The Book
Kate Davis is intrigued when her father reveals his dream of starting a
horse ranch in Oregon Territory. Settlers out west value a strong woman,
and though she manages the financials of her father's mercantile her
competence earns her ridicule, not respect, from Virginia's elite
society.
Jake Fitzpatrick, an experienced trail guide, wants land out west to raise cattle and crops. But dreams require money and he's eating dandelion greens for dinner. So when a wealthy businessman offers double wages to guide his family across the Oregon Trail, Jake accepts with one stipulation--he is in complete control.
Departure day finds Kate clinging to her possessions as Jake demands she abandon all he deems frivolous, including her deceased mother's heirlooms. Jake stands firm, refusing to let the whims of a headstrong woman jeopardize the wages he so desperately needs--even a beautiful one with fiery green eyes and a temper to match.
Trail life is a battle of wills between them until tragedy strikes, leaving Jake with an honor-bound promise to protect her from harm and Kate with a monumental choice--go back to everything she's ever known or toward everything she's ever wanted?
A Reader's Opinion
This was one of the most enjoyable reads I had in a long time. To be honest, after the first chapter I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy the book, but I'm so glad I kept going! It's extremely clean which is always a bonus for this reader. I never retell the storyline in a review--that's what the blurb is for--but I will tell you why I enjoyed it.
First, I stayed awake hours past when I normally go to sleep so I could finish reading it in one night. That's rare for me. Second, the story moved forward at a nice pace, and it was well-written. There were only a couple of short sections where the hero dreams and it took me out of the action, but only for a moment.
When I first "met" the heroine, she annoyed me to the point where I wanted to shake sense into her, but that didn't last long. In fact, my favorite part about this book was the gradual change in the heroine. I enjoyed watching her change from spoiled socialite to someone who discovers she's stronger and more capable than she realized.
The hero, Jake--I adored him. He behaved like a typical man part of the way, but who can blame him with the way she behaved at first. Jake made me think of Sully from Dr. Quinn, only without the buckskin and fringe. I liked him more and more as the story went on.
I mentioned that the book is clean, but that doesn't mean there isn't romantic tension, and the author does a nice job weaving that into the story without making the book sappy or silly. There's adventure, sadness (I cried), happy moments (I smiled), and great characters.
Oh and the best part was how the author ended the book--I can honestly say I would have done the exact same thing, and I say for certain that I will be buying the next book.
First, I stayed awake hours past when I normally go to sleep so I could finish reading it in one night. That's rare for me. Second, the story moved forward at a nice pace, and it was well-written. There were only a couple of short sections where the hero dreams and it took me out of the action, but only for a moment.
When I first "met" the heroine, she annoyed me to the point where I wanted to shake sense into her, but that didn't last long. In fact, my favorite part about this book was the gradual change in the heroine. I enjoyed watching her change from spoiled socialite to someone who discovers she's stronger and more capable than she realized.
The hero, Jake--I adored him. He behaved like a typical man part of the way, but who can blame him with the way she behaved at first. Jake made me think of Sully from Dr. Quinn, only without the buckskin and fringe. I liked him more and more as the story went on.
I mentioned that the book is clean, but that doesn't mean there isn't romantic tension, and the author does a nice job weaving that into the story without making the book sappy or silly. There's adventure, sadness (I cried), happy moments (I smiled), and great characters.
Oh and the best part was how the author ended the book--I can honestly say I would have done the exact same thing, and I say for certain that I will be buying the next book.
Note: This book came from own collection and was a rare digital book read for me. I don't know the author, but I'm glad I stumbled upon a comment on Facebook about her new book. I watched the book trailer first, and truth be told, it turned me off reading the book. I obviously decided to read the book anyway, and I'm glad I did. The book trailer doesn't do the book justice.
