Montana Marshalls #4
“Cookie, if I could, I’d start all over with you. Do things right. Honor us both.”
Wyatt Marshall
Disclaimer: Susan May Warren is my sister-in-law. She did not request that I review this book and all opinions are my own.
Wyatt was the hardest of the Montana Marshalls books for me to get through. It’s a roller coaster ride of hockey, fight scenes, anxious hospital rooms, and politics in addition to relationship ups and downs. Mikka was an adorable addition to the cast, and it was nice to get more insight into Gerri and York’s characters. Unfortunately, Wyatt and Coco never really meshed well as a couple for me.
The Montana Marshalls series hasn’t featured young children in a starring role, and Mikka is a breath of fresh air in the cast of adults. He has had a hard childhood but is a happy, energetic child. He bonds well with the various adults, and the interactions between him and Wyatt are especially cute as their relationship grows despite the language barrier.
As the fourth book in the series, Wyatt brings all of the family members into the picture and pulls story elements that reach back to Knox into play. Whether it’s following up on the NBR-X bombing or checking in on Senator Jackson’s political campaign, people’s lives have carried on. Some of these plotlines are resolved while others move forward. There are surprises and plenty of action as the story treks from Russia to the West Coast.
The most substantial issue I have is the amount of angst in the book. The four main characters all put themselves down at some point. Wyatt is the unworthy son and nothing without hockey. Coco is too plain to be part of Wyatt’s superstar life. Ruby Jane isn’t a superstar spy. And, York is a murderer and unworthy of love. Wyatt and Coco take these issues to the extreme of literally running away from their problems. Overly angsty characters can ruin a book for me, and that is the main reason for my lower rating on this book.
There are smaller issues that I have with the book. I don’t follow sports at all, including hockey, so those sequences were harder for me to follow. The non-relationship story arcs were not completed as thoroughly as I would have liked. However, there is one more book to the series, so hopefully, that issue will be resolved with the completion of the series.
Wyatt has a lot going for it. There is action on and off the hockey rink and chaos on both sides of the Pacific. Wyatt and Coco didn’t resonate with me, but their story is a worthy addition to the Montana Marshalls series.
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