Bridget is out of money and luck when Lila finds her in Dodge City, Kansas. In 1877, there were not many opportunities for sixteen year old orphans and Bridget was already tired of of the backbreaking chores of housework. Lila offers her a different path and Bridget soon adapts to being a "sporting woman" in the only brothel in town run by women. Claudia Cravens creates endearing characters in Lucky Red that face danger to survive. Bridget''s inexperience in life threatens her safety and the livelihoods of the Buffalo Queen. Their resilience is admirable and the reader cheers for them to persevere. A little spicy, but not too much considering the setting.

Sixteen-year-old Bridget Shaughnessy is pretty disillusioned with her alcoholic father, and the demands men make on women, by the time he dies of a snakebite. Penniless and homeless, the naïve redhead ends up in Dodge City, and is quickly convinced by Lila to work at the Buffalo Queen, the only brothel in town owned and run by women.

Bridget takes to the work; she is happy to be making her own money, is not shamed, and feels no shame in earning a good wage. But, though she is a draw for the local men and a good earner, she never really fully internalizes the brothel's rules, and there is frequent friction between her and Lila. Bridget does become friends with one of her coworkers, Constance, a bookish young woman. She also catches the eye of the Sheriff's Deputy, Jim, who provides the brothel with some measure of security.

Bridget is alternately frustrating and captivating. She's impulsive to a fault, strongly motivated by a wish for freedom, and truly doesn't understand how delicate a balance the Buffalo Queen owners must maintain in Dodge City to ensure their and their workers' financial and physical safety.

Author Claudia Cravens also shows us how the other young women at the brothel fully realize how complicated their positions are, how their jobs entail being attractive and empty-headed to please their customers, but are also appreciative how their work gives them independence in a way marriage does not.

After working for a while, Bridget discovers, after her first crush, that she's attracted to women, something that she's not shamed for, but must keep quiet from the brothel's customers.

Then, everything changes for Bridget when the only female gunslinger, Spartan Lee, comes to town. Bridget is instantly smitten, and begins a relationship with the woman, falling hard. And, because this is a western, there are double crosses, sudden violence and swift death, swearing of vengeance, hard riding after bad people, and flying bullets.

The writing was great, and the characters were well-drawn. Bridget leapt off the page; she's slightly cynical, but also a bit of a dreamer, aching to be heading off at full speed toward adventure.

Cravens creates the kind of western I've been wanting to see more of, where women are central to the story, and female friendship is critical to the main character's trajectory and success.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for this advance copy!

Bridget finds her way to Dodge City, leaving behind her dead father, his debts, and a life of poverty, and is quickly taken in by two women who run a saloon and whorehouse. As Bridget takes to her new profession, she learns about life on the frontier, falling not once, but twice, for women who may or may not mean her well.

I appreciate stories about women finding their way and making their life happen but I found Bridget frustrating as a character. For someone smart enough to survive with her father and the trip out to the prairie, she seemed not so smart at reading people and figuring things out. She is willfully ignorant at times and I don't know how anyone was putting up with her except she was making the deputy happen and bringing in money? I don't know.

I was genuinely surprised by the ending, if for no other reason than I'm not sure how in character it was for Bridget after everything she had experienced, but I did like the writing and I look forward to more books from the author.

Lucky Red follows Bridget as she enters the oldest profession following the sudden death of her father. While working, she begins discovering her sexuality and finding her strength.

This was not what I was expecting at all, but in the best way possible. I was anticipating a much more bleak and depressing scene at the brothel, but these women ran the show and had their own agency. They got what they needed from the men, but they were never controlled by them. I was also expecting much more emphasis on the romance plot, but was very pleasantly surprised by the direction that the story took.

Overall, this was an absolute five star read for me. Westerns are not typically my thing, but this made me hungry for more, and I will be recommending this book to anyone and everyone that I can.

