Rachel Yoder is one of the Plain People (likely Amish),
living in Montana in 1886. Her simple life of farming and taking care of her
husband and young son were forever changed when a cruel cattleman killed her man.
A year later, she is tending her sheep alone, and facing another year of hard
work, when a gunslinger dripping blood stumbles into her life. Handsome Johnny
Cain is a hard living, hard fighting man who has a reputation for killing. He is
the antithesis of all Rachel stands for.
It’s a book of ironic contrasts as the Plain People fail to
show God’s love to Johnny Cain, and Johnny Cain, the Devil’s own, shows them
honor and honesty. Plain People who believe the grace of God doesn’t cover all
sins but that one must be one of the Plain People to hope for salvation, and
even then it isn’t guaranteed. A heartless gospel. THE OUTSIDER tells of young
people who must choose between a life of conforming to a rigid society and a
beckoning world of freedom. Rachel, loving and honest, tries to live in the
middle and fails.
There are many things that distinguish Williamson’s work
from other romance authors. Reading this one, a few come to mind: Her dialog is
so genuine and rich she makes you feel like you know the Plain People. (Her
writing is, in a word, superb.) Her attention to detail, as she describes the
people, their surroundings and their culture, paints such a vivid picture you
actually feel like your living it and not just reading a good story. Her
ability to convey emotions had my heart in my throat as Johnny Cain saved
Rachel’s son from a herd of stampeding cattle. Who wouldn’t begin to love such
a man? And who wouldn’t love a mother who cries when a lamb dies at its birth?
These are wonderful characters who will win your heart. There is much
heart-rending action in this one, but thankfully, since this is romance, we
know we’ll get a happy ending. Yeah!
In short, I highly recommend this one. It’s a keeper. And it's now on Kindle.
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