Okay I loved this book. I went on a historical cowboy binge and this one fit the mark. It had the thrill and the romance. Very unique story line as well, which sets it a part from other books in the genre.

Finding love in the old west…

Ethan and Annie’s story was everything I love about western romance. The writing style had me quickly getting lost in a different time and place, in some ways simpler but in others, so very similar…

Ethan was a widower with children, bitter about the loss they suffered and the need to avenge his wife’s murder. Annie was in hiding, trying to keep her baby healthy in a world that was unforgiving for those without family. Together they were going to help each other, and maybe find some happiness for themselves.

The wild frontier was very much in evidence as Ethan and Annie made choices that circumstances all but forced them to. Luckily, they found in each other someone they could rely on while supporting them as well. They had secrets though so everything was tempered by the knowledge it could all blow up at any minute. That tension permeated the whole story and added an edge to this sweet story.

The story may have not strayed far from the western trope of old but that didn’t take away from an entertaining delivery and characters that carved a space uniquely their own. This is only the first of the Blackwood brothers and I’ve already made space on the kindle for those to come…

Simply, yet nicely written. A very easy to read historical romance set in the 1800's USA. A marriage of convenience between a widower with 2 children and a young woman with a baby. I thought it was an okay, sweet read and if you like this sort of story, then you should enjoy it. My thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

A marriage of convenience, secrets, children... I enjoyed this historical romance. I loved the characters and the storyline. It is impossible to not get caught up in the characters lives.
Many thanks to Salt Run Publishing LLC and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 Stars
ETHAN'S HEART by Vickie King. This is a historical romance that I enjoyed. While it was a bit predictable, it still held my interest and had me rooting for the characters. Annie and Ethan are both struggling with inner demons, but very different ones. Annie is on the run with baby Lily. Despite the horrors she has faced, she has a backbone made of steel and is strong and fights for her independence. Ethan, a widower with two young daughters, just wants a caretaker for his girls. Their marriage of convenience seems to be the ideal solution for both. There is danger in this tale and angst and a feeling of longing too. Overall, it was a tale that held me and am glad I took a chance. (received NetGalley ARC for honest review)

This story kept me interested. The premise was unique in that two people meet and decide to marry based on the need for help. There’s no love at first, only two people helping each other out.

Ethan has two girls who were left motherless after a bank robber killed his wife. Annie escaped her abusive stepfather by killing him accidentally. So she has to get out of town quickly to escape her horrid stepbrothers, who she is sure will be coming after her. She has a 4-month-old baby with her, that everyone assumes is her daughter. The baby needs some stability, so she accepts Ethan’s less-than-ideal marriage offer.

The reminder of the story has the 5 of them creating a family out of less-than-ideal circumstances. There are some anger and guilt reactions that they have to face, as well as the truth of Annie’s circumstances.

I really like the supporting characters in this book. Ethan has 4 brothers and a Dad who add depth and interest to the story. There are some other supporting characters who also do the same.

There were a few grammatical errors that were easily spotted, but not so many to be off-putting. All-in-all, the story held my interest and made me want to check out the rest of the books in this series.

This was my first book by Ms. King and I loved it. I have always loved historical romance books and her writing style made me feel like I was back in that time frame watching g from the sidelines. Can not wait to read more from her and this series.

Short story:
Ethan Blackwood is a widower with two little girls. His beloved wife, Elizabeth was killed during a bank robbery. Grief has turned into a powerful need for revenge instead of justice for this sheriff, but first he has to find someone to take care of his little girls so he can go on the hunt for her killers.

Annabelle “Annie” Holt is on the run from St. Louis with little baby Lily. She has to abandon the wagon train due to Lily’s health and is helped by the town’s doctor, Andrew Blackwood. Annie needs to stay in town for Lily, but she has no money and considers accepting the job as the laundress for the salon girls. Andrew believes he has the perfect solution for Annie. She needs a home and security and his brother, Ethan needs a new wife to care for his home and girls.

