McKenzie by Penny Zeller ~ 4 stars

McKenzie

Penny Zeller

Montana Skies series #1

Whitaker House

About the book:

"Desperate times call for desperate measures" is the reasoning that prompts McKenzie Worthington, a young lady of Boston's high society, to respond to an ad for a mail-order bride for a man in the Montana Territory. McKenzie is desperate, after all, to save her beloved younger sister, Kaydie, from her evil, abusive husband, who robs banks for a living. And so, it is with reckless determination that McKenzie runs away from the comforts of home and hearth to head West and meet her new husband-whom she'll divorce, of course, after she rescues her sister.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures" is the reasoning that also prompts Zachary Sawyer, a rugged rancher after God's own heart, to post an ad for a mail-order bride in various newspapers across the country. Managing a ranch and caring for his adoptive son, Davey, has become more than one man can handle alone, and Zach prays for God to send him a wife with whom to build a life and share his dreams.

When McKenzie arrives at Zach's ranch, she immediately puts her plan in motion, searching for her sister and doing all she can to keep her new husband from forming an attachment. But his persistent kindness and significant self-sacrifices begin to change her heart-and ruin her plans. God has a way of working things out to the good of those who love Him, though, as McKenzie and Kaydie will soon see.

My review:
While I did see room for improvements in this book, I also saw potential. I will definitely be reading the second book in this series.

Here are some things I thought could be better… The dialogue could use some work, but that was only in some areas. Occasionally it would seem a bit dramatic or over done, but that is easily fixed. It seemed to miss some opportunities to bring the reader closer to the characters and what was happening in their lives. Or a scene wasn’t played out, when I think it should have been. Such as when McKenzie and Zach get back from their wedding ceremony, you never know what happens. You just know that McKenzie sleeps in her own room, but you never know if they talked about waiting or what! That seemed an odd thing to leave out of the story to me as it is a pretty big deal in the characters lives. Also, when Kaydie tells her sister that she is pregnant. I felt like you waited such a long time for the sisters to be reunited, then you don’t even get to “participate” when they are really together and catching up for the first time.

The hero and heroine don’t meet until 100 pages into the book, but it seemed to pass quickly for me because of the letters passing between them. McKenzie is a spoiled brat when she first comes into the book, but as the story progresses you begin to see her changing into a more loving, God-centered person.

Zach is a first-rate hero! I loved him. He is so patient and kind! Awesome. He is a hero that is truly admirable. I loved how he took his dad’s advice about the “small things” and was ready and willing to please, compromise, and forgive whenever he needed to. Such a great guy!