![]() Meghan Brehon I’m game for any story about a young woman kicking ass and taking names, so this tale of 17 year old Jessilyn taking the identity of a man and becoming a gunslinger in the American Wild West caught my intrigue. Romance isn’t one of the main focuses of this book (as it so often is), rather the narrative is concentrated on Jess’s escapades as she sharpshoots her way across the state looking for her brother. I liked the focus on family in this novel, specifically on the brother-sister relationship. I find that sibling relationships are often lacking in many books, so this was a refreshing change of pace. Although Jess and Noah are in very different circumstances, I found that their relationship is a lot more relatable than many others in popular literature: they often don’t see eye to eye, they fight a bit, but ultimately this doesn’t impede their bond as siblings. As one would expect from a novel where the main character is posing as the opposite gender for a good portion of the book, there is a focus on gender. Jess isn’t about to marry some rando and sit around on a ranch while there is a life of adventure out there for her. At every turn she defies what her Pa expects of her to do as a woman and instead does what she feels is right for her (for the most part this just involves a lot of her practising shooting with her Pa’s pistols and the Sharps). Jess does what she wants and what she thinks is necessary, and doesn’t allow herself to be contained by the limits set by her gender. This gives her a very endearing spunk. Her grit and self determination make her easy to like. One thing that I wasn’t expecting from this novel was how it integrates LGBT+ content. It doesn’t necessarily focus on the issues surrounding a lack of acceptance of LGBT people (especially in the time that this book takes place), but rather just featured gay relationships. And let me tell you, (I mean I can’t really tell you without spoiling anything, but) the main relationship toward the end of the book was giving me life. This relationship is a highlight in a section of the book that is otherwise unfortunately a bit dry. Despite the high energy nature of the novel, there are a few lulls in the action (especially toward the end). Don’t get me wrong, the book is fast paced and full of gun slinging action, but it had its moments where it could have used a swift kick in the rear to pick up the pace. Finishing this book, I was wondering how many times the word “whiskey” is used (I’ll wager somewhere between several and quite a few (they really love talking about whiskey)). If you’re looking for an epic (which spans the Wild West and features LGBT relationships) of a girl who, in her quest to find her brother, starts breaking necks and cashing cheques, then I recommend you give this novel a shot (see what I did there? Heh heh).
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