Harder Than the Rest

MacLarens of Fire Mountain (Historical) #3

by Shirleen Davies

“They are men you want on your side. Hard, confident, and loyal, the MacLarens of Fire Mountain will seize your attention from the first page.”


Will MacLaren is a hardened, plain-speaking bounty hunter. His life centers on finding men guilty of horrendous crimes and making sure justice is done. There is no place in his world for the carefree attitude he carried years before when a tragic event destroyed his dreams.


Amanda is the daughter of a successful Colorado rancher. Determined and proud, she works hard to prove she is as capable as any man and worthy to be her father’s heir. When a stranger arrives, her independent nature collides with the strong pull toward the handsome ranch hand. But is he what he seems and could his secrets endanger her as well as her family?


The last thing Will needs is to feel passion for another woman. But Amanda elicits feelings he thought were long buried. Can Will’s desire for her change him? Or will the vengeance he seeks against the one man he wants to destroy—a dangerous opponent without a conscious—continue to control his life?

Genres: Romance

174 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2013

About the author

Shirleen Davies grew up in Southern California. She attended Oregon State University, and has degrees from San Diego State University and the University of Maryland. During the day she provides consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. But her real passion is writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find redemption through love and acceptance. She now lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona.

Shirleen loves to hear from her readers.

Write to her at shirleen@shirleendavies.com
Visit her at https://www.shirleendavies.com
Comment at her blog https://www.shirleendavies.com/blog.html
Facebook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/ShirleenDavi...
Twitter her at http://twitter.com/shirleendavies

Reviews

[K B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3. Harder than the Rest, Book Three
4 stars
I purchased a copy of the historical 1800’s set western romance Harder Than The Rest (MacLarens of Fire Mountain Book 3): Will by Shirleen Davies and this review was given freely.
Irony, fate, suspense, and tragedy.
Contains glimpses of life at the MacLaren ranch in Arizona, the story of Will’s seeking revenge for the murder of his wife and unborn child, a revenge filled scheme including cattle rustling, and a dangerous love triangle.
Five years after the tragic death of his pregnant wife Emily, the devastated and hardened Will MacLarens tracks her murder to Colorado near the ranch of Amanda Taylor whose ranch is being plagued by rustlers. Drew and Jamie arrive to help only for tragedy to fall.
Contains a fair amount of violence, multiple romances with some happy endings.
4. Stronger than the Rest, Book Four
3 stars
I purchased a copy of the historical 1800’s set western romance Stronger Than The Rest (MacLarens of Fire Mountain Book 4): Drew by Shirleen Davies and this review was given freely.
Pride, reduced self-image, greed, determination, and a whole lot of violence is contained in this book where each chapter goes back and forth between Cold Creek and Denver, Colorado with a few excerpts from Fire Mountain Arizona. The delivery is awkward at times using ‘the associate’, ‘the brother’, and ‘Connor’ interchangeably during the same scene making it difficult to figure out who was being referred to.
If you didn’t catch on with the descriptions and foreshadowing, the family expands with three more adult MacLarens as well as some Arizona children.
Bitter, paralyzed, and determined to both walk again and make Tess his wife, attorney Drew Maclaren forsakes the comfort of his Arizona family, and his dreams of horse breeding to return to Cold Creek, Colorado to further the interests of his Denver boss, Mr. Dunnigan only to find the neighboring ranches under attack.
Contains a lot of violence and many murders.
5. Deadlier than the Rest, Book Five
4 stars
I purchased a copy of the historical 1800’s set western romance Deadlier Than The Rest (MacLarens of Fire Mountain Book 5): Connor by Shirleen Davies and this review was given freely.
A then and now story relating the tragedies experienced by Meggie beginning with her kidnapping at sixteen in Brooklyn, NY and ending with her abusive marriage as fourth wife to a Mormon in Salt Lake City, Utah is combined with her brother Connor’s search for her, Conner’s falling for Mormon runaway third wife Grace, and a story of ex-convicts seeking revenge.
Contains a fair amount of violence, multiple ironic moments, two weddings and two momentous reunions.
6. Wilder than the Rest, Book Six
4 stars
I purchased a copy of the historical 1800’s set western romance Wilder Than The Rest (MacLarens of Fire Mountain Book 6): Pierce by Shirleen Davies and this review was given freely.
A bit slow with some suspense.
A good update and integration of all the MacLaren clan is combined with an instant love-hate romance, a second chance at love romance, a reunion with three more MacLaren cousins, and an undercover Secret Service mission to stop an assassination.
Tricked into being partnered as a married couple, new Secret Service undercover operative Pierce MacLaren and Agent Mollie Jamison fight their attraction to and frustration with each other while trying to solve a governmental case where the city of San Francisco’s High Society and banking are the only clues.

