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Men of the Saddle #4
The Plainsman
Trey McAllister is on his way home to Tyrone, Kansas, after three years away fighting in the Union Army. Trey is riding past Sassy Gap, Louisiana, when he sees a fire blazing out of control. He stops to help and discovers that the entire town is made up of eight women who live together and run a funeral parlor. Mire Dupree instantly catches his attention. Trey soon discovers that Mire's tyrant father is the one harassing the women of the town. Loving Mire could ruin Trey's life, but he just can't help himself. Through determination and true love, Trey and Mire face their hardships together as they struggle to make a life in the Old West.
336 pages, Paperback
First published December 26, 2005
28 people are currently reading
319 people want to read
About the author
Lori Copeland
195 books530 followersLori Copeland was born on 12 June 1941. She had a relatively late start in writing, breaking into publishing in 1982 when she was already forty years old. Over the next dozen years, her romance novels achieved much success, as was evidenced by her winning the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and Walden Books' Best Seller award. She has been inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame.
Despite her success in more mainstream romantic fiction, in 1995, she decided to switch focus. Her subsequent books have been in the relatively new subgenre of Christian romance. She has also collaborated with authors Angela Elwell Hunt or Virginia Smith on a series of Christian romance novels.
Lori and her husband of over forty years, Lance, live in Springfield, Missouri, surrounded by the beautiful Ozarks. They have three grown sons, three daughter-in-laws, and six wonderful grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters. She and her husband are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work in Mali, West Africa.
Despite her success in more mainstream romantic fiction, in 1995, she decided to switch focus. Her subsequent books have been in the relatively new subgenre of Christian romance. She has also collaborated with authors Angela Elwell Hunt or Virginia Smith on a series of Christian romance novels.
Lori and her husband of over forty years, Lance, live in Springfield, Missouri, surrounded by the beautiful Ozarks. They have three grown sons, three daughter-in-laws, and six wonderful grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters. She and her husband are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work in Mali, West Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 17, 2023
DNF (did not finish). I got around 36% in & was really not enjoying this book. Things are less than plausible, the villain is mean, controlling and evil. I decided to skip to the end and it was more of the same. I am so surprised since the 1st 3 books were great.
Life is to short to finish a bad book or drink a bad cup of tea!
I purchased this eBook in order to complete the series. Sadly I give it 2 stars.
All opinions are mine alone without expectation or compensation.
⭐Rating
1 star = bad!
2 stars = did not like
3 stars = good
4 stars = very good
5 stars =excellent!
𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 54 𝓖𝓸𝓸𝓭𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓼 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮 📚 2023
Life is to short to finish a bad book or drink a bad cup of tea!
I purchased this eBook in order to complete the series. Sadly I give it 2 stars.
All opinions are mine alone without expectation or compensation.
⭐Rating
1 star = bad!
2 stars = did not like
3 stars = good
4 stars = very good
5 stars =excellent!
𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 54 𝓖𝓸𝓸𝓭𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓼 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮 📚 2023
June 12, 2023
Very predictable, but I did like it. A young man is on his way back to Kansas when he finds a small town with only women living there. As he tries to help them, trouble brews. A nice Christian romance.
June 28, 2017
I enjoyed this book for the most part. However, there were a couple things that REALLY bothered me.
First, Mire is remembering a time when her and her mother had seen a rainbow. They followed the rainbow over the hills, UNTIL THEY REACHED THE BOTTOM. They let the colors shine on them. What.....???? I'm baffled as to how that little tidbit made it past any editors at all! I was fully anticipating it to say something like "... and her mother explained how you can never find the bottom...." and it taught her some great life lesson. Instead, they actually found the end of the rainbow and played in the prism of colors??? Blah.
Second, her "father" is the most evil man throughout the entire book. He sets the funeral parlor on fire. He poisons her water. He orders all the animals taken and killed. He killed her own mother, killed her father, and is plotting to marry her off to some disgusting old man. Why does he suddenly turn into an idiot? I expected him to force her off to New Orleans, but no... Instead he allows her weekly visits and never makes her take the trip. He brings down a war on them at the end, and then retreats as soon as he finds out his wife was pregnant when he killed her. Really? REALLY??? That simple? The psychopath who has no conscience and gives no thought to taking a life is suddenly rendered useless at that tidbit? It was so glaringly out of character that it didn't work for me. It was very anti-climactic.
First, Mire is remembering a time when her and her mother had seen a rainbow. They followed the rainbow over the hills, UNTIL THEY REACHED THE BOTTOM. They let the colors shine on them. What.....???? I'm baffled as to how that little tidbit made it past any editors at all! I was fully anticipating it to say something like "... and her mother explained how you can never find the bottom...." and it taught her some great life lesson. Instead, they actually found the end of the rainbow and played in the prism of colors??? Blah.
