A TEXAN'S HONOR by Shelley Gray

Will McMillian fought in the war along side his Captain, Clayton Proffitt. Now he's a US Marshall fighting the war on crime by working undercover pretending to be a member of the notorious Walton Gang. That's where he meets Miss Jamie Ellis. She's on her way to live with her aunts and perhaps marry a fellow she's been writing to. Plans quickly change when she becomes a hostage after the Walton Gang takes over the train. Knowing what the gang is like and what they are capable of Will vows to protect Jamie no matter what the cost. How high a price is he willing to pay?

WOW! This second installment of the Heart of a Hero Series is an excellent story. This author certainly doesn't sugarcoat the life of a gang in the 1870s. The rough and rugged life they lead is painted in a realistic way. This book felt much darker to me than the first book but I think it's because we are getting a good look into the lives of hardened criminals. A Texan's Honor is actually two stories in one. It's pretty much evenly divided between Will McMillian and Scout Proffitt (whom we heard about in A Texan's Promise, Scout is the brother of Clayton). I thought the way it shifted between the two was very well executed while still maintaining a good flow. This story definitely took me on a train ride of emotion. There were things I found amusing but there were many times I found myself wiping away the tears. There were some tough issues to deal with. The author does a great job of allowing you to get inside of the heads of all the main players. Sometimes private thoughts are not so pretty. Although isn't that reality. But it also allows you to see that many times what you see on the outside is very different from what's on the inside. There was plenty of romantic tension, which I LOVED and the characters were true to life and fully fleshed out! I would not classify this as a 'feel good' story but it is a story where there is hope. It had a completely satisfying ending while leaving the door wide open for Book 3, A Texan's Choice! You could easily read this as a stand-alone story but I highly recommend you start with A Texan's Promise. If you like a gritty, realistic, true-to-life, non-sugarcoated story, then A Texan's Honor is the book for you. I have loved this series so far and can't wait for the third installment! Great job Shelley!!! A thank you goes to Abingdon Press for providing this ARC thru Netgalley for my review.
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Abingdon Press (March 2012)
ISBN-10: 1426714637
ISBN-13: 978-1426714634