Book Review
This is a wonderful western with Callie as the heroine. Her spinster Aunt Bertha, who late in life has 
recently married, raised Callie. The new husband has a nephew, who needs a wife. Aunt Bertha thinks Callie needs a husband.
Callie is a woman out of step with the time; she is smart, stubborn, independent, and determined. She refused to fit the mold of the day, so she runs away to find her dream, a bakery in South Pass Wyoming.
Woven thru this story are the realities of crossing to the west on a wagon train; this is the story of one of those crossings. Only strong men and women survived the trip, Callie is one of those women. Callie grows into a strong woman who has a smart mind that earned the respect of her fellow travelers.
Her opinions were respected and sought out. The way west was harsh, Callie became a woman who met each challenge as well as any man as she faces, raging rivers, heat, unforgiving terrain, disease, and Indians, earning the respect and love of the Seth, the wagon captain.
What a character in Callie, author DeAnn Smallwood created. I chuckled as I read some of Callie’s antics in dealing as a woman in a mans world. I thought I would howl when Seth was oh so patiently explaining to Callie why, she, a woman could not set on the counsel, as she ate her freshly baked cookie in front of all the men. The man had no idea who he was dealing with. This was one smart woman who knew how to work men around to her way of thinking.
Author DeAnn Smallwood’s descriptions were so vivid I could easily see the landscape and action, as well as feeling the emotion. This is a romance without the sex; it is a clean wonderful book written by a very talented author.
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a clean western romance featuring a strong woman making her way in the world on her terms.
I received this book from Reading Alley in exchange for an honest book review.
Books reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion; book reviews on line under my name and on my blog are my opinion.
Other Books You Might Like
Cactus Rose
Bright Morning Star
The Midwife’s Tale
The Gem