Second, her "father" is the most evil man throughout the entire book. He sets the funeral parlor on fire. He poisons her water. He orders all the animals taken and killed. He killed her own mother, killed her father, and is plotting to marry her off to some disgusting old man. Why does he suddenly turn into an idiot? I expected him to force her off to New Orleans, but no... Instead he allows her weekly visits and never makes her take the trip. He brings down a war on them at the end, and then retreats as soon as he finds out his wife was pregnant when he killed her. Really? REALLY??? That simple? The psychopath who has no conscience and gives no thought to taking a life is suddenly rendered useless at that tidbit? It was so glaringly out of character that it didn't work for me. It was very anti-climactic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2017
This book should be the second in the series - at the end, it mentions that Beau is about to get married to Betsy. This was my least favorite of the 4, but still a good read.
December 1, 2025
The Plainsman
When Trey was soaked to the bone and trying to find a place out of the rain he stopped in Sassy Gap to put out a fire. He stayed for what he thought was just overnight. He met the 8 women that were the town and found out about the terror they were being forced to live under. Trey left the town but couldn't get Mira off his mind. He returned to see how he could help and ran into more trouble than one man should be able to cause. Now, if he can find a way to stop her father.
When Trey was soaked to the bone and trying to find a place out of the rain he stopped in Sassy Gap to put out a fire. He stayed for what he thought was just overnight. He met the 8 women that were the town and found out about the terror they were being forced to live under. Trey left the town but couldn't get Mira off his mind. He returned to see how he could help and ran into more trouble than one man should be able to cause. Now, if he can find a way to stop her father.
September 24, 2020
This has been a really good series. This fourth book didn't seem to have any connection to the first three until right at the end when some of the characters from the other books came into play. But still I think this book could easily be read as a standalone and one would not need to read the other three books in the series before reading this one.
April 13, 2022
Sweet Historical Romance
With threads of a Christian storyline, this final book in the series has a Happy Ever After ending! Forgiveness is a strong theme, but Mira holds on to revenge way to long! It turns out, this book fits into the timeline just after book 1. Now to research a bit to see if the other soldiers mentioned are in another series.
With threads of a Christian storyline, this final book in the series has a Happy Ever After ending! Forgiveness is a strong theme, but Mira holds on to revenge way to long! It turns out, this book fits into the timeline just after book 1. Now to research a bit to see if the other soldiers mentioned are in another series.
May 14, 2021
Rushed ending
A death that reader wasn't prepared to happen just an announcement. A chapter or two dealing with death and funeral would have been better. Help showed us when crises had basically been solved.
A death that reader wasn't prepared to happen just an announcement. A chapter or two dealing with death and funeral would have been better. Help showed us when crises had basically been solved.
January 14, 2020
Really different story line. Good read.
July 27, 2020
Very slow and not enough story.
November 7, 2020
good - but the French accents were a distraction.
September 12, 2024
Great conclusion to this series. Each book was different, and was good in a different way. I'd say #3 was my favorite, but they all - including this one- were excellent reads. Awesome series.
Read
February 19, 2025DNF at 25%. Can not get into the book and don’t see how it relates to the other three in this four book series.
January 7, 2020
This book is awesome!
As with all of Lori's adventures…... I was so engrossed in the story I could barely put my book down. She writes such interesting plots it never gets boring & I don't know how it is going to end by chapter 2.
As with all of Lori's adventures…... I was so engrossed in the story I could barely put my book down. She writes such interesting plots it never gets boring & I don't know how it is going to end by chapter 2.
January 1, 2015
SUMMARY: Trey McAllister is on his way home to Tyrone, Kansas, after three years away fighting in the Union Army. Trey is riding past Sassy Gap, Louisiana, when he sees a fire blazing out of control. He stops to help and discovers that the entire town is made up of eight women who live together and run a funeral parlor. Mire Dupree instantly catches his attention. Trey soon discovers that Mire's tyrant father is the one harassing the women of the town. Loving Mire could ruin Trey's life, but he just can't help himself. Through determination and true love, Trey and Mire face their hardships together as they struggle to make a life in the Old West.
REVIEW: This was an enjoyable historical western fiction novel. I have read 3 others from this series. Each can be read as a standalone but there is overlap on the "men of the saddle" who fought together in the Civil War. The other men only came in at the end of this particular novel. Good characters and a solid storyline, but I felt the ending was somewhat rushed.
FAVORITE QUOTE: "Mira had learned things about her past that hurt, but she had also learned about the healing power of forgiveness. With God's help, they would build a new life together that would be stronger and richer because of what they had gone through. A life built on love instead of greed, on forgiveness instead of revenge."
REVIEW: This was an enjoyable historical western fiction novel. I have read 3 others from this series. Each can be read as a standalone but there is overlap on the "men of the saddle" who fought together in the Civil War. The other men only came in at the end of this particular novel. Good characters and a solid storyline, but I felt the ending was somewhat rushed.
FAVORITE QUOTE: "Mira had learned things about her past that hurt, but she had also learned about the healing power of forgiveness. With God's help, they would build a new life together that would be stronger and richer because of what they had gone through. A life built on love instead of greed, on forgiveness instead of revenge."
