As I couldn't finish the first, I didn't read this one.

I'm going over my backlog that I forgot to post on netgalley, sorry for the late posts.

This is book two in this series. It is highly likely that you read book one.

In this book you dive a little deeper of the story and find new characters. There are twists in this story that kept my hanging. Sometimes it was brutal to read about the tragic incidents throughout this story. It was intense at times and sad others. There are so many emotions going on while reading. I definitely recommend this book.

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2017; Orbit Books/Redhook

Blood Oath continues Laura's journey in the west. She and William are on the run trying to keep one step ahead of the law and other outlaws. This sequel continues the story and also sets up stories for the concluding book. I liked the realistic, very flawed, characters. Like every western there is the flawed "hero" with good intentions and the villain with the stomach for sadism. This novel is even more grittier than the first novel, and more action packed, so I recommend reading this one in bigger chunks. I am ready for the last book, but also don't want it to end.

<i>***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss/NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***</i>

Finishing Sawbones, I settled in for a binge of the trilogy. Blood Oath picks up where Sawbones let off - but Melissa Lenhardt wasn't going to let up up on Catherine (now going by Laura) or Kindle. Laura is subjected to horror after horror, and comes back fighting. Kindle can't cut a break either.

Through the entire book I rooted for them, I covered my mouth in horror at what Laura endured, and Lenhardt dragged me through the ringer. The era and the setting of the book is a time of brutality, and neither Laura nor Kindle escape them unscathed. It's a different relationship with them in this book, but still powerful. The author has me hooked from beginning to end as this book is as much a rollercoaster ride as the first.

4.5 Stars. This series makes me want to start a book club or fan club or SOMETHING where I can just sit around and talk about the stories -- and I haven't even read book three (yet!). I am thoroughly hooked.

Melissa Lenhardt is a master at manipulating her readers. We're high! We're low! We're yes, and we're oh-hell-no! (Thank you, Train/Save Me San Francisco, for that inspiration.) As with book one of the series, Sawbones, Blood Oath is brutal in its depiction of the mentality of life on the frontier. Lenhardt weaves-in actual people and events from the 1800s to bring an extra level of realism, and both the truths and the fiction ain't pretty. Sensitive reader: consider yourself warned.

At the very heart of the story is our main character, the woman who goes by Catherine or Laura or Charlotte or Sophia, depending on the situation. Though her name changes often, her strength and fortitude really stay consistent. No matter how mentally or physically beaten, bruised, and abused, she perseveres. Less consistent is her love interest, William Kindle. He is also beaten, bruised, and abused, and he shows great strength and perseverance, but in Blood Oath, for me, he came dangerously close to losing his luster a few times. There is a huge cast of characters, old and new, and they are richly crafted to leave lasting impressions. From Native Americans to Quakers, priests to Pinkertons, readers are given insight into a variety of mindsets and attitudes towards women, as women were beginning their fight for rights and equality.

The action is non-stop, and even as Laura and Kindle are waging battles at every turn, it is Laura’s battle with herself that is sometimes the most damaging. She can’t escape or move on from the horrible memories of abuse and she can’t reconcile what she’s become – a killer – to the Hippocratic Oath she took. The reader must never relax while reading Blood Oath. All I will say about that is this: when you least expect it, expect it.

The book is well-written and cleanly edited. Lenhardt has a way with words and is deliberate in her word choices to convey specific impressions of character and place. (Admittedly, there were a few words I had to look-up!) The book isn’t meant to stand alone, and I wouldn’t recommend trying it that way. The only way to truly make the journey with Laura is if you start it with her. Block out a few days, then read Sawbones and make sure you have Blood Oath and Badlands at the ready. Then block out another day or two to recover – this series will wear you out in the best possible way.

I won a BEAUTIFUL signed copy of this book in a giveaway, so thank you to the author for my copy! And thanks to Lone Star Book Blog Tours for allowing me to post my bonus review on the tour in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give.

Blood Oath, a wild and adventurous sequel to Sawbones, captures the rugged west of the post civil war era. By this time the army is fighting the Indian wars and chasing fugitives through the untamed countryside. One such fugitive is Catherine Bennett, aka Laura Elliston.

Readers were left with a cliffhanger at the ending of Sawbones and Blood Oath picks up the story and takes readers on a wild adventure through Indian territory with Laura and Captain Kindle.

I think I enjoyed this one even better than the first in the series. There are many intense moments and just when you think the couple is safe, their situation changes and they are thrown into another hornet’s nest to escape from.

In this novel, we learn more about Captain Kindle’s past and we are given a close look at how complicated relations were between the settlers and the Indians.

