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The Women of Swan's Nest #2
Wyoming Lawman
Matrimony? Never again for deputy sheriff Matt Wiley. The only good thing from his first marriage is his daughter. His little girl might want a mother, but Matt knows that no woman should have to deal with his guilty secret, or his anger at God. He'll do his duty, serve the town of Cheyenne and keep his distance. Yet when courageous single mother Pearl Oliver comes to town, watching from the sidelines isn't an option- especially when Pearl lands herself in danger. His heart, Pearl's life and the safety of their town are all at risk. Only the love and faith he thought he'd left behind can help him win his way to happily ever after.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2010
13 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Bylin
48 books494 followersIf someone had told me twenty years ago that I'd be the author of 20 books, I'd have fallen off my chair. I’m still amazed to see my novels on Goodreads, Amazon, and occasionally the shelves at Walmart.
More than anything, I delight in telling stories that tackle tough issues with faith and compassion. One my most challenging books, Together With You, won the RWA FHL Readers Choice Award for Best Contemporary Romance. I was equally thrilled when The Two of Us made it to the shelves in Target as part of the "Target Recommends" program.
Before writing contemporaries, I wrote westerns for Harlequin Historical and Love Inspired Historical. The LIHs are clean reads. The Harlequin Historicals (no brown banner like the LIHs) were written for the mainstream market. They have Christian themes but gritty content. Some readers won’t care for the language and love scenes. (If you want to know why I wrote them, the story is on my website.)
My two most recent books are independently published. When He Found Me and A Gift to Cherish are a mix of romance and women’s fiction and part of The Road to Refuge series. These stories are particularly close to my heart.
My husband and I now make our home in Lexington, Kentucky, but I’m a California girl at heart. I hope you enjoy my books! For more information, visit https://www.victoriabylin.com
More than anything, I delight in telling stories that tackle tough issues with faith and compassion. One my most challenging books, Together With You, won the RWA FHL Readers Choice Award for Best Contemporary Romance. I was equally thrilled when The Two of Us made it to the shelves in Target as part of the "Target Recommends" program.
Before writing contemporaries, I wrote westerns for Harlequin Historical and Love Inspired Historical. The LIHs are clean reads. The Harlequin Historicals (no brown banner like the LIHs) were written for the mainstream market. They have Christian themes but gritty content. Some readers won’t care for the language and love scenes. (If you want to know why I wrote them, the story is on my website.)
My two most recent books are independently published. When He Found Me and A Gift to Cherish are a mix of romance and women’s fiction and part of The Road to Refuge series. These stories are particularly close to my heart.
My husband and I now make our home in Lexington, Kentucky, but I’m a California girl at heart. I hope you enjoy my books! For more information, visit https://www.victoriabylin.com
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 6, 2012
Loved it! There's something about a story that features a rough tough hero and a child. Gets me everytime. Ms Bylin knows how to spin a captivating tale and she has a real knack for what things were like in the Old West.
July 5, 2021
"Wyoming Lawman" by Victoria Bylin is listed on the cover as a "Love Inspired Historical Inspirational (i.e. Christian) Historical Romance", and thus this novel must be judged on that basis. And on that basis, this novel falls flat for multiple reasons. First, though, I'll talk about the storyline itself, then, later in this review, I will discuss the many specific concerns I have with this novel.
Matt Wiley has a problem: he has a five-year-old daughter and no wife with him. His wife Bettina (notice I didn't say "ex-wife") has deserted him and little Sarah. Matt knows that Sarah needs a mommy, a need which will grow more critical when a few years down the road, Sarah approaches puberty. Problem is, Cheyenne Deputy Sheriff Matt W. is haunted by an episode in the Civil War in which he oversaw the hanging of an innocent man for alleged spying. Matt is suffering from what we in the 21st century would call "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder". Matt has not overcome his guilt feelings, and those feelings seemingly color his every decision, such as whether or not to "re-marry". Prior to our introduction to guilt-ridden Deputy Sheriff Matt, we are introduced to Pearl Oliver, a young lady who is trying to recover emotionally from being raped, a rape which produced a baby boy, Toby. Notwithstanding the involuntary impregnation, Pearl sees herself as, and is, an outcast for having a child out of wedlock. Moving from Denver to her cousin Carrie's abode in Cheyenne, Pearl feels guilty for having feelings for Matt, whom Carrie has a thing for. Pearl's "sin" costs her a job as a teacher, and so instead she takes a job at a general store owned by Jasper Kling, a member of the sinister vigilante group gone bad, the "Golden Order". Matt entices Pearl's father, Tobias, a retired minister, to allegedly join the Golden Order to spy on them and their inner doings, such as murder. Matt feels that he must thwart Pearl's romantic interest in him in order to protect her and her father from Golden Order suspicions, an effort of questionable success. The improbable ending to this novel is something that readers will just have to swallow.