Ethan and Annie marry and when Ethan makes it clear it is not for love, Annie has some rules of her own. It isn’t until he comes in with his star on his vest that Annie realizes she has married the town’s sheriff. It is now more important than ever to keep her secrets.

My opinion:
I really enjoyed reading this story even though at times it was predictable.

Annie is on the run from her step brothers with a little baby in tow. She ends up in a little town where a helpful doctor suggests marriage with his brother rather than taking a job in a questionable establishment in town. The doctor's brother just lost his wife and is looking for someone who can be more than just the house keeper for his daughters. It's no spoiler to say that these two strangers, indeed, get married. Them getting to know each other and each others secrets after they are tossed together makes out the story.
This book is very well written, and the protagonists likeable and believable, and I enjoyed a lot how these two slowly came closer. A refreshing change from other books where the main characters have the hots for each other from page one on and then drag their angst out through 350 pages.

I got this book as an Advanced Readers Copy for review. Unfortunately I figured out too late that this is not the kind of book I usually enjoy reading. That I nevertheless finished it speaks for the good writing. However, this the only reason I gave it only 3 stars.
I would definitely recommend this book to readers of Western Romance authors like Linda Lael Miller, Janet Dailey, or Catherine Anderson. This book can and will hold up with them easily.

What a great book!!! I really enjoyed it. ☆☆☆☆☆.looking forward to Esaac's story.

Ethan must avenge his wife's death however also needs to care for his 2 young daughters. Annie is on the run with her infant and enters into a marriage of convenience to hide from her family.
The tale of how these two come together in a family and love sweeps the reader back to old west. This is book one and looking forward to more in this family's tales.
Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

Loved the book. Annie who has lived a harsh and many times brutal life has finally escaped with her baby sister heading west. Due to the child's illness she leaves the wagon train and end up on a town where she marries a man who has two young daughters. He needs a mother figure for his children and Annie needs security. As hard as Ethan fights it, he falls in love with Annie. After several disasters that could have been fatal they finally have the happy ever after. There is a cliff hanger but it involves another of the Blackwood brothers. This is the first in a series and I am waiting for the next one. This is a wonderfully sweet romance story that I would highly recommend.

This is an engrossing, romantic and sweet story. Ethan is a little cold and formal but thoughtful, caring and vulnerable man. Annie is a scared but strong willed sweet girl with a sense of self preservation. They are an adorably heartwarming couple who need each other. Things get dramatic and suspenseful after a while when their pasts come back to haunt them. It is such a great storyline and has really interesting characters. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my honest opinion of it.

A Thrilling Western Romance !

Set in the 1800's Sheriff Ethan Blackwood, a revenge seeking widower and father of two small girls is in need of a wife. So he agrees to a marriage arrangement with Annie Benton.

Annie a seamstress with a baby, is on the run from her lawless stepbrothers after killing their father.

The first of the "Blackwood Brothers" series, i found myself enthralled with Ethan and Annie's instant chemistry and the exciting historical western backdrop of the lawless Copper Creek. A great romantic read.
4 Stars

I received this ARC through Netgalley for a honest review.

Ethan’s Heart by Vickie King is the first book in the Blackwood Brothers series, and it was excellent. It was a well written western romance that takes place in 1805. Ms. King’s writing style is very descriptive, and draws the reader into the story. Her characters are well developed and believable. It was a story of emotional growth from a marriage of convenience to a full and loving relationship. It even had a bit of suspense thrown in with a few twists. I look forward to reading the next book in the Blackwood Brothers series.

Ethan Blackwood is a recent widower with two young daughters. His brother, Dr. Andrew Blackwood, the town doctor, finds a good solution to Ethan's problem. Andrew thinks of a perfect solution by arranging a meeting with Ethan and a recent widow who just came to town with her sick baby. Why not bring the two together to help solve their issues? Ethan needs someone to help with the children, and maintain his home. Annie needs a roof over her head and a bit of security. Little did Ethan know but Annie was running from her abusive past and having recently murdered her step-father. Annie discovers shortly after her marriage that Ethan is the Sheriff of Coopers Creek. How ironic. The story unfolds and soon everything is out in the open. Can these two work through their problems and find a loving relationship with each other? I highly recommend that you read this story and find out!

