The Test of Devotion — Sarah Scheele

The Test of Devotion is a short western adventure novel for the whole family. It is set in Texas in 1850, just 14 years after the state became independent from Mexico. The hero, Henry Trevalyn, has traveled from Ohio in search of his former girlfriend, who married someone else after Trevalyn was wrongfully thrown in jail. Arabella isn't aware at first that Henry's looking for her, but she soon finds out that marrying corrupt politician James Lanmont was a mistake. She's not the woman with the most influence over him. Lanmont's childhood friend Elizabeth is now the daughter of the state's Governor and Lanmont's career matters more to him than anything else. But teenage outlaw Viajero, who is Trevalyn's guide, soon teams up with a girl who works at Arabella's hotel. They haven't much time to save Arabella and expose Lanmont -- especially since Viajero's father Hawk might make things a lot harder. Historical Fiction. 165 pages. Some mild classic-western violence. A villain gets shot. A comic character who is an alcoholic appears in a few scenes.