Customer Reviews

Scoundrels' Bargain

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Annie Lee Twig had her hands full when she left Arkansas in a hurry. She drove her wagon West loaded with a pregnant sister, drunken uncle, and two unidentified corpses stashed under sacks of provisions. Tied to the wagon was a hot-headed "guard" mule affectionately named "Lucifer." Twenty year old Annie, determined to give her family a new start, was in a rush to get to "Oklahoma Territory" in time for the great Land Run of 1889. Full of hope and Ozark gumption she set to work staking her claim with the help of a newly hired hand call John Wesley Matlock. He is an educated man who holds a secret--and a surprising talent for preaching. They say good fences make good neighbors, but Annie's next door neighbor, the well-heeled and influential Henry Trent, was definitely not good, and he stirs up as much trouble as an Oklahoma cyclone. Keeping their secrets and an eye on one another, Annie and John Matlock forge a "scoundrels' bargain" in order to ensure safety and happiness for all those living at the Circle Twig. This "Territorial" tale is sure to please readers in search of an amusing historical romance with a touch of frontier flair.

Annie Twig is a feisty and attractive heroine who staked out a little farm during the Oklahoma land run. Living with her on the Circle Twig are an amiable but alcoholic uncle, a pregnant and unmarried younger sister, an onery mule who is the best bodyguard Annie could have, and a pet pig. Then along comes a handsome, mysterious drifter ...

Fielding sets this book in Oklahoma Territory in 1889 and makes the most of that colorful time and place. When I grew up in rural Oklahoma during the late 1930s and early '40s, very little had changed.

Fielding's depiction of daily life during those hard times, sprinkled with telling details, is so real I can taste it, I can smell it. Her characters are just making it through the day, with hopeful eyes on the future, and I'm making it right along with them.

For that alone I would treasure this book, but it's also a charming story. Annie Twig may be as independent as a hog on ice but she's also a girl who longs to ride in a fine carriage to a fancy ball. One of the morals of the story could be that classic line: "Be careful what you wish for."

Pat Browning, author of FULL CIRCLE

Peggy Fielding's done it again! Scoundrel's Bargain took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Just when I got all riled up about one of the bad cow pokes, that golden-eyed hero, John Wesley Matlcock, came along and saved the day and the pretty little filly named Annie Twig. She and her trusting family all fell for the sexy Pinkerton agent who protected the little family as he fell as deeply in love with them. This is a "feel-good" book that makes you cheer at the satisfying end.

SCOUNDRELS' BARGAIN is both exciting and fun! Annie Twig, a 20-year-old beauty, is the epitome of the type of woman who helped settle the West. She's the glue that holds her family together--and she does all of this without a penny in her pocket.

Annie drives a wagon from Arkansas to Oklahoma Territory loaded down with her pregnant teenaged sister, her acoholic uncle, and two dead bodies hidden under a blanket. This tough little woman is determined that her family will begin a new life. Their livestock includes a crazy mule and an affectionate pig.

If you like authenic historical fiction laced with romance, mystery and adventure, this is the book for you.

Jackie King--author of THE INCONVENIENT CORPSE

SCOUNDREL'S BARGAIN

`Okie' Peggy Fielding is a consummate professional who has shared her storytelling skills in this e-book reissued from a print book. This great story is one of my ten best reads of 360 last year. Set in the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889 the reader grows to care for young Annie Lee Twig who is the one reliable surviving member of her family.

The family fled Arkansas in a covered wagon carrying two dead `weights.' Penniless, Annie decides to stake a claim in the land run. Her new claim bothers her powerful and wealthy neighbor. A lone rider `stumbles" onto their claim and Annie wastes no time hiring him. Our hero is a hired hand full of surprises, not the least being that he actually is a good worker. A huge bonus for Annie considering her household consists of an unwed pregnant sister, an alcoholic older uncle, and a household pig. Her mule is her real lifesaver but cantankerous.

Fieldings descriptive of the harsh daily struggle daily at that time period is vivid. For my generation growing to maturity in times of plenty, it bears reflection back to a time in our Nation's history when the daily goal--survival worked best with reliance on faith in God and your neighbors. A certainty of a brighter future kept families going through sheer grit.