[Earlene Click · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will and Amanda

This is book three in the MacLarens of Fire Mountain. Will is one of the twin boys. They were the youngest in the family. They lost their parents in a raid on their farm and now live with their Aunt in Fire Mountain, Arizona. Will lost his wife an unborn child in a senseless murder by a gang of men. He has vowed to avenge their deaths by killing each one of them. He trails the last one down to a town in Colorado. Amanda is the daughter of the ranch owner where he works. There are men stealing cattle and horses there and he discovers his last hunted man is involved. You will enjoy discovering how they find their happily ever after.

[Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harder Than The Rest (MacLarens of Fire Mountain Book 3)

The love story of Will and Amanda. Will has one think on his mind for the last five years - revenge. He has found the man who kill his wife and child. Amanda run her father's ranch and someone is stealing their cattle. She hires Will. He and his brothers help them find the thieves. Will has started to fall for Amanda. Will revenge win or will love win?

[Pam Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Story,

I ha e enjoyed all of the Fire Mountain series. I have already downloaded number four in the series. So far the stories have been different enough that I have not been bored.

[John Boles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harder Than The Rest

This is another great story by Shirleen Davies. The suspense and intrigue in this book is outstanding. I enjoyed it so much I nearly read the whole book in one sitting. I would recommend it to anyone.

[Steve Tippie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harder Than The Rest...

Book #3 ... Not as good as the first 2. But a good western love story. Has it all. Gun fights. And a fast moving love story. Off to read the next one in the series....Thank-you!

[Connie Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic books!

I had the pleasure of reading three of the best books I’ve read yet! MacLarens of Fire Mountain one, two, and three. They are exceptionally good, Can’t wait till I read more of this series. This Author is amazing.

[Norma Gorrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harder Than The Rest

This is a story about a young man who looses his wife to a man who bushwhacks them on the trail and kills her. Will is bound and bent to get the man who did this and then go on with his life. This is my review and mine alone. Norma Gorrill

[Clive Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Written!

I have read book one and book two and just finished book three in this series! Couldn't pause when I started!

[ksstannard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action and romance!

Characters who come alive on the page. Lots of action and more than one romance. A very nice beach read.

[SHAWN M]

KK

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the third book about the MacLarens of Fire Mountain - Will's story. I must confess that I was stunned to realize that what I had hoped to read about - Will's and Emily's romance, eventual marriage, etc., was finis, complete, tragically in the past before this book began.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Instead, what we have is a very angry and revengeful Will MacLaren who is winding down his five year hunt of the bad guys who attacked his family as they were riding into town one afternoon. The attack resulted in the death of his wife, Emily, who had been the love of Will's life since his youth. No wonder he is angry and rarely takes the time to communicate or return home for visits with his family on Fire Mountain. He has one last bad guy to deal with and his trail leads him to a cattle ranch in Colorado owned by the Taylor family. He knows the last man on his list - a man who goes by the name of Chet Hawley - is in the area and Will is determined to take Chet Hawley down so he can get on with his dreary life.

Will hires on at the Taylor Ranch as he continues to check on Chet Hawley to make sure he is the man he has been hunting. Amanda Taylor, daughter of the owner, Grant Taylor, and the ranch foreman, Jake, are currently in charge of the ranch while Grant and his wife are out of town. Of course, the lovely Amanda is going to be the one thing that will help fill up the hole in Will's heart. This is where the story begins to slide downhill and in truth, I found I had to make a real effort to stay interested enough to finish reading the book. The romance between Will and Amanda just didn't do it for me. They touch and they are immediately in what? Lust? I'm not sure what it was. There is very little in the way of a relational build-up and certainly not much of a romantic build-up.

In addition, there were several minor characters but the characters were not flushed out enough. Personally, I would prefer to have fewer characters than have very little or absolutely no background information on them. Otherwise, I simply can't bring myself to care. I will give Ms. Davies huge credit for sucking this reader in with an ending that compels me to purchase the next book in this series so I can find how Drew's life will turn out.

I very rarely comment on grammar issues in the books I review. However, Ms. Davies might consider having her editor do a little research on the proper usage of plural vs. possessive when using family names such as Taylors or MacLarens. After awhile, the wrong usage of the apostrophe begins to grate a little on the reader. Wrong: The Taylor's have invited us over for dinner. Right: The Taylors have invited us over for dinner.

[Tricia Drammeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will MacLaren's world falls apart when his wife and unborn child are murdered. For five years, he dedicates his existence to hunting down those responsible. At last, he has tracked down the final person involved in his wife's murder and he finds himself on a Colorado ranch. For the first time in five years, his mind is consumed with something besides revenge. He's consumed with passion for Amanda, the rancher's daughter.