October 28, 2016
My recommendation for this series is to just skip this last book, even though I liked Trey.
I had some unresolved problems with the story as it progressed. Such as, why do the women gather tomatoes and apples for weapons? Why not just use the rocks they gathered for practice?
Trey says they are bright women, but none of them think to set traps.
If the villain is so evil, why doesn't he just kidnap Mire. She walks around alone at night.
And I could go on, but I don't want to reveal spoilers.
If the chapter had been written by different authors and then compiled, there would at least be a explanation for why so many thoughts and actions are repeated.
And finally, Beau is said to be planning to marry, when he's already married back in book 2.
There were just too many actions by characters that didn't seem believable.
I had some unresolved problems with the story as it progressed. Such as, why do the women gather tomatoes and apples for weapons? Why not just use the rocks they gathered for practice?
Trey says they are bright women, but none of them think to set traps.
If the villain is so evil, why doesn't he just kidnap Mire. She walks around alone at night.
And I could go on, but I don't want to reveal spoilers.
If the chapter had been written by different authors and then compiled, there would at least be a explanation for why so many thoughts and actions are repeated.
And finally, Beau is said to be planning to marry, when he's already married back in book 2.
There were just too many actions by characters that didn't seem believable.
July 7, 2008
This is the fourth in the Men of the Saddle series. Each book is a story about a member of the Claxton family and there adventures in the old west. The first and third books were my favorite to read. All of the characters are fun, inviting, witty, and you totally sympathize with them during the struggles they go through. Lori Copeland is the author and she does a great job creating these realistic stories that are a light hearted and fun read in the past.
October 20, 2012
This was my favorite book in Lori's Men of the Saddle series. The plot was different from the others and there is a villain, where the others didn't really have that...
The ladies of Sassy Gap are so fun to read about, and "watching" as Trey becomes a part of their community (sometimes against his will) is humorous. This book grabs your attention and holds it to the end as you wait to find out what will happen and how it will unfold!
The ladies of Sassy Gap are so fun to read about, and "watching" as Trey becomes a part of their community (sometimes against his will) is humorous. This book grabs your attention and holds it to the end as you wait to find out what will happen and how it will unfold!
March 15, 2013
Well, I must say - I'm with the majority on this last book of the Men of the Saddle series. I found it very boring and poorly written. Sorry Lori. I liked all the others though. I'm just glad this wasn't the first of the series because I wouldn't have continued. The plot was weak and somewhat ridiculous. I was unimpressed and just skimmed the last 1/2 in order to get it over with. And the ending was anticlimactic to say the least.
January 10, 2019
Cheerful in trouble
Encouraging. A nice, light read, if a little predictable. But I needed a read like this at present. Lovely characters and a humourous perspective about God’s help in trouble. I would recommend this to someone needing a refreshing light hearted read. I chose this rating as I may not want to read it again ( the rpedicatabikty) but would like to read more by this author.
Encouraging. A nice, light read, if a little predictable. But I needed a read like this at present. Lovely characters and a humourous perspective about God’s help in trouble. I would recommend this to someone needing a refreshing light hearted read. I chose this rating as I may not want to read it again ( the rpedicatabikty) but would like to read more by this author.
October 25, 2008
another great one!
my only "complaint" is that maybe this should have been the first or second book in the series, since it messed w/ the chronological story line of the other characters that popped up in the end of this one, but ... didn't make it too confusing to keep up.
after this book, tho, i will DEFINITELY be looking for some of the other books and series by this author!
my only "complaint" is that maybe this should have been the first or second book in the series, since it messed w/ the chronological story line of the other characters that popped up in the end of this one, but ... didn't make it too confusing to keep up.
after this book, tho, i will DEFINITELY be looking for some of the other books and series by this author!
August 12, 2011
Trey McAllister returns fron the war to find himself tied up in a battle against the most powerful man in Sassy Gap, Louisiana.If only he hadn't stopped to help a few women in need.
I liked this book until the very end. The last chapter ended too abruptly.Everything else was great. Clean fun easy read. Romance. Great for a teen.
I liked this book until the very end. The last chapter ended too abruptly.Everything else was great. Clean fun easy read. Romance. Great for a teen.
Read
December 3, 2008YA Cop
November 2, 2009
Stopped reading 1/2 way thru. Not enough story. Copeland should have stopped at 3 books in the series.
January 10, 2010
This is the last in a four book series. While it wasn't my favorite in the series (#1 and #3 are), it is still a pretty good easy read.
December 17, 2011
I didn't enjoy this book as much as i did the first three in the series, but I still liked it.
July 28, 2014
Book 4 of 4
April 4, 2013
Great book... doesn't really go too much with the 3 brothers but that's ok... it's an okay book as a stand alone. 5 stars.
November 11, 2013
Should have left this one out of the series, I enjoyed the first three so much. You don't need to read this one to tie up the series nicely, just read the first three.
April 16, 2022
The Plainsman by Lori Copeland – In a series about tough, Western ladies, this book has some standouts! Happy Reading!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews