Marshal in Petticoats

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Synopsis

Darcy Duncan and her little brother, Jeremy, have been on the run from an unscrupulous uncle who sold her to a brothel and treated Jeremy like a slave. They've just landed in the small gold mining town of Galena, where Darcy hopes to put down some roots after staking a claim. Before that happens, though, she accidentally shoots a bank robber, which gets her hired on the spot by the mayor as the new town marshal. She plans to do her best for the town in her new role so that she and Jeremy can finally have a safe place to stay and food to eat, but she quickly begins to have suspicions about her new employer. Since she dresses as a boy, finding it safer for their travels, no one realizes that she's a girl and she intends to keep it that way, but she fears that her secret might be revealed when Gil Halsey figures out the truth. Instead, he promises to keep her confidence and asks her out to dinner. But not long after they've started to get to know one another, Darcy is kidnapped by a band of outlaws who've just helped the mayor rob the bank. Gil rides to her rescue, and they get to work on proving their case, but both of them end up in a dangerous situation that could get them killed.

Gil Halsey came to Galena searching for his boss's son and hoping to be promoted to ranch foreman if he can return the errant young man, who's joined a gang, back to his father. He witnesses Darcy shoot the bank robber and get hired as marshal, but something about all of it doesn't sit well with him. When he visits her at the jail, her own clumsiness throws her into his arms, leading to him quickly realizing she's really a woman. Finding her attractive, he asks her to dinner, and the pair begin working together to investigate some new information Darcy discovered about the mayor's suspicious dealings. Gil finds himself falling for Darcy, but isn't sure if he's ready for marriage. However, when Darcy is kidnapped by the outlaws, Gil doesn't hesitate to give chase, and begins to realize just how much she means to him. When he catches up and rescues her, they start making a plan to capture both the mayor and the outlaws and bring them to justice, but it definitely could put both of them at great risk.

Review

Marshal in Petticoats is the first book in Paty Jager's Halsey Brothers series. Darcy and her little brother, Jeremy, have been on the run from their abusive uncle, barely scraping by, when they end up in the mining town of Galena. At the mercantile, the clumsy Darcy, who's dressed like a boy, is testing out a rifle she plans to buy when she spots a bank robber across the street and accidentally pulls the trigger, shooting the man. The mayor, Tobias Craven, is so impressed with her supposed crack shot that he instantly offers her the job of town marshal on the spot, not realizing that she's a girl. Desperate for a place to put down roots for her and her brother, she accepts, knowing she'll have to keep up the ruse. She decides to do a good job, and while investigating the bank robbery, she quickly becomes aware that there's something suspicious going on between the mayor and the outlaws who are trying to force miners in the area out of their claims. Gil, the youngest Halsey brother, came to Galena looking for his employer's son, Pete, who's joined an outlaw gang. He witnesses Darcy's shot and her subsequent hiring by the mayor, and immediately starts to feel like something is off about the whole situation. Since the man Darcy shot is part of the gang he's looking for and he needs him to find out where Pete is hiding, he gets the man medical attention, and then later, transfers him to the jail. It's not long before he becomes aware that Darcy is a woman and invites her to dinner, promising to keep her secret. The two are very attracted to one another, although unsure if the other can be trusted, but soon they start working together to figure out what's going on. As part of the investigation, Darcy dons a new disguise as a saloon girl, hoping someone will let information slip to her, but before the night is out, she's been kidnapped by the outlaws who've just helped Craven rob the bank. Gil doesn't hesitate to give chase, and once he catches up to them, they come up with a plan to smoke out Craven and arrest everyone involved, but things turn dangerous very quickly, putting lives at risk.

Darcy's parents died a while ago, leaving all their money to her uncle to care for her and Jeremy. Instead her uncle took the money, sold Darcy to a brothel, and abused Jeremy, treating him like a slave. Darcy escaped and got Jeremy out of that situation, but the pair have been on the run ever since, barely getting by. Wanting to put down roots, she's decided to stake a mining claim in Galena, hoping to find enough gold to keep them set for life, but before she can do that, she accidentally shoots the bank robber and finds herself hired as marshal. Then Gil comes along and figures out her secret almost immediately. Darcy really likes him, but at first she thinks he might be working with the outlaw gang. Eventually she realizes that he can be trusted, and they start working together to figure out the connection between Craven, the outlaws, and the miners who are being forced out. Along the way, she begins to fall for him, but he seems reluctant to commit to marriage or to admit that he loves her, leaving her uncertain of their future. All that might not matter, though, when the outlaws kidnap her and they end up on a merry chase, trying to bring them all to justice. Darcy is an admirable heroine, smart enough to figure out what Craven is up to and brave enough to want to bring him in. Her clumsiness makes her charming, humorous, and relatable. I loved her determination to do whatever it took to provide for Jeremy and stay out of their uncle's clutches.

