What lovely use of language and detail. I could feel Ella's paralysis as the laudanum "turned her to little more than a breathing stone" when she was trying to come to terms with the loss (physically and spiritually) of her beloved. I felt I was right there with her and Esau during their confrontation at the clothesline as the "rogue breeze swirled through the clearing, lending sway to the bluebonnets that ringed the homestead."
Ms. Barnard knows her 19th century history, and details about architecture, firearms, clothing, and current events of that time are seamlessly woven into the narrative. A wonderful way to learn about this period of history. The lawmaker looking for Esau is also chasing after Billy the Kid and hopes to have him "taken care of" by the following week-end. A fun tidbit that grounds this story in reality.
Ms. Barnard's book is satisfying on so many levels -- not only does she tell the story of salvation in a fresh way for her Christian readers, but her prose is satisfying as a love story, a history lesson, and a tale of adventure for the rest of us!
DelPico, http://amzn.to/1xqExEx
Agnes Alexander, http://amzn.to/1xciZuN
If I could have given this book 10 stars I would have. I read a lot of western historical romance and love a lot of them, but once in a while a book will pull me in and stay on my mind long after the end. Time Plains Drifter was such a book. Not only is this a wonderful love story, but in the fight between good and evil the action was planned as carefully as a dance instructor plans a review. Now I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel, which I hope will be out soon.
The minute I opened this book and read the first line, I stepped back into the old West. I knew I was in the hands of a masterful storyteller. No one knows more about Texas, past or present, than Kathleen Rice Adams and she uses her knowledge to add depth and heart to her story. I love men who have been hardened by life, who yearn for things they know they can never have. Mason Caine is a such a man. I ached for him because he was so wounded. He let his family think he was dead because inside he was. He had nothing to go home for. The woman he loved had married his brother. The book opens with him finally riding into Texas after 16 years, but he rides straight into a bullet and wakes up on the Hard Eights Ranch, the last place he ever intended to be. And he finds out his brother is dead and the woman he loves is a widow.
Jessie Caine can't believe the man she loved and thought was dead was in her house, still breathing (if barely) and still able to send her heart stampeding with a single glance. He's harder now but she knows how to soften him and awaken desires that he'd tried to bury. He's also a wanted man who lives by the gun and that scares her because she knows she can't hold him. The attraction between them heats the pages and the love scenes sizzle.
If you only read one western historical romance this year, it needs to be this one. I recommend it to anyone who wants a story that will grab you and not let you go until the last word. It's well-written, full of emotion with characters that leap off the page and into your heart. I can't wait to see what Kathleen Rice Adams writes next. I'll be first in line for it.
Linda Broday, NYT and USA Today bestselling author
http://lindabroday.com/
Amy Hurlimann, (review from Amazon.com)
Gail Jenner has written a gripping tale of one woman's struggle to survive in an unfamiliar world. It's amazing how easy it is for the reader to become engrossed in this woman's life as she encounters both tragedy and triumph in her quest to discover who she is and what she wants. Even as the last word is read, one cannot help but wish there was more to learn, more to experience, more to challenge the young woman so that the tale would never end. Here's hoping that Gail Jenner has a sequel in the works to engage our minds so that we may, once again, escape into this woman's mesmerizing world.
