Reviewed by Brenda Casto for Readers' Favorite

Nineteen-year-old Arianna Quincy feels like it's time for her to leave the farm where she was raised with seven other siblings. She doesn't want to be a farmer's wife, or anyone's wife for that matter. Instead, she wants to get a job and decides that the mercantile where her cousin works would be just the place to work. Headed to town to pick up supplies for her family, she decides it's time to put her plan into motion, but when she winds up in the middle of a robbery, Jason Reynolds, the new deputy in town saves the day. It's Jason's first day in town, and he just happens to be at the mercantile when someone tries to rob it. He can't help being drawn to Arianna, but she has other plans for her life. Jason isn't actually who everyone thinks he is, and when Arianna's life is put in jeopardy, he has to put his feelings aside in order to try to save her.

A Lady for the Lawman by Jewell Tweedt is a historical romance that really is so much more! A fantastic blending of romance, suspense, along with a faith based theme and likable characters, make for a page turning read that you can't put down once you start reading it! Jewell Tweedt brings history to life within the pages of A Lady for the Lawman. She provides a very realistic look at the way life in a western town could have been a few years after the Civil War. I became absorbed in the story within a few pages; the descriptive writing, along with easy to care for characters, made me feel like I had stepped back in time.

I enjoyed the romance that developed between Jason and Arianna; the pacing of their budding relationship was perfect, the presence of faith and family fitted perfectly with the story. Secondary characters really added to the plot and honestly left me hoping that perhaps Arianna's sister might get her own story. Speaking of secondary characters, Ms. Tweedt's ease of pulling me into the characters' feelings allowed me to feel empathy for the "bad guy" - she shared insight into the hopes and dreams for his life and how the war basically cost him everything. The ending she gave him was better than I could have hoped for. The romance was slow and sweet, but it was the mystery and suspense that had the plot zipping along. The secondary story line of missing gold from the Civil War was really intriguing, and the snippets of history surrounding Abraham Lincoln made this a top notch read for me.

While this story is the second in the Nebraska Brides series, the author provides enough background information so that it can be read as a stand alone work. With that said, I have read both books and highly recommend both! On a scale of one to five I would easily give A Lady for the Lawman a six because it's the perfect blending of romance, faith, mystery and suspense, where you also feel like you're getting a bit of a history lesson. I will certainly be watching for more books in the Nebraska Brides series by Jewell Tweedt.