Simple, sweet with a good dose of grit!

This story of greed and suspense is set against the dusty backdrop of the Colorado gold rush during a time where men ruled and women were mere bargaining chips or housemaids. A time where you made your fortune through sweat and tears and most certainly blood.

This story is full of details from this cold, hard period of history but surprisingly diluted with romance. A somewhat classic Old West tale but with twists and turns a plenty!

A fun read!

Millie Virginia works for a family in the south. Not much better than a slave she embarks on adventure out west when she answers a wife want add for a man in Colorado. After arriving from the treacherous trip she finds that her betrothed is dead. He left her all that he had and she decides to stay. Though it seems that someone doesn’t want her there and people are starting to suspect that her husband to be death was really murder. She’s survived the great trip there will the Southern Belle survive the crude conditions of Colorado with a murderer on the loose?

In an Oyster Shell – It was an interesting, intriguing book with a confusing ending.

The Pearls – I am not a fan of historical fiction and I found myself liking this one. I am always impressed when someone can get me to like something that I don’t usually like. I don’t like historical fictions because I feel that they can get bogged down by historcial facts. The author of this book worked the necessary facts seamlessly into the narrative.

The setting of the trail west and the Colorado territory was interesting in comparison to the South that Millie is used to. It made for a great story seeing her in every setting and how she adapted.

The romance was fun and unexpected. Though I had my suspicions. It was contentious at times but ends in a HEA which was nice. The contrast between the two love interests made for great narrative.

The Sand –The ending was not ideal. It’s like it ended in the middle of a conversation.

J.v.L. BELL. The Lucky Hat Mine. Hansen. Trade paperback, eBook, 304 pages, $16, $7.99, HansenPublishing.com.
Genteel Southern lady Millie Virginia comes to Idaho Springs, Colorado, in 1863 as a mail-order bride. Woe is Millie when she discovers that her intended has died in what appears to be a mining accident but at least has left his mine and home to her. When her late fiancé’s brother, the rough and ungentlemanly Dominic Drouillard arrives, the mystery is just beginning. Colorado native J.v.L. Bell provides readers with an entertaining if predictable blend of historical fiction, mystery and romance – plus one really cute goat.
Published in Roundup Magazine, February 2017, in Fiction Book Reviews, Western Writers of America, www.WesternWriters.org

A cracking good story of mail order brides, gold prospecting and life in 19th century Idaho. Admirable female characters; such indomitable role models. One could almost share the aroma of unwashed males! A satisfying conclusion to a whodunnit/ romantic tale.

This was a great book that kept me entertained and wanting more. It was funny, adventurous, and intriguing, truly a wild and whacky ride. However, I did find the content (mostly the constant stream of innuendo) to be a little more than I was comfortable with.

Plot {4/5}:

The plot was (mostly) amazing. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. In the middle it did drag just a little bit, but after Dominic arrived, it picked up again and was as entertaining and captivating as before.

I did solve the mystery involving the treasure Millie’s father hid rather early. It seemed pretty obvious to me as soon as I heard of the treasure existing. However, I didn’t guess the murderer until he was revealed. I was absolutely surprised, not having considered him as a potential suspect.

I was a little bit confused about the Christian content. This is by no means Christian fiction, and I wasn’t expecting it to be. So … why did Millie think about God so much in the first half of the novel … and then suddenly drop it? I wanted to pull her aside and answer all her questions, poor girl. She sounds so confused.

Characters {5/5}:

The characters were all well-developed and original. I was able to keep them all separated in my mind (and there were quite a few). I really liked Buttercup. She was hilarious. And Dominic. I want to meet someone like Dominic; he was really great. Millie amused me, and I found myself empathizing with her on several points. Then there was Mary. She was sweet. I also liked Charlotte … Charlotte was funny.

I think my favorite character was Dom. He was so straightforward, and he wasn’t perturbed by anything.

Setting {5/5}:

Loved the descriptions of Colorado terrain. I want to go there someday! It sounds so gorgeous. Reminds me of the Cascades, only more rugged.

Writing {3/5}:

It could be partially due to the weird formatting I got when I downloaded it, but I occasionally found the writing hard to get through. It wasn’t bad … it just wasn’t amazing. As this was an ARC copy, I’m not going to judge it too harshly, however.

Content {4/5}:

This is where the novel really failed in my eyes. Of course, none of this matters to someone who isn’t as careful with content as I am (and there weren’t any really explicit scenes), but there was a little too much to make me comfortable.

