Refreshing wagon train story
340091
I liked the characters. I can identify with Cora's determination to take care of herself and the others, and I can appreciate her gradual willingness to admit her weaknesses and accept help. I liked Nate's patience with her.

I'm giving it four instead of five stars because I thought the plot depended too much on implausible coincidences. I did like the way the story line didn't begin in the east and end in California or Oregon.
1479973
I have a soft spot for wagon train stories.  I also love Christian fiction.  I got to have both with this book.
972057
This is a lovely book that tells the story of  a man who ends up taking two young boys on his summertime rv travels when their father must do time in jail.  The characters are well developed, and you end up really liking most of them.  It is the tale of redemption and trying to make peace out of difficult circumstances.  It shows the courage of people rising to the occasion and not backing away from the easy path. I found it thoroughly enjoyable, and spent most of a chilly afternoon devouring it.  It is a book that you ENJOY reading, and savor the moments you have with the characters.
2690784
The main character in this novel tells her story in such an interesting way.  She doesn't begrudge the hardships of her life and the heartache that comes with pioneer living.  She seemed to love rising to the challenges and loved her family and carving out a life for them.  Don't you love reading pioneer stories of various times and places?  The over riding theme or emotion is taking a chance on a better life and overcoming the obstacles along the way.
4611297
I chose this book because I like to read tales of the old West.  The setting was in Arizona on a ranch.  A rich, powerful rancher wanted to buy this particular ranch.  Throw in a little religious thought and I am a happy camper.  A good story with a strong message.  The author has a nice writing style which flowed well and was easy to read.  My one criticism is that there were a few grammar glitches as well as a page repeat.  The story still deserved five stars.
665555
Synopsis

Jake Owens is tired of the mundane existence on his parents Montana Ranch. He decides to leave his quiet life behind to live in the fast lane and heads for Los Angeles. When he ends up mixing with the wrong people and gets charged with murder, his only opportunity to prove his innocence comes from a stranger with a peculiar offer. Left with no other choice, he reluctantly accepts.

The offer involves time travel and takes Jake back in time to 1848 where he has to lead a wagon train safely from Ohio to Oregon and protect one member in particular, Rachel Parker. Rachel, who is a traditional quiet responsible woman highly devoted to her family, joined the wagon train to move to Oregon where she hopes she and her family will have a fresh start.

Jake finds himself besotted with Rachel who is different in every way from the women he usually finds attractive. His job gets complicated when that attraction turns to love.

Review

This was a charismatic story with a bit of a nostalgic feel. While telling the love story of Jake and Rachel, the book gives a realistic insight into what it might have been like to travel the Oregon Trail. It portrays the joy, courage, sacrifice and hardship that people endured while seeking a better life in Oregon. The characters were nicely developed and their actions felt credible for the era. This is a fun and enjoyable historical fiction tale. A great escape for several hours.
3687706
This is a wonderful historical story for all ages!  Jeremiah is 11 years old and him and his family are packing their belongings and heading west to Oregon. No, they're not packing their luggage and loading it in their car, this is a story set in the 1800's during the pioneer days. They are traveling in their covered wagons! Jeremiah tells about his families hard times and good times traveling through prairies, down mountains, across rivers, in their covered wagons.  Highly recommend!
3948548
I was very pleasantly surprised at the high quality of writing in this book which I grabbed when it was on offer free for the kindle. I was absorbed in the story of May Rose a young wife around the turn of the 19th century living in a remote mountain shack in West Virginia with her husband a logger at the nearby logging camp, who has become taciturn and distant and seems very different from the laughing young man she defied her family to marry.

Lonely and isolated in her cabin whilst he's away working she begins to wonder how on earth she can continue. I felt overwhelming pathos when she pens a letter to her distant cousins not wanting to admit her loneliness and desolation, she describes to them how she spends her days telling her friend Nellie about things she used to enjoy with her cousins, Nellie however is the pig she has raised.

Her life is about to change in many ways and not all for the better, when she has the opportunity to mix with folk again she finds that first opinions aren't always to be relied upon and the story unfolds as we are introduced to the many characters who shape her story as she adapts to life in a small logging town and fights to gain respect and independence despite limited options and unjustified prejudice against her.

It's a lovely story, written with great panache and lots of authority in the rich historical detail which never becomes teachy or preachy. Delightful throughout although I found the ending a little sudden and can only assume a sequel is planned by this new and talented author.
161932
Wagon trains were a very long and tough trip. Hallies husband has died right before they were to head west and she hires Cooper to drive her and her son. The story is real and there is heart break and lots of chracters that they interact with. Each relationship builds up Hallie and the relationship between her and Cooper. This story will have moments that will tug at your heart strings and make you feel glad that you did not live during those days. If you love pioneer fiction and wagon trains this is a wonderful one to add to your collection.
637561
This was actually a very sweet, slow moving coming of age story set in the early 1800s. It's about two young men, one that is just learning about himself and those around him, and another that seems to be a drifter, but in all actuality is trying to find someone just like himself to share his life with.