I received an advanced readers copy from Netgalley for my review.

It has been quite a while since I have read a historical cowboy romance. I am very glad that I tried this first in a series by a new to me author, ETHAN’S HEART (The Blackwood Brothers, #1) by Vickie King. The Blackwood family, a runaway with a sick baby and secrets, posses, outlaws, and Missouri in 1855 all come together for a great read.
Ethan Blackwood is a widower with two little girls. His beloved wife, Elizabeth was killed during a bank robbery. Grief has turned into a powerful need for revenge instead of justice for this sheriff, but first he has to find someone to take care of his little girls so he can go on the hunt for her killers.
Annabelle “Annie” Holt is on the run from St. Louis with little baby Lily. She has to abandon the wagon train due to Lily’s health and is helped by the town’s doctor, Andrew Blackwood. Annie needs to stay in town for Lily, but she has no money and considers accepting the job as the laundress for the salon girls. Andrew believes he has the perfect solution for Annie. She needs a home and security and his brother, Ethan needs a new wife to care for his home and girls.
Ethan and Annie marry and when Ethan makes it clear it is not for love, Annie has some rules of her own. It isn’t until he comes in with his star on his vest that Annie realizes she has married the town’s sheriff. It is now more important than ever to keep her secrets.
I loved Annie! She was so strong and loving even with all that had happened to her and what could happen if the truth of her past became known. The love and care she showed for everyone was wonderful to read. Ethan was a good and honest man who was being eaten alive by his need for revenge and how Ms. King dealt with his change of heart was very well done. I really enjoyed reading this story even though at times it was predictable, because the familiar and HEA is what I am looking for in a good romance genre book.
Thank you to Salt Run Publishing LLC and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the brothers’ stories!

Ethan and Annie started off on the wrong foot, but wound up being so perfect for each other. There was just the right amount of drama, miscommunication and suspense for this historical romance.

Ethan's Heart is the first novel in new-to-me author Vickie King's Blackwood Brothers series. I didn't realize it was a historical romance until I started reading it. I haven't read this sub-genre for well over a decade, but I'm happy that I picked a good one--I give it 4 stars.

Ethan Blackwood is a widower of just six months, leaving him with two young daughters. His beloved wife of seven years, Elizabeth, was killed during a bank robbery and in addition to wanting justice, the succession of housekeepers he's hired to look after his children have all been either unsatisfactory or unable to deal with his precocious 6-year-old, Mollie.

His brother, Dr. Andrew Blackwood, the town doctor, has a solution to Ethan's problem. Not long ago, he met a newcomer to town, an impoverished widow with a sickly baby, whom he took in to care for the sick child. When Lottie, the local madam at the only saloon/brothel in town, offers Annie a job as a laundress there, Doc fears that it's going to be little more than a stepping stone to prostitution, and he realizes that Annie has another option that will help her as well as solves his brother's child care problem--a marriage of convenience. When he arranges a meeting between these two strangers, it's clear that Ethan doesn't want another wife, he's heartbroken over Elizabeth's death, believes he'll never fall in love or marry again and simply wants just a caretaker for his daughters and someone to cook, clean and maintain his home, especially since he's determined to head out and bring the men who killed his wife and another man to justice.

A marriage of convenience was never in Annie's plan. She was on the run from her abusive stepbrothers and her escape plan was to join a wagon train to Oregon, but when she realized that the baby wasn't well and probably wouldn't survive the rigors of the trip, and she was dropped off in first town they came to that had a doctor, nearly penniless and with little more than a pillowcase to her name, Doc came to her rescue.