Now for the concerns/problems: first and foremost, Christian readers may ask themselves why Matt is even considering marrying another woman. His runaway wife, Bettina, is still out there somewhere. Why isn't Matt trying to find Bettina, for Sarah's sake if not his own? And as Pearl develops a bond with Sarah even as Matt pushes Pearl away, readers may ask themselves "what if" Bettina suddenly returns--how will that affect Matt's relationship with Pearl or other women he is considering, and how will Bettina's return affect little Sarah as she now has "two mommies"? Does Matt fail to consider--from a Christian reader's point of view--that if he does end up "marrying" another woman, absent an annulment of some kind from Bettina (which is never mentioned), that that would not only make him a bigamist but an adulterer? Usually in plots of this nature, the author explains that the "former" wife has died, but not in this novel. I also find it hard to understand why people even in the 19th century would come down so harshly on a woman who has been impregnated by forcible rape. There would have been questions and stares at first, sure, but once the explanation was made clear, I would think that even the most hard-hearted individual would have sympathy and understanding for Pearl and her infant. Moreover, with Matt throughout the book trying to push hard to keep Pearl away from him, I would think that realistically even the most infatuated woman would admit defeat eventually and start looking elsewhere for romance. Lastly, I had difficult with the "Golden Order". Perhaps this outfit was just a bit too mysterious, and they came across almost as something out of a fantasy novel, not a Western. A bit more detail about this group would have helped my understanding of them. Remember, I said this novel needed to be evaluated from a Christian reader's point of view, and truly committed Christian readers will ask themselves these questions, which the novel doesn't answer.
Matt Wiley has a problem: he has a five-year-old daughter and no wife with him. His wife Bettina (notice I didn't say "ex-wife") has deserted him and little Sarah. Matt knows that Sarah needs a mommy, a need which will grow more critical when a few years down the road, Sarah approaches puberty. Problem is, Cheyenne Deputy Sheriff Matt W. is haunted by an episode in the Civil War in which he oversaw the hanging of an innocent man for alleged spying. Matt is suffering from what we in the 21st century would call "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder". Matt has not overcome his guilt feelings, and those feelings seemingly color his every decision, such as whether or not to "re-marry". Prior to our introduction to guilt-ridden Deputy Sheriff Matt, we are introduced to Pearl Oliver, a young lady who is trying to recover emotionally from being raped, a rape which produced a baby boy, Toby. Notwithstanding the involuntary impregnation, Pearl sees herself as, and is, an outcast for having a child out of wedlock. Moving from Denver to her cousin Carrie's abode in Cheyenne, Pearl feels guilty for having feelings for Matt, whom Carrie has a thing for. Pearl's "sin" costs her a job as a teacher, and so instead she takes a job at a general store owned by Jasper Kling, a member of the sinister vigilante group gone bad, the "Golden Order". Matt entices Pearl's father, Tobias, a retired minister, to allegedly join the Golden Order to spy on them and their inner doings, such as murder. Matt feels that he must thwart Pearl's romantic interest in him in order to protect her and her father from Golden Order suspicions, an effort of questionable success. The improbable ending to this novel is something that readers will just have to swallow.