Gil is wracked with guilt over the deaths of his parents and little brother. Thinking his older brothers hated him for not being around when it happened, he ran away and hasn't been back since. He's been working on a ranch, something he enjoys, but his employer has tasked him with bringing home his son, Pete. If Gil is successful, he'll be promoted to foreman. Gil knows that Pete has taken up with a band of outlaws and he's tracked him to Galena. There he sees Darcy shoot one of the gang members and get named marshal. When he takes the injured prisoner to the jail, Darcy has one of her clumsy moments, which reveals her true gender. Gil agrees to keep her secret and asks her to dinner. He really starts to like her, but at first worries she might be up to something with Craven. Gradually they come to trust one another and grow closer. Gil isn't certain if he's ready for marriage, but when Darcy is kidnapped, he begins to realize just how much she's come to mean to him and will do anything to get her back and put the bad guys in jail. I feel like Gil's guilt over his parents' deaths could have been brought out better. I know he was just a kid when it happened, and it might have been easy for him to misinterpret his brothers' actions in the wake of such a tragedy, but it kept him away from them for ten years. In fact, he only goes back because of Darcy. Given that they weren't mad at him at all, it seemed a little overblown as written. Other than that, Gil is a very good hero. I like that he wasn't the type of guy to sleep around a lot. He's very protective of Darcy and Jeremy and works very hard to keep them both safe.

Overall, Marshal in Petticoats was a good read, though definitely not a perfect one. For starters, the timing of a couple of the love scenes felt a bit off to me. The first one almost seemed to come from out of nowhere. They'd been vibing one another, but I just wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. The second one came in the immediate aftermath of Darcy being sexually assaulted, without any discussion of whether she was okay with it. Sure, she very much enjoyed it, but enthusiastic consent beforehand would have been better. These scenes could have used a little more variety as well. They may have started in different positions, but I think every one ended up missionary. After Gil catches up to the outlaws and gets Darcy back, the plot seemed a little unfocused. They go from one thing, to the next, to the next, ratcheting up the suspense, but it all felt a little chaotic rather than flowing smoothly. I thought that their plan to capture Craven could have been executed much better and that Gil should have allowed his brothers to come along as backup. I also wasn't a fan of the plan relying on Darcy having to flirt with the man who'd assaulted her. Toward the end, they each have reason to think the other one is dead, but without checking or waiting to find out, they simply lose all hope, which felt overly melodramatic. The uncle coming out of the woodwork at the eleventh hour didn't serve much of a purpose either except to finally end his ties to Darcy and Jeremy. Small spoiler: I wasn't overjoyed that he performed Darcy and Gil's wedding. Supposedly he was the only person in town who legally could, but it just felt a little icky to me that she had to have a man who'd abused her officiating her special day. Lastly there were numerous small, typographical errors (incorrect words, incorrect verb tenses, improper use of punctuation, etc.) that all added up to one big distraction. Granted, though, I was reading a twenty-year-old copy, and it looks like the author has since republished it herself, so perhaps she's had occasion to have it re-edited. I certainly hope so.

Given my rather lengthy critique, you might be wondering why I still gave Marshal in Petticoats four stars. That's because it started off well, introducing the characters and their respective situations. I very much liked both Gil and Darcy. They were nice characters who fit well together, making a good couple, and there was nothing about them that I disliked. Jeremy, as well, was likable and charming in his chatterbox way. I enjoyed Darcy's friendship with the local madame, a woman with a heart of gold who becomes a strong ally. Darcy's investigation was well-written and I enjoyed the way she followed the clues to figure out what was happening. The romance built nicely as well. Aside from the poor timing and lack of variety, the love scenes were pretty well-written, more sensual than steamy as billed, though. I felt the growing emotional connection between Gil and Darcy, which is always a plus. I like that Gil got an opportunity to reunite with his brothers, each of whom get their own stories in the series. Likewise, Jeremy is aged up to become the hero of the first book of the spin-off Halsey Homecoming series, Laying Claim. Overall, Marshal in Petticoats was a good read despite its flaws. It was my first book by Paty Jager, but it was good enough that I plan to continue the series to find out what happens for the other Halsey brothers and Jeremy.

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Themes

Babies & Children