Annie has a few stipulations of her own, a wet nurse for baby Lily, a cow for fresh milk, and Ethan's agreement to let her earn some money of her own by taking in mending, and his agreement that he will never beat her--the latter shocking Ethan nearly speechless. As the two discuss their arrangement, Annie withholds the real reason she heading for Oregon, that was on the run. She believes that she inadvertently killed her abusive stepfather as he was about to beat her with his belt, not for the first time, and that his two sons, one of whom tried to rape her, are hot on her trail for murdering their father. Knowing that they will be searching for a lone woman with a baby, as will the authorities, marrying Ethan Blackwood would provide some measure of safety for her. But there's one piece of information that Ethan withholds as well, something Annie only learns after they've taken their vows at the doctor's office--Ethan is the town sheriff. It appears that Annie has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

What follows is both heartwarming and emotional, as Annie attempts to connect and establish a relationship with Ethan's two daughters. However, I think that the pacing of both that aspect of the novel was off, considering Ethan's broken heart, the fact that Annie is not welcomed into the family by Ethan's brother Isaac, Annie's secrets, and Ethan's reluctance to even consider Annie as a true wife in every sense of the word. It's strange, because while reading the novel, the pace seemed rather sedate, and it's only after starting to write this review that I realized how short a time it was between their meeting, marrying and arriving at a HEA ending. That issue aside, this was a well-written, dramatic, moving and suspenseful read, a very good way to begin a new series and I recommend it, especially for readers who prefer novels with very little graphic sex.

I loved 'Ethan’s Heart'! I was in the mood for a western romance, and this fit the bill perfectly!

Set in 1805, Ethan Blackwood is a widower with two small girls. Six months earlier his wife was shot during a bank robbery. Ethan is set on finding her killers, but first, he needs to find someone who will watch and care for his daughters - he needs a wife.

On the run for the murder of her step-father, Annabelle Benton Holt (Annie) with her baby, Lily, were on a wagon train heading west, but Lily became too sick to continue. So, Annie and Lily stayed behind in the small town of Cooper's Creek. With little money and in a strange town, Annie is not sure what she is going to do. She needs to find a job quickly. The doctor caring for Lily has been kind to both of them, letting them stay at the office, but that won’t last much longer.

The doctor happens to be the brother of Ethan Blackwood and thinks he knows the perfect solution for both Ethan and Annie. He arranges a meeting, and soon Ethan and Annie are married. It’s not until after they are married does Annie realize that Ethan’s the town sheriff. Oh, no! Will Ethan find out her secrets?

I adore Annie! She’s strong and determined to be a good wife and mother. She's also generous and loving. I had tears in my eyes as I felt Annie’s pain.

Ethan’s a good man but blinded by revenge. He still loves his first wife deeply, and he wants justice for her brutal murder. Will Annie be able to break through all the walls he’s built up? Will Ethan let her into his heart?

'Ethan’s Heart' is a page-turner! I couldn’t put it down! It’s slightly predictable, but it does have some nice twists to the story that I didn't see coming. It all wraps together nicely! I would love to read the next book in the series, 'Escorting Darby Bloom'.

Sheriff Ethan Blackwood's wife was murdered by bank robbers and he has vowed to find and kill them. But he has two little girls at home and housekeepers are not working. Nor does he want them you move in with his father and brothers and the old homestead. His brother, Andrew finds him a solution. A young woman, Annie Benton has arrived in town with a sickly baby and no husband, so Andrew thinks the best thing for both would be to wed. Ethan agrees, but makes it clear that it is a marriage of convenience, that he already had a "real wife" and there would be no more children. Annie is fine with that as we soon learn. She is not who we think she is and her life has been harder than she has allowed anyone to know. There is animosity on the side of Mollie, the oldest child and some of Ethan's brothers. But Annie slowly wins them over with her hard work and kindness. And as Ethan and Annie become closer the secrets they both are reluctant to share could tear them apart. I would recommend to anyone who likes old westerns.