Thumbs up, one of my favorite genres to read. But I really liked the mini mystery of who robbed the stagecoach in with the rest of the story.
Julia was looking forward to moving back to Arizona when she received the news that her mother had died. But how will she handle her old flame now that she’s back in town?
Just a sweet story with lots of a good old storyline.
This is the first time i’ve Reviewed a book for Net-Galley that had a bonus book as well.
Even though I liked Honor Bound it left me with a little taste of the old Harlequin book lines. Oh the heroine got herself in a mess and what she I do now. It was also an old west setting and almost a “mail order” bride storyline.
I received an e-version of this book combo from Net-Galley and am posting a very belated review now.

Desert Moon by Susan Page Davis is a wonderful historical fiction. The story takes place in Arizona. There is a sweet romance throughout the story with a little bit of danger and mystery added. The story begins fast with a stage coach robbery and then blames of the crime are made and with evidence.

The main character, Julia Newman, is a young lady that makes the difficult decisions. Julia receives double bad news in a short amount of time. First she learns of her mother's death, then she learns that her brother is accused of robbing a stagecoach and the person who informed her is the man that Julie has always love, Deputy Adam Scott. 

Julie left home to go to school to become a teacher because she could not stand to be near the man she loved, Deputy Adam Scott.  On her way home, Julie learns that the stagecoach she is riding in has been robbed. Deputy accused Julie's brother of the crime, which frustrates her. Julie tries to convince Deputy Adam Scott of her brother's innocence but then finds out that her brother has gone mission.  During this exchange, Julie discovers that her feelings for Deputy Adam Scott has not gone away as she hoped would happen when she went away to school. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a great read !! The storyline had me hooked from beginning to the very shocking end !! I was totally surprised about the ending !! This is a must read !! I highly recommend this book !!

Desert Moon
Susan Page Davis
Bonus Story of Honor Bond by Colleen L. Reece

This delightful historical fiction book includes two stories for reader’s enjoyment. The first story is Desert Moon, which is about a Julia Newman, a young lady who returns to Arizona after her mother’s death to find her beloved brother accused of robbing a stagecoach by the very man she has always loved, Deputy Adam Scott. The second story is Honor Bound. This story is about a naïve young lady named Honor who travels to the Grand Canyon with the family she works with as a nanny and falls in love with Philip, who is not all that he seems.
Both stories are very well written and include some nuggets of historical fact that enhance the tales and engage the reader. In Desert Moon, Julia is returning home on the stage coach after she hears about her mother’s passing. She had left to go to school and become a teacher because she couldn’t bear to be in the same town as the Deputy when she was in love with him, but couldn’t marry him. When the very stage coach that she is riding in is robbed, she is enraged that Deputy Adam Scott would accuse her brother of the deed. As she struggles to convince Adam of the truth and find her brother, who has gone missing, she realizes that her feelings for Adam have not decreased over time at all. Will she clear her brother’s name? Will they discover who robbed the stage coach? Will she find love at last? All of this and more are answered in this engaging story.
In Honor Bound, Honor is happy to travel to the Grand Canyon with her employers. They treat her fairly and allow her time to explore when she is not working. She meets Philip, a man she had known many years before and they fall in love. However, Philip is from a different world than the one Honor grew up in. While she works hard and has to strive to support herself, he comes from a wealthy family and is rather spoiled. Honor convinces herself that they can make things work though. She agrees to meet with him at his home. When she arrives there, he says that he can’t remember anything about her or their time together. As they get to know each other again, she finds him different in his own home. When he asks her to marry him in a hurry, she is unsure why but completely willing. During this entire period, Honor is struggling with her inner conscious about what is right and wrong and whether or not she should follow the teachings of her youth or go her own way. The story is a very sweet tale of a young girl who discovers not only love, but faith to sustain her through life.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction. Both stories are interesting, fun, and enjoyable. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

This book is a compelling western romance with some danger and mystery mixed in that draws you in from the first page.

A very well written historical/western romance. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. I recommend this book to those who enjoy a good clean and quick read.

Love Susan Page Davis! Enjoyed reading her work as always!

A western historical romance taking place in Arizona. Traveling from Philadelphia to Ardell,Arizona in a stagecoach, Julia is to meet her brother Oliver there. Before arrival the stagecoach is robbed in what looks like solid evidence against the wanted man a manhunt ensues. The Deputy Sheriff is none other than Adam Scott, Julia's former flame. Things get very tense when the evidence seems to point to her brother, Oliver as the stagecoach robber. Are things really as they seem? Full of keeping you on the edge of your seat reading as you wonder what happens next.
An enjoyable bonus story,Honor Bond by Colleen L. Reece also included.
Publish date March 1,2017.
Thank you to Netgalley and Barbour Publishing, Inc. for providing me with a review copy for my honest opinion.