True to form, Melissa Lenhardt leaves readers with another cliffhanger to be continued in the next novel. I’m looking forward to reading Badlands to see how the saga ends.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books, Redhook for allowing me to read a galley and give my honest review.

When I read Sawbones, the first book in this trilogy, I was smitten with the gritty writing of what life was like in the post-Civil War Wild West for a young, female doctor who was on the run from the law. In Blood Oath, Lenhardt continues the story quite literally where the first book left off. It had been a year and a half since I had read the first book but I remembered the gist of the plot and the characters ... or so I thought. Readers expecting a little reminder of what happened in the first book will be disappointed that barely any clues are given to past scenes or character connections making it a bit of a hard go for those of us who didn't just finish Sawbones. I would not recommend this book as a stand-alone read.

Life is hard in the West and Lenhardt continues to balance the love story between Laura and Kindle (and their funny banter) with the often dangerous, unforgiving life they've been forced to live. Laura continues to be haunted by the horrors that she lived through in the first book and I appreciated that the author didn't have Laura jump back into the fray with little or no repercussions from the horrific trauma she experienced. It felt much more authentic to see her struggle with her emotional scars and her reactions made her a compelling and sympathetic character.

The Sawbones trilogy is a gritty, sometimes gruesome, adventure romance set in the dangerous Wild West featuring two characters readers will root for as they try to catch a break in their seemingly unending, tumultuous lives. It has some good twists and Lenhardt doesn't shy away from big issues involving the effects of violent abuse and the complicated and volatile relationship between the white settlers and indigenous people. I look forward to jumping into Badlands, the final book in this series soon.

Melissa Lenhardt's Blood Oath (Redhook May 2017), second in the Sawbones series, is a story of the post-Civil War West when both Indians and the white conquerors were fair game. The only law was a man's gun and his wits with a little help from Pinkerton. At this point in the series, Laura is running from the law after escaping from an Indian tribe who has gang-raped her and being accused of murdering one of the white men involved. To help her escape, John Kindle must desert his post in the Army which puts him on every lawman's radar. They're on the run, trying to find a desolate place in the lawless West to start their life over, constantly chased by those who want the bounty on their heads.  Laura is not only miles from her successful medical practice in the East but even further from the cultured woman who spent years studying for and then practicing to be a doctor. Kindle had been a captain in the army and life long soldier before he fell in love with this strong independent but desperate woman.

"My [Laura] life back East was like a book read long ago, fondly but vaguely remembered."

"...to make different decisions so we wouldn’t end up in Indian Country, a degraded woman and a disgraced Army officer."

As they struggle to create a life that includes happiness and each other, the author delves into difficult moral topics such as righting injustice, forgiving your enemies, and the horror man commits against each other. One important point: The book stops on a cliffhanger so do plan to read book 3 in the series without a break.

--will be published to my blog, WordDreams Oct. 15

I loved Sawbones. And Blood Oath is no different, I still love Laura and Kindle's fun banter, and I'm still loving the writing, where this world is absolutely believable and on point. So why is this only 4 for me? A couple of reasons. First, I Do honestly equate the books with Outlander, the characters and their stories are that strong(not the time travel part). As I said in the Sawbones review, the books aren't as long. So this book felt incomplete to me. I don't know where we are going. There is a big cliffhanger. I'm fairly certain Book 3, coming out soon thankfully, will solve that for me. So I feel like I just digested the middle third of Outlander, if that makes sense. I don't like being left like that.

I loved this series so much that I bought the paperbacks and also the audios. I do have some notes about the audios. The narrator make some glaring mispronunciations that I thought would be corrected in book two.. I want the world to know this land, and how to say Kiowa (Ky-o-wa, like the y in Kyle- definitely not KEEowa. And Palo Duro, like Pal-o not Paul-o, you know like Palo Alto. And Washita. -- wash-i-tah not washy-ta. And travois -- tra-voy. If you don't believe me check your Meriam-Webster app and both listen/look. The book and narration, and frankly the country itself, they are all just too brilliant to get these big little things wrong. So that's why. Otherwise, bravo and I'm lining up for the next! Definitely makes my best #beachreads list!!!

My review is at: https://thelibrariantalks.wordpress.com/2017/06/30/review-blood-oath-by-melissa-lenhardt-badlands-blog-tour/

After the cliffhanger at the end of Sawbones, Blood Oath starts off nice and slow, easing you back into the story. But don’t be fooled. William Kindle and Laura are on the run, chased by the Army, bounty hunters, and a whole mess of bad memories.

