Christine Sterling

Another fantastic Timeless Romance anthology! I love these novella collections. A Wyoming Summer sweeps the reader back to the early 1900’s when the West was truly wild and untamed. With romance, some suspense, and endearing characters, these three compelling stories celebrate the strong women who endured all sorts of dangers and hardships in the rough Wyoming wilderness to persevere & find love.

Ellen Found by Carla Kelly details the building of the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone through the eyes of an ambitious, kind young woman. As an orphan, Ellen longs for family & acceptance. She leaves an awful waitressing job in Montana with her scraggly yet brave cat Plato in tow to become an assistant cook at the Inn. While there she forms deep friendships & finds her purpose. Though she faces imminent danger from a bear and other challenges, she finds the love & family she’s always dreamed of. Loved the journal entries, Ellen’s relationship with Charles and his sweet daughter, and the history behind the famous inn. I enjoyed how invested I became in these characters in such a few amount of pages.

The Widow of Daybreak by Christine Sterling involves a small Wyoming town terrorized by a group of outlaws. Doris Whistler’s husband was killed by the vicious gang & she and her daughters are now threatened by their leader Rufus. Buck Montgomery retired from the military to become a lawman. When he hears the plight of his friend’s sister Doris, he decides to visit the town to save them from the gang. Loved the whirlwind romance between Dory & Buck. Though she’s still hurting from the loss of her husband, she finds comfort & love again with Buck. This was a true Western complete with a shootout & plenty of action. The dangerous gang’s antics kept me turning the pages. I also enjoyed Dory’s friend Violet & would love to get her story.

May I Kiss the Bride? By Heather B. Moore started off with a train holdup! Viola Delany is traveling from San Francisco to her aunt’s home in Wyoming to assist her in her bakery. Along the way, she meets a handsome sheriff & feels an instant connection. Surviving a train robbery together, they soon find that their destination is one & the same. Despite a failed engagement, Viola can’t help but be attracted to the cowboy lawman & enjoys his too-wise-for-her-young-age daughter. Will she give love a second chance? I loved Viola’s aunt & the townspeople. I loved how all the young men were clamoring to get a look at Viola. I loved the friendship & romance between Viola & Rey and how he supported her with her desire to become a nurse.

All three of these novellas were fabulous & can easily be enjoyed in a day. Highly recommend this collection to Western & historical romance fans. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through AustenProse PR. All opinions are my own & voluntarily given.… (mais)

Those that didn’t want to continue towards the treacherous Rocky Mountains, stopped at the tiny town along the river, and the name Last Chance, stuck. Now, the town wasn’t so small. There were several hundred people living in the small city, which was surprising since there was no railroad that came through the town.

The Blizzard Brides (The Blizzard Brides #1)
by Christine Sterling

Last Chance Nebraska. Howe can one just not fall in love with a town with a name like that?

And....the cover art!

The Blizzard Brides is a survival story, loosely based on real life events occurring in Nebraska in the 1800's.

Heather and the other women of the town are mail order brides and their husbands have gone on a hunting trip, leaving their families to fend for themselves. They are due back shortly when a deadly blizzard descends on the town, enveloping it and leaving behind both tragedy and new beginnings.

Apparently this is the beginning of a series. I didn't even know that before I read this. I found this on Amazon and it looked good so I read it. It is on the short side, a bit less then 100 pages.

I found the characters to be engaging and the story both horrifying and tragic. I admire how the atmosphere succeeded in transporting me there. I really felt like I was in that storm, in the little schoolhouse. This story is heavy on atmosphere and is written beautifully.

I however do not like reading about animal brutality and warning: there is a bit. There is a great deal of death in this short story as many people...and animals...perish in the storm. That was tough to read about.

Since the women are mail order brides, they are told they must remarry or leave the town. The women place an add for new husbands...and are shocked by the response.

That is how it ends but I am not a strong series per son so I may or may not go on. I will say the story is lingering in my mind. I found the charm of the small town and the townsfolk's love for each other quite touching. But survival stories usually are not my thing.

It does make me think about how things used to be. And what I would have been like during those times as well as what some of my friends and family members would have been like as well. I bet you will find yourself in thought about that if you choose to read this.

Sometimes I think life was so much simpler then but other times it looks like it must have been much harder. It is almost like reading about a different planet. But, when reading Historical Fiction, I do love books that can transport me to the location and The Blizzard Brides most certainly does just that.

Many people have said Nebraska is the real wild west! I would like to visit there someday.

Faith and healing plays a huge role here. This is the second book I have read with those themes this year and we are only two days into the new year! If I am honest though, the other book 'The doorman" is more my style.

Recommended to fans of Historical Fiction.… (mais)