The Dolan Girls

By: S. R. Mallery

Narrated by: Nancy Peterson

The Dolan Girls by S. R. Mallery has it all. Set in Nebraska during the 1800s, whorehouse madams, ladies of the night, a schoolmarm, a Pinkerton detective, a Shakespeare-quoting old coot, brutal outlaws, and a horse-wrangler fill out the cast of characters. Added to the mix are colorful descriptions of an 1856 land rush, Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show, Annie Oakley, bank/train robberies, small town local politics, and, of course, romance. Two, in fact!

©2015 Sarah Mallery (P)2017 Sarah Mallery

Swept back in time to the old West

In THE DOLAN GIRLS, S. R.Mallery brings us into the old west, using a unique perspective: that of young women with a secret to keep. Coming from a potato farm in famine-stricken Ireland, Cora (who refuses to talk about what happened six years ago) and her sister Minnie (who has been with her there the whole time) and Ellie (an endearingly lovely ten-years-old girl) must find ways to survive in a harsh new world where “no Irish need apply.”

Set in Nebraska, this is their story. The Dolan girls must make a Red-curtained Madam Ana brothel—“a place for pleasuring most any man”—their new home. Defending themselves against unruly customers would not come easy and it would take quick wit and quick action. “He took one hand off her neck to stroke her virgin cheek, and she seized the moment. Reaching to the right, she grabbed a large knife, the one she had used just the other day to help Mrs. Ana chop up some turnips.” And when the Madam falls ill, she tells Cora, “If I don’t make it, I give you my business, free and clear.”

It is in the parlor that we see their resilience playing out, while they (and we, through their eyes) get to meet iconic characters such as Annie Oakly. “Next, she positioned the mirror in front of her with one hand, and with the other, adjusted the rifle backwards on her shoulder… Crack-crack-crack-crack! went the rifle, shattering each target into bits and pieces.” The language is authentic, and the details capture the historical setting with not only precision but picturesque fun as well. “Ruffled shirts, petticoats more colorful than a rainbow, and boots covered in tassels were as common as toys on a Christmas morn.”

The narrator, Nancy Peterson, has a warm, intimate voice that goes straight to the heart. Immersing herself—and you—in the story, she varies her rhythm and expression, mining each word for its fullest impact. She’s great with accents and can change her age effortlessly, which gives presence to the characters and a great contrast between them.

Dolan Girls

Some very heartbreaking moments in this book, and it really takes a women with certain strength to ensure and move on. They don’t make women like the Dolan girls anymore.
Enjoyed the narrative very much, great variety of voices by this very talented narrator.

Excellent historical

Loved listening to this! Excellent story and characters, I loved Ellie and Brett. There’s action, romance, and learning to cope with life’s events. This story does deal with some tough subjects, but they shape who the characters are. The narrator’s performance was excellent, each character had a unique voice. I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Enjoyed it

Took me a bit to get into this one but I'm glad I stuck with it. It ended up being a really good book and quite entertaining. Lovable characters and good wild west flavor.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

A Tear Jerker, But FABULOUS

The narrator was fabulous At first, I didn't like the jumps in time, but midway through, I believed having the jumps made the story even better. I fell in love with so many of the characters. and I cried on several occasions.

I loved the audible version of this story!

The Dolan Girls: Romance In Old Nebraska is a heartwarming historical fiction/romance from Multi-Award Winning, USA Today Bestselling Author SR Mallery.

First of all, I listened to this story on audible, and it was a very entertaining experience. The narration was fantastic—just perfect for this story!!

It’s 1861 and sixteen year-old Cora Dolan is madly in love with Thomas Garrett, as he is with her. But when devastating tragedy strikes, Thomas is led to believe that Cora no longer wants to see him.

Cora’s dreams for the future have been shattered, under the impression that she was no longer wanted by Thomas. With the help of her friends and her sister Minnie, Cora raises her daughter, Ellie, who’s born from her vicious assault.

But as life moves forward, maybe fate has other plans in store for Cora. Will her dreams finally come true? You’ll just have to read this page-turning story to find out!

This is such an enjoyable story and the author’s love of history always shines through in every book she writes. Featuring true life characters that come to life, this story covers a time span of over twenty years and is interspersed with loads of historically accurate, as well as extremely interesting, details from the past. She truly writes a vivid depiction of imagery from the past.

And the best part of all? This author always manages to make the historical details she weaves into her stories both entertaining and fun! I highly recommend the Dolan Girls for readers of both historical fiction and romance.

I’ve had the privilege of working with this author in some boxsets in the past, and at the time, I became a fan of her work. This review is my honest opinion.

Three women in the Old Wild West make their way

Wild West story about three ladies who learned to overcome bad situations, make the best of things and finally find happiness after heartache.

For those that had a hard time getting into the story, I think it is helpful to know a bit of the timeline of the book. The story starts when Cora and Minnie are young and are participating with their immigrant parents in a land grab event in Nebraska. The story quickly jumps ahead to Cora and Minnie as young women who are facing more devastating circumstances. With those two background pieces in place, the majority of the story takes place when Cora and Minnie are in their late 30's and Cora's daughter Ellie is a young adult.

The relationships of the three women are tested, an old flame returns, bad guys come to town, a cowboy catches Ellie's eye but has plans to leave, the past comes back to test Cora again and much more.

Enjoyable book, well written and researched. The narrator was easy to listen to, well paced, and did believable character voices. Looking forward to more audio books from this author!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily provided this review.

Communication is the Key to the Heart!

I really enjoyed this audiobook; like stepping into the wild west. The story introduces you to a wide range of western characters… Pinkerton detectives, whorehouse doves, gunfighters, Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley to name a few but the real story revolves around the three Dolan Girls who learned not just to survive but thrive in a very hostile environment. The narration provided by Nancy Peterson was excellent, she brought all the characters to life. I’m looking forward to continuing the story, so I hope there will be a second audiobook. I received this audiobook from the author at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Another well-written story from a good author

The Dolan Girls, my sixth read from author S.R. Mallery. A well-written entertaining read. As good as all Mallery's books are this one, the longest so far, is the best of the bunch.“I received a free Audible copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I'll be reading more from this author. Nancy Peterson"s narration adds to the enjoyment of the book. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Great story

Great narration by the narrator. She puts realism to the characters. Good story about lost love and re finding it.