Once again. Mellissa Lenhardt doesn’t hold back when detailing death and destruction. Several scenes will raise your ire, curdle your blood, and make you run screaming from the room. Yes, Blood Oath is that awesome! And I for one can’t wait to read the next book, Badlands, for more of the same.

In Blood Oath, Kindle’s and Laura’s resolve and fortitude are tested as they become battered, bruised, and betrayed by both enemies and friends alike. One of my favorite unlikely friends is Henry Pope. While he knows the truth and enough secrets about Kindle and Laura to turn them in, he ends up proving his loyalty and honest friendship in such endearing ways that you can’t help but fall just a little bit in love with him. Pope is one of my favorite characters!

With a writing style that is crisp and engaging, Melissa Lenhardt has an uncanny knack of turning the story on a dime and leaving you breathless with shock, horror, and anticipation for the next chapter and the next book. With each turn of the page and each turn of events, the story of Kindle and Laura unfolds and then transforms in ways no reader can possibly expect or predict.

Blood Oath ends with a cliffhanger, of course, and will leave you with the expectation that the next in the series, Badlands, will deliver just as many thrilling, suspenseful, and electrifying moments as both Sawbones and Blood Oath.

The second book in this series and you do need to read in order because this book picks up after the first book and where Laura and Kindle are in their adventures.

This series is definitely gritty and gory/violent, but accurate when it comes to describing life in the west in the late 1800's and what it might have been like in these various towns and how the indians reacted to the white man taking over their land.

Laura is a strong woman, but also arrogant and stubborn. While sometimes that attitude serves her well, sometimes it gets her into a bit of trouble.

I have really enjoyed the series for the romance, history and strong female characters.

I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sawbones, the first book in this series, was one of my first forays into the Western genre. And I really liked it. The story was good, the theme was good, nothing felt overdone... it was just a great experience overall. It was with high hopes that I began to read this sequel... so here is my review:

After escaping danger, Laura Elliston and William Kindle are on the run -- from the Army and from every bounty hunter after Laura. But the danger isn't just from those pursuing them. Laura and Kindle can't escape their past and are haunted by their secrets and trauma. Exhausted, scared, scarred and surrounded by enemies, neither realize the greatest danger is yet to come.

As usual, the author maintained that awesome grittiness that I have started to associate with the Western genre. Laura and Kindle do not get it easy at all in this novel! Every time they turn, there is some struggle or the other - but that's what I like about this book series. The author does not shy away from difficult themes like the conflict between Natives and the "Westerners", and the trauma from rape. The story was powerful because of the topics it covered and I think the author did a good job of addressing them. There is a lot more romance in this novel but I think that the chemistry between Laura and Kindle worked very well, so it was a success for me! I will say that this novel is more of a filler between the first book and what is to come; while this novel was interesting, it wasn't really necessary. However, with all that being said, this is definitely a good Western book series and I cannot wait to see what happens to Laura and Kindle in the next installment!

A few months ago, Sawbones appeared on Amazon as a recommended book for me. I bought it and zipped through it so fast. So I was over the moon when I was approved for an ARC of Blood Oath. The second book of the Sawbones trilogy begins were the first ended. Laura and William must continue on the run after the horrific events of book one. Just like the first book, Lenhardt is extremely authentic to the time period. I am so excited for the final installment. A special thanks to netgalley for my advanced reader copy of Blood Oath.

In this second book in the Sawbones Series, Kindle and Laura are heading to Fort Worth disguised as brothers trying to stay one step ahead of the bounty hunters and Pinkerton detective looking for them. Laura's voice is still hoarse after her encounter with Cotter Black and she is recovering from her physical ailments after her brutal attack at the hands of her kidnappers. Kindle has grown a beard and sports an eye patch attempting to hide his scars and evade the military consequences of his desertion. No stranger to violence, Laura and Kindle are willing to kill in order to be safe and to stay together. Lenhardt is a master at historical fiction! The violence of the frontier is realistically portrayed and the brutal acts committed against humanity are well documented. But, it is also a love story and one that survives against all odds.

Thank you, NetGalley and Hatchett Book Group for the free e-copy of Blood Oath by Melissa Lenhardt in exchange for my honest-to-goodness review of the second installment of the Sawbones saga.


Format: ebook
Tissue warning: possibly a few times
HEA: series, incomplete
Triggers: violence, death, rape
Narrative: first person (following Laura/Catherine) third person (following Kindle)
My reviewer rating: 4 out of 5
Recommend read: absolutely, if you can stomach the violence of the time
Published: May 22, 2017

see my full review at www.iseeyoursmile.com

Last year I fell head over heels in love with Melissa Lenhardt’s Sawbones, a post-Civil War western filled with equal parts gritty adventure and passionate romance. Needless to say, I was barely able to contain my excitement when I found out there would be not one but two follow-ups to the novel, rounding out a trilogy chronicling the extraordinary journey of a woman doctor on the run from the law.

