Ambush of the Heart

Author: Mary Connealy
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Rocky Mountain Marshals
Pages: 288
Release Date: February 3, 2026
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

When bandits strike in the wilderness, can love and faith overcome the shadows of danger?

As Owen Riley and his fellow Marshals escort Delaney Bridger, her brother, and an escaped prisoner to Fort Russell, a gang of outlaws ambushes them, bringing death and devastation to their party. With their lives on the line and the outlaws in pursuit, Owen directs the rest of his battered group to seek hiding at a remote ranch.

After the attack leaves her brother Boone seriously injured, Delaney helps Owen, nursing Boone and a wounded Marshal back to health while danger looms ever closer. Despite the threat at their heels, romance sparks between Owen and Delaney as they fight for survival on their perilous trek to the fort. Can they overcome the obstacles and find a future together?

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Reviewer: Winnie Thomas

“’You’d think of the three of them, the woman would be the easiest to corral,’ Owen muttered. He didn’t say it for anyone’s ears but Morgan’s because they had two feisty women with them, and he’d prefer it if they weren’t mad at him. Especially the one he’d kissed less than an hour ago.” 

Filled with Mary Connealy’s signature wit and humor, her well-drawn and engaging characters, and her action-packed plots, Ambush of the Heart is a riveting and fun read. Set in the Colorado Rockies in 1872, this tale is full of suspense as Owen Riley and his fellow Marshalls escort a prisoner, along with Delaney and Boone Bridger, to Fort Russell. When they are ambushed, they are faced with a struggle for survival.  

One of my favorite things about Connealy’s stories is her strong, competent, smart female characters. There were several of them in this tale, and I enjoyed their spunk and sass. Delaney Bridger is a perfect heroine for this story, and I liked seeing her and Owen as they got to know each other. I always enjoy the predicaments that this author throws her characters into and then somehow manages to get them out again.  

There is a thread of the story that continues on to the next book, so be aware that you’ll want to read the whole series. 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Bethany House. All opinions are my own. 

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Reviewer: Ewurabena Wilson

Another great read from Mary Connealy, a stalwart writer in Christian historical fiction.

This is one of Mary Connealy’s novels that has more suspense than humour. The suspense is served right at the beginning in this novel and remains so until the end. It was meant to be a normal trip, five U.S. Marshals escorting three people, two siblings, Delaney and Boone Birdger, and Clive Duncan, a prisoner, to Fort Russell, Wyoming. An ambush from the Duncan gang will leave one dead and three injured. What happens next is a perilous journey of survival as this group traverses through the rugged mountains to reach their destination. Along the way, beliefs will be questioned, and romance will blossom.

Mary Connealy’s Ambush of the Heart, set in 1872, can be seen as an “introductory” novel where the characters will eventually have their own separate stories in this series. In this first book, Owen Riley, one of the five U.S. Marshalls, is a drifter whose lifestyle is questioned by a growing attraction to Delaney. The romance between Owen and Delaney captured in this novel was quite brief, but perhaps the subsequent books in this series will expound it further. 

This novel’s ending is a cliffhanger, and I am waiting expectantly to know what happens to the Duncan gang, Tex, Morgan, and Marley in the next book. The Christian message was succinct but deeply enlightening. Ambush of the Heart is highly recommended for lovers of good Christian western novels. Enjoy another gem from Mary Connealy.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews via NetGalley.

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