Thank you so much to Dial Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This western focuses on a young woman, Bridget, as she deals with the realities of the American West. The year is 1877, and sixteen-year-old Bridget lives with her father, who often disappears for long periods and tends to go through what money they get quickly. She's learned to handle his moods, and when he announces that he's sold their place and they are going west, she adjusts quickly. But soon after leaving their rustic home, her father is bit by a snake while sleeping and Bridget is unable to save him. She takes their few possessions and continues on, on her own, finding herself in Dodge City. Bridget soon goes through her money there and finds herself, a pretty redhead, invited to join a female-run brothel, the Buffalo Queen.
Not bothered by the sexual expectations of the job, she appreciates the food and shelter and the personal earnings she can accumulate.
Bridget learns from the other women there, and begins to make friends of a sort, particularly with one woman who is more educated that most. As Bridget learns her place in the society of the town, and how to manage the men she services, she also finds herself unable to see herself in a more domestic role. She enjoys the environment she works in, until things change with her naive actions, the feelings of one man who wants more from her than she feels able to give, and her decidedly unprofessional interest in Spartan Lee, a female gunslinger who comes to town.
This is a coming of age tale in an unusual manner, where Bridget learns about trust and betrayal, and the harsh reality of the world.
A great read that builds slowly to faster action near the end.

Title: Lucky Red (publishing date 6.20.23)
Author: Claudia Cravens
Summary: It’s the spring of 1877 and sixteen-year-old Bridget is already disillusioned when she arrives penniless in Dodge City with only her wits to keep her alive. Thanks to the allure of her bright red hair and country-girl beauty, she’s recruited to work at the Buffalo Queen, the only brothel in town run by women. Bridget takes to brothel life, appreciating the good food, good pay, and good friendships she forms with her fellow “sporting women.”
But as winter approaches, Bridget learns just how fleeting stability can be. With the arrival of out-of-towners—some ominous and downright menacing, others more alluring but potentially dangerous in their own ways, including a legendary female gunfighter who steals Bridget’s heart—tensions in Dodge City run high. When the Buffalo Queen’s peace and stability are threatened, Bridget must decide what she owes to the people she loves and what it looks like to claim her own destiny.
A thoroughly modern reimagining of the Western genre, Lucky Red is a masterfully crafted, propulsive tale of adventure, loyalty, desire, and love.
What I loved about this book: I am a huge fan of historically accurate fiction; themes of female empowerment; the author writes in a way that made it easy for me to get into the scene; a twist at the end (I won’t spoil it) that really made the story for me.
Opportunity for improvement: as you can probably guess, there is so much heterosexual intercourse in this book, and it was a bit much for me at times; I was hoping for a bit more “action packed wild west” from the queer female POV, but that wasn’t really what this story was about.
ARC provided by @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #randomhousepublishinggroup #queerbookstagram #lgbt #wlw #lgbtqia #loveislove #queerrepresentationmatters #lgbtqbooks #bookstagram #queerbooks #books #booklover #booksofinstagram #bookish #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #booknerd #lgbtqreads #pride #queerreads #hockey #romance #lesbianromance #wlwromance

I've been dying to read a good, hearty sapphic western and Cravens' book hit the spot. Bridget is every readers favorite kind of FMC. Scrappy, resourceful, beautiful, takes no shit heroine who you come to love and respect with everything you got.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I never considered myself a Western girl, but Claudia Cravens and her queer cowboys have swooped in and changed my mind. I loved this adventure and these characters, and I'd urge more people to give this book a chance, even if it's not in a genre you feel comfortable in. It'll be worth it.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Claudia Cravens's story of a young brothel worker in late nineteenth-century Dodge City, Kansas, offers up a tough young heroine who makes mistakes but whose perseverance and loyalty lead her to an unorthodox life full of friends and adventure.

Practical, tough sixteen-year-old Bridget arrives in 1877 Dodge City without a penny to her name or enough marketable skills to earn her keep.