While Blood Oath picks up not long after Sawbones, it is also a new beginning of a sort for our protagonist. The woman from New York known as Dr. Catherine Bennett is dead. Now she is Laura Elliston, a fugitive wanted for a crime she did not commit. Still, despite a new name and a new life on the frontier, she could not escape her past. And following the brutal events of the previous book, Laura now finds herself with even more personal demons to confront.

Fortunately, this time she has the help and companionship of her lover William Kindle, a former captain of the US Army. Traveling in disguise, the two of them persist in trying to find safe refuge, dodging every soldier, vigilante and two-bit bandit eager to collect the bounty on their heads. Already on edge from the dangers and stresses of the journey, the couple’s relationship is further strained from the uncertainties left after Laura’s horrific kidnapping and their showdown with Kindle’s vicious brother, Cotter Black. As a doctor, Laura understands better than most how even the worst physical pain can eventually fade and be forgotten over time, but when it comes to the emotional scars, she is not so sure, fearing that the damage on both their spirits may have broken them in ways they can never be healed.

Poor Laura and Kindle. The two of them can never catch a break, even after being put through the wringer in Sawbones. I wish I could tell you everything comes together for them, but apparently, they still have a little longer to wait for their happily-ever-after. Following her characters’ nightmare ordeal with Cotter Black, Melissa Lenhardt isn’t about to let up on her protagonists, throwing them into new situations full of hardships and horrors. Blood Oath might just be slightly less intense than its predecessor, but rest assured it still has its fair share of harsh injustices and gut-churning violence. Dark as it is though, this series reminds me of why I love Westerns, perfectly capturing a sense of danger and the atmosphere of constant threat in an untamed country. This tone of raw candidness keeps me coming back, not to mention the author’s storytelling skills and no-holds-barred style.

And yet, despite the brutal realities of the era, we also have the passion as a counterpoint. Laura and Kindle had excellent chemistry in Sawbones, and it pained me to read about what happened to them at the end of that book and to see the emotional aftermath of those events here. Neither of them are the same people anymore, which made me sad—but I’m also encouraged by their efforts to talk it out and make things work. First, the story had to address Laura’s trauma from her experiences in the first book, and the effects on her relationship with Kindle have not been easy, as one would expect. Second, misunderstandings and secrets are also awakened as the two learn more about each other and their pasts. Reading about Laura and Kindle’s struggles broke my heart, but at the same time, I had been prepared for a lot of these obstacles in a second novel. Historical romances are often fraught with drama and uncertainties, and this is especially true when you’re dealing with post-war turmoil and the ruthless conditions of the Wild West. Luckily though, there are moments of hope and lightness as Laura is determined to never abandon her humanity, and she will also never stop fighting for her and Kindle’s future.

Bottom line, I love a good Western. Sawbones was amazing and its sequel Blood Oath was no slouch either, so I would highly recommend picking up this series if you are a fan of historical fiction or historical romance with a bit of grit. Like I wrote in my review for the first book, it was this juxtaposition of loveliness and gruesomeness that made the story so compelling, and considering how shockingly things ended in this one, it’s looking like the trend will be continuing into book three, Badlands. I just can’t wait.

Blood Oath by Melissa Lenhardt was originally supposed to come out last August, and yes I'm still bitter about it. After reading and loving Sawbones last year, I thought I only had a few short months to wait for the second book in the trilogy. Instead Blood Oath got pushed back until May 2017. I'm not usually one to whine over having to wait on books (I've got more than enough in my TBR to entertain me during such a wait), but when this book got pushed back, I damn near burst into frustrated tears. Then it showed up on NetGalley (finally!) and Hachette took like 2 weeks to approve my request. So after all this, what did I think of the book? Well, it's a classic book two in a trilogy, and just like Sawbones, it's problematic as heck and I can't figure out who to recommend this too. So looks like I may be writing this blog post for myself.

Events from Sawbones see our heroine, Laura Elliston (the former Catherine Bennett) on the run with her lover, Captain William Kindle. A doctor by trade, she fled New York City when she was accused of murdering the husband of one of her patients. A female doctor is sensational enough, but one believed to have murdered someone? It's not terribly shocking that the story has continued to dog Laura. She escapes with Kindle and now they're on the run from bounty hunters. As if that weren't enough, the "Indian problem" in the West is hitting a fever pitch and circumstances from the previous book have left Laura with a heaping helping of post-traumatic stress.

