The editing was so bad for this book,I couldn't get past the first chapter. I wasn't drawn into the story by the end of it and I rolled my eyes so much they hurt. I've given it a three star because I feel the editor/publisher let the author down. There should have been developmental editing done to help Ms. Blackwell with historical facts - bathrooms largely didn't exist in this time period, which I'm assuming was late 18th - early 19th century and I'm almost certain they weren't called bathrooms until later in the 19th century. Tossing in some candles here and breeches there does not an historical make. This book, as with any historical, needs a tremendous amount of research, which it lacked at every turn.
Phrases like "piss poor" are currently used and to toss them in, EVEN if they were used at the time, pulls the reader out of the story and into current times. There was no effort at all to recreate an historical ambiance, save for a few benign references.
It's unrealistic that a man would be more concerned with which of the bandits he's going to shag than with his own life. He's eying them up immediately upon his capture as though they were a delectable Sunday buffet. I didn't buy it and consequently, I didn't finish the book.
As I said, the editor let the author down. The basic story has merit, if only it had been developed properly.
I will try another of Ms. Blackwell's books, as I don't judge an author by just one.
