REVIEW: The Devil You Know by Jo Goodman

In The Devil You Know (McKenna Brothers #2) by Jo Goodman, Israel McKenna has certainly been in trouble before but he can usually remember what it is he’s done wrong. Not this time, though. Instead, he finds himself with no recollection of why he’s bloody and badly hurt in the middle of nowhere with ten-year-old Annalea Pancake poking at him with a stick. Knowing he’d be better off left for dead, Israel is taken to her family’s ranch in Pancake Valley, Colorado, where he meets Willa. And while he’s on the mend, he grows to like the beautiful but tough woman more and more. Although he’s worried his predicament might spell trouble for the people who’ve taken him in, Israel isn’t sure he wants to walk away from the new life he’s creating.

“I am a bad man,” he said. “A villain, if you must know. Unworthy of your concern or your assistance. There. Go away.”
Annalea did not move but regarded him more curiously than before. “What sort of villain? Thief? Murderer? Defiler of womenfolk?”
“Jesus,” he said softly.
“Ah, blasphemer.”

Wilhelmina ‘Willa’ Pancake has her hands full enough with running the ranch, seeing over Annalea and their father, Happy, and worrying about what sneaky tactics her neighbors the Barbers will pull next. So Israel’s arrival is not a welcome one. The startlingly handsome stranger is mysterious and obviously in some kind of trouble. But Willa can’t turn him away when he’s in need of their help. Israel turns out to be a good worker once he’s healed and he has a great way with Annalea. When the truth of his past comes out, though, will she still be able to accept him into her family and her heart?

“…Where I belong isn’t a particular place. It’s wherever you are. You make me want to be a steadfast man, a better man…” He paused and then added with wry humor, “Maybe even a reasonably smart man.”
Willa’s quiet chuckle tickled the back of her throat. He’d remembered that she had once called him a reasonably smart man, and it had not quite been a compliment.

The Devil You Know was an all-consuming western historical romance that found me completely in love with its characters. Add to that a plot filled with secrets, surprises and tons of heart, and you have the perfect combination for an unforgettable story.

‘What she finally acknowledged, reluctantly and unhappily, was that Israel McKenna reminded her she was a woman.’

I absolutely adore the way Jo Goodman writes her characters. They are flawed, down-to-earth, and have interesting, realistic quirks that set them each apart. There’s just something about how she describes their personality and their emotions that draws a reader in and you feel like you truly get to know who they are. And this book being set on a ranch in a somewhat remote location was a rather intimate setting for this story to take place. We got to see Willa, Israel, Annalea, Happy, Zach and Cutter at their best and their worst. It painted a concise picture of what life was like in 1891, including the struggles and the triumphs the group faced on a daily basis.

Like I mentioned, there was a lot going on–and not just with Israel’s arrival and the loss of some of his memories. There was a longstanding feud between the Pancakes and their neighbors the Barbers over land rights. There was conflict, more like a power struggle, between Malcolm Barber and his son Eli as well. Willa’s worries over Annalea becoming an educated, well-rounded young woman. (Loved Annalea!!) Plus, Happy’s drinking issue and his tendency to disappear for bits of time was a source of contention between him and Willa. But even with such an ambitious storyline, Goodman brought all of these issues together in a cohesive manner, with twists and turns that I didn’t always see coming.

Israel and Willa were of course our hero and heroine. And what fun I had getting to know them! Willa was a tough, no-nonsense woman on the outside, able to run the ranch and keep everyone in line. But on the inside, she was a woman with insecurities and doubts just like anyone else. That was what I loved most and I think what Israel fell for, too. He was a perfect example of a man who not only aspired to be a better person, but over the course of the story, actually achieved that goal one hundred percent. I loved the opening scene where he’d been left for dead and Annalea finds him. It’s poignant, funny and sets the tone for the rest of the book in a wonderful way.

Perfection. The Devil You Know was a most enjoyable ride that will definitely be going on my keeper shelf. It was the type of emotional, entertaining tale that begs to be read over and over again.

Book Info:

Publication: Published May 3rd 2016 | Berkley | McKenna Brothers #2

From the USA Today bestselling author of This Gun for Hire and one of today’s “premier western romance writers,”* a captivating new Western historical romance . . .

WHAT HE DOESN’T KNOW . . .

After a horse drags him through the countryside, Israel McKenna awakes bruised and battered in a field in Pancake Valley, Colorado. He can recall where he came from and where he was going, but the memory of how he came to be on the Pancake homestead eludes him. He’s certain he did something wrong to deserve such a harsh punishment—and so is the beautiful woman who reluctantly comes to his aid.

. . . COULD HURT HER.

Wilhelmina “Willa” Pancake must focus on running her family’s ranch. With Israel’s hazy memory, she is unsure if she can trust him, let alone handle the budding attraction between them. And as men fight to steal her land and the truth about Israel’s past rides toward them, love is a risk she cannot easily take.