Maria's Trail, The Early Adventures of Chica, Heroine of The Mule Tamer Trilogy

I had the privilege of getting to read an advance manuscript of John C. Horst's upcoming work, Maria's Trail, The Early Adventures of Chica, Heroine of The Mule Tamer Trilogy. John has been really good about letting me read his works as they come out and I try to be good about reviewing them in a timely manner :)

As I've mentioned before westerns aren't really my thing, fortunately The Mule Tamer Trilogy has proved to be the exception to the rule. The characters are diverse and engaging and you can't help but cheering them on every time something dreadful seems to befall them (which is a lot). Throughout the trilogy Chica has remained my favorite character. She's crude and crass, yet she somehow is still the classiest damn woman you've ever met. She's a wild Mexican mix between Annie Oakley and Robin Hood. She's a free spirit and one of the most lovable characters in the trilogy.

This prequel helps us understand Chica's early life and why she is the way she is. Maria (Chica) suffered through a lot of tragedy but it never crippled her, it just made her stronger and more resilient. Maria's Trail gives us a glimpse of many of the stories that are mentioned in the Mule Tamer and fleshes them out. We get the real back story on Sombrero del Oro, the Indian tribe, and Chica's "uncle."

All in all this was a fantastic read and it made me love Chica's character even more. I highly recommend you read it when it is released in September!!!