Beginning in Montana Territory, in spring of 1866, this historical western introduces Patience Cavanaugh who is hoping to run her late grandmother's boarding house. In THE TROUBLE WITH PATIENCE Sheriff Jedediah Jones has enough to do with horse thieves in town not to want a feisty young woman giving him cheek. All he thinks women are good for is baking. But the newcomer Patience is determined not to be put down by anyone, and doesn't hesitate to say so.

Cleaning up the tired old boarding house keeps Patience busy, and her fried chicken and luscious cobbler attract visitors. She is delighted to be working, and in place of a social life she reads her Bible, as a good woman should. At twenty-five, polite society considers her on the shelf. But in the wild territory, any woman is valued - especially such a fine cook!

Rustlers are part and parcel of life, but when Jedediah isn't busy leading posses, he's all for an evening's dancing. The townsfolk enjoy an occasional waltz party. Yet when Patience's formal-minded mother comes to pay her daughter a visit, the town and Patience's efforts don't meet her high standards in the least. Not only that, but a gang of vigilantes is in the area, doling out summary and sometimes unwarranted justice. Maybe Patience would be better off going back home, rather than trying to support herself near a mining camp.

This at times amusing romance paints a nice picture of Nevada City when respectability meant everything and reputations, of men or women, were easily lost. Patience is perhaps too idealised but she is never afraid to roll up her dress sleeves and get working. Sheriff Jed can't be blamed for hoping she'll see him as something more than the stern figurehead he needs to be to maintain the semblance of law and order.

I enjoyed the inspirational romance by Maggie Brendan, THE TROUBLE WITH PATIENCE which is in a series called The Virtues and Vices of The Old West. With several westerns already published, this author is building up a posse of fans. I'll be interested to see what's in store for us next.