She begins working at the Buffalo Queen, using her bright-red hair and pure, country-girl appeal to her advantage.

Then Bridget falls for a fellow "sporting woman," and when the Buffalo Queen is threatened, she must determine where her loyalties lie.

I'm a big fan of Western-set stories and the hardscrabble details of life at that time, particularly stories with modern sensibilities superimposed on them.

Bridget is strong and no-nonsense yet also inexperienced and far from worldly. Her decision to become a prostitute is a choice between hunger and a full belly, and she isn't sentimental about sexual intimacy or about what might have been. Just when I was beginning to wonder whether her life in a brothel was being too romanticized, the various dangers one could imagine befalling a brothel in Dodge City begin to destroy the peace and status quo.

Bridget has a chance at a stable new beginning--yet she's young and can't stifle her yearning for adventure. (The way in which this itch is scratched is not likely one she would have chosen, but such is life.)

The bedrock for Lucky Red is made up of wonderful historical fiction details of life in the dusty, volatile, lawless West.

I received a prepublication version of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Dial Press.

You might also like the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Great Historical Fiction Novels Set in the American West and Six More Great Historical Fiction Novels Set in the American West.

I'm not normally into Westerns, but listed as a "Queer Western" I was intrigued. I often proof LGBTQIA novels and have found that their writing often goes a bit deeper into character development which I enjoy. Bridget and her story really drew me in. When her loser father dies in a tragic accident, Bridget must fend for herself in Dodge City. With few options available, Bridget choses the best, and winds up in a brothel run by two women. When Spartan Lee, a rare female gun slinger rides into town, Bridget falls head over heels in love. However, things in the wild west are never what they seem. This is a wonderful feminist twist to the traditional western.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: violence, death, homophobia, misogyny.

Bridget is only sixteen when she arrives in Dodge City, a newly-made orphan with nothing to her name but her bright red hair and boldness. It doesn't take long before she's approached by one of the Buffalo Queen's madams, who thinks that Bridget will earn them a pretty penny with her fresh-faced prettiness. As Bridget learns the trade and lives at the brothel, for the first time she finds herself with money and security, and the friendship of other women. But Bridget's relatively peaceful life will change forever when a female gunslinger and bounty hunter, Spartan Lee, rides into town -- and makes quick work of stealing Bridget's heart. Deeply in love and quickly garnering a reputation as a troublemaker, Bridget's lucky streak is running out, and she won't be the only one facing the consequences in the end.

The word 'cinematic' is used in the blurb for this book, and there's truly no better descriptor for it than that. This is a Western, but one that doesn't simply include women and LGBTQ representation: it centers them totally. It's got all the grittiness and hardness of Tombstone, but also a profound sense of family and connection -- and all the conflicts that come with it.

Our heroine is Bridget. She's known nothing but hardship for the entirety of her sixteen years, and so to her, the Buffalo Queen represents comfort, prosperity, and, again, family. Her two madams take her under their wing, but it's her relationship with Constance, a fellow sex worker, that really ends up helping her to define her life. Bridget is exactly what you look for in a main character: she's tough and bold, but she's also prone to making mistakes and getting herself into situations that aren't easily remedied. What particularly sealed my love for her is the fact that Cravens never shies away from making her sometimes difficult, or petty, or selfish. It makes her instantly human, relatable, someone that you end up rooting for because she is complex and three-dimensional.

Bridget's lesbianism is also a central theme throughout. It's a major part of how she ends up getting herself into so much mischief and trouble, and it was a joy to read about her discovering herself, unable to hide her thoughts or love on her face and all of the other girls being aware that she was head over heels. Lucky Red is primarily a journey of self-discovery, not only with regards to Bridget's sexuality, but also with her trying to figure out exactly what she wants and what she's willing to risk to get it. Also, despite the fact that there is homophobia at play in Lucky Red, it was a relief to have it juxtaposed by the accepting nature of others in Bridget's life. However 'historically accurate' it may be, it gets tiresome to read the same stories again and again, focusing only on the painful parts of being LGBTQ+.

