I have to admit that I was actually a bit stunned on how brutal this book turned out to be. I was hopeful that it would not be too romanticized, but I had not expected to be almost traumatized by it.

The story starts off with Dr. Catherine Bennett having to flee New York after being falsely accused of murdering a doctor. It's the wife of the doctor that is accusing her and Catherine hasn't a clue to why she would do something like that. And, what's worse is that Catherine does not have a good alibi. Catherine and her maid Maureen quickly leaves the town, and she changes her name to Laura Elliston, but it doesn't take long for someone to recognize her so she abandons her plans for California and set her sight on Colorado instead. However, this may not be the best idea since the uncharted territories of Colorado can be quite dangerous.

I can say that up to this point before Laura and Maureen set off to Colorado is not that extraordinary. I liked it, I was curious to see what would happen to them, and how long they could stay under the radar. However, it's now that the story takes the first surprising turn, they are attacked by a group of Indians. And, it turns out to be a bloody massacre. And, this is just one of the shocks in this book. I was actually stunned by this turn of events, I had not imagined that this book would be so gruesome. Now, this actually made me very intrigued because this meant that the author isn't afraid to hold back the punches. And, that's sometimes I admire when it comes to books. Too often I feel that authors don't dare to really depict reality, but Melissa Lenhardt dared it. And, as I wrote, this is just one of the things that surprised me.

I was also impressed with how Laura was portrayed. She's a strong woman, but she has to deal with a lot of bad things in this book. Trying to keep her secret and at the same time trying to stay true to herself and her passion for being a doctor is not the easiest. She does find some happiness and even a job as an army doctor, but will it last. And, will one day someone sells her out?

SAWBONES is a fabulous western book. It has action, heartache, romance and a thrilling ending. This is the first book in a series and I can't wait to read the next book to see what's ahead for Laura. A word of warning, there is some really gruesome scenes in this book, both murders, and rape. Even I, who is used to quite a lot of things in books found some scenes difficult, so this is not a book for those that have a hard time with murder and rape.