Forever’s Promise by Missouri Vaun is exactly the kind of historical romance novel I enjoy reading. I have long been fascinated by tales of the American West, especially the years when settlers were leaving their homes in the East and looking for a better place to live. I could blame this on my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Sweet (Yes, that was her name.) introducing me to ‘The Little House Books’ which I read over and over. There was also my obsession with the computer game “The Oregon Trail” which I constantly played until I got a computer that didn’t support it. Whatever the reason, I just absolutely love novels like Forever’s Promise.
This is the story of two women who meet on the Kansas prairie in the 1850’s. Wesley (Wes) Holden had moved from Tennessee with her brother Clyde to get a homestead and farm the land together. Because there were severe limits on single women owning land for homesteading, Wes felt she had no choice but to dress as a man. When Clyde died in an accident, Wes continued to farm their land, though it was hard to do alone.
Charlotte Rose had to leave her home town after she was romanced and then abandoned by a man. The only things he left her were a stagecoach ticket and an unwanted pregnancy. With nothing to lose, Charlotte uses the ticket and through unexpected circumstances, ends up stranded at Wes’s homestead.
There are so many wonderful things to say about this book. The characters are well drawn and true to the life and time they are in. The slow-burn romance will melt your heart, and the story itself is captivating.
The best part of this tale, is something I know to expect from this author because it is one of their strengths…descriptions. We see the night sky, black with a million plus stars twinkling down on us in the darkness. We watch the prairie grasses move in waves as the wind passes over them. We hear the cottonwood trees talking to each other as the breeze brushes though their leaves, and the creek murmurs to them at their feet. I’ve always considered this author to be an artist creating masterpieces with words, and Missouri does this again in this novel.
I highly recommend this book to all who love historical fiction and romance.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books.
Rainbow Reflections 