This was a sweet romance with a little danger and mystery thrown in. I loved it. It starts out fast with a stage coach robbery and then accusations of the crime are made and with seemingly good evidence.

Julia, in an attempt to protect her brother from a lynch mob finds herself at odds with her former beau who is also the town's sheriff.

I really think you will enjoy this book, which also has a bonus story at the end called Honor Bound.

I am finding that I am really enjoying the western historical genre and hope to read many more by this author.

I received an ebook copy from NetGalley for my honest review which I have given.

Susan Page Davis usually writes compelling novels that draw the reader in. I had a hard time getting into this book and really enjoying it.

Julia is coming home to Arizona after her mother's death. Before she even gets to town, the stage is robbed of the mine's payroll and the shotgun rider is killed. The first person she sees when she disembarks from the stage is her old beau, Adam, who believes her brother is the one responsible for the chaos.

Here are my problems with the plot of the novel
Julia has a distinct animosity that suddenly turns to love for Adam. The speed at which her emotions change gives the reader whiplash.
Adam makes his mind up without truly investigating the situation
Julia's brother runs and hides without trying to clear his name, even though he had an unbreakable alibi.
I think that with a longer novel, Susan could have developed her characters a bit more and given them a bit more personality.

I'd have to give this one a two star rating.

In the bonus story, Colleen Reece, has matched Honor Brooks with Philip Travis and he has invited her to his family's ranch. When she gets to the ranch, she thinks she's seeing Philip, but actually she's meeting his twin, James. James takes advantage of the situation by tricking Honor into marriage.

Honor is a sweetly naive girl and Colleen has given her strength and backbone to meet her challenges. I love the way she's met her every challenge and still keeps true to herself.

I'd have to give this one four stars.

Between the two of the books in the single cover, they average a three star rating.

My thanks to Barbour Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Desert Moon by Susan Page Davis is a novel set in 1911 in an Arizona mining town.
Julia Newman is returning to Ardell after teaching for two years in Philadelphia. Her brother, Oliver, is the bookkeeper for the mining company and lived with their mother until her recent illness and death. Their father was a lawman who was killed in the line of duty. Julia left Ardell after refusing to marry the deputy sheriff, Adam Scott as she believed she could not live with the fear of whether he will come home. Adam cannot imagine any other profession as he believes it is his calling to be a lawman. The stagecoach carrying the mine’s payroll has been robbed and Julia was onboard. Oliver is not there to meet the stage when it arrives and no one knows his whereabouts which leads Adam to believing he is the prime suspect for the robbery. Can Adam prove his best friend is a robber? Did Julia really assist in the robbery? Or is Adam jumping to conclusions with evidence that will not hold up?

I rate this book 5 of 5 stars. The characters are very true to life and I was rooting for Oliver to not be the robber though he does act suspicious and the evidence seems to point to him. Adam’s focus on Oliver seems a bit unrealistic as I think you would first defend your best friend no matter what but Adam feels he has solid evidence that will not allow him to do that. All of the characters must depend on their faith to see them through the trying times ahead and this is portrayed in a very realistic way. The author does an excellent job of bringing together a variety of characters and scenarios to solve the crime. Adam made me angry at times as I felt he should have more compassion for his friends. Julia also did some dumb things but did them out of love for her brother.

I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big fan of Susan Page Davis! I have enjoyed every book that I could find written by her. Some of my favorites include her Ladies Shooting Club and Prairie Dreams trilogies. Desert Moon did not disappoint! I loved the story about Julia Newman, her brother Oliver and their friend Adam Scott. Julia and Adam haven't seen each other for two years since the day Julia left shortly after Adam proposed. She could not marry a lawman, and Adam couldn't deny God's calling on his life. On Julia's return trip home she encounters some trouble that soon involves her brother. Julia, Oliver and Adam must work together to help clear Oliver's name. In the meantime, Julia and Adam rekindle their friendship. This story was a great story of love, adventure and finding one's way back home. I really enjoyed this story!

This book also includes a bonus story Honor Bound by Colleen L. Reece. This was the first book I've read by this author, and I plan to read more! Her way of writing made me want to keep reading. I could barely keep my eyes open as I stayed up late trying to finish this story to see what would happen next. This is the story of Honor Brooks who is all alone in the world after her brother dies in the great war and her grandmother passes away. She has found the perfect job nannying for the Stone family. She quickly falls in love with their daughter Heather. While working for the Stones, Honor takes a trip to the Grand Canyon. While there she continues to run from the teachings of her grandmother, but as her grandmother once told her: God will keep chasing you. Honor makes a series of choices that lead her into a marriage she never planned on. This story is an inspirational tale of how our wrong choices cause our problems and not God. Honor learns that she must rely on God, but she hopes happiness is not too late for her. This story has twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I really enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait to read more by this author.