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


Format: ebook
Tissue warning: possibly a few times
HEA: series, complete
Triggers: violence, death, medical procedures, same-sex scenes
Narrative: first person (following Helen/Laura/Catherine)
My reviewer rating: 4 out of 5
Recommend read: absolutely, if you can stomach the violence and racism of the time
Published: June 27, 2017

Although the series came full circle in the end of Badlands, I felt left slightly wanting. The resolution seemed to creep up forever. I mean, we've waited 3 books for it, and through the last 1/3 of Badlands we get what we've been waiting for. But have we, really? It was rushed. I could have used an actual hard resolution, not an implication that all's well that end's well. Or did Ms. Lenhardt do this purposely to get a spin-off? I don't know. But, I am thoroughly glad to have read this series. Thank goodness for the Kindle app's dictionary feature, because I had to look up at least 25 words in through the series. I am not proficient in the dialect of the mid-west in the late 1800's.

In the conclusion to the Sawbones trilogy, Kindle has been captured and Laura is on the run. If she’s caught she will be executed, but she’s beginning to wonder if all the running is worth it. Maybe it’s time to stand up and face her worst fears. This was my favorite book in the series, it feels like the characters have grown into their personalities and Lenhardt hits a high with both the action and the emotional growth and changes in her characters