outs and slaps\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

His list came to an abrupt end when Adam rounded on him. \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d He squatted down so he could look his little brother in the eye. \u201cThere\u2019s fighting for what you believe in, fighting to protect what\u2019s yours, and there\u2019s fighting just because you like fighting. That\u2019s never a good enough reason, understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKind of.\u201d Dave squinted up at him when Adam straightened once more. \u201cHow come we fight the Specks, then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA mix of all three.\u201d Willa\u2019s voice provided a welcome interruption. \u201cOur granddaddies both thought the east pasture belonged to them. Then each of our families believed the other was wrong, and now we\u2019re so used to fighting that we blame each other when anything goes wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike the cows?\u201d Dave processed their sister\u2019s explanation so fast it made Adam proud.<\/p>\n

\u201cYep.\u201d He didn\u2019t say more as the three of them each chased down a chicken, ignoring the angry squawks and vicious pecks as best they could. When everyone\u2019s arms were loaded down with feathers and flailing spurs, they headed back to the barn.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I guess it\u2019s a good thing Pa and Larry are out hunting today.\u201d Dave spat out a stray feather. \u201cSo we can scare some of the bloat out of Clem before he finds out and blames the Specks?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d Willa set her jaw. \u201cBecause no matter what Larry says or how Pa listens, the Specks aren\u2019t poisoning our cows. And the last thing we need is for him to stir things up over nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the last any of them said for a while, as everyone knew it was useless to try to talk over the sounds of a cow belching. Since Dr. Saul Reed had first tried the treatment two years ago on Sadie\u2014when the bloats began\u2014the Grogans had perfected the process to a fine art.<\/p>\n

If a cow grew listless, went off her feed, stopped drinking water, and generally gave signs of illness, they watched for signs of bloat. When baking soda didn\u2019t help, the last hope for expelling the buildup of gas before it stopped the animal\u2019s heart was to get it moving at a rapid pace. On the Grogan farm, that meant terrorizing the cattle with riled roosters.<\/p>\n

Dave darted toward the stall and thrust his bird toward the back, spurring Clem to her feet for the first time that whole morning. She rushed out of the partition, heading toward a corner plush with hay, only to be headed off by Willa, whose alarmed chicken made an impressive display of thrashing wings to drive the cow out the barn door.<\/p>\n

From there it was a matter of chasing her around the barnyard and up the western hill\u2014the theory being that elevating her front end made it easier for the gas to rise out\u2014until the endeavor succeeded or the entire group dropped from exhaustion. Thankfully, they\u2019d yet to fail.<\/p>\n

To an outsider, Adam Grogan would be hard-pressed to explain why leading a slobbering, stumbling, belching cow back to the barn would put a smile on his face, but Willa and Dave shared his feeling of triumph. Sure, Clem might not look like much of a prize at the moment, but she\u2019d been hard-won. Better yet, they\u2019d averted having Pa and Larry ride over to the Speck place with fired tempers and loaded shotguns.<\/p>\n

Much the way Murphy and Elroy Speck were riding toward them right now. Adam tensed, taking stock of the situation. With Pa and Larry out for the day, it was up to him to take care of things.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay here.\u201d He snatched the shotgun from the wall of the barn and rolled the door closed, pushing Dave back inside when he tried to squirm out. \u201cI said stay. And don\u2019t go up in the hayloft either, or I\u2019ll tan your hide later.\u201d With the door shut, Adam slid the deadbolt in place, effectively locking his sister and younger brother in the barn. . .and hopefully out of trouble.<\/p>\n

He strode to meet the Specks, intent on putting as much distance from their stopping place and his family as humanly possible. While Adam didn\u2019t hold with the idea of a feud and did everything in his power to maintain peace, he wouldn\u2019t stake the safety of a single Grogan on any Speck\u2019s intention to do the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cHo.\u201d Murphy Speck easily brought his horse to a halt, followed closely by his second-eldest son. The two of them sat there, shotguns laid across their saddles, silent as they looked down on Adam.<\/p>\n

Adam, for his part, rested his firearm over his shoulder, vigilant without being hostile, refusing to offer false welcome. Specks had ventured onto Grogan land; it was for them to state their business. Adam wouldn\u2019t put himself in the weaker position by asking, and only a fool would provoke them by demanding answers.<\/p>\n

Good thing Larry\u2019s not here. The stray thought would have earned a smile under any other circumstance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s your brother?\u201d Murphy\u2019s gaze slid to toward the corners of his eyes, as though expecting someone to sneak up on him.<\/p>\n

Not a good beginning. He sure as shooting wasn\u2019t about to tell two armed Specks he was the only grown Grogan around the place. Adam just raised a brow in wordless recrimination at the older man\u2019s rudeness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Pa means to say,\u201d Elroy\u2019s tone held a tinge of apology, though his stance in the saddle lost none of its steel, \u201cis that Pete\u2019s seen your brother on our land a few times this past week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d I knew he\u2019d been up to no good when he hadn\u2019t been helping fertilize the fields. Something else stank. Adam\u2019s jaw clenched.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of our cattle have the bloat.\u201d Murphy\u2019s statement held accusation, though his words didn\u2019t. The man walked a fine line.<\/p>\n

\u201cOurs, too.\u201d Adam lifted his chin. \u201cMust be a common cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCommon cause or no, seemed maybe a reminder was in order.\u201d Elroy\u2019s level gaze held a deeper meaning.<\/p>\n

His father wasn\u2019t half so diplomatic. \u201cThe next time a Grogan steps foot on Speck land without express invitation, he won\u2019t be walking away from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam ignored the sharp drop in his stomach at the irrefutable proof tensions were wound tight enough to snap. \u201cGood fences make good neighbors.\u201d He gave Speck a curt nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cFences and family, Grogan.\u201d Murphy\u2019s parting words came through loud and clear. \u201cWatch yours a bit closer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It will be difficult to review The Bride Backfire<\/a> without giving too much away but I’ll give it a try. Imagine if you can – two families in old west Nebraska territory who have been feuding for several generations over a disputed piece of property. Everything that goes wrong for one family is blamed on the other family and vice-versa and any transgression is grounds for death. Adam, the oldest Grogan son and Opal, the only Speck daughter have long attempted to thwart any more bloodshed between the families while Adam’s brother Larry seems to delight in keeping things stirred up.<\/p>\n

When Adam is caught on Speck property with an incriminating note in his pocket, Opal hastily does the only thing she can think of to save his life. Their immediate shotgun wedding\u00a0 is the result and Opal finds herself a part of the Grogan clan, her family’s enemies. The Bride Backfire<\/a> chronicles the days that follow, complete with secrets, threats, scheming, tragedy, love, and faith. As can usually be expected from this author, The Bride Backfire<\/a> has her signature humor, character conflicts, and a spiritual message. In this volume, forgiveness and the way one lie (even for a good reason) can take on a life of its own are well illustrated. Perfect for those who enjoy a light historical romance.
\n <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,31,41,44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-giveaways","category-romance","category-western"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3247"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3252,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3247\/revisions\/3252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}