Wild Card is an excellent adventure that takes us deep into the wild west. In a genre that is not well represented in the LDS market, Jennie Hansen does a superb job of providing us with a plot, characters, and setting that makes us feel a part of the excitement of being shanghaied, hunted by famous bank robbing gangs, all the way to standing up for women's rights.

Frank Haladen is the main character who is chafing at what he sees are family relationships and small town ideologies holding him back from the adventurous life he envisions for himself beyond the town’s limits. The story begins with Frank leaving behind everything he's ever known, and while it was slow reading through the first two chapters, it does introduce the character and set up the story arc. Ms. Hansen also takes small slices of Frank's life in developing her story by starting when he is eighteen, (although it is uncertain when he turns eighteen. Page 3 seems to suggest he turns eighteen in two months, but on page 11 he says he will turn eighteen in a few days), then in chapter four we skip ahead six years and Frank is twenty-four, in a new town and starting a new life. In chapter eight we skip ahead another year seeing how Frank has dealt with some major changes in his life in retrospect. Chapter eleven has the greatest gap, skipping ahead seven years, before we are finally able to settle into the story. It felt a little like short stories and events strung together into the larger story, which was somewhat jarring for me, as Frank dramatically changes from one vignette to the other, still, it does help you see his development as a person and what brought him to that point. It’s a fine line to walk, and not easily done, since it’s easy to get confused as to what year it is and where Frank is both emotionally and physically. I wouldn’t recommend this style of writing for a less experienced writer because of the difficulty in making the story smooth.

I thought Jennie did a thorough job in naturally bringing in the gospel, without it being forced, and her characters seemed realistic and unassuming. I wish Frank's family connection to the gospel had been highlighted more, but it was still articulated well and enhanced the character development when it did come out. When the story finally settled down in one part of Frank's life, it seemed to really find its groove and I enjoyed it, finding myself turning pages into the evening to see how it ended. I only found one error which means the book was fantastically edited and the proofreaders have done an excellent job. (On page 179, the baby's name is Cory, but the second to the last paragraph says Cody). Well done!

This was one book that I wish had an epilogue, because of the connection the reader is able to feel for Frank and wanting to know what else happened to him, but it is perfectly set if Jennie ever wants to do a sequel. I thought her cover was enticing, and she lends a lot of credibility to her range as an author -- she writes westerns, suspense, and historical romance -- and does them justice. Is there anything this author can't do?