The Loyal Heart Book Review

I am not always a big fan of historical fiction but I love Shelly Shepard Gray so I knew that I had to check out The Loyal Heart  (A Lone Star Hero's Love Story) by Shelley Shepard Gray as soon as I saw it.  The wonderful cover and the author was all I needed to know in order to read this great book.  Check out what it is about in case you might have any questions :)

Robert came to Galveston to fulfill his promise to a dying man and look after his widow. He didn’t expect to find love in the unlikeliest of places. Robert Truax, former Second Lieutenant and Confederate officer in the Civil War, made a promise to his comrade Phillip Markham. If anything happened to Phillip, Robert would look after his beloved wife, Miranda. She was his life, his world, his everything.  After the war, Robert is left to pick up the pieces and fulfill his pact. When he arrives at Miranda’s home in Galveston, Texas, things are worse than he imagined. Phillip’s name has been dragged through the mud, everyone in town believes him to be a traitor, and his widow is treated as an outcast. Even more disturbing is her emotional well-being. Miranda seems hopeless, lost, and so very alone. Robert had thought his duty would be simple. He would help Miranda as quickly as possible in order to honor a promise. But the moment Robert laid eyes on her, his plans changed. He’s mesmerized by her beauty and yearns to help her in any way he can. He makes it his duty to protect Miranda, turn her reputation around, and to find some way to help her smile again. But it doesn’t prove to be an easy task—Robert knows something about Phillip that could shake Miranda to the core and alter her view of the man she thought she knew so well.

It took me a little bit longer to get into this book because it was set in the middle of the war in 1865 but once I was in, I was ready to root for Miranda.  Although less able to relate to the main character, I knew that she was at an all time low and needed a little bit of hope.  Robert Truax came into town and was her hope that things were going to get better.  She immediately had someone who supported her against the town of people who look to talk about her husband behind her back.  There are lots of surprises and I know that you will be as entranced with the characters and seeing a picture of Texas back in the 1800.  I was fascinated with the history of the war and how things were for people coming back from the war but mostly I loved the characters who came to life on the page.  I hope that you add this to your reading list soon!!  I know that you will enjoy it as much as I did!

**I received a copy of this book for my review but all opinions here are my own.