I don't care what genre we're talking about, when you have a trilogy that follows the lives of one set of characters they all read the same. Book One = OMG, this is great! I want more! Give me more! Book Three = OMG, this is a great! What an exciting conclusion! So action-packed! Which leaves us with Book Two. What is Book Two? Book Two = The Bridge. It's the carry over book. It's the occasionally ho-hum middle book that you have to read because it wraps up some stuff from Book One and carries you over into the exciting conclusion of Book Three. I don't care who the author is writing it, when you have a connected trilogy like this no reader anywhere ever says that Book Two is the best one in the series.

Just as in Sawbones, this is historical fiction with some suspense and some romance - although the romance isn't quite as satisfying here. Namely because Kindle and Laura are past the courtship phase and have begun to realize that 1) they don't know everything about each other and 2) they're both very difference people. Kindle may love Laura but that doesn't mean he's always accepting of her independent, feminist ideas. Laura loves Kindle, but she's no Suzy Homemaker and she's beginning to realize that she doesn't know everything about his past.

Just like the first book, this one has problematic elements (really ugly history) and is violent. Frankly there's a rape scene in this book that was A Bridge Too Far For Me - and that's saying something. I have a strong constitution when it comes to violence in fiction. I was the teenager reading Patricia Cornwell, not Georgette Heyer. Blood guts, violence against women - I'm not saying it doesn't bother me, but I can generally handle it in fiction. I was a suspense fan long before I discovered romance. So if something violent in a book bothers ME?! Just saying.

The story itself is good, but I didn't love it as much as book one. My biggest quibble with it is how Laura's PTSD is handled. It's not surprising how screwed up she is at the start of this story. Sawbones was epic and violent and OMG, a gut punch. But then she has an experience that leads to her working through some of this traumatic past and....I'm sorry, I'm not entirely buying it. I mean, does PTSD ever "go away?" I don't think so. It features prominently in the first half of the book and then kind of drops off the map. Who knows, it may all come back into play in the third book. Only time will tell.

If you read and liked Sawbones, this one is a must read. It sets everything up for the final book in the trilogy, Badlands, which is due out in June. I've really enjoyed this series so far, even when I've been questioning whether I should or not. But it has the kind of epic scope and drama that is hooking me at a time when finding books that truly engage me is getting to be a tall order. This certainly won't be for everybody. But, so far, they've been for me.

Final Grade = B

A terrific western where the characters are people you would want to hang out with and better still - want to see win. William and Laura are on the run. Laura has been blamed for William's brother's death even though he was a monster and brutalized Laura and now they are on every wanted poster this side of the Mississippi. Dubbed the "Major and the Murderess", they have run ins with buffalo hunters, Indians, the cavalry , the Pinkerton detectives and other hornery characters. The banter is witty, the story moves quickly and you will find yourself wishing the next installment was next week. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Blood Oath is the second installment in author Melissa Lenhardt's Laura Elliston series. As you may have learned from reading my review for Sawbones, Lenhardt doesn't go easy on her characters. She doesn't give them easy ways out. She knows that the late 19th century was filled with unhappy Confederate soldiers, uncouth and unsavory bounty hunters looking to make their fortunes, and renegade Indians that massacred Whites, and Whites who in turn, massacred Indians.

As the story picks up, it has been six weeks since Laura faced the harsh reality of the West, and probably lost her career as a surgeon because of it. Once again, the main of the characters of the story are Dr. Laura (Catherine Bennett) Elliston and Captain William Kindle who chose to go on the run after their encounter with Kindle's brother. Kindle is now considered AWOL from his post, and that brings an entirely new angle to the series. Laura, as I said previously, experiences what we in the modern age call PTSD. Her mind goes back to her horrible experiences with various sounds, and the mention of a certain river where all took place.

Laura, Kindle, and a scout named Little Stick, have already met their fair share of bounty hunters, and have somehow managed to survive. But, their challenges are far from over. Henry Pope, who we met in the first installment, wants to write their story, Laura rescues an abused Indian woman from traders, and learns a hard lesson in the process, and Kindle becomes a different character from whom we met in Sawbones. Of course, let us not forget about the Pinkerton man chasing after Laura & Kindle.

Blood Oath offers up an entirely new cast of secondary characters from Whiskey Traders, to the fact the bounty on Laura's head no longer says that whomever catches up to her, has to bring her back to NYC to face judgment. Kindle and Laura's relationship is tested by all sorts of situations. Mostly his issues, but she's not necessarily a saint. This story ends on what may be considered a cliffhanger. Things have definitely escalated and quickly. Where things go from here, should be rather entertaining.