The Montana Marshalls

I don't know that I ever reviewed a whole series of books at one time before, but there is a first time for everything.

 My actual review will be after this part:

  Susan May Warren is not an author I have read many books by. There are two reasons: A lot of her books have been just romance, which I steered away from for several years. The other reason: About 9 years ago, I read a book by her and was bothered by the use of a couple curse words in her Christian book. I sent her a polite email, and she defended it, saying "that is what that character would have said." I wasn't impressed, and quit reading her stuff.

 Somehow, I ended up on her email list and had been getting emails about this series each time a new book released. They sounded really good, but I hadn't seriously thought about reading them. Back in February, I was on my trip to Amish Country, Ohio. As part of the package deal I had got at the motel I stayed at, I had coupons for free things in the area: loaf of bread one place, a bottle of BBQ sauce another, cheese, etc. One coupon was 20% off a purchase at the small Christian bookstore in Sugarcreek, OH. They had this series of books, so I bought the first two. After I got home, I ordered the next two. After reading the first one, I ordered the 5th and last one.

My review:

  I don't need a book to be blatantly Christian to enjoy it. I like the absence of cursing, and the message of Christian books. As I read Knox, I wasn't sure it WAS Christian. There was a lot of beer drinking going on, and not much to indicate it was Christian. But it was good. Really good. So I kept on reading, and the books did become more Christian in content,  and less beer drinking. :)

  The Montana Marshalls are about a family of 6 siblings: Reuben, Knox, Tate, Ford, Wyatt, and Ruby Jane. For some reason, the oldest one, Reuben, did not get his own book. There is a lot to like about this series, and one things was that the characters are all in all 5 books, and the author set up the next story a book or two ahead.

 The books have a lot: suspense, assassins, special ops, CIA, and more. They go from rural Montana to Seattle, to Russia. They have country music concerts, covert ops, bombers,  family, fights,  and a lot of surprises along the way. I don't think I could have liked the series and characters more. This is a totally awesome series, and the author outdid herself. And no cursing :)

  I had two favorite characters: Wyatt Marshall, the hockey player, who goes to Russia to save the woman he has loved since he was a teenager, and comes back with more than he went for. (I am not going to say what...read the series!)  There is a really moving scene in there regarding him and his deceased father's Bible. My favorite character came on the scene in the 3rd book, Ford. York is the son of former missionaries who were killed when he was a kid. He was a Marine, CIA agent, and has killed a lot of people...all as part of his job. Slight spoiler here: He didn't consider himself a good guy, but ends up as the love interest of the only female sibling. The 5th book, Ruby Jane, ends up being as much his story as hers. As the author put it at the end of the book, for a man like him to realize it was possible for him to be saved, he had to forget his past...so he loses his memory in the last book, and it becomes the most Christian/spiritual of all five, and is the best of this awesome series. I highly recommend it, and it has caused me to buy her Montana Rescue Series, with the exception of #6. I was trying to get bargains, and not having any luck with it :)