To put it simply, this is a book I will be recommending to everyone. It's sharp, clever, gritty, and an absolutely fantastic homage to classic Westerns. This one deserves its five stars and then some, folks.

Claudia Cravens thank you for such an interesting read. My interest was captured right away as young Bridget is starving waiting for her alcoholic father to return after being left alone for several days. Her resilience and level headed reactions to her father’s horrific demise were so incredibly brave, as was her lonely journey to Dodge City. It came as no surprise that she ended up in the brothel. I so enjoyed reading about the girl’s interactions and relationships with each other at the Buffalo Queen. Their stories drew me in and I felt as if I were there observing them with my own eyes, particularly when Sallie, and then Spartan Lee arrived. I have to admit that Bridget seems to have lost some of her resilience and level headed reactions once at the Buffalo Queen but they returned full force towards the end. So enjoyed the other characters - Constance, the sheriff, Pierre, and the myriad of people living at the Buffalo Queen.
Claudia Cravens’ descriptions actually caused me to think of the Buffalo Queen as another special character in the book. I couldn’t help but think about how difficult it was to live during this time frame as a woman with literally no rights. The Buffalo Queen seemed like it provided the women with a fairly good lifestyle, until poor Bridget felt forced to make her decision. And then their lives seem to implode.
I could not put this down until I finished and had tears in my eyes as I read the powerful ending. These amazing women will live in my mind and heart for a long time to come. Many many thanks to Claudia Craven for writing this fascinating historical western, Dial Press for publishing it, and NetGalley for affording me the pleasure f reading an arc of this just published book. I will be looking for more by this author.

Who needs a Hot Girl Summer when they can have a Western Girl Summer with Claudia Craven’s newest novel?

Lucky Red tells the tale of Bridget, a plucky orphan who treks her way to Dodge City. Tired and hungry, she meets Lila, who recruits her to work at the Buffalo Queen, a women-run brothel. Bridget finds herself fond of her new home: the pay is more than she’s ever had in her life, her regulars are shockingly kind, and the other women become a new family to her. She thinks she would be more than happy to stay there forever until Spartan Lee comes to town. A female gunslinger is unheard of in these parts, and Bridget can’t help but be a little more than intrigued, but her curiosity starts a domino effect of betrayal and violence. Has her luck run out of town for good?

The fact that this is Craven’s debut is ASTOUNDING, as the chapters of Lucky Red read like those of a best-selling author with decades of tricks up their sleeves. Every scene is so beautifully detailed that, if asked, a reader could guide you through the Buffalo Queen with their eyes closed. While some moments were slower than others, the intention was clear, making one feel at ease and comfortable to the point that it felt as if there was no need to rush to the next part.

When I finished this story, I was almost angry with myself that it had sat on my shelf for so long! Who knew one of my favorite reads of the year had been staring at me since January? This is the perfect read for those who grew up reading Little House on the Prairie and loved it but thought that it could use more action for the women.

Lucky Red was released on June 20th, and is now available at your favorite bookstore!

This is not your father's western. It is a very good story about a young woman in the 1870's and 1880's who finds herself alone. At the age of 16, she must support herself in the only manner a lone woman at that time could, in a brothel. But this brothel was run by women so she learned her craft from women who cared for each other. The "sporting women"......I love that description.....formed a loose family unit but Red knew something was missing from her life. When she meets a gunslinger who also happens to be a woman, she finds the missing part of her heart.
Claudia Cravens has taken an unusual approach to what is typically a genre aimed at men readers and turned it a skew or two. While an excellent picture of the life and times in late 1800 Dodge City, Kansas, it's also a romance that finds these two women joining their lives together and how the communities reacted. While I wouldn't recommend this to my 80 yr old uncle who thinks Johnstone is the only true western author, I'd recommend it to just about everyone else.

