Lady or the Tiger / Heather M. Herrman / Book Review

LADY OR THE TIGER

When nineteen-year-old Belle King sings, the world stops to listen. They always have. Always will. Which means when she decides to die--when she turns herself in for a murder she definitely committed--the whole world is watching. Even trapped in a jail cell in Dodge City, Kansas, Belle has herself an audience.

But the last person she expects to turn up at the jail, begging for her release, is her abusive husband, a man she left behind many miles (and several bodies) ago. He was her first kill, after all. But somehow, he's still breathing, and he's wound up right here in Dodge City, begging for her to be turned back over to him. Jeopardizing all her well-laid plans.

Belle King has an arsenal of tricks up her sleeve, and these days, she always gets her way. But in the 1880s, nobody wants to believe a woman. Not even a legend like her, whoever she used to be.

THOUGHTS

This was such a good read! History buffs beware, because Heather M. Herrman plays fast and loose with historical accuracy. But the vibes were impeccable. The characters were great. Overall, it was just a really solid read.

PROS

A Man's World	This book has a really solid cast of lady characters, all very different (and very strong) historical women. It's a tough time to be a woman, and this book doesn't mess around with that reality. But Heather M. Herrman creates really strong, compelling women looking to stand on their own two feet, even if the world is often against them. I also liked the way this book portrays men who hurt and/or stifle women. There's obvious abuse. There's obvious misogyny. And then there are the good-natured men, the men who want to step in and do their Manly duty (even when that "duty" hingers and hampers the women in their life). Sometimes women don't need protection. Sometimes women just need someone to stand beside them while they make their own decisions. And refusing to do that--refusing to trust the women you know to make their own decisions--is its own kind of abuse, whatever the intentions may be.
Lady Killer	There's just something about a Wild West heroine, a gunslinger lady outlaw, that really speaks to me. I loved the dance Belle King does in this book between woman and animal, between social restraint and life untethered. She's a really fun character, and it's a really fun archetype. It'll probably never get old. It hasn't yet.
Wild, Wild West	This book really does setting well. As invested as I was in the characters, I was more enamored with the setting. The time period, the atmosphere, and the writing itself are all so engaging. I'm not usually the biggest fan of Westerns, but this one just spoke to me. And that's definitely due to Herrman's excellent writing!

CONS

Herrman admits in her author's note to fudging some of the dates. She creates a scene more than portrays 100% historical accuracy, and that's perfectly fine. It's just not how I like my historical fiction, all things considered. And some of the little tweaks Herrman makes didn't feel necessary, from a reader standpoint. But to each their own! This book was fun enough that it's easy to overlook some of the historical oddities.	Historical Misconception
This book does a lot of jumping around in time, dragging up ghosts from the past when and as they become relevant. And I did like this digging around, this reconfiguring of character history and arcs. But at the same time, some of the tension in this plot gets lost with all this back and forth. I lost my footing in the mess of timelines, and that did diminish my reading experience.	Timeline Tension
Just like tension gets lost in the timeline hopping, the actual plot gets hazy, too. I like the twists that this plot took, twists revealed through this clever manipulation of the timeline, but overall, I'm not sure these twists made up for the lack of cohesion in the plot otherwise. The timeline fragments the plot more than it helps it, even if I liked what I think the author was trying to do. The execution didn't work out as I might have hoped.	Plot Cohesion

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8/10

Any fan of Kissin' Kate Barlow from Louis Sachar's Holes will adore this Wild West romp. Those who loved Bryce Moore's A Family of Killers will love stepping back into lawless Kansas territory where outlaws reign.

Details Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books Date: June 10, 2025 Series: N/A Add to Goodreads Buy it HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.