This is a story of love, tragedy, revenge, and family ties. The MacLaren brothers rally to help Will and for those who have read the previous books in the series, it's a real treat to see some of our favorite characters in action. As always, the author has created more than a romance story. There's a mystery centered in the heart of the story and while Will struggles to quench his thirst for revenge, he also struggles to help save Amanda's ranch. Of all the MacLaren stories, this one is probably the least romantic. Though there is a definite connection between Will and Amanda, I found this book takes a closer look at the family ties that bind the MacLarens together. An incident that occurs toward the end of the book sets up the next story in the series and is sure to be the best story yet. Over the past three books, I've enjoyed the way the series has evolved and I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us next.

[Katlyn Womack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series. After reading Tougher Than the Rest, and Faster Than the Rest, I was really looking forward to his one, and I was not disappointed. Harder Than the Rest was just as good.

In this one, Will MacLaren, who is one of the youngest two brothers in this family, (the other youngest being his twin) is seeking revenge. His pregnant wife was murdered by a gang of men who he has been hunting down one by one. There is just one man left, and everyone thinks that he is already dead. Everyone except for Will. He is sure that he is alive and has taken on a new identity. He thinks that he is hiding in the town of Cold Creek, Colorado so he goes there to either kill him, or bring him in to be tried and hung. But first, he has to prove that he is who Will thinks he is. So, Will takes a job as a ranch hand on the ranch right next to the one his suspect works on in order to watch him and gather evidence. But, when he meets Amanda, the ranch owner's daughter, he starts getting distracted from his mission. What follows is a story of mystery, adventure, and romance.

I loved this as well as the other MacLaren books, and I can't wait for Stronger Than the Rest which is set to come out early next year.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good old western, or romance, or a little bit of both.

[Anari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will MacLaren has one thing on his mind. Revenge. After several fruitless years of searching for his wife and unborn child's killer, when he finally comes across the lowlife in question, he can't wait to pull the trigger.

Amanda Taylor is the feisty and proudly independent daughter of a Colorado rancher. When Will lands on her doorstep, she wants the chemistry that flows between them about as much as he does - not at all. Both are determined to ignore the passion that sizzles between them until a horrific night where Amanda and her family are held hostage by cattle rustlers and Will's brother gets shot. Even then, the path of romance is far from easy. Both have their own lives to lead and their own responsibilities, the question is: can one of them learn to compromise?

Another captivating and engrossing read by Ms Davis - can't wait to read about Drew's adventures in the forthcoming book!

5 Star Read!

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ���MacLarens of Fire Mountain��� series continues with the main focus being around Will as he pursues one of the men responsible for killing his Emily and unborn baby. He keeps a great deal of distance between himself and his family, and isn���t the slightest bit interested in other women. All that changes around Amanda, as their attraction for one another soon becomes too difficult to ignore.

All of the MacLaren brothers have something that make them both interesting and lovable, and Will, even though he appears to be cold and recluse at the start, is no exception. When he does finally come around, it couldn���t be at a better time as he will need help against a murderer who has no concept of mercy. With lots of tension and stakes to be had, ���Harder Than the Rest��� is a great continuation that is hard to put down.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is the first I have read from this author. This story is part of a series, that can be read alone. I enjoyed this story about Will and Amanda. The characters are realistic. The series centers around 4 brothers who were orphaned at an early age. Will is now a bounty hunter who is only interested in revenge, having feelings for Amanda was not in the game plan. Will only wants to kill the man who savagely murdered his wife. Amanda does not fit into his plans. Amanda needs help to save her father's ranch, and who better to help than a lawman with ranching experience. This story is filled with action and reminds you that its all about family. I am looking forward to the next story in this series.

[Jo Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite book of the series so far! Will and Amanda have a slow burning love rife with sexual tension. I immediately loved these two strong willed characters. Secondary characters where well drawn and it was great to catch up with the entire MacLaren family. The narrative is perfectly crafted with clear writing of a complex story arc and a gentle weaving of the story line for Drew's book. Ms Davies attention to detail really brings this historical western to life.

[Alexis1983 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book in the series so far. Will has a dilemma on his hands, the woman or revenge against his nemesis? The prose flows like the rolling land, and before I knew it I was halfway through the book. Each chapter brought more and more complications and trouble for major and minor characters alike, right up until the bloody, nerve shredding climax. Can't wait to read the next one!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love these books and the brothers in them. If only life could be so sweet like theirs even tho they have hardships things always seem to work out.. Kind of refreshing and upbeat. Good quick reads.

[sharon trotter · Rating 5 out of 5]

MACLARENS

I have really enjoyed this series there is drama,action,and love what an amazing family you almost feel like you are their can't wait till starting the next one

[Sydnee Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I loved this book. Will needed this so much I felt his pain with him. Then to find another person to love was just what he needed. His family is so supportive I just love it.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story line. More mysterious and thrilling with the typical romance.