Now for the concerns/problems: first and foremost, Christian readers may ask themselves why Matt is even considering marrying another woman. His runaway wife, Bettina, is still out there somewhere. Why isn't Matt trying to find Bettina, for Sarah's sake if not his own? And as Pearl develops a bond with Sarah even as Matt pushes Pearl away, readers may ask themselves "what if" Bettina suddenly returns--how will that affect Matt's relationship with Pearl or other women he is considering, and how will Bettina's return affect little Sarah as she now has "two mommies"? Does Matt fail to consider--from a Christian reader's point of view--that if he does end up "marrying" another woman, absent an annulment of some kind from Bettina (which is never mentioned), that that would not only make him a bigamist but an adulterer? Usually in plots of this nature, the author explains that the "former" wife has died, but not in this novel. I also find it hard to understand why people even in the 19th century would come down so harshly on a woman who has been impregnated by forcible rape. There would have been questions and stares at first, sure, but once the explanation was made clear, I would think that even the most hard-hearted individual would have sympathy and understanding for Pearl and her infant. Moreover, with Matt throughout the book trying to push hard to keep Pearl away from him, I would think that realistically even the most infatuated woman would admit defeat eventually and start looking elsewhere for romance. Lastly, I had difficult with the "Golden Order". Perhaps this outfit was just a bit too mysterious, and they came across almost as something out of a fantasy novel, not a Western. A bit more detail about this group would have helped my understanding of them. Remember, I said this novel needed to be evaluated from a Christian reader's point of view, and truly committed Christian readers will ask themselves these questions, which the novel doesn't answer.
June 12, 2020
Pearl Oliver is a strong woman who refuses to claim to be a widow with a son when she has never been married. Pearl was raped by a respected man in Denver. Sarah is a precious little girls whose mother left her. When she see Pearl, she thinks it is her mother. Sarah's father is Deputy Sheriff Matt Wiley who has not forgiven himself or accepted God's forgiveness for things in his past. You'll love how Sarah decides she wants Pearl to be her mother. I recommend this historical fiction to others.
April 2, 2019
Sorry I picked it up...cliques, cliques. I only escaped away from it.
September 22, 2015
The Women of Swan's Nest
Book 2
This was a very good book about Pearl, whom we met in the first book. Pearl moved Cheyenne, Wyoming to escape the harsh rumors about her out of wedlock baby that was conceived from a rape. This story is covered int he first book, and I recommend readers read that first book before this one to get her story and what happened to the person who committed the act. Pearl's story is very touching. I love her father as well (though I didn't care much for him in the first book).
Matt Wiley is the deputy sheriff in Cheyenne and is busy raising his little girl after his no-account wife left them for another man. He's busy trying to stop a secret group from killing more people - and now it seems people who don't deserve to die are being harmed!
I love the Historical romantic suspense books! The author puts elements from all the love inspired books into one book and many of them are so good you can't put down - this is one of them. Though we pretty much know who the bad guy is and how it's going to all end, I still enjoyed reading about it. I really loved both Matt and Pearl as well as their family members.
There is a second romance story in here. I almost wish that we could have read her story as well, but it seemed to be a simple romance - sometimes those are the best kind - and we can imagine how it all turned out (Love the author's description of the kiss that couple shared...)
Book 2
This was a very good book about Pearl, whom we met in the first book. Pearl moved Cheyenne, Wyoming to escape the harsh rumors about her out of wedlock baby that was conceived from a rape. This story is covered int he first book, and I recommend readers read that first book before this one to get her story and what happened to the person who committed the act. Pearl's story is very touching. I love her father as well (though I didn't care much for him in the first book).
Matt Wiley is the deputy sheriff in Cheyenne and is busy raising his little girl after his no-account wife left them for another man. He's busy trying to stop a secret group from killing more people - and now it seems people who don't deserve to die are being harmed!
I love the Historical romantic suspense books! The author puts elements from all the love inspired books into one book and many of them are so good you can't put down - this is one of them. Though we pretty much know who the bad guy is and how it's going to all end, I still enjoyed reading about it. I really loved both Matt and Pearl as well as their family members.
There is a second romance story in here. I almost wish that we could have read her story as well, but it seemed to be a simple romance - sometimes those are the best kind - and we can imagine how it all turned out (Love the author's description of the kiss that couple shared...)
October 21, 2010
I was really pleased with this book. As sort of a sequel to The Maverick Preacher I was really glad Ms. Bylin decided to write Pearl's story and from the tidbit at the end I have the feeling we're going to be reading more about Mary Larue in the next book.
Wyoming Lawman features two characters who are both really damaged from tragic events in their pasts. Pearl has her faith to guide her through life but Matt does not. Their transformations throughout the pages of this book are sometimes a struggle but everything worked out for them in the end. Little Sarah who is a such a doll and Pearl's father, Tobias are terrific secondary characters. Overall this is a good Love Inspired novel that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of the line or just a fan of Christian fiction in general.
