More about Heart of Beauty
How can a beauty save a beast?
Blue Spruce, Montana, 1871—When Caleb Orson's prize stallion escapes his ranch, Sal Beauregard rides to the rescue, revealing her true identity as a one of the few eligible females in town. She'd do it again if it meant saving an animal from the cruel retaliation of Brendan Doran. The man has no respect for women or God's creatures.
But the sun's early setting strands her at Caleb's ranch. Worse, Sallie's father unceremoniously leaves her there under Caleb's protection. However, Doran refuses to lose again to Caleb---first a horse, now a woman. He wants Sallie as his wife and not even the reclusive ogre of a cowboy can stand in his way. No matter Sallie's opinion.
Choosing to make the best of a difficult situation, Sallie takes over the gentling of Caleb's stallion. She believes she can reach Caleb as well. Only, the first blush of friendship grows into something ... more. Something that threatens the desires of Caleb's enemy. And if Doran cannot have a beauty like Sallie, neither can a beast.
Read the Opening Scene
March 15, 1871 Heart of Montana Territory
"Beware the Ides of March,” Sallie Beauregard muttered as she donned the disguise within her room, tucking her long braid up inside her cowboy hat. In Shakespeare’s day, young men played female roles in his plays. Here in Montana Territory, she dressed as a boy to keep wayward eyes from realizing she was, in fact, a very eligible maiden.
“Sal, you ready, my girl?” her father called from the main room. A well-respected nomad trapper, it’d been his idea to dress her in trousers and a buckskin coat after Mama died when Sallie was but a child of five. Sallie hadn’t minded then. It was easier to traipse after her father in something other than a dress. Who had use for frills and lace, anyway?
She still believed that, but now she wore plain dresses or a split skirt unless they went into a town. Then she honored her father’s request because all anyone knew of old Saul Beauregard, who lived up on the mountain near Blue Spruce, Montana, was that he had a son named Sal—a son who never spoke—except to horses.
Sallie slung her saddlebags over her shoulder as she followed her father to the barn. “Where are we making camp tonight?”
With the first breaths of spring, Papa got antsy to leave the confines of the old cabin. They’d return every few weeks to stock up on supplies, then go again to hunt and sell the meat and furs to those in towns along their way.
Papa scratched his full gray beard. “We’ll head down to the valley and follow the waking critters.”
She nodded. There was no need to comment as she saddled Gunpowder, named for the horse Ichabod Crane rode in Washington Irving’s tale. When she first met Gunpowder, the poor horse reminded her of the broken-down plow horse in the book. She patted his nose. Now his black coat shone, and his belly showed him well-fed. Gunpowder nuzzled her under the chin.
Supplies loaded onto the horses, she swung into the saddle and followed Papa down the mountain. Today, she believed spring could be around the corner. While a chill still permeated the air, snow dripped from the cabin roof and rocky outcroppings. Soon, the rivers would rage, waking the world from the depth of winter.
The advent of warmer weather usually sparked warmth in her heart, but a strange foreboding hovered this year. Perhaps because they were setting out on the fifteenth of March? She might not be superstitious, but she loved her books and had read Julius Caesar a few too many times not to have the warning echo in her head.
She rubbed Gunpowder’s neck, letting a prayer from Psalm 121 whisper upon the wind. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Amen.
The journey down the mountain took several hours, and they paused for the noon meal before entering the town limits. The cowboys and miners who happened to be in Blue Spruce greeted Papa warmly. They traded gossip as much as legitimate news. Sallie listened as she gathered canned goods in the general store. She recognized a few names from their last visit. Some had given up their claims and headed back east or further west. But one name stood out. It never ceased to send shivers down her spine.
Physically large and politically powerful, Brendan Doran thought first only of himself. Perhaps that’s why he owned the largest saloon in town, a place that also housed the only other unmarried women who lived in Blue Spruce. And the primary reason Papa disguised Sallie’s femininity.
“Rumor is Doran wants to settle down.” One grizzled man set a tin of tobacco on the counter. “Can you imagine having all those women around you and wanting to pick just one to spend the rest of your life with?”
Another old cowboy tipped up his hat and laughed. “I doubt he’ll give that up. He just needs a girl he can hoodwink.”
Papa caught Sallie’s eye, nodded toward the crate of goods he was about to pay for, and then pointed his chin toward the door. He wanted her away from this conversation, and Sallie was more than happy to oblige.
She shouldered the crate as a lad might and pushed into the pale sunlight. The men who passed barely cast her a second glance. Just as she set the crate beside where she and Papa had tied the horses, a shout brought her gaze east, to the road leading out of Blue Spruce. Or into it, considering the billowing cloud that loomed closer.
What Readers are Saying
The author did a masterful job of balancing romance with action and had some clever humor in the story, too. I think my favorite thing of all about this book was the chemistry between the characters and the love that Sallie so obviously had for the horses and the people around her. ~ five-star reader review
The story is realistically told with crisp writing, a picturesque setting, and relatable characters. This book is action-packed, with a villain I really enjoyed disliking. It was an engaging reading experience that kept me captivated by the drama of the story. ~ five-star reader review
With believable characters, excitement, and a heroine, with a strong faith, this slant on the fairytale boasts a huge library that catches the interest of Sallie. Ms Grandinetti always delights me with her flowing prose, interesting plots and inspiring faith thread. And let’s not forget the sweet romance! ~ five-star reader review
Vickie Watts –
From the first time I encountered the spunky and talented Sallie Beauregard, I wanted to know more about her and what made her so feisty and an excellent horse trainer. Her backstory of growing up with her trapper father as they lived a nomadic lifestyle together was fascinating. When she started living on Crooked Tooth Ranch with the unfriendly and somewhat intimidating owner Caleb Orson, the fireworks in the story began and continued at a good and completing immersive pace. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. Even the secondary characters were well-developed and interesting. I especially liked the ranch hand Anchorman who seemed to always be there right when he was needed. The romance was predictable but the way they got there was not. With a firm undercurrent of faith as the foundation of their lives, the two main characters have to overcome pasts that almost drowned them in the sea of regrets and then they could look forward to a future. The story is realistically told with crisp writing, a picturesque setting, and relatable characters. This book is action-packed, with a villain I really enjoyed disliking. It was an engaging reading experience that kept me captivated by the drama of the story. The author did a masterful job of balancing romance with action and had some clever humor in the story, too. I think my favorite thing of all about this book was the chemistry between the characters and the love that Sallie so obviously had for the horses and the people around her. This is a slam dunk, satisfying and delightfully well-written historical romance.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Just Read Tours. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Paula Shreckhise –
Sal is hiding her femininity under the guise that she is the son of a reclusive trapper. But one day, the ruse is up when she rescues a runaway horse. Now a villain wants to force her to become his wife. Her dad has other ideas like placing her under the protection of Caleb, the owner of the skittish horse. Good thing, Sallie is an animal whisperer. It turns out she can tame the human beast, Caleb, as well as horses and bulls.
This was a great story, based on Beauty and the Beast, and set in Montana in 1871. With believable characters, excitement, and a heroine, with a strong faith, this slant on the fairytale boasts a huge library that catches the interest of Sallie.
Ms Grandinetti always delights me with her flowing prose, interesting plots and inspiring faith thread. And let’s not forget the sweet romance!
If you like fairytale retellings, this one is for you.
*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Heart Spot Publishers on behalf of the author. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*