Wow! This novel is a wild ride in the Wild West – a mildly raunchy adventure. Motherless since birth, Bridget is a red-headed daughter of an alcoholic father whose poor decisions and bad luck lands her in a Dodge City bordello. Scrawny, naive, but not afraid of hard-work, “Red” adapts to life as a working girl making friends with the other girls and learning the tricks of the trade.

As she matures into womanhood, she finds herself attracted to women – first Sallie, a beautiful blonde coworker breaks her heart and then a rough, gun-slinging, Spartan Lee, captures it. In the third act, they plan to run away together and a delightful plot-twist (that I didn’t see coming) delivers a surprise ending. This offering contains all the elements one can expect for the Western genre: cowboys, sheriffs, guns, cardsharks, saloons, hangings, horses, a posses in hot pursuit of robbers, bad guy hideaways, shoot-outs, and snakes (not only the reptilian type).

This is a quick, fun tale steeped in realism and lovable characters. A delightful debut from an author I plan to follow for the next exploit.

Thanks to the publisher, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book blew all of my expectations out of the water. I'm new to this genre, I don't know if I've ever read a "Western" before, but I do know that any I read from this point forward will be compared to "Lucky Red."

The best way to describe this book is cinematic. From the start, the author evoked the setting so masterfully that you felt like you were there. Every sight, every sound, every smell was so visceral to me as the reader. And the unspooling of this story was so artfully done. Tragedy mixed with hope, steel and grit blended with softness. The character of Bridget goes on an amazing personal journey throughout the book that also spans miles of desolate American prairie. She goes from downtrodden child to orphan to sex worker, and then (without spoiling it entirely) becomes a woman with a broken and subsequently healed heart, dependent on no one. with adventure running through her veins. It deserves every star I've given it and more!

I've never read westerns, but when I saw this was a queer western I had to try it. I wasn't disappointed. The writing really captures the place and you can visualize it as you read it.

A sweeping Western Historical Fiction set in a brothel in Kansas in the 1870s.

I loved the writing style; so conversational, like the narrator is finally spilling all her secrets and confessions just to you while you're huddled around a fire on the open prairie.

Usually sex workers and brothels are set pieces in other stories, a place to stop for the night, an interesting side character, someone in the hero's past, etc. Seeing the sex workers front and center and imagining their daily lives was something I haven't read much of and I found it fascinating.

The characters were very humanized. I rarely felt sympathy for anyone but I understood their motivations and desires. Everything felt so vivid to me; I think this would make a great Oscar-bait type movie.

This was very sad and tragic, but also quite adventurous and romantic. (But this really isn't a romance novel.)

For anyone who likes a sapphic take on a wild west, this is a fun and funny romp. The MC is a hoot, and hearing the story from her perspective is entertaining. The book did some interesting things with respectability politics and class. For me, the pacing was a bit off--it was very slow moving for the first 3/4, and then the final culminating action felt rushed at the end. There was a lot of ambiance, and for me I wished there was more happening, and less meandering. That's just a personal preference--for anyone ready to just hang out in the story, it's a good time.

Wow this was the queer western of my dreams. A perfect blend of gorgeous writing, character-driven plot, and a pinch of action.

I absolutely adored Bridget as a main character. Her rise from lonely orphan to whore at the Queen honored the true life options of a woman who found herself single and alone in the late 1800s in Kansas. The setting was rich and colorfully painted the vast prairies of the American midwest. The cast of characters at the Queen were also a hoot--written as whole people with flaws and desires both selfish and giving (except for the tricks they were just pure selfish desire most often).

Read Lucky Red if you're looking for:
- a queer Western set in the 1800s in Kansas
- sapphic longing & hookups in a casino/brothel
- action packed gun slinging
- gorgeous descriptions of the American prairie
- a good ole revenge tale

I truly loved this one and can't wait to see what Cravens does next!