Language: “d*mn” several times, “oh my g*d” and variations of this a couple times, and Millie’s favorite expression is “Oh, Lor.'”

Violence: murders, wars, gunshot wounds, etc. Nothing graphic.

Sexual: many men want Millie to marry them, some as a “bedwarmer” or something like that. Millie wonders repeatedly as to what married couples … do. (Sorry. This is awkward. 😄 ) Mentions of married bliss, sleeping with a man, etc. Millie repeatedly reiterates how inappropriate it is for her and Dom to share a cabin. Dom touches Millie inappropriately. Several mentions of prostitutes. Lots of innuendo. Millie has to remove Dom’s pants (he has long underwear on under them) while he’s unconscious to tend a bullet wound at one point, which wouldn’t be so bad if she weren’t overthinking everything. Just … that kind of stuff.

One star removed. Not recommended for younger teens. 15+ only.

Overall {3.5/5}:

Besides the content, this was an entertaining story that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys hilarious historical mysteries with a touch of romance.

~Kellyn Roth, @reveriesreviews.wordpress.com

The Lucky Hat Mine by J. V. L. Bell was brilliant! The story tells of one strong woman taking the chance on a new life for herself. Her friend brings to her attention of a mail bride order. This would give Millie, aka Red, the chance of a lifetime. Only does she realize that the journey would be anything but fun. Men taking advantage, men after her money, and then the death of her fiancé. Millie has it rough. She has very little. Men are proposing and offering to buy her out...then, she meets the insufferable man. Dom, so happens to be the brother of her dead fiancé. Once Millie informs him about his brother's death both work together to find out who the killer is. Dom is sure his brother was murdered because the fats weren't adding up...the last and expected thing neither of them wanted was to fall in love. A murderer is out there threatening them as they get closer.

The Lucky Hat Mine is intriguing, bold, and hilarious. J. V. L. Bell is a talented writer. I was impressed with the flow of the story. Before I knew it, I was finished reading it. Most engaging pioneer tale that I have ever read. Danger, romance, and murder. All wrapped into one masterpiece. I laughed, cried, and fell in love with both the story and the characters. Overall, I highly recommend this historical fiction to all.

The Lucky Hat Mine is a fun historical Romance, set in the 1860s in Colorado. Millie is twenty three; answering a “Wife wanted” ad, she leaves life as a family servant in New Orleans and heads out west. She may have escaped the raging War of Independence, but soon experiences a loss of civilised comforts and standards as she knew them.

After a mighty three month travelling ordeal, Millie arrives in Idaho Springs to fulfil her role as the new wife of miner J W Drouillard. However, she soon discovers that Mr D recently died in a mining accident; luckily he had already bequeathed his cabin and mine to Millie as a precaution.

What should Millie do? Head back east straight away? Sell the mine and find a place to live, perhaps in Denver? Or marry one of the many townsmen eager for her hand? Wisely Millie decides to take her time and not rush into any decisions. Mr D’s cabin surprises and delights Millie; once an orphan she now owns her first home. Mr D had previously installed some new mod cons at great expensive, in preparation for his new wife.

There is a sense of fun to the storyline: Millie is proposed to on a daily basis by a stream of miners, all anxious to buy Mr D’s mine and take a wife. However, there is also a more sinister side as Millie receives threats from an unknown source, trying to scare her away. Another danger comes with the arrival of a man who knew her father; parents whom Millie never knew. Her illusion of them is shattered when the bandit explains he’s after the silver her father stole. Resourceful and independent Millie deals with him and has him arrested.

When Mr D’s brother turns up, Millie must tell him about her fiancé’s death, but Dom refuses to believe it was an accident and is determined to find the truth. With Millie’s fiery red headed temper and Dom’s ability to constantly ruffle her feathers, the two share the cabin on uneasy terms. Yet they have a common bond in the need to seek the truth behind Mr D’s demise.

The book was a good old western delight. The constant drama of Buttercup the goat kept the scenes light. The details about rocks and early gold mining were interesting, although the news about the war was more stilted and tended towards info dumping. I enjoyed the descriptions of the area and the hot springs, and knew some of the place-names from travelling in Colorado, which gave me a personal link to the tale.

I would recommend this to those who like a fun read, enjoy early US western style colonisation tales, and like a little romance in the story they read.