* I received my copy from the author through a Goodreads First-Reads giveaway but I was not obligated to provide a positive review.*
Wyoming Lawman features two characters who are both really damaged from tragic events in their pasts. Pearl has her faith to guide her through life but Matt does not. Their transformations throughout the pages of this book are sometimes a struggle but everything worked out for them in the end. Little Sarah who is a such a doll and Pearl's father, Tobias are terrific secondary characters. Overall this is a good Love Inspired novel that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of the line or just a fan of Christian fiction in general.
* I received my copy from the author through a Goodreads First-Reads giveaway but I was not obligated to provide a positive review.*
November 1, 2010
The Second book in the Swan's Nest stories.
Pearl Oliver had been raped by a banker she was to marry. The rape resulted in a pregnancy.
In The Maverick Preacher we see where she and her father, a Pastor who had been insisting Pearl marry the man who raped her, had finally come to he senses and they made amends.
In Wyoming Lawman we find Pearl, Tobias and her son, Toby, coming to Cheyenne Wyoming to live with her cousin and hopefully to work at Miss Marlowes School for girls.
Matt Wiley and his daughter, Sarah, meet Pearl on her first day. Pearl reminds Matt of the wife who left him over a year ago and even though he wants to avoid her, he feels drawn to her.
There is much danger lurking as well though.
Great story.
Pearl Oliver had been raped by a banker she was to marry. The rape resulted in a pregnancy.
In The Maverick Preacher we see where she and her father, a Pastor who had been insisting Pearl marry the man who raped her, had finally come to he senses and they made amends.
In Wyoming Lawman we find Pearl, Tobias and her son, Toby, coming to Cheyenne Wyoming to live with her cousin and hopefully to work at Miss Marlowes School for girls.
Matt Wiley and his daughter, Sarah, meet Pearl on her first day. Pearl reminds Matt of the wife who left him over a year ago and even though he wants to avoid her, he feels drawn to her.
There is much danger lurking as well though.
Great story.
November 11, 2013
I really appreciate that the little girl on the cover matches Sarah's description quite well (blonde hair, blue dress, blue ribbons). Sometimes it's nice to see a cover actually match the people inside. As far the story itself, it was highly predictable but still cute. Of course there was a hostage situation towards the end -this is the Wild West after all - but it wasn't too bad. I really enjoyed the strong friendship shown between Pearl and her cousin and how they didn't let the men get in their way (because in the beg of the book her cousin has a crush on Matt, Sarah's dad). I did skip a bit towards the end but that was just me being lazy.
November 1, 2016
Thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the Swan's Nest series by Victoria Bylin. Pearl's courage stood out in Maverick Preacher and it continued in Wyoming Lawman. Pearl has a past that included a rape by her fiancé, but she exemplified a godly woman in her reaction to that frightful experience. This book focuses on her new life in Cheyenne and a budding romance with the town's handsome, yet bitter, sheriff. I enjoyed the character of Matt Wiley and his struggles with faith after tragedy and his inability to forgive himself for past sins. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series!
October 2, 2010
"Wyoming Lawman" is a wonderful story full of suspense, guilt, forgiveness, and change. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction and/or western romances will love it. Ms. Bylin does an awesome job creating characters you will care about, and others you will detest because of their hypocrisy, and moving the plot along at an excellent clip; I didn't want the story to end.
February 12, 2015
Pearl and Matt catch each other's eye, but her son Toby (a rape baby) and his daughter Sarah (abandoned by her mother) need so much... Can they fine their way with God to be together? Will the Golden Order keep them apart?
August 13, 2015
I enjoyed this story. Matt and Pearl had their share of baggage, and neither one wants a relationship, but they can't help being drawn to each other. I liked the supporting characters and the additional romantic storyline was an added treat.
November 28, 2010
Gripping story of justice and forgiveness in the Old West. I loved it!
December 21, 2012
Sweet and full of hope.
September 16, 2015
This was an enjoyable story with very likable characters.
June 28, 2016
A fail of a book. Read a bunch and then skimmed through to the end. Boring, normal, and not well-written. I would recommend "Together With You" by Victoria Bylin. It's a much better book.
April 6, 2014
Two people who both must learn to trust again.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews