Two decades after the Civil War, Josephine Marcus, the teenage daughter of Jewish immigrants, is lured west with the promise of marriage to Johnny Behan, one of Arizona’s famous lawmen. She leaves her San Francisco home to join Behan in Tombstone, Arizona, a magnet for miners (and outlaws) attracted by the silver boom. Though united by the glint of metal, Tombstone is plagued by divided loyalties: between Confederates and Unionists, Lincoln Republicans and Democrats.
But when the silver-tongued Behan proves unreliable, it is legendary frontiersman Wyatt Earp who emerges as Josephine’s match. As the couple’s romance sparks, Behan’s jealousy ignites a rivalry destined for the history books….
At once an epic account of an improbable romance and a retelling of an iconic American tale, The Last Woman Standing recalls the famed gunfight at the O.K. Corral through the eyes of a spunky heroine who sought her happy ending in a lawless outpost – with a fierce will and an unflagging spirit.
Wyatt Earp and his common-law wife… Josephine… I chose this book as my Kindle First selection this month for a couple of reasons. First, because I have read another work by Thelma Adams called “Playdate” see here: … and second, because I am an avid reader of historical fiction… particularly early American. This book hits both of those qualifications.
This novel in a nutshell: “Tombstone kicked my ass and I kicked back.” The first chapter gripped me with the mood the author set, with this first line: “Tombstone kicked my ass and I kicked back.” Josephine Marcus Earp tells her story as she visits her “old town” in 1937. “I was just a woman—a footnote—expected to tuck my skirts under my tail and inspire male bravery when I wasn’t baking corn bread or childbearing.”
Not a bad book but also not a good book First, I actually read this book from beginning to end. I have not had much luck finding good Kindle First books, especially after reading glorious write-ups from reviewers, who appear to me as not having read what they are writing about. At least I have read every page of this book and will try to give a realistic opinion.