Winning Maura's Heart ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Guest Post & Giveaway!

WINNING MAURA’S HEART

The Hangman’s Daughters Series, Book # 1

by

LINDA BRODAY

Western Romance / Clean & Wholesome / Historical Fiction

Publisher: Severn House

Date of Publication: March 7, 2023

Number of Pages: 256 pages 

Scroll down for Giveaway!

The Calhoun brothers are identical twins but on opposite sides of the law. Cutter is a deputy Marshal, Jonas an outlaw. When Cutter attempts to break his brother out of a notorious gang, they are shot, and Maura finds one of them wounded, close to the mission - but which brother is it?

Maura Taggart is an outcast, the daughter of a hangman and tainted by association - no reputable man wants her as his wife. And now she is homeless, along with her sister and the group of children in their care. Armed with pure grit, she finds a nearby mission where the nuns agree to take them in and set up an orphanage. But trouble is just around the corner . . .

As the stranger regains his strength under Maura's care an attraction between them grows, yet how far can she trust him? And why has he brought trouble to their door? With the orphanage under threat can Maura trust this handsome stranger both with their safety and with her heart?

UNIVERSAL PURCHASE LINK:

https://books2read.com/u/3LVQ9D

Guest Post by Author Linda Broday

on writing Winning Maura’s Heart

“I lie awake and wonder what it might be like to kiss a man, to feel his arms holding me.”

At almost thirty, Maura Taggart had never been courted, been to a dance, or known a kiss. She’s lived the life of an outcast with her sister Emma due to their father’s profession as a hangman.

After tending the sick during a yellow fever epidemic, townsfolk run them out of town again but not before whacking off Emma’s hair. Also unwanted are the orphans left behind when their parents died. Determined to make something worthwhile of their lives, to matter to someone, they take the orphans with them and open an orphanage in an abandoned Spanish mission.

The children name it Heaven’s Door because they believe there is a doorway from the orphanage to heaven and their parents watch over them.

Shortly after they arrive, Maura discovers a man near death and they take him in, unsure if he’s an outlaw or lawman. When the mysterious stranger can speak, he says his name is Calhoun, refusing to give more.

The time spent tending him draws Maura closer to him. The soft-spoken man has kind ways and loves the little orphans.

"With a gentle finger, Calhoun lifted a strand of hair from her eyes. “Try to find someone else. There are hundreds of men better than me. I’m no good for you. Don’t you see? It’s better this way.”"

Who is he? Who shot him? Maura tries to figure it out while keeping her heart locked. She has to keep the children safe and she knows he’s brought trouble.

While writing this story, I did a lot of research and I found that not only were old West hangmen unwelcome once their job was done, but also their families. No one wanted them to live amongst them. Folks were quick to call for the hangman but once he’d dispensed of an outlaw, they wanted him gone.

In the old movies, he’s always alone. Rides in, doesn’t speak to anyone much, does his job and he rides away. I always wondered about their families. In the movies, they were never mentioned.

Even today, there is a real distaste for those who carry out capital punishment. For that reason, the executioner is never revealed. We don’t have a name or anything.

I wrote Winning Maura’s Heart in the vein of the movie Sommersby, where the mystery of Richard Gere’s character is kept hidden. In my story, the identity of Calhoun isn’t revealed until the end but it draws speculation all through the story.

Do you like stories where things aren’t straightforward? Or where certain characters’ true identities aren’t revealed until the very last? I hope you give this a try. Book Two – Courting Miss Emma – will release in November.

I'm a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of western romance novels and short stories. Watching TV westerns during my youth fed my love of cowboys and the old West and they still do. On a still day, I can often hear the voices of American Indians, Comancheros, and early cowboys whispering in the breeze here on the high West Texas plains. We refer to this land as “cowboy” country and men here still ride the range just as cowboys of old. My stories focus on family life and almost all have children.

◆ WEBSITE ◆ FACEBOOK ◆ TWITTER ◆

◆ PINTEREST ◆ GOODREADS ◆ BOOKBUB ◆

-----------------------------------------

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

THREE WINNERS:

GRAND PRIZE: tote including signed copy of Winning Maura’s Heart, strawberry & chocolate tea, Cowgirl hand lotion, bath bombs, personalized cup;

2nd Prize: eBook copy Winning Maura’s Heart;

3rd Prize: $15 Amazon gift card

(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 4/14/23)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY, 

or visit the blogs directly:

04/04/23	Hall Ways Blog	Guest Post
04/04/23	Writing and Music	BONUS Review
04/05/23	Forgotten Winds	Review
04/05/23	LSBBT Blog	BONUS Promo
04/06/23	StoreyBook Reviews	Excerpt
04/07/23	It's Not All Gravy	Review
04/08/23	The Book's Delight	Review
04/09/23	JennCaffeinated	Notable Quotables
04/10/23	The Plain-Spoken Pen	Review
04/11/23	The Page Unbound	Excerpt
04/12/23	Carpe Diem Chronicles	Review
04/12/23	All the Ups and Downs	BONUS Promo
04/13/23	Reading by Moonlight	Review

blog tour services provided by