Set in old-fashioned small town Texas, we read a lot about good, hardworking, book-smart 17-yr-old Ethan; Willy, Ethan's older tough and troublemaking brother; their mother who has been raising her boys on her own for a while; and other VERY interesting supporting characters.

All Ethan really wants in life is to save up his work money to buy a young horse of his own.

Then we are introduced to Travis, a young wanderer who comes into town looking for work as a cattle rustler. He reads as much older, but in actuality is only just past 21. Ethan falls in love with Travis's mare, Cleo, and finds himself taking a second glance or two at Travis as well.

The story is separated into 3 parts, each having a major event to work through. The first starts out meandering and slow, getting us familiar with all the major players. The second is adventurous, taking us on the trail of a cattle drive, from Texas up to Wyoming, and the third is all about growth and life challenges in the days of the old west.

This story kind of snuck up on me, and had me wanting to see exactly how all could possibly turn out for these two. There was much sadness and tears, and when I finished I didn't know if I was mad or just relieved, but it definitely had me on a roller coaster.

There is no on-page sex, and the story is told in such a way as to be very appropriate for YA as well as adult readers.

After wiping away my tears, and putting away my mad, I am most definitely ready to recommend this story to anyone that's ready for a real good comingof-age western love story.
3265170
The story is about a family of three on a wagon train from Independence, Missouri to somewhere along the 'southern trail' west. The stopping point for the family is unknown, because the journey isn't complete at the end of the story. The family hires a seventeen-year-old boy to drive a second wagon for them, he falls for a similarly-aged girl, they have encounters with friendly and unfriendly Indians along the way, with bandits, and with an obnoxious member of the train. The family barely gets past one obstacle before another shows up; the five-star story keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat. David Carlyle, "Another Land."
4048552
John Breck is a widower, who has left his ranch and two daughters to go to the aid of his dead wife's sister and family. Elizabeth, the sister, has also lost her husband, and is having difficulty with a daughter and son, who are starting to get wild. The other daughter is her mother's joy. John is using a derivation of his real name, and is now an upstanding citizen in his community after an earlier life as a gunfighter who was widely feared by lawless men. His nephew wants to emulate the uncle of his youth, but John has been changed by his marriage and fatherhood into a decent, upstanding man and no one in his county knows his true name. In his sister-in-law's town, the banker has the community under his thumb, and John is going to not only get Elizabeth's husband's gold claim properly restored to her, but try to help with the two wayward youth. This is a really good story, and I recommend it highly.
2608177
This was the second book I read that was authored by Charles West.  In general, I'm a huge fan of westerns, particularly those that try to be historically accurate as possible.  To me, a story has the have a good plausibility factor to it.

I loved reading the transformation of young Jim Moran into the person that truly gave his life meaning - Rider Twelve Horses.  This is a story about an unlikely friendship that saves a young man's life.  It gives insight into the peaceful side of the American Indian that is so often forgotten.

I don't want this to become a spoiler for the book, so get yourself a copy and enjoy a well-written western.
2806555
The only part of this as being a "Western" story is the fact that it is a story about a railroad out West that is rampant with corruption, murder, train wrecks and all sorts of skullduggery. When a steam engine is stolen and no one knows anything about it, and it can't be found??? On a one track railroad that runs East & West??? That's when things start to become interesting.

I am a fan of Wild West novels which is what I thought this was. My only disappointment was that this was not a "shoot em up" cowboy story. However, it was a good diversion and the ending was as wild as they get
3445277
I love reading about the history of railroads so this story combining  building a railroad with complex characters that I cared about was really good.
4748923
A nice little story and good piece of historical fiction. The characters, events and ramifications are portrayed realistically. Befor reading this, I was unaware of the orphan trains.
1282339
I loved reading Leaving Independence! The story is about Abigail and her four kids heading west on a wagon train. Along the way they meet every type of person. They have a struggle with life, weather, thieves, and Indians.

This is a fun story about people that I cared about. Abigail has a strong spirit but the west is untamed. Hoke, one of the wagon train leaders, is her equal. Their relationship is like thunder and lightning.

I did not want this story to end. It is the best novel that I have read in 2016. It is an excellent read and well worth your time. It is set in the west, but it is a great story about life and living.

I received the Kindle version of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this book.